White Tiger

myself before he could do it for me.
    ‘I bought him for my wife; she chose him and named him Dark Star. He raced for a few years and was quite successful, but he pulled a tendon. They wanted to put him down but I wouldn’t let them; he’s all right as a saddle horse. I feel I owe him a decent life, after all the happiness he gave us.’
    I stopped with my hands still raised and grinned at him. ‘Your horse isn’t black too, is he?’
    ‘Of course he is.’ He moved beside me. ‘Add three palm strikes at the end of the last block.’ He demonstrated, moving with the fluid grace that always made me watch with awe. ‘Block. Punch, left, right, then three palm strikes.’ His hands were so fast they were a blur.
    ‘Again. I didn’t see your hands. Will you for God’s sake slow down for me, please? You’re just too damn fast.’
    He took my chiding with his usual good humour. He slowed for me, moving carefully through the strikes, then turned and grinned. ‘How about that?’
    ‘That’s more like it,’ I said, and moved through the set, adding the palm strikes.
    ‘Down, Emma,’ he said, reminding me.
    I performed the set again, adding the palm strikes lower, and he nodded with approval. ‘Well done.’
    ‘Can anyone ride there?’ I said.
    ‘No. Only club members are allowed.’
    ‘Damn,’ I said softly, performing the palm strikes and spinning to perform the set the other way. ‘All the places I’ve tried have waiting lists a mile long. The places that don’t have waiting lists are out in the New Territories, at least an hour and a half away.’
    ‘You ride?’
    ‘I had a pony I loved dearly back in Australia. I really miss him.’
    ‘Faster,’ he said. ‘Would you like to come along? I can arrange a school horse for you. That would beperfect—you can ride with Simone while I work Star.’
    I tried to control my huge grin but failed.
    ‘Do you have suitable footwear? Leo can take you to the tack shop in Star House if you don’t. Simone would love for you to come.’
    ‘Sure.’ I moved through the set again. ‘You spend a lot of time with Simone.’
    ‘I spend as much of my time with her as I can. I want to make every second count.’
    I deliberately did the block too high, and he put his hand on my arm, gently pushing it down.
    ‘You’re a wonderful father,’ I said without looking at him.
    He froze completely, his hand on my arm. Then he wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me into him, his chest against my back. I closed my eyes as my body responded.
    ‘You’re a wonderful nanny.’ He released me, moved back and spoke more briskly. ‘And very talented. You learnt that set very quickly. How about some weapons?’
    I turned and gazed at him. I knew what I wanted to do.
    And he knew it as well. He gestured towards the weapons rack. ‘Weapons, Emma.’
    I shrugged, went to the rack and pulled out my sword. If he didn’t stop giving me these damn mixed signals I was going to use my sword on him.
    I pulled Simone’s little jodhpurs over her bottom. ‘You’re getting too big for these already.’
    ‘Leo says I’ll be taller than him when I grow up.’
    ‘I don’t think so.’
    She threw her arms around my neck. ‘I’m glad you’re coming, Emma.’
    I pulled her close and held her. ‘So am I.’
    Mr Chen appeared in the doorway, wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of cream breeches. ‘Ready to go?’ I stared at him. ‘What?’
    ‘Couldn’t you find any black riding pants?’ He grinned. ‘No. I nearly had some made.’ ‘You should,’ I said. ‘You look strange in any other colour.’
    ‘Everything Daddy wears is black. He’s boring ,’ Simone said.
    ‘You think I’m boring?’ he said with delight.
    She threw herself at him. He hoisted her to sit on his hip. She nodded, very serious. ‘Yes. Boring.’
    He squeezed her. ‘What colour’s your favourite pony?’
    ‘Black.’
    I went to them, put my arm around her, and pressed myself into both of them. ‘Then you’re just as boring as he is.’
    ‘You’re boring too,’ Simone said.
    ‘I don’t think you are, Emma,’ Mr Chen said. He put his free arm around my shoulders and guided me out. ‘Come on, ladies, our black ponies are waiting.’
    He held me around the shoulders as we waited for the lift. Neither of us said a word.
    It was delightful.
    Mr Chen drove us to the country club. I hadn’t been there before—Jockey Club membership was incredibly hard to come by.
    ‘How long have you