The Sign of Love Read online

  He shouted the words at his half-brother, turned and stormed out of the smoking room slamming the door behind him.

  “My heir!” the Duke murmured as if to himself.

  There was silence for a moment with both the men he had left staring at the closed door.

  Then the Duke said very quietly,

  “My heir indeed! I propose, Charles, to marry your daughter!”

  Chapter Five

  After Rose had left the cabin, Bettina remembered that there was a lace collar that needed mending on one of her gowns.

  As Rose was so preoccupied with her own affairs and had other ladies to look after, Bettina decided that she would do it herself.

  She looked for the little sewing box that had been her mother’s and which contained most of the cottons and silks she required for mending and repairs.

  She slipped the silver thimble onto her finger and chose a silk to match the lace that was old and very fragile.

  She threaded her needle and darned it with small skilful stitches, thinking as she did so of the hours she had spent at school learning to embroider under the tuition of a French nun.

  Madame de Vesarie had always been very insistent that her pupils should aspire to every feminine accomplishment.

  They were all taught to play the pianoforte, to sketch and paint watercolours and to embroider with the traditional stitches that had been handed down to every generation for centuries.

  Some of the older girls were allowed to cook so that when they returned to their ancestral mansions they would be able to supervise the stillroom where all the pastries, jams and special condiments were made.

  Because Bettina had stayed so long at school she had learnt everything that Madame de Vesarie’s Seminary could teach her.

  She felt now with a little drooping of her spirits that, if she had to marry Lord Eustace, she would probably spend her time sewing, not fine or beautiful materials but garments for the poor.

  These, because those without money were not allowed to be vain or self-conscious, would undoubtedly be extremely ugly.

  She found herself wondering why people like Lord Eustace always made the poor feel crushed and servile, allowing them no feelings or will of their own and then expecting them to obey in every way what was decided for them.

  She thought that Rose’s story of how her grandmother had been treated was typical of what she had learnt by reading the newspapers and some reports on the objects and aims of the Reformers.

  They had the right ideas, she told herself, but put them into operation in the wrong way.

  There was too much regimentation and too much driving people into doing what those in authority thought to be right rather than persuading them to be co-operative.

  She gave a little sigh.

  It was quite certain if she put forward such ideas that Lord Eustace would not listen to her.

  Unexpectedly the door opened and her father came into the cabin.

  She looked up at him with a smile of welcome and then, as she saw the expression on his face, she asked quickly,

  “What has happened?”

  Sir Charles closed the door behind him and walked across the small cabin to the porthole as if in need of air.

  He stood for a moment gazing out onto the blue sea.

  Then he said,

  “I have something to tell you, Bettina.”

  “What is it, Papa?”

  Again there was a pause before Sir Charles answered her,

  “I have just come from the Duke.”

  “From the Duke?” Bettina repeated.

  She had a sudden fear that the Duke had changed his mind about Rose and Jack.

  Supposing after all he agreed with Lord Eustace that their behaviour was reprehensible and that he had decided not to interfere but let them be punished as his half-brother had suggested?

  She felt almost a sharp pain at the thought.

  Then, with her eyes wide and anxious, he turned to say,

  “The Duke has asked me to tell you, Bettina, that he wishes to marry you!”

  For a moment Bettina thought that she could not have heard her father correctly.

  Then the gown she was mending fell from her hands and instinctively they moved to her chest as if to soothe a sudden tumult.

  In a voice that Sir Charles could hardly hear, she stammered,

  “Is – this – a joke, Papa?”

  “No, Bettina. The Duke has definitely said that he would like you to be his wife. Of course he will speak to you himself, but he asked my permission and naturally I have given it whole-heartedly.”

  As if what he had to say made him feel overcome, Sir Charles sat down on the bed.

  “I can hardly believe this,” he went on. “That you should marry Varien was something I never imagined would happen in my wildest dreams.”

  Bettina said nothing and after a moment he continued,

  “I thought by aspiring to Eustace I was flying pretty high. After all, as you are well aware, in the social circles that I move in, aristocratic families arrange the marriages of their sons and daughters with great care.”

  He paused for a moment to mop his brow with a large white handkerchief and then resumed,

  “To aspire to being a Duchess in England today is as easy for an ordinary girl like yourself as trying to fly to the moon!”

  He drew in his breath.

  “If Varien, as he has said, marries you, I can only believe Bettina, that you are the luckiest girl in the world!”

  For almost the first time since he had come into her cabin, Sir Charles looked at his daughter.

  She was staring at him with a bemused expression in her huge grey eyes that seemed to fill her small face.

  “You are very like your mother,” Sir Charles commented, “and she was the loveliest woman I had ever seen in my whole life.”

  There was a note of deep affection in his voice that superseded the tone of surprise mixed with triumph that he had used before.

  Then, as he waited, Bettina said slowly and clearly,

  “Why – does the Duke want to – marry me?”

  Sir Charles looked away from her again.

