Free A Battle of Brains by Barbara Cartland Page A

since.
    She had merely sent messages to say that she was tired and was resting.
    Now from what the housekeeper had just told him, Mr. Garrack thought that he must do something, although he was not certain what it should be.
    It was exactly twelve o’clock when the door of his study opened and Yolanda entered.
    As she walked towards him, he could see that she was looking very pale and there were lines under her eyes which had not been there before.
    When she reached him, she said jerkily,
    â€œYou wanted – to see me – Step-papa?”
    â€œYes, Yolanda, sit down, I want to talk to you.”
    She sat down on the edge of a chair by his desk and looked at him apprehensively.
    Then she began,
    â€œI have something I want to say to – ”
    Mr. Garrack quickly put up his hand.
    â€œI think I must speak first, because I asked you to come to me.”
    â€œYes, of course,” responded Yolanda in a dull and flat voice.
    â€œI have been thinking about your father, Yolanda.  I admired him greatly, because he was undoubtedly a very brave man.”
    When he mentioned her father, Yolanda looked up in surprise.
    Her eyes were on him as he continued,
    â€œI think at the moment he would be very distressed and maybe humiliated if he thought that his only child was a coward.”
    Yolanda stiffened.
    â€œ A coward ?” she repeated almost under her breath.
    â€œYour father’s bravery in fighting a duel he knew he would lose was, to say the least of it, heroic.  He could easily have refused and left Paris for England.
    â€œBut he was brave enough to fight against a man who would undoubtedly beat him, because it would have been absolutely wrong and against his idea of honour for him to have run away.”
    Yolanda did not say anything.
    Her fingers were clenched together and she looked at her stepfather with a startled expression in her eyes.
    â€œAs you know,” Mr. Garrack went on, “I have dealt with thousands of problems in my life and I have only got where I am today by standing up and fighting for what I wanted.”
    His voice dropped as he added,
    â€œI have not told you about the beginning of my life, as I do not like to talk about it, but I was actually a very unhappy child.”
    He looked towards the window as if he was looking back into the past.
    â€œMy parents were of no particular importance and, as they had three other children, they did not want me.  I was the youngest.  I remember how I resented being treated as if I was of little account and made to give my brothers preference in everything.”
    There was a distinct bitterness in his voice that told Yolanda without him saying more how he had suffered.
    â€œI think that I must have been around ten or eleven years old when I decided that the only way I could actually defeat my brothers was if I was cleverer than they were.
    â€œI cannot think who put the idea into my head, but I worked hard at school until, at the end of term, I actually received a prize.  That made me determined to have at least a dozen of them.  I not only gained many prizes but I won a scholarship.”
    â€œThat was indeed – clever,” remarked Yolanda.
    She seemed to force the words through her lips.
    Her stepfather thought that as she had spoken it was perhaps a step in the right direction.
    â€œI went on to University and because I worked by day and night, I was awarded a First and a final report of which anyone would have been proud.”
    He realised that Yolanda was now listening intently so he continued,
    â€œI next offered my best services to a factory in the neighbourhood and, based on my excellent reports from the University, they engaged me.”
    â€œAnd what did your family think?”
    â€œThey were most surprised, but my elder brothers still laughed at me.  I was paid only a small salary for the job I had undertaken.  Quite frankly they thought I was a fool to work so