Follow Your Heart (7 page)

She turned away from the window and descended the stairs.

As she expected, her uncle had already changed into his white tie and tails and was waiting for her in the drawing room. The chandeliers had been lit by Storton and the room looked very welcoming.

As Della walked towards her uncle she realised that he was watching her intently and when she reached him he said,

“You look lovely, my dear, very lovely. I only wish I was taking you to a ball in London or dinner at Marlborough House.”

“I wish that too, Uncle Edward, but we must try and enjoy ourselves this evening. I am hoping you will find Lady Southgate, who is sitting next to you, an amusing partner.”

“I am sure I shall, my dear, and who have you placed next to Jason?”

It was a question that Della hoped he would not ask her and to her relief, Storton opened the door before she had time to reply

He announced two of the guests.

Della had thought it was too obvious if she placed Jason on her left. As she was the hostess she had seated the Duke on her right, as was socially correct.

On her left she had put the elder gentleman of the two married couples who she always found interesting.

She placed Jason on Lady Southgate's right.

On his other side she put the happily married lady and Della felt she was sure to talk to him about her love for her husband.

The guests now began arriving one after another.

As Della had expected, her uncle was delighted with Lady Southgate. She was looking very attractive and talking excitedly about a new litter of puppies one of her bitches had just produced that she was certain would turn out to be champions. She was so enthusiastic that those who were listening became animated.

Everyone was laughing and talking when Storton announced,

“His Grace the Duke of Marchwood and his Lordship the Earl of Rannock.”

The two men entered the room.

For a moment it was impossible for Della to look at Jason and then when the Duke had kissed her on the cheek she found herself facing him.

Jason looked, she thought at first glance, rather better than she had expected.

He was thinner and Della thought that perhaps his unhappiness in his marriage had in some way improved him.

As he took her hand in his she felt the same as she had in the past.

It was as if she was touching pitch.

As she took her hand away from his she felt almost contaminated.

Fortunately her uncle was greeting him and talking about the old days when Jason had been a boy and they had hunted together.

It was easy for Della to move away as she now wished to speak to someone on the other side of the room.

Even as she did so, she knew she was trying to escape from Jason and what he had made her feel about him.

Fortunately dinner was announced a few minutes later.

Della had written out everyone's name and put the cards in front of their places at the table.

She had the feeling the Duke was surprised Jason was not sitting next to her. However, he did not say anything.

As soon as they had all sat down, she stated to talk to the Duke about his horses, as it was a subject he always enjoyed.

By the time the first course was finished she was aware from the chatter and laughter at the table that the party was a success.

One thing was quite obvious, that Jason was trying, perhaps on his father's instructions, to make himself charming to everyone, especially to the two ladies beside him who certainly seemed to find him amusing.

Della noticed that the Duke kept glancing in his son's direction and he was obviously pleased with what he was observing.

Towards the end of the dinner, he enquired of Della,

“What have you arranged for us to do after dinner?”

“I thought,” she replied, “that as no one would want to play bridge, which is always I feel a somewhat dull game, it would be pleasant to talk and, of course, have an early evening.”

It was what she desired herself, but as an excuse she added,

“Uncle Edward has been working so hard on his book and I think it would be a mistake for him to stay up too late. It is something, as you know, he has always disliked.”

The Duke smiled.

“Edward certainly had too many late nights when he was at the Foreign Office. I remember him telling me that the Germans could never be persuaded to retire to bed at a reasonable hour and the French usually went home when it was dawn!”

Della chuckled.

“I have heard him tell that story and that is why here we retire to bed early and rise early.”

“Indeed you do,” exclaimed the Duke. “When I looked out from my bedroom window yesterday morning just after I had been called, I saw you riding through the Park and down towards the woods.”

“I love your woods, Your Grace, I always feel happy in them.”

“Then I do hope they will be always be at your disposal, my dear.”

Once again she felt that a cold hand was touching her. He was warning her, threatening her, that if she did not do what he wanted the woods would be closed to her and so would his stables.

With an effort Della forced herself to reply lightly,

“I am relying on Your Grace to leave early tonight and then everyone else will depart too.”

There was a pause before the Duke said in a low voice,

“I feel that Jason has not had a chance to talk to you this evening, so I will send him over to see you tomorrow afternoon. Shall we say about three o'clock?”

Della did not answer.

She felt it was unnecessary, the Duke knew she dared not refuse to see his son.

It was fortunate that it was now time for her to withdraw with the ladies and leave the gentlemen to their port.

Della rose to her feet and they followed suit as she moved towards the door.

“That was such a delicious dinner, Della,” gushed Lady Southgate as they walked down the passage. “Do tell your cook how much I enjoyed it.”

“I will not forget to do so,” replied Della. “Like everyone else she loves to be praised.”

“Of course,” agreed Lady Southgate, “and I want you to come and praise my puppies, they really
are
adorable
.
”

“I am very much looking forward to seeing them and I am sure Uncle Edward will want one.”

“I have already promised to give him the best of the litter and the Earl intends to have one too.”

Della thought it sounded as if Jason intended to settle down, but at the same time she could not prevent herself from shivering.

The ladies walked upstairs to tidy their hair and powder their noses.

When they returned to the drawing room, both the married couples had asked her and Lord Lainden to dinner the following week.

They all sat down in the comfortable chairs and one of the ladies said,

“I was very surprised to see Lord Rannock here this evening. I had no idea he had returned from abroad.”

Lady Southgate laughed.

