Read Online Hide and Seek for Love by Barbara Cartland - Free Book Online

of bread.  She also says she has no idea what she can give you for dinner tonight.”
    David walked towards the sofa and sat down.
    â€œSuppose you pour out my tea and at the same time tell me what is going on.  I had rather hoped Newman was still here, but I suppose he has retired or is he dead?”
    â€œNewman had to go to the workhouse – ”
    â€œThe workhouse !   What do you mean?”
    â€œThe Marquis refused either to pay or feed him!”
    David stared at her as if he could not believe what he had just heard.
    â€œI am afraid you are going to be very shocked when you learn what has been happening here,” added Benina.  “But as the servants were given no wages, they left one by one.  Then, as the Marquis refused to feed them, the old ones that were left, like Newman, were forced to go to the workhouse.”
    David put his hand up to his head.
    â€œI find this quite impossible to believe.  Why was there no money?  Why could the servants not be paid?”
    â€œI think there was some money,” replied Benina, “but your grandfather would not spend it.”
    She gave a little sigh and sat down on an armchair.
    â€œTo be honest, I think the Marquis became a little mad after he was eighty-nine.  My mother and I came here the next year and he tried not to have us, but we told him we had nowhere to go and finally, reluctantly, he gave in.”
    â€œI don’t understand.  You say you are a relative of my grandmother, but why did you come to live here?”
    â€œIt’s a long story.  My father did not get on with the rest of the Falcon family because, just like your father, he had married someone they all disapproved of.”
    David smiled.
    â€œI know only too well how disagreeable relatives can be!”
    â€œThey were quite horrible to Papa and Mama and of course as we were only minor relations they paid very little attention to us – ”
    She gave a deep sigh, then continued,
    â€œExcept for your Grandmamma who was always very kind and continually wrote to my father right up to the time of his death.”
    â€œSo your father is dead,” remarked David, trying to put the whole scenario into perspective.
    â€œYes, and so is my Mama,” said Benina with a sob in her voice.  “When Papa died, Mama came here, hoping that the Marchioness would be kind to her.”
    â€œAnd was she?”
    â€œShe tried to be, but I think the Marquis thought we were a tiresome expense and said that Mama and I would have to leave.”
    â€œBut apparently you did not do so?”
    â€œNo, because the Marchioness died, and as we kept very quiet and lived in a different part of the house, I don’t think the Marquis knew for some time that we were still here.”
    â€œThen what happened?”
    â€œHe became very odd and was quite certain that he must save his money and not spend any of it.”
    â€œThat does seem rather peculiar.”
    â€œIt was terrible,” Benina carried on.  “He dismissed a great number of the staff, especially those who worked in the garden and on the farm.  Then he started on the household, who either left, or clung on like Newman, until they had to go because there was no food for them.”
    â€œAnd what happened to you?” enquired David.
    Benina put her hand up to her face.
    â€œIt was terrible, absolutely terrible.  My Mama was growing weaker and weaker, but we had nothing at all and nowhere to go.”
    â€œSo what did you do?”
    â€œFinally Mama cleverly persuaded the Marquis that he could save money on us because we would become his servants without payment.  All he had to do was to feed us and we would clean what we could of the house and cook his meals.”
    David found this all very hard to believe.
    How could any man, most especially a Marquis of Inglestone, behave in such an appalling manner?
    â€œWhat we did next was to hide