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Authors: Barbara Cartland
Tags: Fiction - Romance
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spoke he was looking round at the dust and dirt in the hall. Following his eyes Rena thought that it would take at least two or three men a week to get the hall clean and tidy. And he knew that.
She had forgotten that the windows were broken. She also remembered that the stairs going up on one side of the hall were in need of a wash. The carpet on them had almost lost its colour and was torn in many places.
And all the while Mr. Wyngate absorbed these details he continued talking about railways.
He was a machine, Rena thought, capable of splitting his mind so that it worked in two ways together.
"Now I want you to show me the house, which I can see at a glance needs a lot doing to it," Mr. Wyngate said in a brusque voice.
"I think what you should have first is a little rest after your drive," the Earl suggested. "Perhaps a glass of wine would revive you. Come into the drawing room which is the most civilised room so far. We will show you all over the house later."
"I will not refuse a glass of wine," Mr. Wyngate said. "I am sure Matilda will say the same."
"I think it is so exciting to be in the country," Matilda replied. "I would like to go out into the garden."
"I will be glad to show you," Rena said at once. She was glad of the excuse to get out of Mr. Wyngate's orbit. She found him horribly oppressive.
At the same time she was interested to study Matilda, and Matilda's clothes. Shut away in this quiet place she had had no opportunity to study fashion. Now she realised that crinolines had grown to a vast size. Matilda's was so enormous that it swayed as she moved, and she only just got through the French windows.
She wore a huge skirt of honey coloured velvet, which in itself marked her out as wealthy, Rena thought wryly. Only a woman who could command armies of cleaners could wear something that would dirty so quickly. The blouse above it was white silk, and over that she had a little jacket of matching honey velvet.
But it was her hat that undermined all Rena's resolutions of virtue. It was a perky little creation in the same velvet, worn over her left eye and sporting a feather.
What would it be like to own such a hat? She wondered. And suddenly her dowdy dress with its narrow petticoats seemed a crime against nature.
"This was once a beautiful garden," she said as they strolled in the sun together, "but now, I'm afraid, only the wild rabbits and the birds enjoy it."
Matilda laughed. "They must have lots of fun playing here with no one to stop them."
"I only hope they appreciate their freedom," Rena said. "I know when I was very young I would have loved to have a place like this to play in. Let me show you the lake."
They moved away together, deeper into the grounds.
CHAPTER FIVE
In the drawing room Mr. Wyngate looked around him. Watching him, John had the same sensation as Rena, that here was a man who noticed everything and calculated exactly how to take advantage of it.
He felt uneasy and troubled. He was a blunt man, a man of action. If an enemy ship had appeared on the horizon he would have known how to deal with it bravely and efficiently. Even ruthlessly. But this situation required dodging, feinting and subtlety. It needed skill with words.
In short, it needed Rena.
And she had abandoned him to manage as best he could.
"So what are you going to do?" Mr. Wyngate barked. "You're not going back to sea, are you?"
"I'm finished with the sea," John said. "I have enjoyed seeing the world, but that's now in the past."
"So you're going to live here?"
"Yes."
"Good. That's how it should be. Houses like this are part of our country's heritage."
It gave John an eerie feeling to hear such words falling from this harsh man's lips. He sounded as though he'd learned them by rote.
"Our country's heritage," Mr. Wyngate repeated, as though having taken the trouble to learn the correct expression he wanted to get full use out of it, for reasons of economy.
"And our country's heritage must be protected,"
She had forgotten that the windows were broken. She also remembered that the stairs going up on one side of the hall were in need of a wash. The carpet on them had almost lost its colour and was torn in many places.
And all the while Mr. Wyngate absorbed these details he continued talking about railways.
He was a machine, Rena thought, capable of splitting his mind so that it worked in two ways together.
"Now I want you to show me the house, which I can see at a glance needs a lot doing to it," Mr. Wyngate said in a brusque voice.
"I think what you should have first is a little rest after your drive," the Earl suggested. "Perhaps a glass of wine would revive you. Come into the drawing room which is the most civilised room so far. We will show you all over the house later."
"I will not refuse a glass of wine," Mr. Wyngate said. "I am sure Matilda will say the same."
"I think it is so exciting to be in the country," Matilda replied. "I would like to go out into the garden."
"I will be glad to show you," Rena said at once. She was glad of the excuse to get out of Mr. Wyngate's orbit. She found him horribly oppressive.
At the same time she was interested to study Matilda, and Matilda's clothes. Shut away in this quiet place she had had no opportunity to study fashion. Now she realised that crinolines had grown to a vast size. Matilda's was so enormous that it swayed as she moved, and she only just got through the French windows.
She wore a huge skirt of honey coloured velvet, which in itself marked her out as wealthy, Rena thought wryly. Only a woman who could command armies of cleaners could wear something that would dirty so quickly. The blouse above it was white silk, and over that she had a little jacket of matching honey velvet.
But it was her hat that undermined all Rena's resolutions of virtue. It was a perky little creation in the same velvet, worn over her left eye and sporting a feather.
What would it be like to own such a hat? She wondered. And suddenly her dowdy dress with its narrow petticoats seemed a crime against nature.
"This was once a beautiful garden," she said as they strolled in the sun together, "but now, I'm afraid, only the wild rabbits and the birds enjoy it."
Matilda laughed. "They must have lots of fun playing here with no one to stop them."
"I only hope they appreciate their freedom," Rena said. "I know when I was very young I would have loved to have a place like this to play in. Let me show you the lake."
They moved away together, deeper into the grounds.
CHAPTER FIVE
In the drawing room Mr. Wyngate looked around him. Watching him, John had the same sensation as Rena, that here was a man who noticed everything and calculated exactly how to take advantage of it.
He felt uneasy and troubled. He was a blunt man, a man of action. If an enemy ship had appeared on the horizon he would have known how to deal with it bravely and efficiently. Even ruthlessly. But this situation required dodging, feinting and subtlety. It needed skill with words.
In short, it needed Rena.
And she had abandoned him to manage as best he could.
"So what are you going to do?" Mr. Wyngate barked. "You're not going back to sea, are you?"
"I'm finished with the sea," John said. "I have enjoyed seeing the world, but that's now in the past."
"So you're going to live here?"
"Yes."
"Good. That's how it should be. Houses like this are part of our country's heritage."
It gave John an eerie feeling to hear such words falling from this harsh man's lips. He sounded as though he'd learned them by rote.
"Our country's heritage," Mr. Wyngate repeated, as though having taken the trouble to learn the correct expression he wanted to get full use out of it, for reasons of economy.
"And our country's heritage must be protected,"
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