Riding In the Sky by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782138006
Publisher: Barbara Cartland Ebooks ltd
Published: 2016-01-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter five

Filipa went through the door.

As she expected, it led into the corridor, just before it reached the hall.

She was hurrying towards the stairs, when coming from the dining room, where he had obviously lingered longer than the other gentlemen, was Lord Seaforth.

She had noticed towards the end of the meal that he had had a great deal to drink, in fact too much.

Now she could see that he was moving somewhat unsteadily and hurried more quickly to get out of his way.

She was obliged, however, to pause for a moment as a footman carrying a silver tray with a number of glasses on it was coming in the opposite direction. He was obviously carrying them back to the pantry.

He passed her, but as he walked on, Lord Seaforth, now swaying quite violently, knocked into the tray.

A number of glasses fell off in spite of the footman’s efforts to save them.

“Curse you!” Lord Seaforth swore. “Why the hell are you getting in my way?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” the footman muttered.

Then, as Lord Seaforth staggered on, he bent down to pick up the broken glass and Filipa saw that his left hand was bleeding.

She let Lord Seaforth pass and heard him, as he did so, talking angrily to himself,

“Damn fool, bumping into me like that! Ought to be sacked for incompetence!”

He was slurring his words, but Filipa could hear them distinctly enough and she was aware that the footman could hear them too.

As the footman looked up, she saw that he was very young, little more than a boy.

Lord Seaforth’s remark had obviously upset him and instinctively she moved towards him, saying,

“I’m afraid you have hurt your hand.”

“I didn’t mean to bump into the gentleman,” he answered.

“No, of course not,” Filipa said. “I saw him lurch into you.”

Then, as she looked down at his hand, she saw that it was badly cut in several places.

“You must have that bandaged at once!” she exclaimed.

At that moment another footman appeared.

Seeing that the boy who was hurt was still trying to pick up the broken glass, Filipa said,

“I have to see to this cut hand. Will you please clear away the glass from the floor?”

“Yes, miss, I’ll do it,” the footman replied and then asked the other footman in a low voice,

“Are you badly hurt, Henry?”

“’Tis painful,” Henry replied.

“Of course it is,” Filipa interposed, “but I will make it feel better if you come with me.”

He stood up irresolutely as she enquired,

“Where is the pantry? I expect it’s near the dining room.”

Henry nodded and she said,

“If you just do as I say I know that your hand will be all right.”

She walked ahead and he followed her and by instinct she found the pantry quite easily.

It was a narrow room with a huge safe for the silver against one wall and a sink in front of the window.

The butler was just putting a tray full of silver that had been brought from the dining room into green baize bags. He stared at her in surprise.

“Henry has hurt his hand through no fault of his own,” Filipa explained.

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