The Winning Post Is Love

by Barbara Cartland

  “Thank you, thank you, Euan, for a very wonderful and exciting day.”

  “And thank you for being so beautiful! I will see you later.”

  He spoke in a voice he had never used to her before and, as their eyes met, it was impossible to look away.

  With difficulty the Marquis lifted up the reins.

  As Rosetta stepped back, she added,

  “I will pray it’s not as bad as you fear.”

  The Marquis did not answer, he only smiled at her.

  Then raising his hat he turned his team round and he had started down the drive before Rosetta even moved.

  With an effort she walked into the house.

  She went to the study where she knew she would find Gordon and Henry.

  As she came in, Gordon asked her,

  “Where is the Marquis?”

  “He has gone back to The Castle. I expect Barnes told you that his aunt is arriving unexpectedly this evening and wants to see him urgently.”

  “Thank God he will not be here!” cried Gordon.

  Rosetta looked at him in surprise.

  Why?” she asked, “and what has happened?”

  “Just before we arrived back,” Gordon replied, “a messenger arrived from London.”

  He held up a letter and then Henry chipped in,

  “We can hardly believe what it says.”

  Rosetta walked across the room nearer to them.

  “What has happened? What is wrong?”

  “Perhaps it will be all right now the Marquis is not here with you, but this is a letter from Dolina.”

  Gordon opened it as he spoke, as if he was looking at it again to be quite sure that he had not been mistaken.

  “From Dolina! What can have happened? Has she discovered that I am impersonating her?”

  “No, it is not that. But she says – well I will read it to you.”

  He held the letter up in front of him and read aloud,

  “You may be surprised that I am sending this letter by messenger, but I want to tell you that my engagement is being announced tomorrow to the Duc de Maréy.

  It will be in The Gazette and I am so sorry I have not been able to let you know before.

  I am leaving today for France to meet his family and we hope to be married immediately.

  I am afraid they will want it to be in France.

  You may, of course, come over for it and I will let you know the exact date as soon as I have met my fiancé’s mother and the rest of the family.”

  Gordon stopped reading and looked at Rosetta.

  “It will be in the newspapers tomorrow,” he said, as if he could hardly believe it himself.

  There was a short pause before Rosetta exclaimed,

  “Then I must disappear. You must tell the Marquis when he comes tomorrow that I went back to London as soon as I arrived home and I am leaving for Paris with my fiancé.”

  “Surely he will think it very strange that we did not mention it today or yesterday.”

  Rosetta thought for a moment and then suggested,

  “You must explain it was the Duc who put it in the newspapers as soon as he had told his mother that he was engaged. And it had to be a dead secret until she knew.”

  Gordon gave a sigh of relief.

  “I think the Marquis might believe that.”

  “We can only hope so, but now, if you will be kind enough to arrange for someone to take me, I will pack my clothes, which will not take long, and go home.”

  She crossed the room as she spoke and then she went very quietly out of the study, closing the door behind her.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The Marquis drove back to The Castle to find his aunt reclining on a sofa in the drawing room.

  He knew even before she uttered a single word that she had come to see him about her son who was inevitably heavily in debt.

  The Marquis had paid up for him at least half a dozen times and he anticipated that it would be the same trouble once again.

  His aunt put out her hand rather weakly.

  “It’s delightful to see you, Euan, but I am in very bad trouble.”

  “I felt so, Aunt Harriet, when you sent for me.”

  “I am afraid that you will be very angry with dear Roddie, but once again he has signed a cheque, which has bounced and he owes nearly five thousand pounds!”

  Her voice faded away as she said the last words.

  “Have you spoken to him severely as I told you to do the last time?” the Marquis asked.

  “I have spoken to him harshly and begged him on my knees, but he will gamble! It’s the only life he enjoys.”

  “At his age,” the Marquis said, “he ought to be after the young girls. And it’s high time he was married.”

  “So who would marry him as he is now? He sits gambling at his Club until the early hours of the morning and however amusing the parties he is asked to, he will not go to them because he would rather gamble.”

  The Marquis had heard of this before, but he never expected it would happen to one of his relations.

  “I really don’t know what to do about Roddie – ”

  “Oh, please, please dearest Euan,” she now begged, “don’t let him go to prison. I am so afraid that is where he will end up.”

  “That would certainly be dreadful for the family, but we have to stop his stupid behaviour once and for all.”

  “How can you do so?” she asked helplessly.

  It flashed through the Marquis’s mind that if Dolina was here she would know the answer – she always had the solution to every problem and so this was just the sort of conundrum she could solve.

  He walked over to the window and gazed out at the fountains playing in the garden, their water shining like rainbows in the setting sun.

  He wondered what Dolina would do.

  Almost as if she was talking to him, he knew what he should now say.

  He turned round to face his aunt.

  “I am just thinking it out, Aunt Harriet, and I am almost certain that I have found a solution.”

  “Oh, Euan, if you could only do that, it would not only stop me worrying but make me feel happy again. It’s so long time since I have felt happy.”

