Love and the Gods Read online

  The large case for the screens would definitely hold a life-size statue.

  *

  The Duke slept peacefully and so did not think of Lady Evelyn until the following day.

  He rode his best stallion at seven o’clock in Rotten Row as he always did.

  He saw a number of friends and received several invitations to which he avoided a direct answer.

  Then, when he returned to his house, he sent for his secretary.

  He told him he was to refuse every invitation he received for the next two weeks.

  Mr. Simmonds was astonished.

  “But Your Grace has already accepted so many engagements,” he protested.

  “I am aware of that, Simmonds, so I want you to tell everyone that I have been called away unexpectedly to Scotland as one of my relatives is very ill and the doctors don’t think he will live very long.”

  Mr. Simmonds had been with the Duke ever since he came into the title and he knew only too well that, once the Duke had made up his mind, it was no use arguing with him.

  However, he gave a deep sigh, knowing he would have to cope with a lot of indignant people, especially the ladies who would be hurt and upset at losing him.

  “I want you to send, late this afternoon,” the Duke went on, “a large bouquet of orchids to Lady Evelyn. I will give you a letter to go with it.”

  Mr. Simmonds sighed again.

  He knew how voluble Lady Evelyn would be if the Duke disappeared to Scotland, but there was no point in saying so.

  The Duke gave Mr. Simmonds other instructions, the most important of which was that he was to say nothing to the household, not even to his valet, until later in the afternoon.

  He knew he could trust Mr. Simmonds implicitly and that he would obey all his instructions to the letter.

  Equally he was well aware that the Duke had no dying relative in Scotland and so he was wondering where the Duke was going and who was going with him.

  “Last, but not least,” the Duke added, “I am dining tonight at Windsor Castle, but it is most important that no one in London is aware of it.”

  Mr. Simmonds looked at him in surprise.

  “Send a message now to Captain Holt that I will be coming aboard The Mermaid some time after midnight, and, as soon as I am aboard, I wish the yacht to sail down the Thames immediately.”

  “Then you are actually going to Scotland, Your Grace,” Mr. Simmonds commented, a little bewildered.

  “It may be Scotland or it may be elsewhere,” the Duke told him. “But I want to just slip away without there being any fuss or talk about it. So I trust you not to say a word of what is happening until I have actually left for Windsor Castle.”

  He knew that Mr. Simmonds was confused, also a little hurt that he was not being trusted completely with the arrangements.

  But the Duke thought it wiser to say nothing more.

  He had a luncheon engagement at his Club with a gentleman who wished to ask his advice on some personal matters to include his horses.

  The Duke enjoyed the conversation and he did not return to the house until three o’clock.

  It was then, as he went through the front door, he saw the packing case that he knew contained the screen.

  It was neatly fastened and, he thought, since it had contained two screens originally, that it was definitely big enough for the statue.

  He wrote his letters and sent for Mr. Simmonds.

  “There is no hurry for the letter that goes with the flowers,” he said. “Lady Evelyn will not be expecting me until at least eight o’clock and I should like this letter and the flowers to arrive not more than an hour earlier.”

  It was, he admitted to himself, rather unkind to let her down at the last moment when she was expecting him for an evening of love.

  But he had to prevent her from finding out that, if he was going to travel to Scotland, he was dining first at Windsor Castle.

  It might be discovered later, but then he would be on the high seas and there would be nothing anyone could do about it.

  The Duke wrote several other letters of apology for having to cancel an engagement, but he did not think that any of the recipients would be particularly curious about which of his relatives was ill.

  It was four o’clock when he sent for Jenkins.

  “I need your assistance, your help and your silence, Jenkins.” He liked the alert look that came into the man’s eyes.

  Jenkins had been with the Duke ever since he had entered the Army, when he had been his batman and, when he surrendered his Commission, Jenkins left with him.

  He had travelled with him in all the years when he was exploring what he could of the world and, as the Duke knew better than anyone else, Jenkins was invaluable.

  He enjoyed everything even if it was uncomfortable or dangerous and he never lost his temper nor his sense of humour.

  The Duke had found him an admirable companion in the most difficult and unusual situations.

  As Jenkins waited to receive his orders, the Duke said with a smile,

  “This is secret, Jenkins, and so no one must know where we are going or why.”

  Jenkins’s eyes twinkled.

  “I were just thinking, Your Grace, that things be a bit dull lately.”

  “Pack everything I require for quite a long journey and be as quick as possible.”

  “Will it be hot or cold, Your Grace?”

  “Fairly hot and evening clothes as well as day.”

  What he liked about Jenkins was that he asked no more questions, merely enquiring,

  “What time will us be leaving, Your Grace?”

  “At half-past five,” the Duke replied, “because I are dining at Windsor Castle before we go any further.”

  Jenkins merely nodded and still asked no questions and the Duke knew his clothes would be ready together with his revolver in one of the cases.

