Andre and the others knew the news before breakfast started, and all three showed varying degrees of excitement.
When Anna came down the escalator, she saw the most well-behaved child she had seen these days.
"The magic of riding lessons?" Anna showed a teasing expression.
"Best!" said Charlie, and Andre blushed too.
Anna came down and sat down next to Karenin, who was reading a newspaper. The breath of ink floated, and after feeling Anna's gaze, he lowered the distance from the newspaper. Only then did he see that he had become the focus now.
Whether it's his wife or the three children, they all look at him.
"I didn't know you were so interested in riding horses."
Karenin thought for a while and said: "I have to say, although I plan to take you to ride horses, I am not a professional rider."
"You're always very humble," said Charlie cheerfully.
"Not modesty, but fact." Karenin said, and then he looked at his wife. "I hope you will not be disappointed, Anna. If you need, I can send Peter to hire a more professional rider."
Anna shook her head and said with a smile: "It doesn't need to be so troublesome, and I know you can do it."
His wife's trust made Karenin feel a little happy, so he also thought the orange juice that followed was quite pleasant.
After eating breakfast and resting for a while, they went out.
The coachman Peter and several young servants brought the horses over. They were all bay red with long manes spread out. The only difference between them was the distribution of white spots on their bodies. They looked very similar. docile.
"Which one is the male?" Andre asked.
"No, master, these are all mares."
"Mare?" Andre frowned, and Anna saw the movement and laughed. Because the boy's action is so similar to a certain gentleman!
"The mare is more docile, suitable for beginners, Andrei." Karenin said, he knew that his nephew could sometimes be a bit competitive. It's not a bad trait in a boy, but it needs to be channeled so that he doesn't become some stupid megalomaniac.
"Okay." Andre showed a reluctant expression, his eyes swept over the horse, and it seemed that he already liked it, but he didn't shout out out of courtesy. For this, Karenin gave his nephew a somewhat satisfactory evaluation in his heart.
"Choose what you like," Karenin said, and looked at his wife.
"And you, Anna, which one do you like?"
Regarding Karenin's question, Anna couldn't help showing another smile.
"I can do it, wait for them to choose first."
Karenin showed a disapproving expression, "It's a bit doting." He glanced at his wife again, and the latter took a step forward to hold his arm.
"But they deserve to be spoiled." Anna smiled, pointing to the three boys.
Obviously, they already had something they liked. Charlie and Andre had their eyes on the same horse, and they didn't give in to each other. They just played a small game. Charlie looked at his hand triumphantly, and couldn't help it. Made a face. And Andre was obviously willing to gamble, he turned to another horse, and after the horse bowed his head and touched his finger, the boy couldn't help grinning.
Those three boys obviously didn't pick the two best and tallest horses, some upbringing and etiquette had already been engraved in their bones.
"There's already a gentleman and a chivalry in them, I have no doubts about that," Anna said, looking confident in the children.
And Karenin's focus is on his wife's slightly immature face. In fact, his wife is not very big. In Petersburg circles, she is still as young as a little girl. But she can always handle her role well without making people feel obtrusive.
There is a kind of magic in Anna, which is gentle and intelligent that does not match her age.
She showed the charm of many postures in front of him, and sometimes she was a little jerky in handling things, but it was very appropriate.
Karenin first considered marriage at the age of twenty, when he was about to graduate from university. The choice before him was very clear. Stepping into the political career, relying on his uncle's support, he can get a good official position in a few years, and then he can find a well-matched wife for himself, like people in this circle, through such a combination, let the two All families are stabilized.
At that time, he also retained the desire that a young man should have for his wife. However, it is clear that official career can always change some people.
Such people are rare, and Karenin is just one of them.
Compared with marriage, it is obvious that he is more obsessed with work.
Women or love can't satisfy him, it's just a necessity, not a desire, until he saw the girl in front of him in the mansion of the Duke of Moscow, everything changed.
"Appropriate restraint can prevent them from becoming stupid and arrogant people." Karenin said, these words were actually somewhat deliberate, because he knew that according to Anna's character, she would always have more hopeful words. And Karenin admitted that he was happy to obey that at the moment.
