Saved by love by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782139232
Publisher: Barbara Cartland Ebooks Ltd
Published: 2017-01-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

When all his older guests had gone up to bed, the Duc found himself left with three of his friends, who were about the same age as himself.

“What shall we do?” he asked. “Do you feel like a game of bridge?”

“I have a better idea,” one man replied. “I would like to see a duel between you and Henri. It is something I always enjoy.”

The Duc laughed, but Henri, the Vicomte Soisson, said ruefully,

“That means that, as usual, I shall be defeated.”

“You can at least try,” his friend laughed, “but perhaps we should handicap César by blindfolding him.”

“You will do nothing of the sort,” the Duc came in. “Let’s go to the armoury and choose our foils.”

Laughing the four men went down the corridor.

They had almost reached the armoury, which was one of the most interesting rooms in The Château, when there were footsteps behind them.

The Duc turned and saw Jeanne, Yursa’s maid, hurrying towards him.

“Monseigneur! I must speak to you, Monseigneur!”

The Duc’s three friends went into the armoury while he asked somewhat irritably,

“What is it? You are Jeanne, are you not?”

“Oui, Monseigneur,” Jeanne replied.

She dropped him a little curtsey and he then realised that she was very agitated.

“Well, what is it you want?”

“It’s m’mselle, Monseigneur – they have – taken her!”

The Duc looked at her in bewilderment.

“Taken Mademoiselle? What are you talking about?”

For a moment Jeanne seemed tongue-tied and then she crossed herself and said in a whisper he could hardly hear,

“It is the – witches’ Sabbat!”

The Duc was suddenly very still.

“The witches’ Sabbat?” he said angrily. “What are you telling me?”

“They have taken m’mselle to it, Monseigneur. I was deliberately – detained downstairs and, when I – escaped, I saw the new maid who I suspected as being – one of them taking m’mselle down the Cardinal’s Staircase.”

The Duc was listening, but he found it hard to believe what he was hearing.

Jeanne gave a little sob and continued,

“I watched them – I watched them from the top of the stairs, Monseigneur, and they threw a blanket over m’mselle’s head – and carried her to where there was – a cart waiting outside.”

The Duc drew in his breath.

Then, as Jeanne looked up at him pleadingly with tears on her cheeks, he knew that she was trembling and he asked,

“Where have they taken her?”

“They will – kill me if they – know it was I who – told you the place, Monseigneur.”

“I will protect you,” the Duc said, “but tell me quickly where Mademoiselle has been taken.”

“To le Bois du Dragon!”

The words were only a whisper and again Jeanne crossed herself.

“Don’t be afraid, Jeanne,” the Duc said. “You were right to tell me.

He went into the armoury, saying in an urgent tone that surprised his friends,

“Quick! Come with me! There is something evil happening and we have to prevent it at all costs. We will be riding, but there is no time to change.”

As he spoke, he pulled a rapier from where it was hanging on the wall in its case.

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.