Fire in the Blood Read online

  “You suggested we should go to bed early,” she said, “and now, because you have been so interesting, it is growing quite late.”

  “I suppose you want your ‘beauty sleep’,” he remarked, “and I admit to being tired myself. At the same time I have enjoyed being with you tonight, my dear, more than I have for a long time.”

  Pandia had the sudden feeling that he was going to put his arm around her waist and she moved swiftly towards the door.

  She pulled it open as the Earl followed her and they stepped into the hall where the night footman was standing by the front door.

  They walked together slowly upstairs, because Pandia knew that after such a large dinner the Earl would have no wish to hurry.

  Only as they turned along the corridor towards their bedrooms did he put his arm through hers and say,

  “I suppose I have been rather remiss in not telling you that you are looking very lovely! I like you in that gown.”

  “I am glad,” Pandia said.

  He stopped before they reached her bedroom door. “Shall I come and say goodnight to you tonight?” There was a note of passion in the Earl’s voice and Pandia said quickly,

  “I-I am very tired after a really horrible journey back through the snow – and I also have a headache.”

  She knew without his saying so that he was disappointed and, as he then followed her into her bedroom her heart was beating frantically and she felt her lips were dry.

  But to her relief Yvette was there and, as if her French sense told her what was happening, she curtsied to the Earl and said,

  “Bonsoir, Milord. I glad Monsieur return safely. I know long journey to Paris very unpleasant in winter.”

  “Nevertheless, I expect you are sometimes homesick for your native land!” the Earl replied genially.

  “C’est vrai, Milord, but I happy to look after Madame. She find yesterday très désagréable in snow. Je suis effrayée she catch cold.”

  “You did not tell me that!” the Earl said turning to Pandia.

  “It is – not too bad,” she replied. “Only a rather sore throat.”

  “I make hot drink for Madame,” Yvette went on, “but she not give cold to Milord with many, many speeches to make.”

  “That is true, Yvette,” the Earl agreed. “A cold in the nose is very inhibiting when one is speaking.”

  He went to Pandia and put his arm around her.

  “Goodnight, my dear. Sleep well.”

  He kissed her quickly on the cheek, then went from the room, closing the door behind him.

  They waited until they had heard him going into his own room. Then Pandia sighed,

  “Thank you, Yvette! You said exactly the right thing!”

  The maid undid her gown at the back and because she still felt frightened and had nobody else in whom to confide Pandia said frantically,

  “Supposing – just supposing, Yvette, he comes to say – goodnight to me as he – suggested?”

  “He no come, m’mselle, but if Milord peep in you asleep, fast asleep, impossible wake you.” “And if he does?”

  “You beg Monsieur, because you love him, go away.” Yvette threw out her arms in a gesture that was very French and laughed.

  “Très stupide. We think of this before. M’mselle sneeze at dinner. Un peu de poivre and also you be hoarse, m’mselle.”

  “It is too late now,” Pandia said, “and I suppose it would be wrong to – lock the door?”

  Yvette gave a scream.

  “C’est folie, m’mselle, a very big insult! Milord suspicious immediatement you interested another man!”

  “He has said he is – jealous,” Pandia murmured. “Très jealous! Madame so beautiful. Any man afraid of thieves when he possess such treasure?”

  Pandia wanted to laugh at the way Yvette spoke.

  Then she remembered that, as far as Selene was concerned, a thief had already stolen the Earl’s ‘treasure’ from him, although he was not aware of it.

  She suddenly thought that the whole situation was sordid and degrading and, as far as she was concerned, humiliating.

  She knew how horrified her mother would have been if she knew that at this moment she was desperately nervous in case Selene’s husband should approach her and it would be utterly disastrous if she told him the truth.

  “Not frightened, m’mselle,” Yvette said. “Milord toujours very careful he not risk cold, too busy in the House of Milords.”

  “I-I hope you are right,” Pandia said nervously.

  At the same time, as she got into bed, she knew she would lie awake, afraid of every creak of the floorboards and knowing that, if the door opened, she would be so terrified that her heart might stop beating.

  Chapter Seven

  Pandia did not fall asleep until it was nearly dawn and then awoke because Yvette came into the room to pull back the curtains.

  She felt sleepy and heavy-eyed until she remembered that the Earl was in the house and then was suddenly wide awake.

  A young housemaid had come in with Yvette and was now lighting the fire.

  It was a luxury that Pandia had enjoyed the first night of her arrival and also at The Castle.

  Her mother had described to her that in grand houses where there were a lot of servants the first thing that happened in the morning was that maids lit fires in all the ladies’ rooms.

  Pandia wished now that she could tell her mother it was happening in hers and how luxurious it made her feel.

  Then she could think of nothing but that Selene would be back soon and she must remember all the things she had to tell her.

  Yvette did not speak to her until the housemaid, having now got the fire burning brightly, withdrew.

  Then she said,

  “You not wish, m’mselle, breakfast downstairs, so I bring to you.”

  Pandia gave a little sigh of relief.

  During the night she had wondered what she should say to the Earl at breakfast and whether she should pretend that her cold was worse or better.