  “I think you know the answer to that. He wants an heir and he dislikes Eustace! Who shall blame him?”

  “I thought you told me that he had always – sworn never to marry again after the – unhappiness of his first – marriage – ”

  “Men change their minds, my dear,” Sir Charles answered, “and you and I can thank our lucky stars that the Duke has changed his.”

  “I can understand that you want me to – marry him, Papa.”

  “Of course I want you to marry him!” Sir Charles said positively. “There is no question about that. Do you know what it will mean for you to be the Mistress of Alveston House in Park Lane, which is second in importance only to Marlborough House? To play hostess in the country in one of the most magnificent Castles in the whole of England? And God knows how many other possessions Varien has.”

  He glanced at his daughter’s face.

  Then in a quieter tone with something almost coaxing and conciliatory in it he said,

  “I am not only thinking of what the Duke owns. You know that I am very fond of him. He is younger than I am, but I have always counted him as one of my best friends. Men like him and that is important.”

  Bettina did not speak, but, as if he knew what she was thinking, Sir Charles went on,

  “Of course there have been women in his life, many of them. They have fallen into his arms like overripe peaches and a man would be either a Saint or a fool to refuse them. But I am totally sure of one thing, Varien will always treat his wife with respect and propriety.”

  Bettina still did not speak, but she made a little movement and, as if he interpreted it as a protest, Sir Charles continued,

  “You need not doubt it and I know what I am talking about. Whatever else he may be and whatever people may say about him, Varien is a gentleman and, as far as you are concerned, h
e will always behave like one.”

  Bettina gave a little sigh and now she bent down to pick up the gown that she had been mending from where it lay on the floor.

  “The Duke is waiting for you, Bettina,” Sir Charles said. “You will find him in his private sitting room at the other end of the yacht.”

  “W-what am I to – say to him – Papa?”

  “What are you to say?” Sir Charles echoed. “Accept his offer of marriage with both hands! Then go down on your knees and thank the Gods for your good fortune.”

  He gave a deep sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his being.

  “I can still hardly believe that this has happened. And I don’t mind telling you that this morning I was in despair, Bettina. I lost a large sum of money last night.”

  “Oh, no, Papa!”

  “I was cursing myself for a fool,” he related, “but now it does not matter, it does not matter in the least!”

  There was no need for him to elaborate. Bettina recognised that, as the father-in-law of the Duke of Alveston, his credit would be boundless.

  What was more, while he had always been welcome as a guest in every house that the Duke owned, now he would be there by right.

  In a low voice she said,

  “I will go and – see the Duke, Papa, but – explain to me where I will find him.”

  “You go past the smoking room and the Duke’s private quarters are beyond that. No one else shares that part of the yacht with him and who shall blame him in wishing sometimes to be alone?”

  Bettina did not answer.

  She did not even look at her reflection in the mirror, but turning went from the cabin closing the door softly behind her.

  She walked along the passage hoping that she would not meet any of the house party on the way.

  She felt as if her brain was in a turmoil.

  At the same time she moved automatically, doing what she was told to do and feeling as if she was numb and merely a puppet and her will had suddenly ceased to exist.

  She slipped past the dining room hearing the voice of Lord Milthorpe and the laughter of the other male guests. Then she passed the card room and found herself in a part of the yacht that she had not visited before.

  A door was open at the end of the passage and she had a glimpse of a large cabin and in the centre of it a masculine-looking mahogany bed. She hesitated, knowing that the Duke would not be seeing her there.

  Then his valet, a middle-aged man with a kindly face whom she had noticed before, came from an adjacent cabin.

  “Good morning, miss,” he said, “His Grace is expectin’ you.”

  He held open the door behind him and Bettina entered a smaller cabin that was golden with the sunshine streaming in through the portholes.

  She had a quick glimpse of a bookcase on one wall, two deep comfortable armchairs in red leather and sporting prints.

  Then she had eyes only for the Duke, who had been sitting at his desk before she entered.

  He rose to his feet and it seemed to Bettina as if he looked at her with a very searching expression in his eyes.

  Now the feeling of numbness and of being only a puppet seemed to pass and her heart began to beat as if in fear and she felt as if her breath was constricted in her throat.

  It was impossible to speak and, as if the Duke also felt tongue-tied, they stood looking at each other while the sunshine turned Bettina’s hair to gold.

  “Will you sit down?” the Duke asked her at length.

  His voice seemed very low and deep and Bettina sank gratefully into the red leather armchair as if she was suddenly too weak to go on standing.

  “Papa – sent me to – you,” she said in a small voice that seemed even to herself to come from very far away.

  “He will have told you, Bettina, that I wish you to be my wife?”

  “Yes – he has – told – me.”

  “If you will marry me,” the Duke said, “I will do my best to make you happy.”

  ‘Thank – you,” Bettina murmured in a voice a little above a whisper.

  And then she added,

  “M-may I – ask you something?”

  “Of course,” the Duke answered.

  He was still standing at the side of the desk and now he sat down in the other armchair, his eyes on her face.

