Mrs. Narracott kneels in her garden, digging up some carrots, when she sees Christina and Ted and Ted walks down the hedged lane as the sun sets pulling Joey with Christina with Ted's bad leg always moving slightly to the side.
Mrs. Narracott looks in horror and bewilderment at Joey and then at Ted. She is a good-looking, intelligent woman, but clearly her life is always hard. "What have you done?"
Ted stands shamefaced as Albert - Christina's younger brother - runs out of the house to join them. Christina moves alittle bit to the horse who plays with her hair again,almost making her giggle. "That's Mooney's colt!" Albert realized.
"You were supposed to buy a plow horse." Mrs. Narracott told off.
"You bought him?" Christina looked at her little brother and nodded.
"What'd you pay for him?" Albert is totally taken by the horse. "How much, Ted Narracott?"
"I won't tell you a lie - though I would love to. Thirty guineas." Ted admitted.
"Thirty guineas!" Mrs. Narracott is stunned. She looks at Ted - and he just nods then at her daughter who also nods WHe's not worth ten! Are you out of your mind? What about the rent?"
"He's a strong one, Rosie. Look at
the way he holds his head!" Ted moved out the way for his wife to see the horse who had stopped palying with Christina's hair and stood with head held high.
"How the hell are we gonna pull anything with that? Ted - you have to take him back. You have to take him back right now now."
"No." Christina and Albert said in sync but were ignored by their mother.
"You have to get down on your knees and beg for our money back."
The horse bridles at the raised voices but Albert takes the rope and tries to calm him along with Christina. "No. No, please don't take him back." Begged the two.
Ted is a man lost. "We can't take him back till he's broken in."
"And how are you gonna train a horse with that leg?" Mrs. Narracott asked pointing at Ted's bad leg.
"we'll train him." Albert said, pointing at him and Christina who nodded along.
"No, you stay out of this, Albie. You don't know nothing about horses."
"Please, Mum. Please let us. I can do it. Anyway he reacts well with me" Christina pleaded.
"We have to keep him. We've no choice." Ted cut in.
"Right. Well... you've got one month to break him in or I'm taking him back myself." Mrs. Narracott turns to the house, but then "How did you get to thirty - what other fool bid you up that high?"
"It was Lyons." was Ted's reply.
Mrs. Narracott turns back towards the house, then stops, dazed, speaking almost to herself. "We're gonna lose everything. After all we've been through - we're gonna lose it all."
She turns back to the others - the weight of the mistake heavy on their shoulders - but Christina and Albert quickly steps forward.
"Don't worry, Mum - We'll raise him - " Christina started.
"and we'll raise him good." Albert finished.
"Well, you better. Go on -" Mrs. Narracott speaks louder "get started. See if a child can undo what your fool of a father's done to this family of ours." Mrs. Narracott storms into the house. Albert immediately goes to stroke the horse but the nervous horse draws back uncomfortably.
"Hey it's alright, honey. It's fine" Christina said to the horse, kissing it's nose. Ted leads him off, drunk and bewildered, across the yard to the barn.
Christina looks at the horse as Albert loads some oats into a bucket and approaches the horse in the field. "Right. Let's make a start then."
Christina stepped back "you first" Albert looked at her and laughed then As Albert approaches, Joey nervously runs in circles, then stops on a dime, looking at Albert suspiciously.
"It's oats. Very tasty, that is. It's beef and gravy to us!" Albert squats down. He shows the food. Joey catches the scent on the air, but still hesitates and shies away. "Come on..." This time, Albert takes a new tact, almost turning his body fully away from Joey, but keeping the bucket extended. Albert slowly backs towards Joey, speaking gently all the while."I bet you're missing your mother. Look at you... first time without your mum. First time away from home."
Christina then steps forward by the horse "But you're not alone, are you. In fact. Cos I'm `ere and Albert" Feeling safer, the horse moves toward the bucket of oats and starts to eat.
"It's alright. It's alright." Albert reaches out his hand and touches Joey. And with a slight start, the horse relaxes into Albert's hand, feeling safe with the boy like he does with the girl. Albert stares at the distinctive white cross on Joey's forehead. Joey calms.
"I'm gonna call you Joey. Understand? Joey. That's you. And I'm Albert and that's Christinatina. It's alright, You're mine now. You're mine."
Christinatina cuts him off "no he's not." Albert looks up at his sister. "Hes ours" And Christinatina and Albert smile at each other.