“The village has talked of nothing else since he arrived. It is only now that they have learned that his wife has died.”

“And a very good job too,” added the lady who had started the conversation. “From what I have heard about her it would be impossible for anyone to accept her, so he was wise enough not to bring her to England.”

“I am sure he will settle down now and enjoy being at Wood Hall,” continued Lady Southgate. “How could he be anything else in such a lovely house?”

“And, of course,” agreed the other lady, “with all those wonderful horses.”

She looked at Della.

“You do not know how much I envy you being allowed to ride them. Jimmy has promised he will buy me a new mount as a birthday present, but I feel we shall never be able to compete with His Grace's stables.”

“I do not think anyone could,” answered Della cautiously.

The gentlemen now entered the drawing room.

After a short while the Duke announced,

“As our host and I enjoy what can be called an early night, I am going to leave.”

“There is really no hurry at all,” said Lord Lainden quickly.

“On the contrary, Edward, Della tells me you have been working very hard on your book and I am quite certain you need your beauty sleep.”

“There I must agree with you, but do have a nightcap before you go.”

The Duke shook his head.

“No, I am taking Jason away.”

He lowered his voice so that only Lord Lainden could hear as he whispered,

“I have told Della that he will call on her tomorrow afternoon.”

Lord Lainden did not respond but merely nodded.

The Duke began to shake hands with everyone in the party.

As he and Jason walked towards the door, the two married couples said that they too would leave.

Lord Lainden did nothing to encourage them to stay as he walked with them into the hall.

Lady Southgate was left alone with Della in the drawing room.

“It has been a delightful evening,” she was saying, “and you look so beautiful I feel you have been wasted on such a collection of old people.”

“I am so glad you have enjoyed yourself,” replied Della, “and I know Uncle Edward loved hearing about your puppies.”

“He has promised to come to see them and so, as I have told you, has the Earl.”

Lady Southgate paused for a moment before she added,

“I am rather sorry for him. I feel he has been hurt as only a man can be hurt when a woman fails him.”

Della had not thought of Jason in such a sympathetic light.

Now it struck her that it must have been a shock for him to find himself so unhappy, especially with a woman for whom he had sacrificed so much.

She smiled at Lady Southgate.

“You always do say such nice things and find something good in everyone.”

“I try to, although it has not always been easy.”

Lady Southgate walked towards the door.

Della thought she was a kind and charming lady with a pleasant nature.

When they reached the hall the guests were still waiting. The carriages of the two married couples had come from the stables first. They said goodnight again and hurried into them.

“I cannot think what has happened to your carriage, Ralph,” said Lord Lainden to the Duke.

“They might have had some trouble in leading one of my horses into the shafts,” commented the Duke. “We are trying out a new horse tonight which we have never driven before and he seemed a bit obstreperous.”

“What he wants,” Jason piped up, “is to be firmly handled. I have always thought that Grayer is too lenient with your horses and this is just another example.”

The sharp way he spoke made Della look at him in surprise. Then she remembered that he had always been a somewhat cruel rider.

He used a whip unnecessarily and always punished a horse that did not come up to his expectations.

‘He would treat his wife in the same way,' she mused.

The Duke's carriage appeared at last.

Della had no wish to shake hands with Jason again, so she started to climb the stairs.

As the Duke stepped out of the front door, Jason turned back and hurried towards Della and took her hand in both of his.

“I will see you tomorrow,” he asserted, “at three o'clock, so do not forget it.”

He spoke insistently as if it really mattered to him.

The touch of his hands on hers gave Della the same feeling she had felt before – one of revulsion and almost horror.

With the greatest difficulty she did not snatch her hand from Jason's, but forced herself to promise,

“No, I will not forget.”

Jason stared at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

“It would be a mistake for you to do so,” he murmured.

He turned as he spoke and hurried after his father.

Della ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. Only as she reached it and closed the door behind her was she aware that she was trembling.

If the Duke had threatened her, so had Jason. It was something she had certainly not expected.

“
How dare he
!” she exclaimed aloud.

She was suddenly very frightened.

She was frightened of Jason and frightened of the pressure being piled on to her. Frightened that she might, before she knew what was happening, find herself married to a man she detested.

It was then that she knew she must escape.

There was obviously no question of Jason waiting as she had hoped, nor of her having a chance to find some way out of this marriage without offending the Duke.

The trap was set and all she now had to do was to put her foot into it.

‘I cannot. I
cannot
do it,' she moaned to herself. ‘It is – too much to ask.'

She looked wildly round the room.

She almost expected the walls to open and that she would find a hiding place in them.

Then suddenly, almost as if she was being guided by a power greater than herself, she knew what she must do.

It was really quite simple.

She must be brave enough to follow what her instinct told her was the only solution.

She was standing irresolutely in the middle of the bedroom when she heard her uncle come upstairs.

He knocked on the door and opened it.

“Goodnight, Della! That was an excellent party and everyone enjoyed themselves.”

“Yes – I think they did,” Della managed to say.

“And Jason is coming over tomorrow afternoon, I understand.”

“So – he – said.”

“That too is extremely good news. Goodnight my dear.”

He closed the door and Della heard him walk down the passage to his own room.

She started to undress in a frenzy; first she snatched off her jewellery and next the gown she was wearing. She threw it down on the chair as if it was of no consequence.

She put on the simple dress she would have worn the next morning.

She crossed the room and sat down at the French Secretaire that stood in one corner and took a piece of crested writing paper from its leather box. She opened the blotter, picked up a pen and wrote quickly without hesitating.