  Jenkins was as excited at going abroad as he was.

  They finally started off, travelling not in the smart light chaise but in a much larger one in which there was room for plenty of luggage.

  As they drove out of London, the Duke knew that Jenkins was looking forward to all that lay ahead.

  They could not travel to Windsor Castle as fast as the Duke had the day before.

  Then there had been nothing on board the chaise except himself and a groom. Now there was a large amount of luggage as well as the screen.

  Although he could have sent the luggage directly to his yacht in the Thames, the Duke knew that would tell the servants that he was going away.

  It would then only be a question of a short time before the whole of London would be avidly buzzing with speculation.

  Servants talked to servants and the Duke had learnt very early in life that the fewer the people who knew what you were doing, the safer it was.

  They arrived at Windsor Castle exactly at the time he had intended, which was just before seven-thirty.

  He wanted to give Her Majesty her present before dinner.

  If the other dinner guests were to see it, the less interest they would take if they saw the case leaving on his carriage later that night.

  An equerry greeted the Duke and he asked if his present for the Queen could be taken to her private sitting room.

  The equerry looked at him in astonishment.

  “I really cannot imagine what you are giving Her Majesty,” he queried, “but it’s certainly very large.”

  “You will surely admire it when you see it,” the Duke replied. “I want the case to be opened as soon as I have presented it to her.”

  Jenkins was then taken away by a servant with the luggage the Duke would require that evening.

  The rest of the trunks, on the Duke’s instructions, remained in the carriage and he gave orders that it was not to be unloaded when the horses were put into the stables.

  Anyone who served the Duke knew only too well that it was a disastrous mistake not to obey his orders to the letter however strange they might seem
.

  As the Duke walked up the stairs to Her Majesty’s private apartments, he was sure everything would now go smoothly.

  The Queen had already received some of her guests when the large case containing the screen was carried into her sitting room.

  “What can that be, David?” she enquired sharply.

  The Duke, who was just behind, piped up at once,

  “A present for Your Majesty that I hope will please you.”

  She met his eyes and understood that this was all part of the game.

  “How exciting,” she then cooed in a different tone of voice. “I cannot imagine what it is.”

  “I want it to be opened in front of Your Majesty,” the Duke said, “so I hope to be forgiven if it makes rather a mess.”

  “Now you are making me really curious, David.”

  The Duke recognised that she was astute enough to understand why the packing case was so necessary.

  While the servants began to untie it, making quite a commotion as they went about it, she watched without any comment.

  When finally the screen was taken out, she gave an exclamation of delight.

  “How lovely and just how beautiful!” she enthused. “Where could you have found such an unusual piece?”

  “It came from Japan, ma’am. It is over a hundred years old and I thought that Your Majesty would appreciate it. It will also keep the draughts from your back.”

  The Queen laughed and replied,

  “It is lovely and thank you very very much. It is something I will always cherish.”

  The Duke had already instructed Jenkins that all the packing was to be taken to his room together with the case.

  He was to tell the staff confidentially that it was important for him to keep it because he had actually bought two screens at the same time.

  The servants cleared it all away while the Queen was appreciating the fine workmanship of the screen and ordering it to be placed behind the chair she always sat in.

  “It’s a perfect background for Your Majesty,” one of her guests commented.

  “It is so clever of the Duke,” the Queen replied, “to know that this is exactly what I need in this room, but I could not find anything quite so pretty or so colourful in England.”

  “None of us could embroider as well as this,” one lady remarked.

  Another lady was inspecting the workmanship and saying it was something she was determined to copy in one way or another.

  At the very least, the Duke reflected, it had taken the interest away from him.

  He was certain that tomorrow they would still be talking about the screen rather than speculating as to why he had left Windsor Castle so early.

  Dinner was as usual quite homely food without any pretensions about it and one might have said the same about the wine.

  When dinner was over and some of the guests then settled down to play bridge, the Queen was able to have a whispered word with the Duke.

  “Here is the key to the room in which the statue has been ever since it came to Windsor Castle,” she said. “You will need to take a light with you. It is standing on the left hand side of the room not far from the door, and it is wrapped up in a red blanket so you cannot confuse it with anything else.”

  “That makes it very much easier, ma’am,” the Duke murmured.

  “I inspected the room myself this morning,” the Queen added, “making an excuse that I was afraid the roof might be leaking in that room as it was in another room nearby.”

  The Duke was listening intently.

  “I therefore was able to have the statue moved nearer the door from where it had been put years ago. In case the ceiling leaked on that and several other valuable antiques, I had them covered with blankets. I actually put a red one over Apollo myself. I know no one will dare to touch it.”

  “Your Majesty is very sensible. I will leave soon after everyone retires with the excuse that I have received bad news about a relative. I will tell those who assist us downstairs that my valet had picked up the letters when we were leaving London and I had no time to open them until now.”

