His voice was oddly deep.

Alec remained where he was, mindful again of Henry’s final instructions. “Above anything else, keep him away from mares.”

He watched the man come forward as if riding on air rather than a horse. His shoulders were immense and his head was held high in an arrogant manner. He must be over six feet tall, Alec decided, for his legs were as long and powerful as his arms. His body was heavy yet lithe, bulky yet smoothly muscled and carrying not an ounce of superfluous fat. He looked every bit the professional horseman he was, not the farm laborer the clothes represented. Why was he dressed as he was? What was he doing there?

Alec’s grip tightened on the Black’s halter. He saw at least a week’s growth of beard on the stern face. The eyes were inquisitive, as well they should be at finding someone watching his performance. But there was also a coldness in them that foreboded danger. There was no getting away now. He had to face up to this meeting.

Alec allowed his gaze to shift to the mare, noting the lightness of the narrow reins and bridle. Then he looked at the man and said, “I enjoyed watching you very much. I’ve never seen a performance quite like it.”

“It’s centuries old,” the man answered quietly. He spoke with a strong French accent. “You’ve wasted a great deal of time.”

Alec’s brows knit in puzzlement at the man’s words. He searched for an explanation in the cold face, with its blunt nose, its wide and high cheekbones, but found nothing. The man’s eyes were only for the Black.

Suddenly the stallion bolted, trying to reach the mare. Alec managed to stop him but not before there was a hard impact of bodies. He pulled the Black away, talking to him all the while.

Anger glittered in the man’s eyes and it was evident that the mare felt his annoyance. Her body moved violently. There was a gentle pressure of the man’s hands and it was enough to restrain her.

“I’m sorry about that,” Alec said.

“It was to be expected.” The man’s gaze remained on the stallion. “It is good to hear one talk to animals as you do,” he added. “It is a simple thing, but few seem to know it is the only way.”

Alec was used to having professionals scrutinize his horse, just as he, too, carefully noted everything about another’s. He studied the mare before him. She possessed the full, unsloped croup and high-set tail so characteristic of the Arabian. Her long, arched neck and slim, sinewy legs indicated the desert breed as well. But her head, although tapered, did not have the dish-faced profile of the Arabian. And she had a slight ramlike convex nose common to Spanish-Barbary stock. She was broad of chest and deep through the heart like the Lippizaner, and had that breed’s wider hips and back ribs.