Jasim dropped onto the seat. “Sit down.”
Ru settled next to him and gathered up his books, hiding the sketch pad at the bottom.
Jasim almost smiled. He nodded at the books. “What are you doing?”
Ru hesitated, then gave him the top one.
Jasim flicked through it. “Maths? What’s it for? And the other?”
“English. I don’t have any qualifications. If I want to get on in life, I have to have something to prove I’m not stupid. GCSEs, A levels, maybe a degree. These books are supposed to help me find what level I’m at.”
“And have they?”
“In a way. I think I could pass GCSEs in maths and English. I don’t know about A levels.”
“What happened at school? Were you sick or…?”
Ru tensed and blinked. “After I was eight, I didn’t go to school.”
Jasim frowned. “Why not?”
“You don’t know who I am?”
Jasim’s heart thumped hard. “Should I?”
“Once I’d given Georgia my full name, I wondered whether you’d look me up. Or if you’d just…know. From the papers.”
Jasim shook his head.
“I lived in England until I was eight. After that I lived in Ireland with my aunt and uncle. It was my uncle’s farm that I worked on, my uncle’s horses being sold.” Ru’s shoulders dropped. “Maybe I don’t need to say anything, but someone might uncover my story and you shouldn’t be the last to know.”
What the hell had happened?“Do you want to tell me?”Do I want to know?
“I can see you wondering if you want to know.” Ru chewed his lip.
Jasim had to fight not to reach out and stop him because Ru was going to make his lip bleed. “Is it going to make me feel any differently about you?”
That question clearly worried Ru and after it had come from Jasim’s mouth, it worried him too.
“You might feel sorry for me. You might think I’m weak. Or that I’m stupid. I’m not weak or stupid, and I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. There’s no point in that. I don’t want to be considered a victim or I might grow to believe it’s part of me forever. I don’t really need to tell you. I think it might be better if you look me up. Ruari Byrne. R.U.A.R.I.”
“Do you have a criminal record?”
“No. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Jasim was relieved about that at least.
“I hope that you won’t want me to leave once you’ve read about me. I don’t see that you should because I’m doing a good job. I know horses. They’re the one thing I do know. I’ve spent the last month looking for work and failing. You offering me a job was…a miracle because I candothis. I know I don’t have any experience with polo ponies, but I can learn. I feel like I can breathe here. I can sort myself out. But I want more than to be a polo groom. Does that make you angry?”
“Of course it doesn’t. We all need to have goals to aspire to. What do you want to do with your life? You’re still young.”
“Twenty last month.”
Shit. Very young.
“I think I’ve given up on what I thought I wanted.”
“Why?”
