108. An Archangel Called Ivan (15 page)

“That is what I was thinking,” Arliva agreed, “and I don’t know how to begin to thank you.”

“You can thank me by cooking something delicious for supper when we arrive. I presume, as a woman, you can cook. I am taking you to a place where no one will look for you however important you may be.”

He smiled as he added,

“Let me tell you before we arrive that there are no servants and we both have to look after ourselves.”

“That is a splendid idea,” Arliva answered. “You know, as well as I do, that servants talk and, if I arrive in the middle of the night with no clothes except what I stand up in, it would make a good story in the villages and ultimately in the Capital.”

“That’s exactly what I thought,” Ivan smiled. “So while we plan your future for you we can do it without lowering our voices and looking over our shoulders and wondering if anyone is listening at a door or a window.”

Arliva laughed.

“You are making it sound exactly like a story in a book.”

“How do you know I am not writing one?” Ivan enquired. “And just where could I possibly find a more beautiful heroine than you?”

“Or a cleverer hero than you?” Arliva finished.

They both laughed.

“Well, at least we shall not quarrel for the time being,” Ivan said. “I promise you can relax and not worry about the future, until we have completely finished slowly and confidentially with the present.”

“I still cannot believe that this is all true,” Arliva murmured. “I am sure I will wake up and find myself back in that horrible room where I was a prisoner.”

“From what I could see of it, it seemed reasonably comfortable. But forget it. Forget everything except that you are planning a new future and have to make up your mind whether you are going North, South, East or West.”

“That may be quite difficult,” Arliva said, almost as if she was speaking to herself.

She was thinking that, if she went back to London, the Countess might follow her there.

Perhaps she would also have to explain why she had run away from where she was supposed to be staying with her friends without even taking a spare handkerchief.

She had in fact, although she had laughed at herself for doing so, put her one thousand pounds, which was in large notes, in the pocket of her dress.

She had not thought as she did so that she would really be able to leave her prison.

Equally, if she was to spend her money on anyone, it would not be on Simon and his ghastly mother.

It was comforting to know that, if Ivan, who had so miraculously saved her, was now bored with her presence, she could at least pay her own way to some other hiding place.

She was quite certain that the Countess would go first to London and therefore London had to be avoided.

She would also not be able to go home to her own estate that had been her father’s house, which she loved.

“You are now worrying yourself,” Ivan interrupted. “Stop it! I will solve all your problems later on. But now, as it is long after midnight, it is time we went to bed and I can assure you, although the place is rather small where I am taking you, the beds are very comfortable.”

He turned off the main road as he spoke and went down a narrow lane.

At the end of it was a large wood.

To Arliva’s surprise he moved off the road through a gateway and into a field.

She could see ahead of her a small house which she recognised as a Hunting Lodge as there were several on her father’s estate.

The horses stopped outside The Lodge and Ivan said,

“Walk inside, the door is open. On the table there is an oil lamp which I am sure you can manage to light. After that there is food for both of us in the kitchen.”

“Can you manage the horses without my help?” Arliva asked.

“They will be no trouble,” he answered. “So do as I tell you.”

“Yes, sir, no, sir, three bags full, sir,” she replied mockingly.

Climbing out of the carriage, she ran into the house.

It was small but very well furnished.

Having lit the oil lamp, she carried it into what was the kitchen.

As in her father’s Hunting Lodge, the kitchen was one room with a table where the sportsmen ate.

She realised that there were two bedrooms opening out of it.

She could think of nowhere in the summer where it would be safer to hide than in a Hunting Lodge.

Then, as she put the lamp down on the table, she saw that there was already food arranged on it.

There was also a jug of the delicious lemonade that Ivan had given her on the way here.

She drank a little lemonade then peeped into the nearest bedroom to find a mirror so that she could see what she looked like.

To her relief her hair was not particularly untidy and her dress, which was of light material, did not appear as crushed as she expected it to be.

‘How could anyone be so wonderful as to save me is such an extraordinary and unusual manner?’ she asked herself. ‘He must be an angel sent to me from God and my father. No, he is far better than that, he is
an Archangel
called Ivan
! No human being could be so marvellous.’

Then she went back into the kitchen as Ivan came in through the door.

“Have you now found everything you wanted?” he asked.

“I have drunk more of that delicious lemonade,” she said. “I have waited for you, although, despite the delicious sandwiches, I am still hungry.”

“Do help yourself,” he answered. “The horses were hungry and thirsty and now we need not worry about them anymore.”

Arliva sat down at the table.

As she did so, it suddenly struck her that her aunt and even her father himself might think it wrong of her to stay alone in this tiny house with a perfect stranger.

But how could he possibly be anything but the most sublime and wonderful man she had ever met?

When they unlocked her bedroom door tomorrow morning, they would find that she was not there to become the bride of the Earl.

“Now do stop thinking about the past,” Ivan said unexpectedly.

“Are you telling me you can read my thoughts?” Arliva asked.

“I know what you are thinking, if that is what you mean, simply because your eyes depict your feelings. Let me tell you once and for all that you need not be frightened of me.”

“How do you know I am frightened of you?” Arliva questioned.

“Because you were thinking you were alone with a man and there is no chaperone here except, of course, for the horses, who are far too busy eating and drinking before they go to sleep to worry about us!”

Arliva laughed.

“I am not really worried. I was just thinking that, if anyone knew where we were at this moment, they would think it most unconventional.”

“But they would think what is happening to you is unconventional anyway,” Ivan said. “How on earth did you ever become involved with such a horrible woman and her very unpleasant son?”

“How do you know he is unpleasant?” she asked.

“Well to force you into marriage is hardly what one would expect from a man who calls himself a gentleman. Actually I know who they are and how she has been trying to marry off that unpleasant son of hers for years.”

