Good or Bad by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788674720
Publisher: Barbara Cartland Ebooks ltd
Published: 2021-05-02T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

“I have had such a lovely day” Carolyn announced to the Marquis when she came down the stairs to dinner.

“I am delighted to hear it. What have you done?”

“We went out to luncheon with those nice people you introduced us to,” Carolyn replied. “Then we watched the polo and your son played brilliantly.”

“I thought you went shopping,” the Marquis queried.

“Oh, we did that in the morning,” Carolyn explained. “I have bought a glorious, glorious gown for your party and if you don’t like it, I shall just sit in a corner and cry.”

The Marquis laughed.

“I am sure that is something that will not happen and you will undoubtedly be the belle of my ball.”

“I do hope so,” Carolyn smiled, “but, as my s – my stepmother said, there is a lot of competition in London.”

She stumbled over the word ‘stepmother’, caught her sister’s eye and looked embarrassed.

It was difficult when she was excited to remember that Amalita was not the same age as she was.

When they were alone, they were just girls together, enjoying excitements that they had never known before.

Amalita had most certainly bought the most beautiful gowns for Carolyn that she could have ever imagined.

Very obedient to the Marquis’s wishes, she took back the black gown and changed it for two others in different colours.

The shop was very obliging and she soon realised that it was not the Marquis who had the reputation for buying expensive presents for women but the Earl.

It was not so much what the shop assistants said but what they implied.

She wondered what her mother would have said about ladies accepting expensive gifts from a man they were not married to.

To her surprise she learnt that the Earl was dining at home tonight when Carolyn and she were expecting to be alone with the Marquis.

‘Perhaps,’ Carolyn surmised when she heard of it, ‘he feels as we do that he must go to bed early so as to be at his best tomorrow.’

Amalita thought that the Earl considered himself to be always at his best whatever he was doing.

At the same time like Carolyn she had been impressed at how brilliant he was on the polo ground.

It had been difficult to watch any other player and he looked so handsome and rode so well.

Whatever she might feel, she well knew that her father would have approved of him.

The door opened and the Earl walked in, looking, as he always did, magnificent in his evening clothes.

“Ah, here you are now, David,” his father exclaimed. “I have been wondering why we are to be honoured with your presence this evening.”

“That is easy to answer,” the Earl replied. “I have not had a better invitation.”

“That I don’t believe.” The Marquis smiled. “I saw a pile of letters for you this morning and thought that they must have had to put on extra postmen to deliver them all to the house.”

The Earl sat down beside Carolyn.

“Did you enjoy the polo?” he asked her.

“I was just telling his Lordship that you played really brilliantly,” she replied.

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