They Found their Way to Heaven Page 5

  “Violet knows that you think badly of her – ”

  “But I – that is entirely untrue. I do not think badly of her, I merely – ”

  “Merely show that she disappoints you,” Elvina finished.

  “Is it wrong for me to want her to live up to her position?”

  “Well, yes, it might be. Your Grace, will you think me very impudent if I suggest that you should forget her position?”

  “But how can I?” he asked, bewildered. “She is who she is. She can never be otherwise.”

  “But who is she?”

  He gave her a wary look, as if wondering whether she had taken leave of her senses.

  He replied very firmly,

  “She is the Lady Violet Castleforde, only daughter of the tenth Duke of Castleforde and sister of the eleventh.”

  “Aha!” Elvina said triumphantly. “You got the last bit right.”

  “I got it completely right, madam.”

  “But your emphasis is mistaken and that is as bad as getting the facts wrong.”

  “I will not pretend to be able to follow your drift.”

  “All right, tell me this. Do you love Violet?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “How much?”

  She thought he was going to give her an angry reply, but after a moment his shoulders sagged and he said,

  “Yes, very much.”

  “Splendid. Then we know her true identity. She is your much-loved sister. Not the Lady Violet, not the descendent of statesmen and grandees, but your sister whom you love.”

  There was a long silence, during which she saw his face soften and understanding dawn.

  “I see,” he said at last. “Yes, I begin to see,”

  “Cannot you simply appreciate her for what she is?”

  “I cannot cope with what she is,” he responded ruefully.

  “Come, you are His Grace the Duke of Castleforde,” she coaxed with a laugh. “You are not going to admit that a sixteen year old girl could get the better of you, are you?”

  “She gets the better of me whether I admit it or not,” he said gloomily.

  “Then don’t let it be a battle,” Elvina advised gently. “That can hurt her too badly.”

  She saw his surprise and thought she understood it. He was so often on the receiving end of Violet’s temper that he had forgotten that she was still a vulnerable child.

  “You understand her, don’t you?” he asked.

  “I think so. At any rate, I believe she will tolerate me for a while.”

  “How did you manage that miracle?”

  “By not making it too obvious that I understand her,”

  she replied mysteriously.

  He frowned.

  “Can you explain?”

  “Would you really like to feel that someone could understand you through and through? I do not think so. It would make you feel as though you had no secrets left.”

  “Surely Violet doesn’t have secrets at her age?”

  “Everyone has secrets, Your Grace. Violet keeps thoughts to herself she tells nobody for she has nobody to tell.”

  “She could confide in me.”

  Elvina did not answer directly, but regarded him with her head on one side.

  “No, I suppose she cannot confide in me,” he added with a sigh.

  “You have no idea how she longs for your love and approval. How can you have when she doesn’t know it herself? She must be treated gently.”

  “Now I know your secret,” he probed.

  “You – do?”

  He gave her a faint, disturbing smile.

  “You are a most unexpected woman with hidden talents. I predict that you are going to turn my house and maybe my life upside down.”

  “You give me too much credit, sir. I am only a governess.”

  “I don’t think so. I think you are far more than a governess. What will happen next, I wonder?”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The air seemed to sing in Elvina’s ears. The Duke had said,

  “What will happen next, I wonder?”

  And for an instant it really seemed as though something momentous was about to happen.

  But then the strange mood broke. The butler entered the room, standing back to allow Violet to pass.

  The Duke, who had been looking at Elvina, turned round and stared in astonishment.

  He did not at first recognise his sister, who appeared sparkling from head to foot. Then, as she moved towards him, he stared harder.

  “Violet?” he asked eventually.

  At precisely the right moment she swept him a low curtsy.

  “My Lord Duke,” she declared theatrically.

  Then suddenly the Duke laughed.

  “Can it really be you?” he asked. “You look so lovely, just as I want you to look. I only wish we were going to a ball tonight. You would be undoubtedly the Belle of the Ball.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace,” Violet purred demurely.

  “What caused this change?” he demanded.

  “I thought it was what you wanted, that I should be preparing myself for my debut. I am sure you have said so.”

  “Yes, and you have said that Society is for fools.”

  “She said no such thing,” Elvina stopped him firmly. “You misheard her. All that matters now is that Violet looks wonderful and you know that she will be a credit to you.”

  Suddenly the butler announced from the door,

  “Dinner is served, Your Grace.”

  The Duke hesitated for a moment.

  Then he offered his arm to Elvina and his other arm to his sister.

  “I never expected,” he said, “that tonight would be a very special night. Perhaps we will continue to be able to talk comfortably amongst ourselves.”

  He smiled as he added,

  “But another time when you are looking so beautiful, we must have a crowd of people to admire you, which unfortunately they have not done up to now.”

  They were walking along the corridor to the dining room as he finished speaking.

  “I would love a ball,” Violet volunteered, “and everything I have not had before. Quite frankly we have a lot to learn before other people come in to stare at us.”