"Ah, I don't object to this, but don't underestimate them. In many cases, children are better at performing miracles than adults." Anna said confidently, and then she took her husband's hand.
"Look, I like it, it's like wearing white socks!" Anna said, pointing to one of the horses. The brown-red horse was shaking its tail, and there were very clean white hairs on its hooves, as if it knew what Anna was talking about. The horse twitched its hooves, looking very proud.
"Can I touch the white socks?" Anna looked at her husband with bright eyes, as if all the stability before had disappeared.
Karenin took a few steps forward to show them.
He approached the horse with a calm and steady attitude. When he raised his hand, he was slow, but his movements were neat. He first approached the horse's neck and shoulders, then stopped, then slowly approached the horse's nostrils, and stopped again.
"It's smelling him!" Charlie exclaimed.
"It is identifying whether you are hostile to it." Karenin explained.
"Will it be upset if I touch it with my dirty hands?" Charlie asked, tilting his head and looking at his hands. Belongs to the more picky variety.
Andre couldn't help rolling his eyes: "It's like if you smell your feet, no one will be in a good mood, that's disgusting."
Charlie glanced at his friend and smiled teasingly: "So you've smelled it? It's like a cat can lick its own nose?"
"I don't, it's just a metaphor." Andre folded his arms to hide his unnaturalness, and then he decided to change the subject, but his tone was a little blunt.
"What shall we do next?"
"Don't approach them from behind, you may get hurt if they get frightened." His eyes stayed on his nephew for a moment, and the words of the cat licking his nose turned in his head.
Andre pursed his lower lip and blushed a little, he did just now, but Alexie pulled him back.
Karenin naturally took the rein from Peter's hand, avoiding wrapping around the horse's neck, holding the rein with his fingers, standing side by side with the horse, and then he led the horse for a few steps.
"Don't pull them hard. Walking side by side is the best way, but don't get too close, or you may be trampled when turning."
"Now you can try it yourself," said Karenin, and motioned to the servants to let go of the reins.
Anna and the others did what Karenin said. Everyone was a little cautious at first, but it turned out that just leading the horse is not so scary.
"Can we ride now?" Charlie asked briskly, looking as if he'd be patting the horse if he wasn't short enough.
"It's better to go to the clearing," said Karenin, and led everyone into the clearing.
He got on his horse, his boots wrapped around his calves, looking solid and strong.
When a man gets on a horse, most people will look a little smug, just like a woman can't help showing off when she has a beautiful skirt.
But Karenin did not.
He was originally tall and tall, and his tall and straight body was even more attractive when he was on the horse's back. However, whether it was the strength of his fingers holding the rein or his eyes, he looked calm and calm.
"Come up from the left side of the horse, and move quickly. Rubbing will deepen the resistance of the horse. After getting on the horse, pay attention to the movement and be neat. Don't touch the horse's position at will, which will give them an illusion."
"When you're ready, you can give them some instructions." After Karenin finished speaking, he rolled over again. His movements were not rude or heroic at all, and they were somewhat different from the actions of some horse racers that Andre and the others had seen. no the same.
After getting down, Karenin approached the horse, raised his hand and gently stroked the horse's mane, then looked at Anna and the boys, and then he froze for a moment, because everyone stared at them with very strong eyes. with him.
Especially her wife, who looked at him for a moment, then turned her head slightly away from him.
Karenin shook hands unconsciously.
"Can we try, Uncle?" Andrei asked, interrupting Karenin.
"Yes. Do as I say." Karenin said to his nephew, and then his eyes returned to his wife.
He looked a little confused.
Because his wife has successfully sat on the horseback, her long blue dress was blown up by the wind, her head was slightly tilted towards the open space, the curve of her jaw was soft and immature, her black hair was half covered, but dizzy eyes could still be seen. Red cheeks.
Under Karenin's watchful eyes, her wife secretly turned her head to look at him, but she didn't expect that he was watching her all the time, so the deeply flushed face and wide gray eyes completely entered Karenin's eyes. Sight.