  Then she thought that, as Selene was returning today, she might be annoyed to have a phantom cold thrust upon her.

  Yvette went to the door, where a footman was waiting outside with her breakfast on a tray and brought it in and set down on a table beside the bed.

  Pandia thought it was the last time she would have anything so elegant as a silver-covered dish and what she recognised as a Crown Derby cup and plates.

  There was also a small silver Queen Anne teapot, milk jug and sugar basin.

  “Do eat, m’mselle,” Yvette admonished her. “Nothing better when worried.”

  Pandia smiled, knowing this was true.

  Then she asked in a whisper,

  “What time do you think her Ladyship will return?” “Early, m’mselle. Big luncheon pour Madame aujourd’hui.”

  This was what the Earl had said last night, Pandia thought with relief.

  At the same time she knew this might be the last time that she would see her sister and it hurt her to think that having done what was required of her, she was so easily dispensable.

  She had finished her breakfast and Yvette was taking the tray away when the door opened and the Earl came into her bedroom.

  He looked very distinguished in the clothes he was wearing for his appointment with the Prime Minister.

  As he reached her, Pandia was very conscious of her hair falling over her shoulders and that she was sitting up in bed in a nightgown.

  “Good morning, my dear,” the Earl began. “I do hope you are feeling better?”

  “Much better, thank you,” Pandia replied. “Yvette made me a warm drink and I do not think I will have a cold after all.”

  She thought as she spoke that that had cleared the way for Selene.

  Then she wondered if she had been somewhat indiscreet.

  Yvette had left the room and the Earl sat down on the side of the bed as Lord Silvester had done and Pandia saw an expression in his eyes that made her feel apprehensive.
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br />   “You are very beautiful this morning!” he said. “ I was thinking last night that we must make arrangements to be more often alone than we have been just recently. I shall not go to the Club this afternoon, as I had planned, but shall come back here, and I think my dearest, we might have a very happy time before we have to dine at the Foreign Office.”

  There was no mistaking his meaning and, despite the fact that he was speaking, as he thought, to her sister, Pandia felt the colour rising in her cheeks.

  “I only wish I could stay longer at this moment,” the Earl said.

  Now there was a definite note of passion in his voice that she could not mistake.

  He gave a little laugh and added,

  “Damn Prime Ministers and all those who come between a man and his wife!”

  He bent forward as he spoke and would have kissed Pandia on the mouth if she had not turned her head at the very last moment so that his lips rested on her cheek.

  “Be – careful!” she said hurriedly, “I might – still be – infectious!”

  She felt the Earl’s lips and his moustache against her cheek as she spoke.

  Then, as he raised his head, he said,

  “I am not afraid and I will hurry back this evening. Take care of yourself, my beautiful wife!”

  He rose from the bed as he spoke and when he reached the door he looked back and Pandia knew that he was definitely excited by her.

  Then, almost as if he forced himself to do his duty, he went from the bedroom shutting the door behind him. She gave a little gasp and lay back against the pillows, thinking that once again she had stood on the edge of a ravine and had somehow avoided falling into it.

  It flashed through her mind that if the Earl had not had an early morning appointment with the Prime Minister, she might have been in a very different position and one from which it would have been extremely hard to extricate herself.

  But she was safe – safe until Selene returned – although her heart was still thumping and she knew how frightened she had been.

  Yvette came back into the room.

  “Milord left,” she said. “I get bath, m’mselle, you dress before Madame return.”

  Pandia did not answer.

  She felt that she could not tell Yvette, however confidential Selene might be with her, what the Earl had said or what he was planning.

  She knew that her mother would have been shocked by Selene’s taking a servant into her confidence, when it concerned her relationship with her husband – and lover.

  Pandia too believed that intimate matters should be kept to oneself and she would have to tell Selene privately what had happened and what the Earl intended.

  She lay back on her pillows feeling her agitation gradually subside until once again she was thinking of Lord Silvester.

  If only she could see him, she thought, to say goodbye and to talk to him about his book.

  She had kept it beside her bed, but she did not wish to open it until she could appreciate what he had written without feeling agitated about anything else.

  Once she was home there would be nothing to upset her, today, tomorrow, this year or next year.

  But she did not want to think about that!

  Instead it was an agonising feeling to know that she and Lord Silvester were only a few streets apart but already, because she was leaving, it was as if he was on the other side of the world.

  Yvette came in to say that her bath was ready and, when she had enjoyed the warm, scented water she dressed herself in the plain serviceable underclothes she had worn when she arrived.

  Then she put on her own cheap black gown that she had bought for her father’s funeral.

  After the lovely gowns she had worn belonging to Selene, she felt it was even duller and cheaper than it had been when she first arrived.

  Yvette arranged her hair again in the same way as Selene’s because she thought it might be dangerous to go back to being herself before she reached home.

  “You do like this, m’mselle,” she said. “And look très jolie. When you wear Madame’s gowns I pack, tout le monde admire you.”

  Pandia smiled, but she thought that there was no point in saying that ‘everybody’ would consist only of Nanny and the people in the village.