  The Duke looked so surprised that Elvina’s eyes twinkled.

  Then he asked,

  “Is this really my sister who is telling me that she wants parties? Is this also my sister who looks so beautiful that she will be the Belle of every ball?”

  Violet laughed.

  “Yes, this is your sister,” she replied. “But as you want me to learn, so I am learning. Some of the things I am learning might surprise you, but you might also be pleased.”

  “Of course I will be,” her brother said. “How has this magical witch come down to us just when we needed her?”

  He was looking at Elvina as he spoke and she smiled back at him.

  “I have been called many names, but a magical witch is something new,” she sighed.

  “I am astonished that my sister can look so lovely,” the Duke continued. “I hope this is not just a dream and that I shall wake up to find that things are as bad as they used to be.”

  “Forget it! Forget the past,” Elvina cried. “We are entering a new world, a world in which we dream up new ideas and learn so much which has never been learnt before. Eventually we will find a happiness which everyone seeks but few people are fortunate enough to find.”

  The Duke gazed at her.

  “Are you really saying this to me?” he asked. “I am sure I am dreaming.”

  “It is as true as true can be,” Elvina answered. “You must admit your sister looks absolutely lovely.”

  “How is it possible that you have waved a magic wand and made such a transformation?”

  “The magic wand is at your service, Your Grace, so do not forget it’s there when you need it. As it belongs to me, I will be there too!”

  “That is a relief,” the Duke responded at once. “I should be ve
ry upset if you leave us after all this.”

  Violet’s eyes sparkled. She looked at Elvina who was sitting on the other side of her.

  “I told you he would be surprised,” she whispered.

  “If I am dreaming,” the Duke said before Elvina could speak, “I have no intention of waking up. Not until we have enjoyed some parties, at any rate.”

  “Before we have too many parties,” Elvina broke in quickly, “I would love to see your horses.”

  She laughed and preened herself. “I am considered an expert, you know. My father bred horses and they were in demand all over the countryside.”

  “Your father was a horse-breeder?” the Duke asked, with a little emphasis of surprise.

  Elvina guessed that to him a horse-breeder was a rough, unlettered man and since she was obviously a gentlewoman he could make no connection.

  “He never call himself a horse-breeder,” she explained quickly. “He was the younger son of a – well, of a good family.”

  “So I would have supposed, madam,” he said quietly.

  “And I loved horses as much as he did. It was quite a partnership.”

  “Until you met your husband,” Violet queried.

  “Until I – ? Oh, yes, until I met my husband.”

  “And what did your husband think about horses?” the Duke asked.

  “He loved them too. He was an ex-army man,” Elvina improvised. She knew she was borrowing details from Andrew and she wished that she need not do so, but she was in too much of a flurry to think too far ahead.

  “Ah! Cavalry?” the Duke enquired.

  “Yes. Of course, people don’t think that women know anything about horses.”

  “But you intend to surprise us,” the Duke said with a smile that made his face full of charm.

  He began to tell them tales of his own horses, some of which were quite amusing, such as the time he had set his heart on a particular horse and had been cheated out of it at the last minute.

  “The trouble,” he said, “is that there are far too many people wanting too few horses, as you have doubtless found.”

  He looked at Elvina as he continued,

  “If the horses are exceptional, there are so many people trying to buy them that the price rises minute after minute until only a millionaire could afford them.”

  “That is exactly what I heard my father say. But he used to manage, in some clever way of his own, to see the horses before they appeared in the sales yard, rather than after a great number of bidders had realised their value.”

  “That is the sensible thing to do,” he agreed. “But unfortunately one is not always so lucky. I paid far too much for the last two animals I bought, simply because they had been talked about.”

  “One cannot always be lucky when it comes to money.” “You need to be wealthy to start with to afford a decent stable.”

  She spoke without thinking and was taken aback when the Duke remarked,

  “You talk as if yours is a large and expensive collection. Surely I must have heard of it.”

  Elvina realised that she had made a slip. Quickly she added, “I have known many clients with large stables. They were always boasting that they were their most expensive possession.”

  The Duke laughed and nodded. But there was an expression in his eyes which told her he was still finding her difficult to understand.

  He was undoubtedly questioning why she was here and how she could have owned the attractive dress which she had lent Violet as well as her own.

  To change the subject, Elvina began to talk about music.

  She asked the Duke if he had heard the new tunes which were currently such a success in London and if there was a music room in the castle.

  “There is one which has been here for many years,” the Duke told her. “You did not mention whether you could play the piano, but somehow I feel quite certain that you can.”

  “I can play the piano and I love music. I am certain your sister loves it too. One day we must have a musical evening. Do you play any instrument, Your Grace?”

  “I used to play a violin, but I am out of practise.”

  “But you could start to practise again. If your sister and I play the piano and sing with you playing the violin, we can have a musical evening which we should all enjoy. I am sure your neighbours would enjoy it too.”