  He paused before he added,

  “I will ask the Officer in Charge to explain to Your Majesty that bad news from a close relative who is dying in Scotland had forced me to leave so unexpectedly.”

  “You do think of everything, David, and I am most grateful to you, as well as telling you once again you are very resourceful.”

  “I only hope Your Majesty will always think so.” It was then impossible to say any more.

  Only when all the guests had said goodnight did the Queen, when he bowed over her hand, whisper,

  “Good luck, David!”

  The Duke went to his bedroom and was reassured that Jenkins had everything packed and ready.

  Without speaking, he followed the Duke down the corridor to a part of Windsor Castle that was not often used and was therefore in darkness.

  With a light from the candles they both carried, it was not difficult for the Duke to find the right room. The Queen had explained exactly where it was.

  He turned the key in the lock.

  When they went into the room, the first thing the Duke noticed was the red blanket just a little to his left.

  He had already told Jenkins what they were looking for.

  The Duke found that the statue, which came up to his shoulder, was wrapped with the red blanket and a white linen material round the whole body.

  The difficulty was that, when the two men lifted the statue up between them, it was too heavy for them to carry anything else and it was impossible to manage the candles at the same time.

  It was the Duke who solved the problem by first carrying Apollo out of the room where he had stood for so many years and locking the door behind them.

  Then he sent Jenkins to place a candle as far down the passage as they could see.

  When he came back, they carried the statue to the candle.

  Repeating this procedure made the journey back to the Duke’s room a long and difficult one and fortunately they managed it without anyone being aware that they were moving about.

  And it was with a feeling of some relief when they reached the Duke’s bedroom.

  Neither had spoken since the Duke had suggested what they should do with the candles and, only as the door closed, did Jenkins say,

  “Whatever that there piece of stone weighs, I hopes I don’t have to carry it much further!”

  “I hope not either,” the Duke replied. “But first we must pack it up so that no one will see what we are taking away with us.”

  The large packing case in which they had brought the screen fortunately fitted Apollo exactly.

  In case he should roll about in it, the Duke wrapped him in another blanket as well as in the packing they had used for the screen.

  It was, as he had anticipated, nearly one o’clock when finally Jenkins collected the night servants to carry the Duke’s personal luggage, including Apollo, down to his carriage.

  The Officer in Charge of the security that night was told the same story the Duke had invented earlier – that owing to his haste in leaving London, he had brought his letters with him and had only just read them.

  One of them had told him that a close relative was on the point of dying in Scotland and he only hoped he could reach him in time.

  The Officer in Charge understood his predicament and promised that he would explain to Her Majesty in the morning why he had been obliged to leave immediately for London.

  “I know Her Majesty will appreciate my urgency,” the Duke said. “Of course, if I had not been so busy all day, I would have read my letters earlier and would not have waited until after dinner. But, as you will understand, I was afraid of being late.”

  “I do see, Your Grace,” the Officer replied. “It is what we all worry about, especially as Her Majesty herself is always so punctual.”

  “I can only apologise for causing such a commotion in the middle of the night and being
such a trouble to you.”

  “You have been no trouble at all,” the Officer said politely. “I only hope that Your Grace will be in time.”

  “I will certainly try to be,” the Duke sighed.

  He tipped all the servants who had conveyed his luggage downstairs and helped place it in his carriage.

  He realised, although he did not say so, that they were surprised at the size and weight of the largest case.

  *

  Then at last the Duke had the reins in his hands and they were driving out of the courtyard and onto the road.

  He thought that by the mercy of God and with the undoubted help of his Guardian Angel, he had managed to depart without anyone showing any curiosity or being in the least suspicious of what he had taken away with him.

  He was sure no one could realise that the packing case, which had been quite heavy when they arrived, was very much heavier when they left. Luckily it had been carried out by servants who had just come on duty.

  It was only when they were driving back to London as quickly as they could, and the Duke was grateful there was a moon to show the way, that Jenkins asked, “Your Grace has not told me where we be going.”

  “That is to be a surprise until we are at sea. I want no speculation amongst the crew, so we will merely say we are making for the Mediterranean.”

  “That suits me,” Jenkins replied. “I only hopes I’ve packed the right clothes for Your Grace, if we are being entertained by the Frenchies or them Arabs on the other side of it!”

  The Duke laughed.

  “I will leave you guessing as to which side of the Mediterranean we are visiting until we are nearer. But, as I have told you already, Jenkins, this is a secret mission and the less interest anyone shows in it the better.”

  “You can trust me, Your Grace, as you’ve done so often before, to keep me mouth shut.” The Duke knew this was true.

  Jenkins had always been a magnificent servant on all their travels and he had never once betrayed to anyone anything his Master had told him confidentially.

  “Well, one thing’s for sure,” Jenkins remarked as the Duke did not speak. “We be getting something new, and that’s always what Your Grace wants and I wants too!”