Failing that his brother might be generous and spare him something of what their father had left him.
As if she had followed his thoughts, Verna cried,
“Everything is going to be all right. I just know it.”
“I’m sure of it too, unless – ” suddenly he was riven with doubts again.
“Unless what?”
“Unless your family forbids you to marry me. I suppose I could hardly blame them.”
“They cannot. I am twenty-five and my money is my own. Nobody can stop me doing anything I want.”
“Nobody?”
“Nobody at all. Not even a husband – ”
She chuckled.
“You will find that out, sir, after we are married.”
“As long as you are my wife, I shall never object to anything you do.”
“Oh, what a rash promise,” she exclaimed merrily. “I shall certainly remind you of it one day, when we have been married a very long time and you say, ‘my wife is not going to do that’.”
“Just as long as I can say the beautiful words, ‘my wife’,” Michael sighed happily.
“No matter what happens, Michael, you know I will come with you. If we had to walk barefoot to India, we would go there together!”
“But I don’t want to see you barefoot, my darling. I want you to have the best of everything.”
“If I have you,” she added contentedly, “I have the best of everything. Oh, I cannot wait to get home. Can’t you drive a little faster?”
“You think your father would have a better opinion of me if I too had a conviction for speeding?”
“As a matter of fact, he probably would! Also, I have heard he was a bit of a rip when he was young. You two will have a lot in common. All will be well.”
Michael wished he could share her confidence. But he knew from the experiences of his friends that a father who had kicked up wild larks in his youth was likely to be harder – not easier – on his daughter’s suitor.
‘I know what he got up to,’ Michael recalled one of them saying. ‘I know because I got up to it myself and I’m dashed if my girl is marrying anyone like me.’
But he tried to stay optimistic and after a while he said,
“I don’t think that I should come to your house. It would be better for me to go to my own home and find out what the position is and what I have to offer you. I believe that my inheritance may be limited and I must know how much I have before I can face your father.”
“But it really doesn’t matter,” she replied ardently. “You’ll still be the Earl, and that’s all that my father will see. If a wealthy tradesman offered for my hand, he would ignore the money and see only the lack of title. No, you must come back with me now. I insist.”
When he did not reply, she took his arm.
“I don’t want to let you out of my sight, in case you vanish forever.”
“I will never do so. You are wonderful, adorable, in fact everything I have ever longed for. I will be yours as you will be mine until the end of Eternity.”
Verna gave a cry.
“You say such wonderful things. How is it possible I have been able to find you?”
Michael gave a laugh.
“I thought I had found you.”
“We found each other,” she replied. “Promise me we will go on loving each other. Whatever your family says, or whatever the problems are that lay ahead, they must not matter because we have each other.”
“That is just what I was going to say to you. We will be married whatever anyone says, does or thinks. They are not important. The only important one is you.”
He thought the happiness they were feeling seemed to turn the world into a perfect place and it would be quite impossible to be worried about anything.
They drove on and soon they found a country hotel where they could stop for lunch.
As they climbed out of the car, Michael realised that Winifred was still fast asleep in the back. He woke her gently, and she glared at him – she had been enjoying her sleep.
If only, he thought, they could leave her asleep and quietly creep away together, but his conscience would not let him do it. So he told her they were going in for lunch and helped her down.
Then unexpectedly, she solved his problem for him, complaining loudly about being disturbed, so that Verna had an inspiration and hired a room for her.
“You can finish your sleep there, Winnie dear,” she cooed.
So she and Michael had a pleasant lunch together in an empty dining room, so there was no one to hear all their loving words as they sat by the window, looking out at the flowers in the garden.
“This has been wonderful,” Verna enthused as they sipped their coffee. “I feel somehow that we are part of the flowers and everything is going to be as beautiful for us as they are – ”
“You must not expect too much,” Michael told her. “As long as we have each other, nothing else matters.”
“That is what I was trying to say. Oh, Michael I do love you and every moment I am with you, I love you so much more.”
“Verna, you are the only one who matters in the whole world. If your family tries to take you away from me, I’ll fight them, because I cannot and will not lose you.”
“You will never lose me. I am so blissfully happy now I that have found you and I promise we will never lose each other until we die.”
They left in a cloud of happy harmony, which soon vanished in comical suddenness when Verna declared her intention of driving the car the rest of the way.
“I cannot let you do so,” Michael declared flatly.
“May I please remind you, sir, that I drove to Dover without male assistance,” she countered with a deft touch of haughtiness. “I can easily manage the short drive ahead of us.”
“That may have been all very well at one time,” he started to say, “but now that we are engaged – ”
Then he stopped.
Verna was looking at him impishly.
“I told you that you would start trying to order me about, but I did think that you would wait until we were actually married!”