  “Invite other people? Heaven forbid!” he exclaimed in horror.

  “Have you never played for an audience? If not, there is hardly any point in learning an instrument.”

  “When I was a child I sometimes performed at my parents’ insistence, to please their friends. Although just how much pleasure it gave them to hear me scraping away, is doubtful. But now – ”

  Elvina decided to take a risk.

  “But now it’s different,” she said. “Now you are a great man and you do not have to worry about pleasing other people.”

  Violet giggled. Her brother glared at her.

  Then he scowled at Elvina, but she faced him with a challenging look.

  “I question how pleasing my playing would be to anyone,” he asserted through gritted teeth. “Unless, of course, it amused them. If you imagine I am exposing myself to ridicule, you are much mistaken.”

  “Well, we will just have to see how musical you still are when we are on our own.”

  He did not reply, although his face became a little less grim as he regarded her wryly.

  “Is your piano in good condition?” she asked. “Perhaps you should buy a new one.”

  “You are running me into debt, even before you have been here for one day!”

  “The Lady Violet Castleforde deserves nothing less than the best if she is to succeed,” Elvina retorted.

  The Duke raised his head and regarded her, almost as though wondering if she would dare to tease him.

  “And are you a good pianist, Mrs. Winters?” he asked.

  “In some respects.”

  “In that case, when we have finished eating, we will go to the music room and you will play and sing for us. Then you can give me your opinion of the piano.”

  Elvina wanted to say, “touché!” But she merely contented herself with a smile.

  Although it was summer the evening air was chilly and Elvina was glad to see a fire burning in the music room, casting its glow over the oak furniture and the magnificent piano.

  As soon as she ran her fingers over the keys, she knew that the piano was in perfect condition. She looked up and caught the Duke watching her, a gleam of humour in his eyes.

  When she gave him an answering smile he laughed out loud.

  “I keep it perfectly tuned,” he admitted, “because even my sister practises sometimes.”

  “I have been trying to learn some of the new songs from London,” Violet joined in, adding daringly, “they sing them on the stage.”

  “Indeed?” remarked the Duke, refusing to be provoked.

  Elvina was looking through the song sheets.

  “I have been learning this one,” Violet said eagerly, pointing to the sheet of music in Elvina’s hand. The song is called ‘I Remember The Day’.”

  “Have you ever played it, Mrs. Winters?” Violet wanted to know.

  “Er – yes, but – ”

  “Oh, good, you can play and sing it now.”

  “I don’t think – ”

  “Oh, but you must. Then you can show me how it should be done.”

  “That’s right,” the Duke echoed with a touch of mischief. “Show us how it should be done.”

  She would rather have sung any song but this one. It carried too many memories of evenings she had spent with Margaret and Andrew.

  There had been one occasion, in particular, when she had sat at the piano, playing and singing this very song. They had been there with her, both smiling.

  She had thought their smiles were for her. Now she realised that they must have been for each other, excluding her.

  Violet was pulling out the stool for her. Relu
ctantly, but having no choice, Elvina sat down and played the opening bars. Then she began to sing in a soft, sweet voice,

  “I remember the day,

  When first I met him,

  The sun in his Heaven,

  All well in the world.

  I remember the day,

  When we first walked together,

  My hand held in his,

  And the love in his eyes.”

  She had thought she had seen love in Andrew’s eyes and it had all been a delusion. The memory overwhelmed her with grief and suddenly her voice thickened. She could sing no more.

  “What is it?” Violet asked, jumping up in alarm.

  “Nothing, I – I am a little husky tonight.”

  “I expect you are tired,” the Duke said quietly. “There is no need for any more, Mrs. Winters. Clearly you are an accomplished musician.”

  He too rose and came towards her, taking her hand to raise her from the piano stool.

  “It has been a long day for you, but now you belong here and I hope this day will be the first of many.”

  As he finished speaking, Violet threw up her arms.

  “We have won! We have won!” she cried excitedly to Elvina. “You will stay and you and I will surprise everyone with our new ideas and new achievements.”

  She held out her hands towards Elvina who was on the other side of the Duke, who reached out his own hands to take them.

  As they touched each other, Violet said to her brother,

  “Now you are our prisoner and you cannot escape. We are going to cover you with new ideas, new experiences and new music. Will you give us a free hand?”

  “Anything you want,” he answered. “This is what I prayed and hoped would happen, but felt was impossible.”

  He turned to Elvina,

  “I will do everything in my power to prevent you from leaving.”

  There was a note in his voice which Elvina thought rather moving.

  As she met his eyes she thought what he was saying to her privately was something she dare not admit, even to herself.

  *

  The next morning Elvina rose early and walked into Violet’s room. The girl had just left her bed and was standing by the window, looking out on the sunny scene. Her eyes lit up when she saw that Elvina was dressed for riding.

  “I was hoping that’s what we would be doing,” she said. “It is such a lovely morning. Let’s go at once.”