Free Follow Your Heart by Barbara Cartland

comment on her arrival if he, as their Chief, accepted her.
    Picking up Della’s bag, Piramus strode towards the caravan next to Lendi’s. Della realised that the gypsies always placed their most precious women, the old and the young, in the centre of the crescent of caravans with a man at each end.
    They reached Mireli’s caravan and Piramus went up the steps first carrying Della’s bag.
    It was not dark inside the caravan as the light from the stars and the rising moon was shining through the windows. The curtains were drawn back and light streamed through the door and this enabled Della to see that Mireli was asleep on one side of the caravan.
    On the other side was an empty bed. Piramus touched it to make certain there were blankets on it and a pillow.
    â€œTomorrow – find sheets,” he muttered.
    â€œThank you, thank you so very much,” whispered Della. “I am very grateful and shall be quite all right as long as I can lie down.”
    â€œGo to bed Lady – sleep. We leave very early – no hurry for you.”
    He was speaking to her in a low voice and he did not wait for Della to reply.
    He walked out of the caravan closing the door behind him, but there was still plenty of light for Della to take off her dress and her stockings.
    Then she thought it would be too difficult to find a nightgown in the bag she had brought with her and if she moved she might wake Mireli. The girl had not stirred since she and Piramus had come into the caravan.
    Della did not wish at the moment to make any more explanations as to her presence, so wearing her petticoat and underclothes she slipped under the blankets.
    She placed her head wearily down on the pillow.
    She had done it !
    She had made the tremendous effort to run away and now she felt limp and exhausted.
    The whole tension of arranging the dinner party and acting the role of hostess had been hard enough.
    Worse still was meeting Jason and realising he was not only what she expected, but worse.
    â€˜I cannot marry him,’ she told herself again and again. ‘I know I cannot do it.”
    But this was not the moment for making decisions. She had made, she thought, the most sensible one in giving herself time.
    Time to think, time to decide and time to scheme.
    It was, she pondered the stars, which Lendi had told her were protecting her – the stars which had made her realise that her only chance of salvation was to run away.
    Tomorrow would have been too late as the gypsies would have moved on and she could not think of anyone else she could have appealed to in her plight.
    â€˜I am safe here and very, very grateful for it.’
    She must have fallen asleep; as the next thing she knew was that the wheels were moving under her.
    The gypsies were on their way.
    It must be, she reckoned, very early in the morning as it was still dark and as she peered through the windows she could see that the stars had left the sky but the sun had not yet risen.
    Beside the rumble of the wheels of the caravan, she could hear the other caravans moving too, but there were no voices to be heard.
    For the first time she became aware that the gypsies when moving away from a neighbourhood always made sure they were not observed.
    They came in silently and left the same way.
    They did not wish to be asked questions or for people to follow them.
    They were independent travellers making sure that, if it was at all possible, they were almost invisible.
    Della must have dozed off again for when she awoke she found Mireli sitting on the other bed looking at her in astonishment.
    â€œI did not hear Lady arrive!”
    Della smiled
    â€œYou were fast asleep and Piramus suggested that I might share your caravan with you.”
    â€œYou coming with us, Lady?”
    â€œIf you are kind enough to have me.”
    â€œBut of course, Lady, it is very exciting you want to be with us.”
    â€œI am running away,” Della told her, “and you,