There was silence.

Then Ivan said,

“I suppose she thought, as you are so beautiful, that you were an ideal bride. All I can say is that you must keep clear of people who behave in that way. I cannot imagine how your father and mother let you be caught in a trap of that sort.”

“Sadly my father and mother are both dead,” Arliva whispered. “And that dreadful Countess and her son took me completely by surprise.”

She gave a little shudder and Ivan said,

“Please forget them! They will not trouble you in the future and you will have to be sensible enough to make sure that you are never put in such a position that they can capture you again.”

“I promise you one thing,” Arliva said. “I did not go willingly to Sturton Castle. I will always think that it is one of the most evil places I have ever seen.”

“The people in it are evil too,” Ivan added, “so I agree with you. But now let’s forget them and talk about ourselves. I personally am very tired and will soon want to go to sleep.”

“And I should like to do the same,” Arliva agreed.

“The choice of bedroom is yours,” he said. “I think that you will find the one on the right is the best.”

It was the one Arliva had already been into and she replied,

“Thank you. I feel so much better now I have eaten some food. But do tell me why you had some chocolate with you that you gave me in the Chapel? I am certain that it saved my life.”

“I actually had it on me for my small nephew who was coming to see me today. But as you can imagine I was not at home when he called.”

“It was absolutely delicious!” Arliva exclaimed. “I could not imagine how any stranger could be so kind and have exactly what I needed in his pocket.”

“It certainly seems that you were directed by the Gods in the right direction.”

“That is exactly what I feel. So thank you, thank you, Ivan, my Archangel straight from Heaven, and I will keep the rest of my humble thanks for tomorrow and will now go to bed.”

“I will light another lamp for you,” Ivan offered, “and keep this one for myself.”

He went into the bedroom and lit the oil lamp on the dressing table, which she had not noticed when she was looking in the mirror to see if she was tidy.

Then she could see the bright moonlight streaming in through the window and now the room seemed warm and inviting.

The bed was made up with dazzlingly white sheets and pillows.

“Go to sleep quickly,” Ivan was saying as he went towards the door. “We will have breakfast late, about nine o’clock. It depends on when we wake.”

“If I wake first, I will start cooking whatever there is to cook,” she promised. “Actually, although you might not believe it, I am quite a good cook.”

“I would believe anything of you,” Ivan replied. “Now go to sleep. You are quite safe. Your angel who was watching you when you were praying has brought you here to safety.”

Arliva wanted to reply that her
very
special angel was an Archangel called Ivan, but merely said,

“Goodnight and thank you, thank you.”

“Goodnight,” Ivan smiled.

He walked out of the room and closed the door.

For a moment Arliva stood gazing after him.

‘He is wonderful!’ she said to herself, ‘absolutely wonderful. Thank you, thank you, God, in your infinite wisdom, for sending an Archangel called Ivan to save me from an appalling fate.’

Arliva and Ivan were laughing as they ran back through the fir trees from the lake where they had been swimming from the other side.

They had raced each other through the water and Ivan had, of course, won.

Now they were returning for luncheon feeling cool and hungry.

As they walked on through the trees, Arliva stopped suddenly.

She could see The Lodge ahead of them and there was a carriage outside.

She wondered who was calling and then was aware that the man driving the horses was a Policeman.

She turned to Ivan, who was a little behind her, and said frantically,

“The Police are making enquiries about me. The Countess has obviously told them that I am missing. Save me! Save me again!”

Ivan put his arm round her.

“You are quite safe,” he assured her. “I promise you that no one will take you away from me.”

“Are you sure, absolutely sure?” she asked, looking up at him pleadingly.

For a moment he looked into her eyes.

Then his lips were on hers.

He held her close against him.

He kissed her in a manner that made her feel as if the stars had fallen from the sky and the light of them was shining within her.

It was a long kiss.

When he raised his head, Ivan sighed,

“I have wanted to do this for a long time. I love you, what do you feel about me?”

“I love you. Of course I love you,” she replied. “I think I loved you from the moment you said you would save me, but I did not realise that it was the love I have sought for so long until now. Oh, Ivan, don’t let them take me away from you.”

“Do you really imagine that I would let anyone do that?” he asked. “We will be married immediately, so that it will be impossible for anyone to steal you away again.”

“
Married
?” she whispered.

Ivan could feel her body stiffen against his.

Then before he could speak, she asked.

“Do you love me because I am me?”

“I love you because you are the most beautiful, the most adorable and the most wonderful woman I have ever met,” he said in a deep voice.

He paused before he asserted forcefully.

“If you think I would lose you now, you are very much mistaken.”

“Do you really love me?” Arliva asked hesitatingly, as if she could hardly believe what she was hearing.

“I love you as I have never loved anyone,” Ivan replied. “But, of course, I want to know how much you love me.”

She looked up at him.

Then she hid her face against his neck.

“I love you with my all my heart and all my soul,” she whispered. “And I really did not know that love could be so wonderful.”

“We will make it even more wonderful than it is at the moment,” Ivan murmured.

He looked towards the house.

Then he said,

“Our visitor has gone, but, as undoubtedly they will come back, I think we should leave and I will take you to my home.”

“Is your home near here?” Arliva asked him.

“Not far,” he replied. “Come, the sooner we leave the better.”

Arliva felt that he was right.

If the Police had been told that she might be there and they did not find anyone at The Lodge, they would certainly return.

They hurried into The Lodge and she put on the one dress she had worn since she had left Wilson Hall.

She combed her hair into shape and hoped that Ivan would think she looked pretty even though she had nothing with her except what she had borrowed from him.

He had loaned her a swimming suit that was too big for her, but she had fastened it with string around her waist.