A Strange Way to Find Love by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78213-793-1
Published: 2016-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

For a moment she thought that the room must be empty.

She went in and closed the door.

It was then she saw, hidden by an armchair, that there was a young girl sitting on the floor and playing with some coloured bricks.

One quick look at her told Vanessa that she was exceedingly pretty.

Her golden hair cascading onto her shoulders was naturally curly.

As the girl looked up to see who had come into the room, Vanessa put her finger to her lips to indicate silence.

Then she walked across the room in the opposite direction to where the girl was sitting and opened a door to see where it led.

She closed it again and turned towards another door that actually was a wardrobe.

And that too she closed.

Still without speaking and moving on tiptoe, she walked nearer to the girl and then asked in a whisper,

“Is anyone listening?”

Melinda was watching her with surprise.

Now, having been asked the question, she hesitated before she replied,

“No! I don’t think so.”

Vanessa looked over her shoulder again as if she wanted to be quite certain.

Then she knelt down on the floor beside the girl and very quietly asked,

“Will you help me?”

“Help you!” Melinda exclaimed in an astonished voice. “How can I do that?”

Vanessa looked over her shoulder again as if she was still afraid that someone would overhear what she was saying.

Then she went on,

“I am here at The Castle in disguise and pretending to be a Governess.”

“Pretending to be a Governess!” Melinda cried out. “But I don’t want a Governess.”

Her voice became louder as she went on,

“I won’t learn! I won’t!”

Vanessa gave a deep sigh.

“But I want you to help me. I thought you would do so.”

“So how can I help you?” Melinda enquired.

Vanessa looked over her shoulder again.

“I am not a Governess and I have run away,” she whispered.

Melinda’s eyes widened.

“Run away, but how?”

“My stepmother was so very cruel to me,” Vanessa began. “My father is away in India and she said that she would starve me if I did not do what she wanted.”

Melinda was now obviously interested.

“What did she ask you to do?” she enquired.

Vanessa, still speaking in just a whisper, replied to Melinda,

“She said I had to clean the kitchen floor in front of the servants. If I did not do so, she would starve me and give me no food until I obeyed her.”

Melinda, who had obviously been very well treated by her uncle, listened in surprise before she said,

“That was very wrong and very cruel of her.”

“I thought you would understand,” Vanessa replied. “So I have run away to find somewhere to hide, so please, please hide me. I am so frightened I will be taken back by a servant who will be sent to look for me. It will not be difficult to find me because I am riding a very big and marvellous horse.”

Melinda sat down more comfortably on the ground.

“Do tell me exactly what has happened,” she asked. “I don’t understand.”

Vanessa looked over her shoulder again before she said,

“I told your uncle that I am a very experienced Governess, so he has employed me.

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