The Magnificent Marquis Read online

  “It is most kind of you and I assure you that if I did not believe that the situation was critical, I would not put you to all this trouble.”

  Mr. Rogers paused before he added very seriously,

  “I would not want you or Miss Durham to be upset in any way if news of your marriage does make diplomatic relations more difficult than they are already.”

  The Marquis knew he was referring to the fact that the French would do everything in their power to prevent the English acquiring any part in the Suez Canal.

  He could only hope that by some unexpected stroke of good fortune Mr. Disraeli would be able to obtain the shares he so wanted for Great Britain.

  *

  Meanwhile Delia had found Mrs. Rogers charming and very helpful.

  When the aide-de-camp had introduced her and the two women were alone, Delia asked her tentatively,

  “Will you help me, Mrs. Rogers? The Marquis is asking your husband if we can be married immediately. If you would be kind and lend me some hairpins, I would like to put up my hair.”

  Mrs. Rogers looked at her in surprise.

  “You are to be married here?” she then exclaimed. “How very exciting! But surely you are very young?”

  Delia laughed.

  “I have had to pretend to be very young ever since I left England. But actually I am getting on for nineteen and it is so wonderful that the Marquis wants to marry me. In fact, I am finding it difficult to believe it is really true.”

  “If you are to be a bride and such a lovely one too, you must let my maid arrange your hair. She is very good at it and I think it would be more appropriate if you wore a wreath instead of a hat.”

  “That would be fantastic!” Delia exclaimed.

  Mrs. Rogers was just as efficient as her husband.

  She took Delia into her bedroom and sent for her maid who was French.

  When it was explained what was required, the maid was only too eager to make Delia look more grown-up and she arranged her hair in a most becoming way and it made her look considerably older.

  By the time the French maid had finished with the arrangement, another maid brought a wreath of small white flowers to the bedroom.

  The French maid had arranged Delia’s hair on top of her head to give her height and the wreath fitted round it perfectly.

  “You must also have a bouquet,” Mrs. Rogers said. “I have asked them to give it to your future husband who should put it into your hands before you enter the Chapel.”

  They had just finished fixing the wreath in place when a servant knocked on the door.

  He informed the maid that His Excellency and his Lordship were waiting downstairs.

  “I do hope that you will allow me to come to your wedding,” Mrs. Rogers asked Delia.

  “But of course you must. You have been so kind and I just cannot thank you enough for making me look so different from when I arrived.”

  Now Mrs. Rogers put just a touch of powder on her face.

  “Your skin is perfect,” she said, “but you must look a happy bride and when you arrived here, I could see you had been crying.”

  “I am so happy, so very happy, that I feel as if I am jumping over the moon. I am so afraid it’s not real and I will wake up and find myself back at home.”

  Even as she spoke, she thought that, however angry her father might be at her running away, he would never be able to beat her again.

  She also thought that the Marquis was so important that her father would, in fact, be delighted at her marriage.

  They walked downstairs.

  When the Marquis saw her coming into the sitting room, he thought that no man could have a more beautiful and exquisite bride.

  He picked up the bouquet of white lilies lying on the table and placed it in her arms.

  Just for a brief second their eyes met and there was no need for words.

  “If you are ready, my Lord,” Mr. Rogers came in, “let me show you the way.”

  He walked out of the room.

  Delia, with her bouquet of lilies over her left arm, slipped her right hand into the Marquis’s.

  His fingers closed over hers and she knew that she had never been so happy in the whole of her life.

  They had only to walk a little way to the Chapel, which was built at one side of the Palace.

  The Chaplain was waiting for them.

  The Marriage Service was said very simply and yet with such sincerity that it made Delia feel that their vows joined them together so that they would never be apart.

  At the same time she prayed fervently to God that the Marquis would love her as she loved him –

  And that he would never become bored with her.

  When the Chaplain blessed them, she felt as if all the angels in Heaven were singing in unison overhead.

  She was sure that her mother was near her and was glad that she had found a man as wonderful as the Marquis to be her husband.

  When the marriage ceremony was over, they walked back into the Palace and then much to Delia’s surprise Mr. Rogers suggested,

  “I think, my Lord, you should leave at once and the quicker you are away from Cairo the better.”

  “That is exactly what I was thinking,” the Marquis agreed.

  “Of course I would like to drink to your health and happiness,” Mr. Rogers went on, “but I think it’s more important that you should leave Egypt without any delay.”

  “You are quite right and it is what I wish to do.”

  Their chaise was at the door, but now the hood had been raised.

  Delia saw that there were two soldiers in uniform and armed sitting beside the driver.

  There was also an Army vehicle containing half-a dozen more soldiers under the command of a Sergeant Major.

  “I can never thank you enough,” the Marquis was saying to Mr. Rogers, “for all you have done for us. I only hope that you and your wife will visit us when you are next in England.”

  “We will be delighted to do so, my Lord.”

