Free Follow Your Heart by Barbara Cartland Page A

Piramus and Lendi must hide me.”
    Mireli thought this was the most exciting news she had ever heard.
    Later when they had stopped by the roadside for breakfast, all the gypsies clustered round Della as if they could not believe she was real.
    â€œLady really coming with us?” one of them asked. “People think – very strange.”
    â€œYou must make me look just like one of you,” suggested Della. “Perhaps if I wore a handkerchief over my hair, no one would notice me.”
    One of the older women laughed.
    â€œDo better than that, Lady.”
    When they had eaten a hasty breakfast of the eggs Della had sent them, they moved on again and it was then that the gypsy women joined Della in Mireli’s caravan.
    â€œIf you hiding, Lady,” one said, “you must look like gypsy. I change hair.”
    â€œHow can you do that?” enquired Della rather nervously.
    â€œMake it – black,” replied the woman.
    â€œI do not want to dye my hair for ever. I will wear a handkerchief over it.”
    â€œWe gypsies have dye – wash out very easily.”
    She left the caravan so Della waited. She had not thought when she ran for help to the gypsies that none of them would have fair golden hair.
    Her eyes too could never be the dark colour of the Romanies. They were, actually, a very dark blue which at times seemed almost to change to purple.
    Della had inherited her eyes from her mother and she had so often heard people admiring them saying they had never seen eyes that colour before.
    â€œI think if the truth be told,” Della’s mother had said, “they come from my ancestors. Our fair hair must come from some Nordic country that invaded Scotland in the past.”
    Della knew that whoever the invaders were they violated the women, resulting in most Northerners boasting the fair hair and blue eyes of the Vikings.
    When the gypsy woman returned she brought a dog with her, a brown and white spaniel and she made it lie down on the floor.
    Then she painted one of the white spots on its fur with some dark liquid she had brought with her in a bowl.
    Della watched her with increasing interest as she realised this was the dye the gypsy woman was going to put on her hair.
    She felt it was very kind of her to take so much trouble, but she had no intention of remaining dark like the Romanies and she surmised that it could be months before her hair would gradually grow back to its natural golden hue.
    The gypsy woman painted a white spot on the dog black. Then she waited for it to dry saying as she did so,
    â€œThis made from special herbs known only to Romanies. We use it when our hair is going white or does not shine.”
    Della felt there was nothing she could say and the gypsy too was silent.
    Next, she placed her hand on the dark patch of the dog’s back when she thought it was dry and asked Mireli who was watching intently to bring her some water.
    There was a bowl near her bed where Della had already supposed that she and Mireli would have to wash. Mireli obediently poured a little water into the bowl and the gypsy woman dipped a flannel into it.
    Then she rubbed the dark patch on the dog’s back and to Della’s astonishment the black colour was removed immediately. It took only two or three rubs to leave the dog’s coat as white as it had been.
    The gypsy woman laughed at the expression on Della’s face.
    â€œLady think gypsy magic. It very old, old recipe of Romanies.”
    â€œThat is wonderful!” exclaimed Della, “and I do think it is such a clever idea to make my hair black so no one could question that I am not one of you.”
    She had been thinking about her uncle as she watched the women. When he heard the Romanies had departed he might easily think that she was hiding with them.
    It would not occur to the Duke, but Lord Lainden was a very astute man and not easily deceived.
    There was just a chance, Della considered, that