A Dog a Horse and a Heart by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788676304
Publisher: Barbara Cartland Ebooks Ltd
Published: 2022-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Manella found it difficult to sleep.

It was not really surprising seeing how much had happened during the evening.

She kept thinking about it all and about the Marquis as well.

He had been so kind and understanding.

When she had risen to say ‘goodnight’, the Marquis had queried,

“What about our early morning ride? Shall we say seven o’clock? Or is that too early for you?”

“It is not too early,” Manella answered, “but I ought to be preparing your breakfast.”

The Marquis laughed.

“If I have to wait a few minutes after we arrive back,” he said, “I will, of course, forgive you.”

Manella walked to the door, but the Marquis reached it first.

“I cannot let you go without thanking you again for saving me,” he said, “from a danger that I had not anticipated even in my wildest dreams.”

“How could you have imagined for s single moment that anyone would do anything so – wicked?” Manella enquired.

“I have always prided myself,” he said, “on being a step ahead of the enemy and using my perception. This evening I failed lamentably on both those counts, so I can only thank you once again and tell you how very very grateful I am.”

As he spoke, he took her hand and lifted it to his lips.

Manella thought that he would just bend over it as a Frenchman would have done.

Instead his lips actually touched her skin.

It gave her a strange feeling that ran through her body like a streak of lightning.

Then, because she was shy, she moved away from him.

When she was outside the study, she ran towards the hall.

There was only one sleepy footman on duty, sitting in the usual padded chair, but he did not move when he saw her.

Manella ran up the stairs with Flash following her and reached her bedroom.

When she did so, she felt now almost free from the terror that she had felt when she was running away from her uncle.

She walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains.

The moon was shining on the lake and the stars glittered brightly overhead.

And she could not explain to herself in any way why she should suddenly feel wildly and ecstatically excited.

*

Manella reached the stables at five minutes to seven.

She was really not in the least surprised to find that the Marquis was already there.

He was carefully choosing which one of his many horses he would wish to ride and he had already given orders for Heron to be saddled for her.

When, a few minutes later, they set off going out through the back of the stables, he said,

“I admire your taste in horses as much as I admire your cooking!”

“Heron appreciates your compliment, my Lord,” she replied, “when you have so many fine horses of your own.”

“I intend to have a great many more,” the Marquis said. “My last charger in France will also be coming home to spend his declining years peacefully and in comfort.”

Manella thought it was just like him and what she had expected that he would love the horses which had served him.

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