“It would have been more difficult – ”
“But I still think that after what you have said, we should let people visit the Priory to delight their minds and educate their brains with your wonderful possessions.”
Lord Bramton stared at her.
“I never thought of that.”
“You must think it over very carefully, Victor, but I think it is wrong for your amazing collections to have been shut away for so long, and to have only been visited in a surreptitious way by those brave enough or perhaps cheeky enough to bribe your servants.”
She saw that he was listening and went on,
“Surely it is important that the people of England should find out all about great houses and for the young to learn an easy history lesson that is not in a book?”
“You are quite right, of course, you are quite right, my darling Galina.”
He drew a deep breath.
“What we will do is to put our own house in order as soon as we are married. We will find reliable servants so that when we are not there, visitors can see our treasures, but not try to steal them.”
“I am sure it is only a case of organisation.”
“It was your idea, Galina, and therefore I will leave it to you. I am now going off to talk with the Curators of museums and picture galleries. Then as soon as we can, we will start our trips abroad.”
Galina flung her arms round Lord Bramton’s neck.
“I love you, Victor, I adore you. And what is most exciting is that we can do all these things together.”
“It is what I have been wanting all my life, although I did not realise it. Now my precious, beautiful one, I have the greatest treasure of them all and that is you. Only I am far too selfish to even think of sharing you with anyone. I want you completely and absolutely to myself.”
Galina giggled.
“That is exactly what you are going to have,” she sighed as his lips held her captive again.
*
There was so much to think about and so much to do.
With two weddings to be planned, Galina admitted later she was not as worried as she should have been about Georgie.
She had received his telegram a week or so ago that he was coming home.
She thought he would be surprised and delighted at Mr. Farlow’s and Lord Bramton’s plans.
Then just before he was due to arrive, she began to worry.
Would Georgie be very hurt at her leaving him?
And how would he manage alone in Ranmore Park after Mr. Farlow had gone back to America and they had closed up the house in Park Lane?
One of the problems, however, was solved the night before Georgie returned.
“I am hoping, Galina,” said Mr. Farlow, “that you and your brother will allow me to go on living here when I visit London, which, as you realise, will be very frequently once Ellie-May is married.”
“Would you be prepared,” Galina asked him a little nervously, “to allow Georgie to keep on the servants? You know he cannot afford to pay for them.”
“Everything will be exactly as it is now, and if you and your new husband are gallivanting over the Continent, I think perhaps Georgie will be quite happy to have me as a companion if there is no one else.”
“Of course, he will,” Galina enthused, “and thank you very much for saying you will keep the house going.”
“I am still waiting to see your house in the country. Victor tells me that the pictures are even better than any of his.”
“He is quite right, but we don’t have so many other pieces of art as Victor owns.”
*
They were all waiting eagerly for Georgie’s return when the day finally came.
As he was travelling overnight in the sleeper from Liverpool, Galina said there was no point in them all going to the station to meet him.
She knew he disliked a fuss in the early morning.
“I will just take a carriage and two servants to see to his luggage.”
She was in fact being extra fussy, as she was afraid Georgie might be upset at her engagement and criticise the arrangements she had made with Mr. Farlow.
So much had happened since he had gone away.
She began to think how difficult it would be to start from the very beginning and explain to him everything that had happened since he had been in America.
She was definitely nervous and kept glancing at the clock before he arrived.
Lord Bramton put his arm round her.
“You are not to worry, my darling. I know Georgie will be delighted with everything you have to tell him.”
“I am so frightened that he will be lonely and even though I do indeed love my brother, I find it impossible at the moment to think of anyone but you,” she whispered.
She saw by the expression of love in his eyes that there was really no need to tell him so.
“All I really want is for Georgie to hurry up so that he can be Best Man at our wedding.”
They had arranged for the ceremony to take place early next week.
“I have already waited an agonising year for you,” said Lord Bramton, “and I will have a nervous breakdown if I have to wait any longer!”
Galina too had no wish to wait any longer either.
When she heard Georgie’s voice coming from the platform, she ran forward and flung her arms around him.
“You are back! You really are here. It seems like a century since you went away!”
“I am home,” answered Georgie, “with so much to tell you I don’t know where to begin.”
Galina gave a laugh.
“That’s just what we have been saying! Have you had breakfast?”
“Yes, I had it on the train.”
He then saw Lord Bramton standing beside her.
“I am so pleased to see you, Victor. How are you?”
“Very very happy.”
The way he spoke made Georgie glance from one to the other.
“What has happened?” he enquired.
“Our world has been turned upside down,” Galina exploded, “and we want to tell you all about it.”
