This is Love by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788672832
Publisher: Barbara Cartland Ebooks ltd
Published: 2020-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

“Do you know, Uncle Denzil,” Peter related, as they sat round the table at luncheon, “that Michelangelo was the first person to know what a horse looked like inside. He made a drawing of it.”

“I suppose Mrs. Beckwith showed you that in one of the books in the library,” the Marquis replied.

He looked across the table at Mrs. Beckwith and asked,

“Does that come under History or Geography?”

Mrs. Beckwith’s eyes twinkled.

“It comes, my Lord, under Useful Hints for Horse Breeders.”

“Breeders?” the Marquis queried.

“I am going to breed the finest horse in the world,” Peter cried. “His father will be Samson and then his mother will be Aunt Athina’s Juno. He will win the Grand National and I will be riding him.”

The Marquis laughed.

“That is certainly an ambitious programme!”

He turned to Athina, who was sitting next to him, and said,

“You did not tell me that you owned a good breeding mare.”

“I have in fact quite a number.”

The Marquis raised his eyebrows.

“Why did you not tell me about them?”

“I thought,” she replied, “that it would be presuming on Xanadu.”

The Marquis laughed again.

“Is that how you think of Rock Park?”

“Of course,” she replied, “and you are undoubtedly Kublai Khan.”

“He should wear a crown,” Peter said. “When Mrs. Beckwith read me the poem, I was quite sure that Kublai Khan would wear a crown.”

The Marquis thought that it was all quite extraordinary.

During the last four days the conversation at meals had been full of wit and wisdom.

It was something he had never imagined could take place between two women and a small boy.

Athina had been right when she had said that Mrs. Beckwith was extremely intelligent and so indeed she was.

Peter was already a different child from how he had been on his arrival. He was eating well and spent every minute that he could in the stables with the horses.

The Marquis had to his great delight already mounted him on one of them.

He had decided that Athina and Peter would ride with him every morning either before or after breakfast.

There had been no sign at all of Lord Burnham and gradually they ceased to be tense and on edge.

Now they were all laughing.

The Marquis was teasing Peter on his intention to win the Grand National when Dawson came into the drawing room.

He walked up to the Marquis’s side and said,

“Lord Burnham is here, my Lord, and I’ve shown him into the study.”

There was a moment’s complete silence.

And then Peter gave a scream of terror.

He jumped from his chair and ran to the Marquis holding onto him frantically.

“You will – not let – him take me away? Oh, please – Uncle Denzil – promise you – will not make me go – with him.”

The Marquis put his arm round the boy.

“I have already promised you that,” he replied in a quiet voice. “Now I want you to be brave and not make a scene, but go upstairs now with Mrs. Beckwith and stay in your sitting room until I send for you.”

“You will –

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