Lucifer and the Angel by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782131274
Publisher: Barbara Cartland EBooks ltd

Chapter Four

The Duke walked up the steps and into the magnificent marble hall.

The statues were all of Goddesses, and he thought, as he had often thought before, that there was no hall to rival his in any other of the large houses he had visited.

“Welcome back, Your Grace,” the butler said respectfully. “Her Grace is in the music room.”

The Duke handed the butler his hat and gloves and was feeling satisfied that the six footmen in the Ollerton livery were up to standard.

He had always insisted that they must be over six feet tall and their smartness and bearing was something on which he was particularly insistent.

Leaving the hall, he walked down a wide corridor hung with portraits of his ancestors which led to the music room, which was in the West wing.

It was a room that had been redecorated by the Duchess shortly before his father’s death and it was in consequence artistic and combined the classical and the modern with great success.

As the Duke drew nearer to it, he expected to hear the music of Chopin or Bach, knowing that they were his mother’s favourite composers.

To his surprise he heard the unexpected sound of a gay waltz which had been popular in London the previous winter and to which he had partnered many fascinating beauties.

Now that he thought of it, he remembered that it was during this waltz at a ball given at Marlborough House that he had first become aware of Elaine Blankley’s attractions.

She had used every known artifice to make him notice her as a woman, glancing up at him with her green eyes veiled by her mascaraed eyelashes and making her hand on his shoulder feel like a caress.

That he should recall Elaine at this moment when he had just returned home annoyed him and there was a slight frown between the Duke’s eyes as he opened the door into the music room.

Then he stood still in utter astonishment.

In the centre of the room was his mother and he could hardly believe his eyes when he saw that she was dancing.

She was moving slowly, it was true, but very gracefully and from the manner in which she held her arms there was no doubt that she was pretending to be waltzing with a partner to a melody played on the huge Broadwood piano at which Anita was sitting.

As the Duchess turned, she saw her son and came to a standstill and then a second or two later Anita realised who had come into the room and raised her hands from the keyboard.

The Duke spoke and there was no mistaking the amazement in his voice.

“You are dancing, Mama! How is it possible?”

The Duchess would have replied, but before she could do so Anita came running to her across the floor to exclaim,

“You have done it! You have done it! Is it not wonderful? And you told me you would never dance again!”

“But, as you see, I can waltz,” the Duchess enthused.

“Is this what Harrogate has done for you?” the Duke asked.

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