  Mrs, Rogers kissed Delia saying,

  “You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen and I know that you will both be extremely happy.”

  “Thank you, thank you both, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers,” Delia exclaimed, “for everything.”

  As she stepped into the carriage, she saw that her hat had not been forgotten – it was on the seat opposite her.

  The Marquis joined her in the chaise and, as he sat down, she slipped her hand into his.

  He smiled at her.

  The hood of the chaise only covered the back seat and it was possible for anyone seated in front to look back and see what they were doing, so the Marquis did not put his arm round her.

  When they were out of the grounds of the Palace and moving swiftly through the streets, Delia spoke for the first time.

  “Is our escort coming with us on the yacht?”

  “As far as Alexandria and as soon as we sail from there we will be out of Egypt. It will then be impossible for the Vizier to intimidate us anymore.”

  “Do you think he will try to get hold of me?” Delia asked in a frightened voice.

  She knew only too well how revengeful the Vizier could be – and how he would lose face, if only in his own eyes, if he was unable to win what had become a battle between him and the Marquis.

  “There is no need to be afraid,” the Marquis said calmly. “But just in case he tries to cause trouble, the Consul felt that we should have an armed escort on-board. So you have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

  His fingers tightened on hers as if to make her feel safe.

  Delia felt that there were no words appropriate for this special moment.

  When they reached The Scimitar, the Marquis and Delia were piped aboard.

  The Captain was given orders that they were to set sail immediately and as fast as possible down the Nile back to Alexandria.

  It was one hundred and twenty miles away and the Marquis knew that they would not be there much before the
next morning.

  He instructed the Captain to look after their escort of soldiers as well as the Sergeant Major.

  Meanwhile Delia walked into the Saloon and then because she felt shy she went down to her own cabin.

  She placed her bouquet on the bed and stood at the porthole looking out over the landscape on the other side of the river.

  It was impossible for her to believe that she was now a married woman and her husband was the Marquis.

  How could it all have happened so suddenly?

  She had thought when she saw the Vizier that she was lost and it would be impossible for anyone to save her.

  The door of the cabin opened and the Marquis came in.

  She turned round at the porthole and stood gazing at him.

  “How could you have been just so wonderful?” she asked somewhat incoherently. “I did not mean you to be so involved with me in such an embarrassing and awkward way.”

  The Marquis smiled.

  “It was not awkward for me, my Delia, I have been fighting from the start against falling in love with you, but, if you had been using your incredible Third Eye, you would have known that every day and every hour that passed by I loved you more and more.”

  “How could I have possibly known? How could I have guessed? Of course I love you, but I was afraid that when you took me back to England, I would never see you again.”

  “How on earth could you have thought of anything so ridiculous, my darling Delia?”

  The Marquis now walked slowly towards her as if he was in no hurry.

  As he reached her he breathed,

  “Do you realise I have not yet, my darling, kissed you, although I have been tempted to do so a thousand and one times.”

  Delia felt a strange and wonderful feeling swell up within her breast.

  Yet it was impossible to find even one word with which to answer him.

  Very slowly the Marquis put his arms round her.

  “Do you really think I would have allowed anyone to take you away from me, my dearest love? I just knew by the time we had reached Gibraltar that I wanted you as I have never wanted anyone before. I swear I will kill any man, including that swine I knocked out this afternoon, if he tries to take you from me.”

  Then very gently, as he realised she was trembling against him, the Marquis’s lips found hers.

  *

  Sometime later the Marquis and Delia were served dinner together in the Saloon, while The Scimitar steamed at top speed down the Nile towards Alexandria.

  Delia was still rather tense, feeling that they were not yet quite out of danger, and the Marquis tried to take her mind off her fears by informing her that he intended to fulfil his promise and take her straight to Greece.

  After dinner was over, the Marquis went first to say goodnight to the Military Escort and then to give them a generous gratuity in case they disembarked at Alexandria before he was up in the morning.

  Next he went to see the Captain on the bridge to instruct him to put the escort ashore at Alexandria and then to immediately set sail for Greece.

  “I hope that you all enjoyed the champagne I sent for you to drink the health of my bride and myself,” the Marquis commented before he left the bridge.

  “We enjoyed it enormously, my Lord, and I’d like to wish you and her Ladyship every possible happiness.

  “Thank you, Captain. We are both very grateful for all you have done.”

  “If you’ll allow me to say so, my Lord,” added the Captain, “I think her Ladyship is the most beautiful lady I’ve ever seen and, what’s more, no one’s more charming or more grateful for all that’s been done for her.”

  “What you are really saying,” the Marquis smiled, “is that I am a very lucky man.”

  “I think there’s no man in the whole world who’d not think that, my Lord!”

  The Marquis laughed and went below.

  He had already told Hutton that Delia would sleep in the Master cabin and that he would use her cabin as his dressing room.

  Hutton had transferred everything over while they were having dinner.