They drove back to Ranmore House as quickly as they could.
They went into the morning room and were alone.
Galina had insisted firmly that she wished to be the first to tell her brother the news. Ellie-May and her father could come in an hour or so later and they had understood.
Now Galina addressed her brother,
“If you are certain you don’t want anything to eat, close the door and listen to all we have to tell you.”
“I am going to speak first,” insisted Georgie, “as I am the eldest. You are not going to believe it, but it is the most thrilling thing that could ever have happened to me!”
Galina looked at him in surprise.
“The first point is that I have become the partner of a Mr. Wilbur and we have already discovered an enormous oil well in Pennsylvania that is going to bring us thousands and thousands of dollars!”
Galina stared at him in amazement and then Lord Bramton burst out,
“That is marvellous news, Georgie.”
“I have not yet finished. We are involved in a great number of developments which I will tell you about later, but it includes telephones and typewriters!”
He realised that they were listening spellbound.
“Next and this is very exciting,” he continued, “I am going to marry someone I have loved for a long time, but thought I could never afford it.”
“Married!” exclaimed Galina.
“I don’t think you have met her, Galina, but I know that you will love her. She is the daughter of Sir Desmond Wilcourt, who has been our Consul in New York.”
“You are to be married! Oh, how wonderful. I do hope you will be very happy.”
“I am only afraid it might upset you, Galina.”
“Actually, I am getting married too!”
Georgie stiffened as he looked at Lord Bramton and exclaimed,
> “To Victor! I might have guessed it.”
“I just hope that you will approve and give us your blessing,” asked Lord Bramton quietly.
“I cannot imagine anyone I would like to marry my sister more than you, Victor, and now I shall be so rich I can afford it.”
“As it happens, I can afford it too!”
They told him rapidly, both speaking at once, what Mr. Farlow had offered them and how exciting it would be to carry out his projects.
“What on earth has happened? sighed Georgie. “Has the world gone completely mad or are we dreaming all this?”
“It’s all true! It’s true!” cried Galina, “and it’s all because our prayers have been answered. I wonder every night how we can be so lucky, but we are and – oh Georgie – it’s so wonderful!”
“That is putting it mildly and I have told Monica to come to luncheon as I want her to celebrate as well.”
Galina wiped away a tear.
“I am crying because I am so happy. I thought this would never happen. I was so frightened that if Victor and I were married, you might be lonely.”
“I was very scared that you would not get on with Monica, but I know you will and although she will help me to put the Park in order, I need you both to help as well.”
“You know we will do all we can. Oh, Georgie, how could we be so amazingly lucky?”
They were all saying the same that night when Sir Christopher, Ellie-May and Mr. Farlow joined them.
They sat round the dining room table as it glittered with gold and silver ornaments.
It was then that Lord Bramton rose to his feet.
“I am going to propose a toast and I want you all to realise how important it is. Let us raise our glasses to two young people called Galina and Georgie who through sheer bravery have managed to sweep away all the poverty and misery that menaced them.”
There was a ‘hear! hear!’ from the gentlemen and he went on,
“They have come out glorious and on top of their own world in which they will always shine as brilliantly as they are shining now.”
He raised his glass to Galina and Georgie.
When they had drunk the toast, Galina spoke out,
“Thank you, thank you, my darling Victor. Georgie and I love you, which is more important than anything else.
“We know that everyone here has prayed for love – and has found it – and we must all never forget that love is priceless as it comes from Heaven itself.”
Her voice was very moving as she continued,
“It is love which comes from God and whatever we do in the future it is only possible because He is guiding us as He has guided us already.”
As she finished speaking and sat down, there was a murmur of agreement round the table.
Then Galina slipped her hand into Lord Bramton’s while Ellie-May was already holding Sir Christopher’s.
Georgie put his arm round Monica and said quietly,
“Amen, Galina, to all you have said and may we never fail in the future from all that is expected of us.”
Even as he spoke, he knew she was right.
Everything they had done and everything they were to do would only be successful if its foundation was love.
Where to buy other titles in this series
The Barbara Cartland Pink collection is available for download at the following online bookshops :-
www.barnesandnoble.com - epub format for the Nook eReader
www.whsmith.co.uk - epub format for the Smiths/Kobo eReader
www.firstyfish.com - epub format
ebookstore.sony.com - epub format for Sony eReaders
www.amazon.co.uk - For UK Kindle users
www.amazon.com - For international Kindle users
itunes.apple.com - for Apple iOS users
www.barbaracartland.com - Printed paperbacks
Pray For Love Page 14