  “You are not to make yourself unhappy over him.”

  “How can I be anything else?”

  “Now listen, Aunt Harriet – ”

  He was visualising Dolina and her solution to this problem, as he began slowly,

  “I will pay up again for him, but on one condition and it is irreversible.”

  “What is that?” his aunt asked plaintively.

  “Roddie has to go abroad immediately to study the people of foreign countries he has never been to before,” the Marquis stipulated, “starting with Nepal.”

  “That is a long way away.”

  “As far as I know, there is no gambling in Nepal and I feel sure he will become interested in something entirely different from anything he has done before.”

  “I see your point, Euan, but will Roddie go? You know how obstinate he can be.”

  “We will make it clear to him that I will not pay his debts until he is on the high seas. I will make sure he will be unable to leave the ship until he reaches India.”

  “Which will undoubtedly take a very long time, as the canal they talk so much about is not yet open.”

  “And I will make certain that he is not allowed to play cards or anything else for money on board the ship. If he breaks my rules, then I will not pay up and when he returns to England, if he does return, he will be arrested.”

  “It sounds rather frightening,” she murmured.

  “I intend to frighten him, Aunt Harriet, he is not so stupid as to get himself put into prison. You know as well as I do that he is banking on me not wanting a scandal that would damage the family name.”

  Aunt Harriet thought it over and then she said,

  “I think your idea is right. We cannot go on as we are. I feel terribly upset to come and ask you again, dear
Euan, to save Roddie from himself.”

  “What I suggest now, Aunt Harriet, is that you go to bed and my butler will bring you up a delicious supper. Tomorrow we will talk this over again and I expect you will want to tell Roddie about my decision.”

  “Yes, I must tell him, and you must put in writing exactly what he has to do and how the only way he can avoid being arrested is to leave England.”

  “I will arrange all that for you. All I want you to do now is to have a nice rest and then go home and be very firm with Roddie.”

  “How can I ever thank you for being so kind, but as you say, this cannot go on, and unless we do something desperate like sending him to Nepal, he will only run up even more huge gambling debts.”

  Aunt Harriet spoke despairingly and the Marquis reflected that the trouble with Roddie was that he had been spoilt as a child.

  He was, however, not too far off from succeeding to the Earldom of Wendover.

  His elder brother, the present Earl, had never been strong and there was every likelihood that he would not live very long and the Marquis realised that, if Roddie came into the title, he would merely continue gambling until there was nothing left.

  He helped his aunt to her feet and he made her take his arm as she walked unsteadily towards the door.

  “I cried all last night,” she sighed, “so I am glad now I have seen you and you have been so good to me. Now I will look forward a good night’s sleep.”

  “You are not to worry, Aunt Harriet. Just leave everything to me, but Roddie must do as he is told. I will find out first thing tomorrow morning the name of the next ship leaving for India and I promise you he will be on it.”

  “You are so kind, so very very kind, Euan.”

  The Marquis helped her up to her bedroom and sent for her maid.

  Then he hurriedly changed into his evening clothes, knowing that he would be a little late for dinner with the Waincliffes.

  But at least he would not have to dine alone and he would be able to talk to Dolina.

  He wanted to tell her all about the problem and see if she would have solved it in the same way and anyway he felt sure she was guiding him in the right direction.

  When he was dressed, he went again to his aunt’s room to find her cosily in bed and she was actually smiling as he walked towards her.

  “You look so smart, dear Euan,” she sighed. “How I wish Roddie was like you.”

  “I am sure Roddie, when he pulls himself together and stops gambling, will be a credit to you and the whole family, but you have to be firm with him as I intend to be.”

  “You always say the right thing. I was afraid that, as you have been so kind in the past, you would feel that this time Roddie should fend for himself. You know what that would mean?”

  “You are not to think about it. Just remember that I am acting as Fairy Godfather for the last time and Roddie must realise that he has to pull himself together. If he does not do as he is told, he will be unable to return to England and will be a penniless outcast for the rest of his life.”

  Aunt Harriet made a little murmur of agreement.

  The Marquis bent forward and kissed her.

  “That is how we have to frighten him and I am sure he will find there is nothing he can do but obey us.”

  “Thank you again for everything, dearest Euan.”

  “We will talk again tomorrow morning, but now you must rest, Aunt Harriet.”

  The Marquis left her and hurried downstairs.

  His horse was waiting outside the front door.

  He had thought, although it seemed ridiculous to be riding in his evening clothes, that he would get to The Hall much quicker than if he drove through the twisting roads.

  He rode off, hoping that Dolina would approve of what he had done.

  It was, he was now musing, the only sensible way he could cure Roddie of his disastrous gambling.

  *

  When he arrived at The Hall, he was shown into the study, where Gordon and Henry were waiting for him.

  “Please forgive me if I am late,” the Marquis said as he entered.

