Rita Braun - The Hounds And The Fury

CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CAST OF CHARACTERS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

SOME USEFUL TERMS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ALSO BY RITA MAE BROWN

COPYRIGHT

This novel is dedicated to the members of the Oak Ridge Foxhunt Club, some of the best people to ever throw their leg over a horse. As to what else they may have thrown their leg over, that is a subject upon which I prefer not to dwell.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks to David Wheeler, who took the time to make me aware of GAAS, generally accepted auditing standards. His experience and insight, as he is an accountant, proved invaluable. As he is joint-master of Oak Ridge Foxhunt Club he is truly invaluable.

As always, Mrs. Mary OBrien, MD, helped me understand insurance issues, medical terms, and procedures. She is honorary whipper-in to Oak Ridge Foxhunt Club.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

HUMAN

Jane Arnold, Sister, is the master of foxhounds of the Jefferson Hunt Club in central Virginia. She loves her hounds, her horses, her house pets. Occasionally she finds humans loveable. Strong, healthy, vibrant at seventy-three, shes proof of the benefits of the outdoor life.

Shaker Crown is the huntsman. Hes acquired the discipline of holding his tongue and his temper most times. Hes wonderful with hounds. In his early forties, hes finding his way back to love.

Crawford Howard, a self-made man, moved to Virginia from Indiana. Hes egotistical and ambitious and thinks he knows more than he does about foxhunting. But hes also generous, intelligent, and fond of young people. His great disappointment is not being a father, but he never speaks of this, especially to his wife.

Marty Howard loves her husband. Theyve had their ups and downs, but they understand each other. She is accustomed to sweeping up after him, but she does this less than in the past. Hes got to learn sometime. Shes a better rider than her husband, which spurs him on.

Charlotte Norton is the young headmistress of Custis Hall, a prestigious prep school for young ladies. Dedicated to education, shes cool in a crisis.

Anne Harris, Tootie, is one of the brightest students Charlotte Norton has ever known. Taciturn, observant, yet capable of delivering a stinging barb, this senior shines with promise. Shes beautiful, petite, African-American, and a strong rider.

Valentina Smith is the class president. Blonde, tall, lean, and drop-dead gorgeous, the kid is a natural politician. She and Tootie can clash at times, but they are friends. She loves foxhunting.

Felicity Porter seems overshadowed by Tootie and Val, but she is highly intelligent and has a sturdy self-regard. Shes the kind of person who is quietly competent. She, too, is a good rider.

Pamela Rene seems burdened by being African-American, whereas for Tootie its a given. Pamela cant stand Val and feels tremendously competitive with Tootie, whom she accuses of being an Oreo cookie. Her family substituted money for love, which makes Pamela poor. Underneath it all, shes basically a good person, but that can be hard to appreciate.

Betty Franklin is the long-serving honorary whipper-in at JHC. Her judgment, way with hounds, knowledge of territory, and ability to ride make her a standout. Many are the huntsmen who would kill to have a Betty Franklin whip-in to them. Shes in her mid-forties, a mother, happily married, and a dear, dear friend to Sister.

Walter Lungrun, MD, joint-master of foxhounds, has held this position for only a year. Hes learning all he can. He adores Sister, and the feeling is mutual. Their only complaint is that theres so much work to do they rarely have time for a good talk. Walter is in his late thirties. He is the result of an affair Raymond Arnold, Sr., had with Walters mother. Mr. Lungrun never knewor pretended he didntand Sister didnt know until a year ago.

The Bancroft family. Edward Bancroft, in his seventies, ran a large corporation founded by his family in the mid-nineteenth century. His wife, Tedi, is one of Sisters oldest friends. Tedi rides splendid thoroughbreds and is always impeccably turned out, as is her surviving daughter, Sybil, who is in her second year as an honorary whipper-in. The Bancrofts are true givers in terms of money, time, and genuine caring.

Ben Sidell has been sheriff of the county for three years. Since he was hired from Ohio, he sometimes needs help in the labyrinthine ways of the South. He relies on Sisters knowledge and discretion.

Garvey Stokes, mid-forties, president of Aluminum Manufacturing, has been on an acquisition spree. He now needs an extended line of credit from Farmers Trust Bank. He foxhunts and gets along with everyone.

Iphigenia Demetrios, Iffy, at thirty-six, is being treated for lung cancer. She is the treasurer at Aluminum Manufacturing, where she has worked since graduating from college.

Jason Woods, MD, a lung cancer specialist, keeps close tabs on Iffy and his other patients. They are devoted to him.

Donny Sweigart, Jr., mid-twenties, likes to hunt deer. He works for Sanifirm, owned by his uncle, which picks up waste from the hospital. Although hes not a bad guy, he doesnt much impress folks.

Alfred DuCharme, mid-sixties, is one of Jason Woodss success stories. Free of ambition, Alfred runs the huge family estate, Paradise, as best he can, given the scarcity of funds. He loathes his brother, Binky.

Binky DuCharme, early sixties, doesnt speak to Alfred. He owns a small gas station and lives on Paradise with his wife, Milly. They live in a dependency, a house originally built for the help, since the main house is uninhabitable.

Margaret DuCharme, MD, specializes in sports medicine. She gets along with her uncles and acts as go-between. She also lives on the estate in her own little cottage.

Frederika Thomas, Freddie, at thirty-four, is a stunning-looking woman and surprises people when they learn she is an accountant. She winds up on a pressure-cooker job with Gray Lorillard.

THE AMERICAN FOXHOUNDS

Sister and Shaker have carefully bred a balanced pack. The American foxhound blends English, French, and Irish blood, the first identifiable pack having been brought here in 1650 by Robert de la Brooke of Maryland. Before that, individual hounds were shipped over, but Brooke brought an entire pack. In 1785, General Lafayette sent his mentor and hero, George Washington, a pack of French hounds whose voices were said to sound like the bells of Moscow.

Whatever the strain, the American foxhound is highly intelligent and beautifully built, with a strong sloping shoulder, powerful hips and thighs, and a nice tight foot. The whole aspect of the hound in motion is one of grace, power, and effortless covering of ground. They are racier than the English hound and stand perhaps two feet at the shoulder, although size is not nearly as important as nose, drive, cry, biddability. The American hound is sensitive and extremely loving, with eyes that range from softest brown to gold to sky blue. While one doesnt often see the sky-blue eye, there is a line that contains it. The hound lives to please its master and to chase foxes.