Free Hide and Seek for Love by Barbara Cartland Page A

had expected to find strange goings-on at Ingle Hall.
    Yet he had never anticipated there would be a very beautiful young girl to help him.
    â€˜It is really lucky,’ he said to himself, ‘because if I was here alone with no servants, I would not know where to begin.’
    He climbed into the vast bed and as he had not been able to sleep very much last night worrying about what was awaiting him, he fell asleep at once.
    *
    He woke early because having been a soldier it was what he was used to.
    When he went downstairs, he found Nanny dusting the study.
    â€œGood morning, Nanny.”
    She turned round and smiled at him.
    â€œI hope, my Lord, you’ve had a good night’s sleep, and if you want the truth, it’s the first night for months that I haven’t lain awake a-worrying.”
    David laughed.
    â€œI am glad, but we all still have a lot of worrying to do and the first thing, as you know, Nanny, as there are no secrets from you, is to find out if we have any money.”
    â€œIt’s what I’ve been saying to myself over and over.  But just where’s it all gone?  His Lordship certainly didn’t spend it on riotous living!”
    â€œI am sure,” smiled David, “and thank you for the delicious dinner last night.  I want you to buy anything that you need from the village, so that I can with luck eat many more delicious meals!”
    He saw Nanny was pleased at his praise.
    â€œDo you think that the butcher and the baker and whoever else there is in the village, will allow you to open an account or will they expect to be paid cash down?”
    â€œI thinks when I a-tells them your Lordship’s going to put things back to normal, they’ll all be flying flags and singing in the streets.”
    Her voice changed as she added seriously,
    â€œIt’s been really terrible these past years to see the cottagers a-needing their roofs thatched, the shops closing down because there weren’t customers and the pensioners dying ’cos his Lordship wouldn’t give them any money.”
    â€œWhy did no one do anything about it, Nanny?”
    â€œThe Vicar did his level best, but when his Lordship threatened to reduce his stipend, he gave what he could out of his own pocket.”
    â€œI must try to pay him back for what he has spent,” David said, as if he was speaking to himself.  “But first I have to find out what has happened to all the money.”
    *
    Benina sent the gardener’s son to order a carriage to take him into Canterbury.
    It arrived at ten o’clock and it was not the smartest vehicle and the old horse was not very fast.
    David knew that the first thing he wanted more than anything else was some decent horses to ride, but it was no use ruminating about what he required before he had the wherewithal to pay for it.
    As he picked up his hat in the hall, Benina came running down the stairs and he knew she had been tidying his bedroom.
    â€œAre you going now, my Lord?” she asked him rather breathlessly.
    â€œThe sooner I go, the sooner I will come back and then we will know where we stand.”
    She stood still beside him for a moment and then she murmured,
    â€œI am praying now as I prayed last night that you will find what you want and everything will turn out for the best.”
    â€œThank you, Benina, and I think that we will need all your prayers to put matters straight.”
    He climbed into the carriage, wishing that he could drive himself.
    He sat back on the upholstered seat and, as it was a sunny day, the hood was raised.
    As they drove down the drive, he could see first the dilapidated lodge – his grandfather must have evicted those who had lived there.
    Both the gates were off their hinges and the gardens that David was sure used to be full of spring flowers were untended.
    As he became aware of the really pathetic condition of the village, he realised that Benina had not been exaggerating