The Secret of Smuggler's Inn by Audrey Hanagan

Author:Audrey Hanagan [Audrey Hanagan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Audrey Hanagan
Published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12: A Great Way to See the City

Kris had booked a horse carriage ride around downtown Victoria as a way of introducing Sheryl to the city. Summer probably would have been a better time of the year to ride around in an open carriage, but Maddie wasn’t going to complain. While it was still a bit nippy, at least it had stopped raining.

Aunt Dee dropped the three friends off on Belleville Street, just down the block from the Pendray Inn where they had had High Tea. Promising to pick them up in the same spot when their tour was over, the girls clambered out of Aunt Dee’s SUV and hurried down the block.

The tour group company was based at a farm just outside of the city limits, but ran their tours from a side street near the downtown core. While Kris stopped at a booth near the corner to confirm their reservation, Maddie and Sheryl continued down the street to check out the horses.

A half dozen sleek white carriages were lined up in a row. Each carriage could hold up to four passengers on two facing, plush red leather benches. A separate raised bench was perched on the front of the carriage for the driver. A single horse hitched to the front of each buggy waited patiently for their turn to meander through the city.

“We’re over here!” Kris called out, waving to one of the carriages at the end of the row. Hurrying back, Maddie cautiously eyed the horse in front of their ride. It was enormous!

“Hi, girls. My name is Tori, and I’ll be your guide this afternoon. Come meet Apollo. He’s going to be doing the work, while we get to sit back and relax and enjoy the ride.”

Thanking Tori when she offered them carrots, Sheryl stepped up to say hello first. Her head barely came to the top of Apollo’s shoulder. White with red bows woven into his mane, Tori explained that Apollo was a ten-year-old Clydesdale. Adding that Apollo was a draft horse who could pull up to four times his body weight, she joked that for Apollo, pulling the carriage was like dragging a two-year-old in a wagon around the block.

Stepping aside to let Kris say hello to their horse, Maddie checked out their tour guide. Standing almost six feet tall, Tori was dressed for the weather. Underneath a thick pea coat, she wore a woolen black suit, with a white button-down shirt and red tie that peeked out above the silk scarf wrapped around her neck. A stove-pipe top hat and leather gloves topped off her outfit. Winking, Tori helped Maddie climb into the carriage and settle into the bench facing the back of the carriage. Once Kris and Sheryl were settled on the bench facing her, Tori laid a couple of thick blankets across their laps to help keep them warm during their ride.

Climbing into her spot on the front perch, Tori flicked the reins and clicked to get Apollo’s attention. Pulling

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