Read Online 65 A Heart Is Stolen by Barbara Cartland - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Barbara Cartland
Ads: Link
for food. You will have to wait.”
They flew away back into the tree they had come from and the Marquis said,
“If I had not seen that with my own eyes, I would not have believed it!”
“Nor would I,” Anthony agreed. “You must have had them for a long time for them to come when you call them.”
“I think they know I love them,” Ivana said simply.
Now she walked determinedly back into the house and, when they reached the hall, she waited for the Marquis to make his farewells.
“I shall look forward to tomorrow evening,” he said politely, “and I am extremely relieved, Mrs. Wadebridge, to know that so far, you have not been troubled by highwaymen. At the same time I would advise you to keep your doors locked.”
“I will do so,” Ivana replied.
She walked to the door and waited politely as the Marquis and Sir Anthony mounted their horses.
As they drove them towards the drive, the Marquis looked again at the neat flowerbeds.
‘It must have taken a lot of work to keep them in such perfect condition,’ he thought.
Then, lying beside the stones he saw a strange object.
For a moment he wondered what it was. Then he realised it was a wooden leg, the type that was worn by a man who had had his own limb amputated.
It was lying on the small grass path and it struck the Marquis that it had been thrown down hastily and forgotten.
He did not speak and, when they were through the gates, Anthony exclaimed,
“Good Heavens, Justin! Who would have thought that we would have found anything so lovely, so exquisite in the wilds of Sussex? I have never seen such eyes! I cannot imagine why you did not ask her to dinner this evening instead of our having to wait until tomorrow night!”
“For God’s sake, Anthony, you know she is married,” the Marquis replied. “You have just tumbled out of one mess with Lucy Bicester. You cannot make a fool of yourself for a second time!”
He spoke so aggressively that Anthony looked at him in surprise.
“Really, Justin, I have never known you behave like a spoilsport before! Here are you and I with nothing to do except worry about some highwayman we are never likely to catch. We see the prettiest girl we have seen in a month of Sundays, and you say it is ‘hands off’ because she has a husband!”
The Marquis did not reply and Anthony continued,
“I cannot think what is the matter with you. Husbands have never worried you before, unless they were pointing a pistol at your heart.”
The Marquis still made no answer, but merely spurred his horse forward and Anthony had some difficulty in keeping up with him.
As they neared Heathcliffe, the Marquis asked,
“Did you notice how neat and tidy the garden was?”
“Of course I did!” Anthony replied. “In fact, I thought only a sailor could have kept it so spick and span.”
“Exactly!” the Marquis agreed. “But the only sailor we saw was the one who held the horses, and that is another thing – why should he be waiting for us when we arrived? And the door opened the moment we knocked on it.”
Anthony looked at him.
“What are you trying to say?”
“It seemed strange,” the Marquis answered, “but I am quite certain that Mrs. Wadebridge knew that we were arriving.”
“How on earth could she have known that?” Anthony asked.
The Marquis suddenly remembered the man he had seen riding away from the house as they arrived.
He tried to remember more clearly what he had looked like and he was sure that from his clothes he had not been a gentleman, in which case he must have been a groom or a servant and who else would have good horse flesh except himself?
“What are you thinking?” Anthony asked curiously.
“I am not certain I can put it into words,” the Marquis answered, “but I am becoming more and more convinced there is something going on that I cannot explain, but it is definitely out of the ordinary.”
“I should jolly well think it is!” Anthony remarked. “It is not ordinary to
They flew away back into the tree they had come from and the Marquis said,
“If I had not seen that with my own eyes, I would not have believed it!”
“Nor would I,” Anthony agreed. “You must have had them for a long time for them to come when you call them.”
“I think they know I love them,” Ivana said simply.
Now she walked determinedly back into the house and, when they reached the hall, she waited for the Marquis to make his farewells.
“I shall look forward to tomorrow evening,” he said politely, “and I am extremely relieved, Mrs. Wadebridge, to know that so far, you have not been troubled by highwaymen. At the same time I would advise you to keep your doors locked.”
“I will do so,” Ivana replied.
She walked to the door and waited politely as the Marquis and Sir Anthony mounted their horses.
As they drove them towards the drive, the Marquis looked again at the neat flowerbeds.
‘It must have taken a lot of work to keep them in such perfect condition,’ he thought.
Then, lying beside the stones he saw a strange object.
For a moment he wondered what it was. Then he realised it was a wooden leg, the type that was worn by a man who had had his own limb amputated.
It was lying on the small grass path and it struck the Marquis that it had been thrown down hastily and forgotten.
He did not speak and, when they were through the gates, Anthony exclaimed,
“Good Heavens, Justin! Who would have thought that we would have found anything so lovely, so exquisite in the wilds of Sussex? I have never seen such eyes! I cannot imagine why you did not ask her to dinner this evening instead of our having to wait until tomorrow night!”
“For God’s sake, Anthony, you know she is married,” the Marquis replied. “You have just tumbled out of one mess with Lucy Bicester. You cannot make a fool of yourself for a second time!”
He spoke so aggressively that Anthony looked at him in surprise.
“Really, Justin, I have never known you behave like a spoilsport before! Here are you and I with nothing to do except worry about some highwayman we are never likely to catch. We see the prettiest girl we have seen in a month of Sundays, and you say it is ‘hands off’ because she has a husband!”
The Marquis did not reply and Anthony continued,
“I cannot think what is the matter with you. Husbands have never worried you before, unless they were pointing a pistol at your heart.”
The Marquis still made no answer, but merely spurred his horse forward and Anthony had some difficulty in keeping up with him.
As they neared Heathcliffe, the Marquis asked,
“Did you notice how neat and tidy the garden was?”
“Of course I did!” Anthony replied. “In fact, I thought only a sailor could have kept it so spick and span.”
“Exactly!” the Marquis agreed. “But the only sailor we saw was the one who held the horses, and that is another thing – why should he be waiting for us when we arrived? And the door opened the moment we knocked on it.”
Anthony looked at him.
“What are you trying to say?”
“It seemed strange,” the Marquis answered, “but I am quite certain that Mrs. Wadebridge knew that we were arriving.”
“How on earth could she have known that?” Anthony asked.
The Marquis suddenly remembered the man he had seen riding away from the house as they arrived.
He tried to remember more clearly what he had looked like and he was sure that from his clothes he had not been a gentleman, in which case he must have been a groom or a servant and who else would have good horse flesh except himself?
“What are you thinking?” Anthony asked curiously.
“I am not certain I can put it into words,” the Marquis answered, “but I am becoming more and more convinced there is something going on that I cannot explain, but it is definitely out of the ordinary.”
“I should jolly well think it is!” Anthony remarked. “It is not ordinary to
Similar Books
