Lord Hurst's Hunt Subject: The Beginnings Of Lord Hurst's Hunting Party Where: Bailston Abbey Who: Lord Tobias Hurst Warnings: none Open to: All
It looked like it was to be a beautiful day. The clouds above were light, certainly not rain clouds, and beyond them, the sky was blue in every direction. Doves occasionally flew over-head, only to settle back in the cote set into the stable roof. It was to be a perfectly marvellous day.
His guests, those who had not yet arrived, would be here shortly, and their horses would be prepared ready for the Hunt. The dogs too seemed as excited as he was, the pack grouped together at one side of the courtyard, away from his horses who would otherwise be spooked. He wanted all his animals in top condition today, for the better condition they were in, the better the Hunt, and the better the Hunt, the more compliments would be given.
He dusted off his hands, and then moved towards the huddle of young men, foresters and grounds men, who would leave a little while before the hunting party, and flush out the game hiding in the woods that surrounded the large meadows. Most of them were Jacob’s relatives, his brothers, cousins and nephews, and he wondered, briefly, if the man’s position in the Household produced animosity in the family. If it did, Jacob never spoke of it.
He gave them instructions- stags only, this time of year, of course, and not all, but these men knew their business. He sent them off, hearing the sound of carriage wheels over the gravel beyond the stable yard, and he approached the arch, smiling as the carriage pulled through and stopped in the cobbled yard, two of his younger stable hands come to take the horses’ reins.