  She doubted if the Vicar or the doctor would notice what she was wearing and her only audience would be herself looking at her reflection in the mirror and thinking that she saw Selene.

  “I find two riding ’abits,” Yvette was saying, “two smart ’ats, gloves, boots!”

  “That is wonderful!” Pandia exclaimed. “I am so very very grateful. I want to give you a little present, Yvette. I am afraid it is not very much, but I came away in such a hurry. When I get home I will send you some more money.”

  “Non, non, m’mselle!” Yvette cried. “You keep! You very poor.”

  “Not so poor that I cannot show my gratitude for all your kindness to me,” Pandia replied. “I would have been very frightened if you had not been here and it will be thrilling to have some lovely clothes to wear.”

  She took two sovereigns which was all she had with her from her handbag and put them into Yvette’s hand.

  The maid would have refused it, but Pandia said,

  “For your dowry, Yvette, and I shall pray that you will find somebody kind, handsome and rich whom you will love and who will love you.”

  Yvette laughed.

  “Merci, m’mselle, and I pray for you toujours. St. Jude answer my prayers.”

  Pandia thought that in her case St. Jude would fail, but she said again,

  “I will pray very hard for you, Yvette.”

  She knew that the maid was touched by her sincerity and she was just about to ask Yvette what was in the trunks when there was a knock on the door.

  Yvette gave her a meaningful glance and walked across the room to open it.

  “Mrs. Henderson’s here to see her Ladyship,” Pandia heard the footman say.

  “Lady for the clothes!” Yvette exclaimed. “Ask her come up and carry trunks downstairs.”

  “Very good, Miss Yvette.”

  Yvette waited by the door and neither she nor Pandia spoke until two minutes later Selene, with the black crêpe veil over her face, came into the room.

  As Yvette closed the door behind her, she flung back her veil saying,

  “Has his Lordship come back? I thought I saw his travelling cloak in the hall.”

  Before Yvette could answer, Pandia, who had risen to her feet, answered,

  “He came back yesterday at teatime!”

  “Why on earth should he have done that?” Selene asked.

  She was pulling off the widow’s bonnet as she spoke and Yvette took Pandia’s cloak from her shoulders. Underneath she was wearing a very elegant gown that accentuated the curves of her figure and made her skin seem dazzlingly white.

  There was, however, an angry expression on her face as she said,

  “How could I have imagined that he would come back sooner than he said he would? I hope he had no suspicions about you?”

  “None at all!” Pandia replied.

  Although she did not say so, she knew that her sister was relieved.

  Then, just as if she must vent her anger on somebody, she said sharply,

  “Come along, Pandia! Do hurry up and go! There is no point in hanging about!”

  “I-I have a lot to – tell you.”

  “There is no time to talk,” Selene said sharply. “The same carriage that brought you here will take you home, but do not allow the men to speak to Nanny. You must tell them to hurry back as quickly as they can, Yvette.”

  “I tell Mr. Bates,” Yvette replied. “I say urgent.”

  She carried the bonnet Selene had discarded to Pandia, who said as she took it from her,

  “Selene, I must speak to, you! I have to tell you who I met at the funeral, and what – your husband said to me.”

  “I am not in the slightest bit interested in the funeral now it is over,�
� Selene said, “and I am quite able to manage George!”

  Pandia wanted to argue, but Selene added in an even sharper voice than she had used before,

  “Do hurry, Pandia! I cannot think why you are dawdling about when you are well aware that it is dangerous for us to be together!”

  She must have realised as she spoke that Pandia was hurt by her tone, for she said in a different voice,

  “I am grateful to you, of course I am grateful, but this is not the moment for us to talk and you must be aware that the sooner you go back to Little Barford the safer it will be.”

  She paused before she asked,

  “You are quite certain nobody suspected you were not me?”

  “Nobody!” Pandia replied. “But – ”

  She was going to say that Lord Silvester might call and if he did he would talk of his book, but before she could do so, her sister exclaimed,

  “That is splendid! Goodbye, dearest! If I ever want you again, I know you will not fail me.”

  She kissed Pandia’s cheek, then walked away and went into the bathroom.

  For a moment Pandia could hardly believe that she had left her.

  Then, as Yvette fastened her cape in the front and pulled her veil over her face, she was aware that it was the end. She picked up her own gloves and the worn handbag and Yvette, as if she must obey her Mistress, opened the bedroom door for her.

  Only as Pandia passed her did she say softly,

  “Bonne chance, m’mselle! I pray!”

  “Thank you, Yvette.”

  Then she was walking down the passage and down the stairs to the hall.

  Because Mrs. Henderson was obviously of no importance the butler was not there to see her off, only the footman and there was no red carpet on the steps outside.

  She climbed into the carriage and realised as she did so that there were three trunks on top of it and, when they drove off, she saw there were two large hatboxes on the small seat opposite her inside the carriage.

  She thought that Yvette had been very kind to give her so much, but she wished that it had been Selene who had taken so much trouble.

  Then she told herself that whatever Selene felt for her she would always love her twin sister and be very grateful for an experience that might never come again in her life and which she would never forget.