The Goddess Of Love Read online

It all seemed as beautiful as the first spring daffodils golden under the trees and the ducklings swimming behind their mothers on the lake.

  As lovely as the white doves flying over the house against the blue of the summer sky.

  She knew it was a beauty that tugged at her heart, the beauty she found everywhere in her home.

  She mused that one day she would find it in love.

  Hastily, because Mr. Thespidos seemed to be whispering the words in her ears, she took from the wardrobe a gown that she had never liked.

  She had bought the material for it by artificial light and in the daytime it looked drab and rather dowdy.

  She put it on, covered the fair gold of her hair with a bonnet that she wore only at funerals and then she added to it a small veil that had belonged to her mother.

  She looked at herself in the mirror and then, still afraid of what she could see, she went to her father’s room.

  In a small drawer in his chest of drawers she found what she sought.

  It was a pair of spectacles that he usually took with him when he went abroad.

  He had left them behind this time because one of the lenses had a crack in it and he had therefore bought another pair.

  Corena had had this pair repaired and left in the drawer to await his return.

  They were slightly tinted and they obscured the beauty of Corena’s eyes and the gold specks that looked like sunshine on clear water.

  She put the spectacles into her handbag.

  When she was told that the carriage was at the door, she walked slowly downstairs.

  Because they needed exercise, the horses were fidgeting and tossing their heads with their long manes.

  For a second she thought that she must be mad to obey Mr. Thespidos.

  How could she supplicate a man she had never met and whom she was afraid would immediately refuse her request.

  ‘I have to persuade him!’ she thought.

  Then once again Mr. Thespidos’s words made her shudder.

  She had told Miss Davis the night before that she was going out early and the old Governess had replied,

  “In which case, dear, I think I will spend the morning in bed. I have not been sleeping well lately and it will do me good to relax.”

  “Yes, of course,” Corena agreed. “I will tell them to send your luncheon up on a tray, but I should be back by teatime.”

  “I will be downstairs by then,” Miss Davis promised, “and thank you, dear child, for being so understanding.”

  Corena had gone from the room knowing that what she had to accept was that Miss Davis was growing very old.

  She felt a little tremor at the thought that perhaps she might die and then she would have to find somebody else to be with her when her father was away.

  But this morning she could concentrate only on her main problem, which was Lord Warburton.

  As the carriage carried her away, she tried to plan what she would say to him.

  She had to make it sound convincing.

  She had to make him feel that he must, at whatever inconvenience to himself, take her with him to Greece.

  Then she began to wonder how Mr. Thespidos was aware of what Lord Warburton would be seeking in Greece. He also seemed so knowledgeable about everything that concerned his household.

  She had the suspicion that his informant must be one of his Lordship’s servants.

  And she was sure that Mr. Thespidos would not hesitate to bribe any servant who ever they belonged to, if it suited his purpose.

  The mere thought of the Greek made her tremble.

  She knew that she was afraid of a man for the first time in her life.

  It was an unpleasant feeling and one that she had never expected to experience.

  He had a hard expression in his eyes and a cruelty she now recognised from the thin line of his lips.

  They gave her sensations that she had never encountered before.

  ‘I hate him! I hate him!’ she told herself.

  She drove on.

  She did not see the green buds in the hedgerows, the primroses growing in the grass or hear the cuckoos calling in the trees.

  Usually she would have been entranced by the blue of the sky as it was reflected in the small streams they passed.

  There was so much to see in the countryside, but Corena was thinking of her father.

  He was imprisoned in a house, or perhaps only a small hut somewhere in Greece and her whole being went out to him.

  “I will – save you – Papa – I will – save you!” she whispered beneath her breath.

  She felt that he would be aware of her prayers and her love for him.

  It was fifteen miles to Lord Warburton’s house and it was just after twelve o’clock when Corena saw ahead of her a huge mansion standing near a lake with a wood of fir trees behind it.

  There was no doubt that Warburton Park was extremely impressive.

  With the sun shining on its hundreds of windows and Lord Warburton’s standard flying on the roof it was magnificent.

  She drove down an avenue of ancient lime trees and just as they started on an incline to the lake there was a sudden flight of white doves. They settled on the green lawn near to the lake.

  It was so lovely and at the same time ethereal as if it came from another world.

  Corena thought that the doves must be a sign of good luck and that her prayers had been heard.

  Then insidiously, almost as if the Devil was beside her, she heard Mr. Thespidos’s words and remembered her spectacles.

  She took them out of her bag and adjusted them on her nose under the small veil that she was wearing as the carriage drew up outside the front door.

  It took a little time to persuade the butler that, while she had no appointment, it was imperative that she should see Lord Warburton.

  Finally he had shown her into an attractive salon. The cornice was decorated with silver as were the Ionic pillars supporting it.

  The chandeliers with their crystal glass were also of silver, as were the fireguard, poker and tongs. The curtains were a soft shade of blue and the same damask covered the chairs and the sofa.