“I am only concerned for your safety.”
“I shall be perfectly safe.”
To forestall any further argument she leapt into the driving seat, leaving him no choice but to climb up beside her. He just made it before the car started to move.
They bickered amiably for a couple of miles before she suddenly terrified him by swinging the car violently to the right and heading back the way they had come.
“What are you doing?” he yelled.
“Going back for Winifred!”
After that he was silent.
*
Two hours later with Michael driving the car this time, they reached Verna’s home and turned into a pair of huge elaborate gates.
The drive was impressive and so was the house – it was large and ancient, and it had clearly had a lot of money spent on it over the years.
In fact it looked bigger and more prosperous than the house that he himself had been raised in. The garden was bright with flowers and obviously well kept.
As he drew up outside, an important-looking butler opened the front door and Verna exclaimed,
“We’ve done it!”
As they entered the house, servants appeared. She told them to take their luggage from the back of the car and went to speak to the butler, whilst Michael returned to the car to supervise the unloading.
He offered Winifred his arms to help her descend, but received a thunderous look that made him back off.
Instead she accepted the butler’s arm, declaring that only in this way could she feel safe.
The word ‘safe’ had been more than prominent in her conversation ever since they had collected her from the hotel where she had been sitting, awaiting their return in a black fury.
Michael had no doubt that in Winifred’s mind it was entirely his fault!
Once Winifred had swept grandly into the
house, he rejoined Verna in the hall and she informed him,
“I have told the butler you will be staying here and which room I want you to have.”
She slipped her arm into his and drew him further inside, giving him a chance to admire the lofty hall.
She took him into a large room that opened off the hall and he guessed it must have been a banqueting room at some time in the past.
There was an attractive young woman sitting at one of the windows and she rose as they entered.
Verna kissed her saying,
“Mary dear, you may be surprised to see me, but I have so much to tell you, as so many exciting things have happened. But first of all, let me introduce Lord Belmont, who has been kind enough to drive me home. Michael – this is my sister, Mary.”
Mary’s eyes flickered over Michael, making him wish he had stuck to his resolution to go home and change first. Obviously she was surprised at hearing who he was.
She held out her hand and asked,
“Have you really brought Verna home? We were all a little concerned when she set off like that with only Winifred for company, but she’s always been headstrong.”
“Thank you very much,” muttered Verna, accepting it as a compliment.
She smiled as she continued,
“I suppose it was really my fault for arriving at Andrew’s home without warning, but he was on the verge of going to Italy and didn’t want to be bothered with me.”
She gave a crow of laughter.
“All he could think of was courting a rich bride.”
“The way he spends money he needs a rich bride,” remarked Mary. “But he should have taken you with him, not left you to return to England alone.”
“Well, it all worked out for the best,” said Verna. “My friend here has been kind enough to drive for me and, as he will be staying the night, after what has been quite an exhausting journey, we must make him very comfortable.”
She looked adoringly at Michael as she spoke.
He was aware that her sister was staring at them both with some astonishment.
Then Mary held out her hand to Michael,
“Thank you for looking after my sister. It is most kind of you to have driven her home. I hope you will be comfortable with us tonight. Now I am sure you would like something to drink.”
A footman came in carrying a drinks tray.
“I am extremely thirsty,” sighed Verna. “I’m sure Michael is too after driving so far.”
While they were having their drinks, Verna’s sister left the room, saying she must see to some arrangements.
Verna moved closer to Michael,
“Mary is my eldest sister and the most important one. Now Mama is dead, she gives the orders and more or less runs everything in the house.”
“I will be on my best behaviour,” Michael promised and they both laughed.
“Now that Mama is dead we often find Papa very difficult. The best thing is to agree with him in everything he says.”
“I will do my best. All the same, my darling, I am a little nervous that your family will not be impressed by me as things are at the moment.”
“Don’t tell them everything immediately. Let them find out for themselves about your situation.”
There was silence before Michael reflected,
“I do believe that we should be truthful. Whilst you love me despite everything, your family will most probably feel differently. We will have to convince them.”
“And we will,” she asserted. “We must.”
Verna threw herself into his arms and he embraced her. But even as they kissed the door opened and a man came in.
He was grey-haired and dignified with an upright bearing and something told Michael that this was Verna’s father.
He was a good-looking man and must have been exceedingly striking when he was young. But now his face was hard, his manner haughty and there was an expression in his eyes which Michael thought was rather frightening.
He walked quickly towards Michael,
“I understand that you have just driven my daughter back from France in the new motor car. I am very grateful to you for doing so.”
Michael shook him by the hand and replied,
“It was a great pleasure, sir. I think she would have found it difficult if she had to drive herself.”
