Walking to Wonderland by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788674645
Publisher: Barbara Cartland Ebooks ltd
Published: 2021-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

The Duke awoke and saw that the sun was streaming in through the window.

He next realised that he had not undressed, but had fallen asleep on top of the bed.

He looked at his watch and saw that it was now half past six.

This told him he had half an hour before he had to wake Alysia.

He therefore washed himself thoroughly in the cold water in the ewer on the washstand.

He shaved and put on a clean shirt and threw the one he had been wearing on the floor.

It was on Harry’s advice and he thought with a smile that he would be amused that he had carried it out.

He brushed his hair and put on the second silk tie that Harry had packed in his bag for him. It was, he thought, rather smarter than the burgundy coloured one.

Then he walked down the passage to Alysia’s room.

When he reached her door, he lifted his hand to knock.

He then saw with a sense of shock that the lock had been broken and the door was ajar.

He pushed it open, rushed in and found that the room was empty.

The bed had been slept in and lying on the floor was the shirt that Alysia had borrowed from him to wear in bed.

For a moment he just stared round him.

Then he turned and speedily ran down the stairs.

There was no sign of the landlord, but the maid, who had shown them to their bedrooms, was sweeping the ashes out of the grate in the dining room.

The Duke had great difficulty in keeping his voice low and calm as he asked her,

“What has happened to the lady who was with me last night and whom you showed into the last room in the passage?”

“She be gone, sir!”

“Gone? Where?” the Duke asked sharply. “Tell me what has happened.”

The way he spoke to her made the maid instinctively spring to her feet as if to defend herself.

“A gentleman as said ’e were ’er father comes for ’er very late it was.”

“At exactly what time?” the Duke enquired.

“Must ’ave bin gettin’ on for two o’clock,” the maid replied. “There was ’bout three men as was still drinkin’ in the bar and when ’e walks in e’ asks if a young lady’s arrived with a man as ’ad no vehicle and walked ’ere.”

“Was he speaking to you?” the Duke asked.

“Aye, as the Master were still busy a-pourin’ out the drinks.”

“So you told him that you thought it was the young lady who was sleeping upstairs.”

“There weren’t no other young ladies sleepin’ ’ere last night,” the maid said, “and when I says ’er were pretty-like, ’e says right away, ‘that’s who I be a-lookin’ for’.”

“So you took him upstairs?” the Duke asked.

“Why not?” the maid asked truculently, “When ’e pays me for doin’ so.”

“You might have told me he had arrived,” the Duke suggested rather aggressively.

“I didn’t know which room you’d took,” the maid retorted. “I peeped into yourn and sees you was asleep with the candle still a-burnin’.

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