  “But you are not,” Henry replied. “It’s only five minutes past nine o’clock and I think it is wonderful of you to have gone all the way home and then to ride back again dressed in your best.”

  The Marquis laughed.

  “It was much quicker than coming by road. I had one of my best horses and we arrived in record time.”

  “Another record!” Gordon exclaimed. “We must certainly drink to that.”

  He handed the Marquis a glass of champagne and then he asked,

  “Where is your sister? I cannot believe she is late and I have something important to tell her.”

  There was a rather uncomfortable silence and then Gordon replied,

  “Actually we have had somewhat of a drama here.”

  “A drama? What do you mean?”

  “We have just been told that the Duc de Maréy is announcing his – and Dolina’s engagement tomorrow in – The Gazette. And they are immediately leaving for France – to meet his family.”

  Gordon stumbled over his words and he was aware the Marquis was staring at him as if he could not believe his ears.

  There was a long silence until finally the Marquis enquired,

  “Are you telling me that your sister is engaged to be married?”

  “Apparently so, although it was a secret from us as well as everyone else,” said Henry. “We are as astonished as you are that the Duc has put the announcement in The Gazette without even informing us.”

  Again there was an uncomfortable silence until the Marquis remarked sharply,

  “I had no idea that your sister was engaged. In fact, as she seemed so happy in the country and was going to help us with the Racecourse, I did not think that there was a man in her life.”

  “Nor did we,” the brothers chorused. “We were surprised, but naturally we want her to be happy.”

  The Marquis drank his champagne.

  Again no one spoke.

  It was a relief when the door opened and Barnes announced,

  “Dinner is served, my Lord.”

  They went into the dining room, but it was difficult to carry on a conversation.

  The Marquis was obviously upset and he made no effort to be witty and amusing as he had been the previous evening.

  Dinner seemed to drag on and on.

  The two brothers were desperately afraid that the Marquis would announce that he was no longer interested in the Racecourse.

  As soon as dinner was finished, the Marquis said he must go back to his aunt.

  “She is very worried about her son,” he explained, “and I promised to discuss it with her tonight.”

  “Of course we understand,” said Gordon. “Are we meeting again tomorrow to look at the Racecourse?”

  It was a very important question.

  He crossed his fingers waiting for the Marquis’s answer.

  There was an ominous pause before the Marquis responded,

  “As my aunt is staying with me, I am not certain when she is leaving. I will let you know when I am free.”

  “Thank you, thank you very much, Euan. We were thinking later in the day of going over to meet the Lord Lieutenant.”

  “I had not forgotten.”

  The Marquis was walking towards the front door as he spoke and the brothers saw that he hurried to his horse. He had told Barnes to have it brought round as soon as dinner was finished.

  He mounted and then, raising his hat, he rode away without saying anything more.

  As he disappeared out of sight, Gordon sighed,

  “If you ask me, I think that means the end of the Racecourse.”

  “I agree,” added Henry, “he was obviously upset that Dolina was not with us.”

  The brothers walked back to the drawing room and then Henry suggested,

  “Suppose we tell him that it was not Dolina who was helping us, but the daughter of Professor Stourton?”

>   “Do you really think he would ever forgive us for deceiving him? I think if we do that, he would never trust us again and we can forget the Racecourse right away.”

  “If we do go ahead with it,” replied Henry, “he will doubtless see Rosetta eventually, even if it’s by chance.”

  “By that time he will have forgotten about Dolina and what she looks like,” Gordon said optimistically. “If you ask me the whole thing is finished, absolutely finished, and we are back where we started, wondering how either of us can find a penny to bless ourselves with!”

  He threw himself down into an armchair and Henry walked to the window.

  Neither of them said anything further.

  It was as if the night was closing in on them.

  *

  Riding home, the Marquis was feeling the same.

  He was furious that Dolina had never mentioned this Duc to him.

  He had not the slightest idea that she intended to be married and leave Waincliffe Hall, presumably for ever.

  He admitted now that he had found her fascinating, amusing and although he had always shied away from the word – irresistible.

  Because they had been planning far ahead, he had never for a moment thought that he might lose her.

  Or that she could possibly disappear from his life in the same abrupt way as she had entered it.

  ‘I have lost her,’ he muttered to himself angrily.

  Then he knew that, although he had hidden it from everyone else and even from himself, he had fallen in love.

  She was so beautiful that at times he felt she could not be human – but it was much more than just that.

  It was the way she laughed, the way she teased him.

  The way she had read his thoughts.

  He could not imagine life without her.

  It had never passed through his mind that she might leave him.

  Or that there was another man in the background waiting to claim her as his wife and then spirit her away to another country.

  ‘How could I have been such a fool?’ the Marquis asked himself, ‘as to plan my future interests around her? Now that she is no longer here, I feel as if the bottom has fallen out of my world and I really am entirely alone.’

  He now admitted to himself that he had been falling in love with her more and more each time they met.

  If he was honest, he had agreed to the planning of the Racecourse merely because he would see more of her.