  On either side of the fireplace there were small tables that Corena knew had been made during the reign of King Charles II.

  Then, as she looked around, she saw in a half-dozen alcoves that there were Grecian statues that would thrill her father.

  They were outstandingly beautiful and, enhanced by the silver background of the alcoves, their marble seemed to glimmer against it.

  ‘If only Papa could see these!’ Corena reflected.

  Then she remembered where she was and why she was here and, as she held her breath because it was so terrifying, the door opened.

  As Lord Warburton walked into the room, Corena felt that it was impossible to look at him.

  She had the frightening feeling that he might be as unpleasant and perhaps as sensuous as Mr. Thespidos had been.

  Then she heard him say,

  “You wish to see me?”

  She looked up and saw that he was tall and broad-shouldered. In fact the best-looking man she had ever seen in the whole of her life.

  At the same time she was immediately conscious that there was a dry note in his voice, as if he thought that she was a nuisance.

  What was more the lines from his nose to his lips made him appear almost as if he was sneering at her.

  She gazed at him through her tinted spectacles and she was aware, almost as if somebody had told her so, that he resented her intrusion.

  Also for some reason that she could not ascertain, he despised her.

  Quickly, because she was so nervous, she said in a voice that did not sound like her own,

  “My name, my Lord, is Corena Melville and I have come to – ask your Lordship’s help for my father, Sir Priam Melville.”

  She thought as she spoke that she sounded like a schoolgirl who was afraid of forgetting her lines.

  She was not surprised when Lord Warburton
replied,

  “Suppose we sit down, Miss Melville, and you tell me why your father needs my help and has not come to ask for it personally.”

  Corena seated herself on the edge of the sofa.

  Clasping her hands together in her lap, she said,

  “My father is abroad – in fact he is in – Greece.”

  She saw Lord Warburton raise his eyebrows as if he was surprised and she thought that there was slightly more interest in his voice as he replied,

  “In Greece? But I was told that you wished to see me because it was a matter of life or death.”

  “That is true, my Lord,” Corena said. “My father is desperately ill and I thought – as I heard that you were going to Greece – you might be kind enough to take me with you.”

  Now Lord Warburton was definitely surprised and he stared at her as if he could hardly believe what he had heard.

  “I imagine, Miss Melville,” he responded after a moment, “that you can travel to Greece in the customary manner by train.”

  “Trains are very – unpredictable – my Lord, especially in the – South of Europe,” Corena replied. “That is why I thought if you could – possibly take me with you – I could hope to reach Crisa far more surely than by any other route.”

  “Then your father is at Delphi?”

  “My father is an archaeologist, as you are, but now he is very ill.”

  “Who told you this?”

  “A man arrived yesterday from Greece to inform me that my father was – desperately ill but – receiving no – medical treatment.”

  She stumbled over the words, feeling as she spoke that they sounded foolish.

  No one, least of all Lord Warburton, would believe her.

  “You say that your father is an archaeologist,” Lord Warburton remarked, “but surely he is not alone while he is making his investigations?”

  “My father always works alone,” Corena explained, “and he will not even take a valet with him because he claims that English servants are often more trouble than they are worth in foreign countries.”

  She thought that Lord Warburton smiled, but it was only a very faint twist of his lips before he replied,

  “I appreciate that, Miss Melville. Equally I still think your best method of reaching your father is by train. I daresay, if you went first to Venice, you could find ships leaving almost daily for Greece.”

  “Please, my Lord – take me with – you?”

  Corena felt that there was nothing more she could say, except to plead with him.

  For a moment there was silence.

  Then Lord Warburton answered her,

  “Are you saying, Miss Melville, that the reason why you are so anxious to travel with me is because you cannot afford the fare? In which case – ”

  With a sense of horror Corena realised that he was going to offer her money and she said hastily,

  “No – no – it is not a – question of money – but of speed.”

  “As I have already explained to you, Miss Melville, it will be quicker by train. Although my yacht is new and capable of fourteen knots an hour, I can still be held up in a rough sea in the Bay of Biscay and there are often storms, which are greatly time-consuming in the Mediterranean.”

  “I-I understand that, my Lord, but, please – ”

  Lord Warburton rose to his feet.

  “I regret, of course, that I cannot be of assistance to you and I can only promise you that if there is anything I can do once I reach Greece, I will if you get in touch with me.”

  It flashed through Corena’s mind that if he told her when he was going and where his yacht would be anchored that would perhaps content Mr. Thespidos.

  “I thank your Lordship for your – kindness,” she said, “and, if you will tell me where – you will be – it will be comforting to know that if it is – impossible to find the sort of – help I need for my father, I shall be able to – contact you.”

  “I have an agent in Athens,” Lord Warburton said, “and I will give you his address.”

  He walked across the room to where there was a beautifully inlaid French secrétaire and took a piece of writing paper from a leather holder embellished with his crest.