  “It is just that – could this be a – secret from everybody – until we return to – England.”

  “That is a very sensible suggestion,” the Duke answered, “and actually one that your father has already made.”

  He did not add that Sir Charles had insisted,

  “For God’s sake, Varien, don’t talk about marrying Bettina until we get home. Daisy and Enid will kill the child!”

  He saw a look of relief come over Bettina’s face and he added quietly,

  “We will do nothing, of course, without discussing it first between ourselves and I think when we arrive home you would like to come to Alveston Castle for Christmas. Your father certainly wishes to ride my horses and I have a feeling that you would enjoy them as well.”

  “It would be – lovely,” Bettina murmured without much enthusiasm.

  “Then it is settled,” the Duke replied. “We will both of us behave quite normally towards each other until we go to The Castle and then we will make plans.”

  “Thank – you. Thank you – very much.”

  Her eyes met the Duke’s and then, because she was shy, her eyelashes were dark against her pale cheeks.

  As if he understood her embarrassment, the Duke rose and said in a different tone,

  “I will go now to see the Captain. I intend to tell him that Jack Sutton, which is the name, I understand, of your maid’s young man, is to be granted special leave when we reach Southampton to meet his future wife’s father and mother.”

  “That is kind – very very kind of you,” Bettina whispered. “Rose was so happy when I told her – how wonderful you had been that she burst into tears, but they were very different from the tears – she was shedding last night.”

  “Then you can tell her,” the Duke smiled, “what I am arranging and I presume that we had better give them a Wedding present, which will help them towards the furnishing of their future home.”

  “I would love to do – that,” Bettina replied, “but – ”

  The Duke waited.

  “ – I am afraid I have – very little money,” she continued, “in fact – if I am honest – none.”

  “But I have plenty,” the Duke answered, “and have you forgotten that in the Marriage Service I shall say, ‘with all my worldly goods I thee endow’?”

  Bettina felt that he was teasing her and, because she knew that the solemnity of the way they had been speaking must somehow be as dismal for him as the way that Lord Eustace spoke, she replied with a smile,

  “You would be very – discomfited if in fact I took all you – offered!”

  The Duke laughed and then he said,

  “I think you will find that I have enough for both of us.”

  Bettina heard a ship’s bell ring and she said quickly,

  “I think, Your Grace, I should go back – to the other part of the yacht. If anyone knew that I was here in your – private sitting room, they might think it – strange.”

  “Yes, of course,” the Duke agreed, “and we will keep our secret, Bettina, until we reach The Castle.”

  “Thank – you,” Bettina murmured again.

  She moved towards the door, but did not realise that the Duke intended to open it for her.

  As she put out her hand, it touched his, which was already on the handle, and she felt something that was almost like a shock run through her.

  She could not explain it, but it was a feeling that she had never known before.

  Then, without looking back at him, she went out into the passage and started to hurry back the way she had come.

  She had almost reached the dining room when a man came out of it and stood barring her way.
r />   Intent on her thoughts and still bemused with the odd feeling the touch of the Duke’s hand had given her, Bettina did not realise that he was there until she had almost collided with him.

  Then she raised her eyes and found Lord Eustace glaring at her.

  “Where have you been? Why are you here?” he asked harshly.

  She did not answer and he took hold of her arm, holding it tightly above the elbow and started to pull her along with him.

  “What are you – doing?” Bettina cried. “Let me go!”

  “I want to speak to you,” Lord Eustace replied.

  He dragged her towards the writing room and pulled her in through the door while she was still trying to free herself from his grip.

  There was no one in the room and, releasing her, he closed the door behind him and stood with his back to it.

  “What were you doing in Varien’s private suite?” he enquired.

  Bettina put up her chin.

  She was angry at the way that Lord Eustace spoke to her and besides he had hurt her arm as his fingers had tightened against the softness of her skin.

  “The Duke wished – to speak to me,” she said. “Is there anything wrong – in that?”

  “Everything could be wrong as far as Varien is concerned,” Lord Eustace replied and he was sneering.

  Bettina said nothing and after a moment he went on,

  “I would imagine that you were pleading with him to show mercy towards that immoral maidservant. Well, let me tell you, whatever Varien may say, I have every intention of reporting her behaviour to the housekeeper at The Castle and seeing that she is dismissed.”

  “You cannot be so cruel! Rose is not immoral. She is engaged to her sailor and no one in the world except you would think it improper for a girl to kiss the man she is engaged to.”

  “That may be the explanation the woman gave you,” Lord Eustace went on, “but I believe the evidence of my own eyes. In fact the way they were behaving did not surprise me. This yacht is a hell-hole of immorality and I will not have you mixed up in it.”

  “I think you – exaggerate,” Bettina protested.

  At the same time she could not help thinking that the behaviour of Lady Daisy and Lady Tatham gave some justification for Lord Eustace to speak out in such a manner.

  As if he knew by the expression on her face what she was thinking, Lord Eustace said with an unpleasant smile,