Free A Flight To Heaven by Barbara Cartland

again.”
    Lady Fairfax had overcome her repugnance for the dirty old coat and was taking Chiara in her arms to hug her.
    “Not much chance of that,” Mervyn Hunter piped up, watching as Jonah led Erebus to his stable. “The brute that threw her is quite lame.”
    “Oh, no!” Chiara cried. “My poor Erebus! It really was not his fault. If you had not pulled the reins so hard, and frightened him – ”
    “Chiara!” Lady Fairfax spoke up sharply. “You are being exceedingly ungrateful. These two gentlemen have been riding around the countryside in search of you and have stopped at nothing to make sure that you came safely home – and you have said not one word of thanks.”
    “Oh, there is no need!” Lord Darley exclaimed. “I am just so glad she is safe. And it was no trouble, really, we would have done anything to find you, Chiara.”
    Mervyn Hunter leapt down from the saddle.
    “We searched high and low,” he declared, “and the moment of finding you, Lady Chiara, was the sweetest of my life.”
    He took her hand and raised it to his lips, bowing as he did so.
    Lady Fairfax was frowning at Chiara, reproving her for her bad manners and she knew that she must say some words of thanks.
    “I am most – grateful,” she managed. “It was very kind of you to make – such efforts on my behalf.”
    Then she could not help adding,
    “But I am used to taking long rides round Rensham Hall and, although it was late and I had gone further than I meant to, I was perfectly safe.”
    Mervyn Hunter shook his head and reached out and fingered the sleeve of the old coat.
    “Perhaps you are not the best judge of that, Lady Chiara,” he said. “It’s not wise for a young lady to ride off on her own and speak to any old stranger she meets.”
    Then he gave a little laugh.
    “Hopefully the occasion will never arise – but if you do see this ‘gentleman’ again – you might advise him to visit to my tailor, as he is in dire need of a new coat!”
    Chiara felt a rush of anger, but she gave a polite nod to Mervyn Hunter and turned her back on him, ready to walk back to Rensham Hall.
    But he had not finished.
    “Surely, Lady Chiara, this filthy old garment would best be left with your young groom until you are ready to visit the gypsy camp again!”
    He called out to Jonah, who was feeding Erebus.
    “Come here, boy!”
    Chiara’s face now grew hot. How dare he speak to Jonah like that and now he was lifting the coat from her shoulders and thrusting it at the groom like an old sack.
    She wanted to take it back and keep it in her room to remind her of the dark-haired man on the beach, who had looked at her so mysteriously.
    Her maid could have brushed all the dirt away, so that if ever she saw him again, she could give it back to him in a clean and respectable condition, more in keeping with his elegant grey suit.
    But Jonah was taking the coat away to the harness room.
    Lord Darley was whispering something to Lady Fairfax, who was nodding and looking pleased.
    Mervyn Hunter took Chiara’s hand and lifted it to his lips.
    “It will not be long before we meet again,” he said. “And I do hope that you will stay safely at home till then.”
    “Goodbye, Mr. Hunter.”
    Chiara took a step back.
    “Every moment spent in your delightful company is pure pleasure,” he continued in a low voice, as he released her hand.
    At last Chiara was free to run across the stable yard, the evening air chill on her face and escape to the privacy of her bedroom.
    *
    “My dear Count Dimitrov!” the King’s bearded face was alight with amusement. “What an adventurer you are! I did not take you for a bicyclist, I must say!”
    Arkady sipped the glass of whisky he was enjoying before going into dinner. He had only just had time to change into his evening clothes, as it had taken him a good while to find his way back to Sandringham from the coast.
    “The bicycle is a remarkable invention,” he said. “Much faster and more efficient