  As he started to write, Corena’s heart sank.

  She knew that this would be useless and she thought too that, if Lord Warburton was being secretive about where he was going, he would not get in touch with his agent or anybody else.

  He walked back to where she was sitting and handed her the piece of paper.

  “Here is the address, Miss Melville,” he said, “and I can only hope when you reach Greece you will find that your father is not as ill as you anticipate.”

  “You are – going to the – Port of – Crisa?” Corena asked.

  Almost as if Lord Warburton was aware that she had a reason for asking the question, he replied,

  “The one advantage of having a yacht, Miss Melville, is that one can go anywhere one pleases without previous intention or even making plans.”

  “Yes – of course.”

  She put the piece of paper he handed her into her handbag and then, making one final effort to save her father from Mr. Thespidos, she said,

  “Please – change your mind and – take me with you. I promise I will be no trouble – in fact you need not even be – aware that I am on board, but – I know it is the best way to – reach my father.”

  “I am sorry to disappoint you, Miss Melville,” Lord Warburton replied, “but my answer is ‘no’!”

  There was something firm and inflexible in the way he spoke.

  She knew that even if, as Mr. Thespidos suggested, she bent down on her knees that his answer would still be the same.

  As if the subject was closed, Lord Warburton moved towards the door and there was nothing she could do but follow him.

  He held it open for her and she stepped into the hall. The front door was open and there were footmen in Lord Warburton’s livery on either side of it.

  From the top of the steps Corena could see her carriage with its two horses waiting for her.

  She thought despairingly that it might be a funeral hearse.

  In refusing her request Lord Warburton was destroying her father and sending him to his death.

  There was, however, nothing more she could say.

  As they reached the door, he held out his hand.

  “Goodbye, Miss Melville, and I do hope that your apprehension concerning your father will have proved to be unnecessary.”

  She put her hand lightly into his.

  She had not replaced her glove, which she had taken off in the silver salon and she felt the warmth of his skin on her fingers.

  Strangely she felt some vibration from him.

  She thought it was due to her agitation and his determination not to assist her.

  Then, as she went down the steps towards the carriage, he did not wait to see her go.

  She looked back and there was nobody at the open door.

  The carriage drove away.

  It was then she realised that she had failed completely and, as she took off her spectacles, she wondered if it was her fault.

  Perhaps she should have tried, as Mr. Thespidos had suggested, to entice him by her looks rather than by hesitating words.

  His answer might then have been different.

  ‘It’s – too late – now,’ she thought despairingly.

  The horses’ hoofs as they started to quicken their pace up the drive seemed to repeat the words over and over again,

  “Too late! Too late!”

  Chapter Three

  Corena arrived home.

  She wondered apprehensively if there would be anybody waiting for her from Mr. Thespidos.

  There appeared, however, to be nobody about.

  She went upstairs to take off her hat and tidy her hair and, when she came down, everything seemed quiet.

  She went into the drawing room and through the open window she could hear the buzzing of the b
ees and the birds singing in the bushes.

  She tried to believe that all this drama was only a nightmare.

  But with a constriction of her heart she recognised that it was only too real.

  Her father was in great danger and entirely through her own fault she had failed to save him.

  How could she have been so stupid as to go disguised in a pair of tinted spectacles?

  Mr. Thespidos had suggested something vulgar and unpleasant, but what did it matter?

  Was it likely for one moment that Lord Warburton who, from all she had heard, was a man of great distinction, would notice somebody like herself who was of no social consequence?

  ‘I made a – mess of it – Mama!’ she said in her heart.

  She wondered if anyone could help her now.

  She knew that, if her father died, she would always blame herself for having been so stupid.

  She wondered whether, if she went back again and, despite Mr. Thespidos’s warning told Lord Warburton the truth, he would understand.

  Then she knew that it would be a gamble, which, if it failed, meant that her father would die.

  It would be a great mistake to oppose Mr. Thespidos. She was sure that he was cruel and heartless and would get his own way by hook or by crook.

  ‘What – can I do? Oh – God, what can I – do?’ she asked fervently.

  Because there was no answer to this she could only pray.

  She wandered restlessly from the house into the garden and back again as the hours passed slowly.

  Then when it was nearly four o’clock in the afternoon she heard the sound of carriage wheels outside.

  Just for one moment she wondered if by any chance Lord Warburton had changed his mind. Had he come himself or sent someone to tell her so?

  Then, as she realised that this was an impossible idea, the door opened.

  Bates, the old butler said,

  “A gentleman to see you, Miss Corena!”

  Before she even looked up, Corena knew who it was and felt herself shudder.

  Mr. Thespidos walked slowly towards her.

  He took, she thought, longer than necessary to reach her so that she would feel intimidated.

  Her pride made her raise her chin, but she clasped her hands together.

  She was trembling as she said before he could speak.

  “I-I tried my best – but I am afraid – I failed!”