“Mary has told me what happened. I think it was disgraceful of my son to abandon her – even allowing for the inconsiderate ways of brothers.”
“I agree, sir.”
“So, I am very grateful to you. I understand we are to have the pleasure of your company tonight and that is excellent. But first of all, let us introduce ourselves. You have doubtless learnt that I am Lord Challoner, but I have not yet been told your name.”
For a moment Michael hesitated before replying,
“I was told just before I left France that my father had died. That means I have to take his place as head of my family. He was the Earl of Belmont.”
There was a long pause, during which Michael felt the air chill several degrees.
“Your father – Belmont?” Lord Challoner asked in a disbelieving voice.
“Yes, sir.”
“And you are the new Earl?”
“I know I don’t look like one, but I’ve had several accidents recently,” Michael hastened to say. “I really am Lord Belmont.”
“Hmm, I heard a rumour that your father was dead and that the family was keeping it a secret for a while.”
“That was to give me time to come home.”
He felt Verna’s hand touch his and realised that he must bring matters to a head at once.
“Verna and I have a matter that we would wish to discuss with you, sir.”
Lord Challoner looked at Michael in some surprise at hearing this stranger use his daughter’s first name.
“It’s important, Papa,” added Verna.
“Then we had better go into the smoking room.”
He walked out of the room and they followed.
Something told Michael that Verna was worried.
He led them across the hall and along a corridor to the smoking room, a large room with sofas and armchairs in front of an attractive fireplace with a huge fire burning.
Lord Challoner sat down on one of the chairs while Verna chose the sofa – and because she obviously wanted him to, Michael sat beside her.
For a moment no one spoke.
Then as if Lord Challoner had already guessed why they wanted to speak to him, he urged them,
“Now come along. Tell me what you want me to know, although I have an idea what it is.”
Michael smiled.
“As I told you my father is now dead,” he began, “and I must return to my home tomorrow. But, sir, before I leave, I request your permission to marry your daughter.”
He took a deep breath before he went on,
“We have not known each other for very long, but we have both fallen deeply in love. Despite the fact I am in mourning, I wish to marry Verna as soon as possible!”
There was a long silence.
Lord Challoner’s demeanour remained impassive and he seemed almost frightening. Verna jumped up from the sofa and went to her father’s side.
She knelt down putting her arms round him.
“We are very happy Papa, and I want, as Michael wishes, to be married as soon as possible!”
“I can see no reason why you should be in such a hurry,” her father responded slowly.
“We want to be together, Papa, we are in love and we want to be married quietly and without any fuss.”
There was a long and uncomfortable pause before he replied,
“I would like to know a little more about you, Lord Belmont, than I do at the moment. In fact, if your father has only just died, there is much explaining for you to do.”
Almost as if he forced himself to speak, Michael asserted fervently,
“I have loved Verna ever since I met her. That was only a short time ago, bu
t we knew at once that we were meant for each other. I have thus come to see you instead of going, as I should have done, back to my own home.
“But I must be honest and tell you that before I left England to go to France, my father told me that whilst he could not prevent me from inheriting the Belmont title, he was leaving all his money to my younger brother.”
As he finished speaking, the Earl looked at him in astonishment while Verna cried out,
“How cruel! I have never heard of anyone behaving like that before.”
“Nor have I,” agreed Lord Challoner, “so it makes things very difficult.”
“It makes no difference to me,” Verna countered stubbornly.
“I am afraid that it does, my dear Verna. I consider the situation a serious one. It is something we will need to discuss very carefully before I can give you permission to marry my daughter.
“In the meantime I forbid you to regard yourselves as engaged!”
CHAPTER SIX
When Lord Challoner had finished speaking, he rose to his feet.
“I think this is something we should talk over after you have rested,” he announced, his manner chilly.
He paused a moment and then added,
“I suggest, Verna, that you now go and change your clothes and perhaps have a hot bath, then you and I will sit down and discuss the matter together later on today.”
Before Michael could say anything, he had turned and walked from the room.
For a moment both Michael and Verna were silent.
Then Verna gave a little gasp,
“Papa is going to be difficult, I know he is going to be difficult! But promise you will go on loving me?”
“For ever,” he vowed. “If the worst comes to the worst we will run away and get married in the first Church we come to.”
He smiled at her as he added,
“And I can work. I will find something to do which will, if nothing else, provide us with enough money to be reasonably comfortable.”
Verna threw her arms around his neck.
“Even if Papa is difficult, as long as we are together and you love me and I love you, nothing else matters!”
“All the same, my darling, we have to live, we have to eat and we have to have somewhere to sleep. It is going to be very hard.”
“I will do anything to stay with you,” Verna cried, “even work as a servant.”
It Is Love Page 7
