The Castle by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-908411-71-6
Publisher: Barbara Cartland.com

CHAPTER SEVEN

The time until the departure of the Waterford party for London sped by.

Valeria and Lord Waterford discussed in detail her ideas for The Castle, architectural plans were approved and work was set in progress.

Lord Waterford was obsequiously polite to Valeria.

He even accompanied her on her morning rides. It was as if he wanted to ensure that Sir Peter did not make contact with her.

Gradually she found herself enjoying his company.

There were times when he seemed to retreat within himself, as if he remembered her friendship with Sir Peter and still could not forgive it.

On one morning ride, they passed the house she had noticed on her first outing from The Castle.

“What plans have you for this place, my Lord?” she asked, pointing at the house, half hidden behind its hedge.

He paused, as though trying to think of a suitable answer and then replied in a throwaway tone,

“Nothing in particular. Without doubt I will find it useful for something.”

Valeria was immediately sure that he was trying to conceal his real intentions.

He obviously knew what he was going to do with the house. Why was he so secretive? Why could he not be as open with her as he had been when she first came here?

“I thought at one time that Susan might like to live there,” he added after a moment. “But she says it’s far too big and too expensive to maintain. In any event she prefers life in London. As you are learning, she needs company.”

“I like Susan very much,” she commented, turning away from the hidden house. “It must have been a terrible shock for her to be widowed at such a young age.”

Lord Waterford nodded.

“She is still finding it rather difficult to rebuild her life and that is why I am so concerned about her.”

He dug his heels into his mount and cantered on, leaving Valeria to follow.

Later on that day, he looked up from an architect’s drawing straight at Valeria.

“Miss Montford, are you quite happy to accompany us to London for the Jubilee celebrations? You would not prefer to be at your home with your father? I don’t want you to feel under any pressure. I recall how it was settled that you should come to The Castle. This trip to London was not part of the arrangement.”

Valeria was startled and immediately felt uneasy.

Had he regretted asking her to accompany him and Susan to London? Was he tiring of her company?

She swallowed hard.

“I thought that staying in London would mean that I could source fabrics and accessories for The Castle.”

“Of course,” Lord Waterford agreed instantly.

“I would, though, like to spend a few days at home with Papa before going to London. Apart from anything else, I need to arrange for a suitable wardrobe. It seems as if the whole of London Society mean to hold soirées, balls, dinners, luncheons and whatever else. I may have to bring more than one trunk with me.”

“As many as you like, but you needn’t worry about your wardrobe, as you are always so beautifully dressed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.