Just Fate by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788670487
Publisher: PublishDrive
Published: 2018-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

The ballroom was beautifully decorated with copious flowers and Elizabeth Mansforde looked at them with delight.

She had enjoyed the dinner party enormously. Practically every man who was staying in The Castle had paid her a compliment.

The lines had gone from her face and she looked young and very attractive as the Duke came up to ask her to dance.

It was a soft romantic waltz and they moved slowly round the room.

Most of the guests were middle-aged, but there were, however, quite enough young married and unmarried women to gaze enviously at Lais, who was as usual surrounded by men.

Her flame-coloured gown and her flashing diamonds made her undoubtedly the belle of the ball. But there was in fact very little competition.

As the waltz finished the Duke suggested,

“I have something to show you.”

Elizabeth Mansforde looked up at him and asked,

“More treasures? I find everything here so unusual, in fact unique, that I have run out of words to express what I feel.”

“What I am going to show you now is something that I know you will appreciate,” he answered.

They walked from the ballroom along a passage that led them eventually to the Orangery.

It had been added to The Castle at a later date, but was no less impressive for that. The orange trees were just coming into blossom and at the end there was a charming extension that had been added by the Duke’s father.

He opened the door and Elizabeth gave a little cry of delight.

It was an Orchid Room and was very much hotter than the Orangery.

“I thought you showed me your orchids this morning!” she exclaimed.

“These are very special,” the Duke replied, “and I was told while I was dressing for dinner that one which has been here for a year and which I had almost despaired of ever seeing in flower has produced a blossom tonight, just in time for me to show it to you.”

“How exciting!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

The Orchid Room was actually quite small and she noticed that there was a comfortable seat with soft cushions on it on one of the walls so that anyone who wished to could sit there and admire the flowers.

The Duke took her first to where in the very centre of the other orchids was one plant isolated on its own.

She looked at it and gave a little cry of admiration because it was so beautiful.

“It is called Laellocattleya,” the Duke told her, “and it is very rare. In fact I doubt if any other collection in this country will have acquired one yet.”

Elizabeth realised at once that it was unique.

The blossoms were small, pale mauve in colour, and each one exquisite in itself.

“It is lovely – perfectly lovely!” she said. “Thank you for showing it to me, Your Grace.”

The Duke drew her to the seat and they sat down side by side looking at the orchids.

“I am thinking,” he said quietly, “how beautiful it would look in your hair.”

“But, of course, you cannot pick it!” Elizabeth said quickly. “It

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