Рита Браун: Out Of Hounds

She held his hand, leaned over to kiss him. “You are the kindest, smartest, handsomest of men. I will marry you and hope I make it to one hundred.”

He stood up, walked behind her to wrap his arms around her. “Thank God we weren’t killed. Made me think how much I love you. I don’t know why I didn’t ask before. It seemed unnecessary, but after almost being murdered, I want you as my wife.”

“At least you know what you’re getting into.” She laughed then quietly said, “We were lucky Saturday. Very lucky.”

“Given this virus, I have no idea when we can have a ceremony but I would like something small, something so Aunt Daniella can come as well as our best friends, celebrate with people we love. We’ve both been around long enough to know, well, a lot.”

She stood up, faced him, hugged him, and put her cheek next to his. “The until-death-do-us-part part is closer.”

He hugged her more tightly. “One can die at any age. But now we truly know it, so I say let’s make the most of every minute. Oh, I have one more present.”

“You’re spoiling me.”

“Men are supposed to spoil women. Once the weather permits, the drive out to the paved road will be lined with pink and white alternating dogwoods. One pink. One white. You love color. So there.”

“I’ll have to think of something for you. Those are two extraordinary presents.”

“You’re my present.” He kissed her again, then said, “Strange, isn’t it, that we need death to teach us about life.”

“I’ve never felt so alive or so young.” She kissed him again, marveling at how things change in the blinking of an eye.

You never know.

AFTERWORD

The paintings herein stolen are not owned by my fictional characters. I claimed a fiction writer’s liberty.

Perhaps you’ll be motivated to seek the works out or look at as many Munnings’s paintings as you can. He was one of England’s greatest painters.

We are currently in the midst of a flowering of equine art in the United States. Art, like hemlines, goes in and out of fashion. Equine art and the requisite good draftsmanship are out of fashion. A regiment of gifted artists can barely scrape out a living, with few exceptions. My prayer is this changes and my fellow country people will soon appreciate these remarkable artists.

This novel was written in real time. I thought, fool that I am, well, this will be fun, as I’ll be perfect on the weather, which is important for the Sister Janes. Halfway through, clear about plot, bam, the coronavirus knocked me sideways, as such a global phenomenon will affect my characters. How could I ignore it? So I did the only thing possible. I took it day by day, changed things, and implored the gods for help for all.

May you be well.

We’ll get through this.

Up and over,

Rita Mae

Dear Reader,

I wish for you incendiary passion, whatever it may be. Otherwise you will slide into the abyss of middle-class tedium. Even if you are poor as a church mouse, and I have been, you live a life of inner richness.

Allow me to acknowledge your life. As to your passions, your laughter, your loves: Do it now. You’ll be dead a long time.

Dedicated to

Professor Francis McGovern

An extraordinary man and a kind one.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As always, Marion Maggiolo gives me ideas. Every time I visit Horse Country I walk out with a new thought as well as something beautiful. This time she suggested I investigate Belle Baruch. As Munnings had painted her in 1932, I began to focus on his lady subjects.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has a spectacular Munnings, which set me off on seeing as many as I could.

For many years I have been indebted to the National Sporting Library & Museum, established in Middleburg, Virginia, in 1954. I’ve learned so much over the decades and can never see it or the Museum of Hounds & Hunting enough. I’m tempted to bring a sleeping bag and hide out.

The South overflows with a wealth of art galleries offering outdoor sporting art. The problem there is, you’ll want everything for sale. Again, you can learn a great deal. The proprietors usually forgive you and happily talk about the art, even knowing you’ll leave empty-handed. It’s a passion and therefore not subject to hag-ridden reason.

If I have neglected to thank anyone who helped, forgive me. Having to re-think the last quarter of the book due to the crisis prevented me from keeping good notes regarding research.

The Sister Jane series

Outfoxed

Hotspur

Full Cry

The Hunt Ball

The Hounds and the Fury

The Tell-Tale Horse

Hounded to Death

Fox Tracks

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Crazy Like a Fox

Homeward Hound

Scarlet Fever

Out of HoundsBooks by Rita Mae Brown with Sneaky Pie Brown

Wish You Were Here

Rest in Pieces

Murder at Monticello

Pay Dirt

Murder, She Meowed

Murder on the Prowl

Cat on the Scent

Sneaky Pie’s Cookbook for Mystery Lovers

Pawing Through the Past

Claws and Effect

Catch as Cat Can

The Tail of the Tip-Off

Whisker of Evil

Cat’s Eyewitness

Sour Puss

Puss ’n Cahoots

The Purrfect Murder

Santa Clawed

Cat of the Century

Hiss of Death

The Big Cat Nap

Sneaky Pie for President

The Litter of the Law

Nine Lives to Die

Tail Gate

Tall Tail

A Hiss Before Dying

Probable Claws

Whiskers in the Dark

Furmidable FoesThe Nevada series

A Nose for Justice

Murder UnleashedBooks by Rita Mae Brown

Animal Magnetism: My Life with Creatures Great and Small

The Hand That Cradles the Rock

Songs to a Handsome Woman

The Plain Brown Rapper

Rubyfruit Jungle

In Her Day

Six of One

Southern Discomfort

Sudden Death

High Hearts

Started from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writer’s Manual

Bingo

Venus Envy

Dolley: A Novel of Dolley Madison in Love and War

Riding Shotgun

Rita Will: Memoir of a Literary Rabble-Rouser

Loose Lips

Alma Mater

The Sand Castle

Cakewalk

PHOTO: © MARY MOTLEY KALERGIS

Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie Brown series; the Sister Jane series; the Runnymede novels, including Six of One and Cakewalk;A Nose for Justice and Murder Unleashed;Rubyfruit Jungle;In Her Day; and many other books. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia, and is a Master of Foxhounds.

ritamaebrownbooks.com

To inquire about booking Rita Mae Brown for a speaking engagement, please contact the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com.

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