An: to Banbury Cross to see a fine lady upon a white horse!
Literally none of those things. A cock horse is a rocking horse as far as I know, Jenny Flint could possibly be a fine lady and Alice is a black horse...
Jenny watched Parker with an interest as he rode around the courtyard grinning and it gave her an idea. Fighting was all very well but horse-riding…that would be useful too. She'd need trousers for that though. She bounded into the hall way, flung her cape around her and fixed her hat on, walking out into the street feeling much more cheerful.
"George!" she called as she walked into the shop and he came out from the back room.
"Ah! Hello Miss Jenny. Not with Vastra today ey?"
"She's in Egypt. I need some trousers. For horse riding." She explained hastily.
He blinked. "Jodphurs you mean. I think I might have some. One of the young men who used to do a rather spectacular horse riding act…alas he fell and broke his leg, left him unable to continue but yes…wait here ey?" he disappeared out the back again.
An hour and several cups of tea and stories about the circus later, Jenny left George's shop with several pairs of beige jodphurs and a pair of boots that would be suitable for horse riding.
She dressed in them the moment she got home, along with a shirt and her waistcoat, feeling very dapper.
Parker had gone home for the day but she knew enough about saddling a horse from her time working with the drayman to get Alice ready.
"You an' me, old girl." She whispered, grinning. Alice merely flicked her ears and stood quietly as Jenny attempted to hop on aboard. It took a great deal of wriggling but Alice was a very patient horse.
Finally sat astride Alice, Jenny felt like she was on top of the world. She hadn't realised horses were so tall when you sat on them. Clinging tightly with her legs she clicked Alice forward and then clung to her neck as Alice walked gently round the yard. A few times around and Jenny felt she'd got the hang of it and sat up straighter.
"Reckon this could work?" she asked Alice and got a comforting whicker in response.
Without a further thought, she urged Alice forward out the gate and into the street. All of her concentration was taken up with staying in the saddle so she missed the odd stares she was getting.
Her leg muscles were aching like mad by the time she returned to 13 Paternoster Row. Dismounting proved in more difficult than getting into the saddle and with a startled "Whoa!" she fell off, landing with a jarring thump on her backside. "Oww!" she flopped backwards. Alice turned round and nuzzled her gently and Jenny patted the horse on her muzzle.
"Not bad for a first attempt?" she grinned, carefully getting back up again to lead the horse back into the stable, wondering if she could get Parker to give her some lessons at least in how to get on and off a horse with a decent amount of grace.
"What would ye be wantin' to ride an 'oss fer Miss Jenny?" Parker asked when she approached him the next day.
"Same reason as you hopped on 'er the other day I imagine. 'Sides, could be useful."
"In the chasin' down of varmints that ye and the Madame do?"
"Even the occasional escapin' it might come in handy." She grinned.
With a sigh and a shake of his head, Parker showed her how to put her foot in a stirrup and stand in it while she swung her leg over.
"Well that were better." He nodded encouragingly after the eleventh time she performed the manoeuvre. "Yer no longer haul yerself up like a potato sack."
"Thanks."
"Yer dismountin' is still more fallin' tho. S'a hop, like this." He mounted Alice, who had been stood very peacefully with a nosebag on, while the practice had been going on. "Yer balance yer weight on this leg, swing t'other one an' then…hop." He jumped down, landing heavily but firmly on his two feet.
Jenny tried to replicate this but still ended up staggering. "Wellll s'longer a way down fer me." She muttered. "'ow'd you learn to ride anyways?"
"I wasn't allus a city man, Miss Jenny." He shrugged. "Grew up the son of a farm hand an' even after a hard day's work, there'd be time to ride an old 'oss round a field fer a bit of fun."
"What made yer come to London?"
"Ahh same as most country boys. Thought of a bit of extra tin, excitement." He smiled. "An' then I met the missus an' that were that."
"She din't fancy the countryside then?"
"Nah, Miss Jenny. She's perfectly 'appy 'ere an' although sometimes I do miss the country, I wouldn't 'ave the 'eart to arsk 'er to leave." Parker brushed Alice down.
"What about yer family?"
"Ooh mercy, me parents went to their graves long ago."
"Din't they say nuffin' 'bout you jus' runnin' off ter London?"
"They was appreciatin' that there weren't a lot of opportunities where we were livin'. Gave me some money to set meself up with an' wished me luck is the most they said. Wrote them letters all the while an' they came ter me weddin' an' I returned back fer their funerals." He gave her one final brush and then put the blanket over her and turned her into the loose box. "Why? You got some beau out in the countryside?" he winked at her.
"Nah. Don't know what I'd do outside London. Wouldn't know where I was."
"An' yer family?" Parker had noticed Cathy's brief stay.
Jenny shrugged as they went indoors and she set about making dinner. "They wouldn't exactly wish me luck in anythin'."
"Well it takes all sorts I s'pose."
"They don't approve of me cos of the way I live me life. Cos I done it differently. I ain't respectable."
Parker laughed heartily, sobering when he saw Jenny's expression. "Well, I wouldn't say as yer not respectable. You an' the Madame been very good to me an' I wouldn't be as churlish as ter say a bad thing about yer. Yer fine enough people by me."
Jenny's mouth twitched. "Thanks Parker."
"Yer welcome, Miss Jenny."
"An' thanks fer the ridin' lessons."
"Aye, we shall 'ave ter find a nice patch o' grass somewheres as you can learn to get Alice up to some speed. Though I shall aye warn yer, ye'll be fallin' off a lot at first. But if ye can get back up an' on an' not let it shake yer, we shall make an 'oss woman of ye yet."
Jenny did indeed fall off quite a lot and ended up with a considerable amount of bruises, but thankfully no broken bones. She wasn't a natural horse woman but the exercises Vastra had set her were helping to build up the muscles in her legs as well that she gained a fair enough seat by the end of November.
An: I know nothing about horses except what I read in Patricia Leitch's Pony Stories so if things are wrong I apologise.