  Now the Marquis dismissed Hutton and undressed himself.

  Putting on a long flowing robe over his nightclothes, he walked very quietly into the Master cabin.

  He was thinking it quite possible that Delia would be asleep.

  She was in fact watching the door for him to come to her.

  There was only a small light on the table beside the bed and the moonlight coming through the portholes made the cabin appear mysteriously luminous.

  “I thought you would be asleep,” the Marquis said in a deep voice.

  “How could I sleep when I was waiting for you – ”

  He took off his robe and threw it on a chair.

  Then he climbed into the bed beside her.

  She moved into his arms and laid her head against his shoulder.

  “Is this really happening?” she asked in a whisper.

  “If you mean ‘am I your husband’ the answer is a definite ‘yes’ and, as the Captain has just said to me, you are the most beautiful bride there has ever been. I shall be extremely jealous of any man who thinks so as well!”

  Delia gave a little laugh.

  “There is only one man in the world who matters to me and that is you, my magnificent Marquis.”

  “Are you sure, Delia?”

  “I love you,” Delia sighed, “but I never dreamt you would love me. I only knew that when I had to leave you, it would be like dying.”

  “You will never leave me, Delia, and when we die, you know that we will be together in another life.”

  “Do you really believe it now? You were somewhat sceptical when I first talked about it.”

  “I believe everything you say and I will never again argue with you when you use your Third Eye.”

  She knew that he was recalling how nervous she had felt on their way to see the dreadful Vizier – or, as she then thought of him, the Comte.

  Even to think of him made her shiver and move a little closer to the Marquis.

  “Forget him,” he insisted. “He will never interfere in our lives again. But I will always be grateful that it was through him that I found you, my precious one.”

  “Of course it was and I would never have run away if I had not been so terrified of him.”

  “I will protect you and save you from being afraid of anyone again, my darling. I have the idea I shall have to spend my time keeping away other men who want to take you from me.”

  Delia laughed.

  “I know that no one could be as marvellous as you. But I am worried if I keep saying so, you will grow bored with me.”

  The Marquis knew from the way she spoke that it was a very real fear and he thought he knew why.

  “I have only been bored in the past, my dearest one, because I had not found you. But now that I have found you, there are a million things for us to do together and I cannot imagine anything more exciting than to be with you whilst we are doing them.”

  “Oh, my darling, darling Rex! hat is exactly how I want you to feel and think. Because you are so clever and at the same time so magnificent, I feel you will always be a leader whom people will follow. That means there is so much you can do for England, as well as for us.”

  The Marquis felt that she was inspiring him.

  He would no longer waste his time with beautiful women who had always disappointed him. Instead he would help those who really needed help and in that way, as Delia was implying, he could help England.

  He pulled her a little closer to him.

  “This is my wedding night and now I am going to think, not of what I will do in the future, but how much I love you and how much, my gloriously lovely wife, I have to teach you about love.”

  Delia made a murmur of happiness and he went on,

  “I am so afraid of frightening you and then losing you.”

  “You would never lose me, my dearest Rex, and it would be just impossible for you to
frighten me. I am only rather scared that you may become bored or find me stupid and unintelligent about love. As you are aware, I know so little about it.”

  The Marquis thought that nothing would be more enthralling than to teach someone as innocent and unspoilt as Delia the ways of love, and make her aware of his feelings for her.

  It was so totally different from any love he had had for any other woman.

  At the same time he knew that he would have to be very gentle.

  He wanted to make her feel, as he was feeling, the wonder and glory of love, as well as the irresistible fire that was consuming him.

  His lips then sought hers and he kissed her at first gently, then more passionately.

  When he raised his head, he realised that the breath was coming very quickly from between her lips and, when he touched her body, she quivered beneath his.

  Then he knew that the ecstasy he was feeling which was more intense and in a thousand ways different from anything he had ever felt before, she was feeling too.

  “I love you. God, how much I love you, Delia. My precious, my darling, we will be very happy because every time I touch you, I feel that I am getting nearer and nearer to Heaven itself.”

  “When you kiss me,” whispered Delia, “I feel I am flying up into the sky and I can touch the stars and they are all a part of you, my magnificent Marquis.”

  “That is what I want you to feel, my darling. Yet I find it difficult to put all my feelings into words. So, my precious brilliant little wife, you must realise it with your Third Eye.”

  Delia gave a little chuckle.

  “My Third Eye is telling me that this is the most perfect and wonderful moment of my life – and that love is even greater and more fulfilling than anything I have ever known or – dreamed about.”

  The words came from her lips a little jerkily.

  The Marquis knew it was because her feelings were impossible to describe.

  It was exactly what he felt himself and again there were no words he could find to describe them.

  He kissed Delia until they were both flying up into the sky towards Heaven itself.

  Then as he made Delia his, the Gates of Paradise opened.

  They were one soul, joined together by the Love of God for all Eternity and beyond into Infinity.