A Virgin Bride (16 page)

She knew as well as he did that both their families would be waiting to know if there was a possibility of an heir to the Dukedom.

It would be difficult to explain that they were only just getting to know each other and that they had enjoyed a fabulous honeymoon in Paris as friends – not lovers.

When they went into the house, Venetia was thrilled by the huge double staircase curving up on either side of the hall to the first floor.

The magnificent picture over the medieval fireplace was most impressive and there were many regimental flags, which Rock explained were from battles that his ancestors had fought in and won.

The footmen's livery was the smartest and certainly the most spectacular Venetia had ever seen.

The butler, who informed Rock that the Estate Manager would be waiting to meet him after tea, formally greeted them.

“Tea is waiting for Your Grace in the blue drawing room,” the butler intoned, “and may I, on behalf of the household staff, wish Your Grace and Her Grace a long and happy life here at The Hall.”

“That is rather what we are hoping ourselves, Benson,” replied Rock with a quick smile.

Venetia shook hands with him and also with the footmen, which they did not expect.

Upstairs Rock took her into an even larger drawing room that overlooked the back of The Hall.

“I do want you to see the artificial lake, Venetia,” Rock said. “My great-great-grandfather created it and most people find it even more beautiful than the one in front of the house.”

It was certainly magnificent. The lake was large and bordered with majestic trees in full bloom. In the centre was a striking statue of Venus surrounded by winged cupids.

“Oh, look at the adorable cupids – they even have bows and arrows!” she gasped. “With the shadows from the leaves playing on Venus it is perfect! I have never seen anything so beautiful.”

“I thought that you would appreciate it, Venetia. It is unique and I have never found one like it on anyone else's estate.” Rock replied, surprised by how much pleasure her obvious delight was affording him.

“I am sure eventually they will copy it, but for now it is wonderful to have it all to yourself.”

Rock was looking at the lake with satisfaction.

As Venetia followed his eyes, she could just make out far away peeping over the trees what appeared to be a high roof.

“What is that?” she asked. “Surely it is not another house.”

“No, it is something quite different, Venetia,” Rock answered. “It's a copy of a Buddhist Temple.”

Venetia looked interested and he went on,

“My great-great-grandfather built it as his tomb.”

“
As his tomb
! Is he buried there?”

“He is not only buried there, but he took with him a great number of documents and treasures that should have remained in the possession of his successors.”

Venetia realised that this annoyed him.

“Then he put a curse on anyone who would enter his tomb and disturb him when he was dead.”

Venetia was fascinated.

“Do you mean to say,” she asked, “that no one can go into the tomb and you can never claim back the items he has taken with him?”

“Because of the curse no one in the house or in the village will go near it. He lies in a special coffin, which he designed himself surrounded by all his books and other possessions he took from the house.”

“I never heard of anything so extraordinary! And naturally I will want to look at the tomb one day.”

“There is nothing to see. It is all sealed up and I assure you I would not dare to open it myself!”

Venetia laughed.

“I know how superstitious people can be and I do understand their feelings. But it must be so frustrating for you when you think of the precious things he has taken especially anything historic.”

“I gather they include letters from Queen Elizabeth, who stayed here when the house was much smaller than it is now, also one from Charles II thanking my ancestor for hiding him from Oliver Cromwell's men.”

“I do see it's infuriating, Rock, but perhaps when you die you too will want to take something you hold very precious with you.”

“I will be buried in the family tomb in the village churchyard, and when you see it you will be impressed and recognise that it is exactly the right sort of tomb to hold distinguished members of my family.”

“This is a very morbid conversation the moment we arrive. You know as well as I do there is just one more place I wish to see before we retire for the night.”

“All right we will go there right now.”

Rock knew exactly what she meant.

“We will go to the stables and you will have a full conducted tour of the house tomorrow. Quite frankly I feel exhausted from the dissipation of ‘
Gay Paree
,' and I am sure you are the same.”

Venetia agreed and they walked over to the stables to inspect his thoroughbreds after they had finished tea.

The Head Groom was delighted to see them and he knew all about Venetia father's horses.

“If you asks me,” he said, “it's goin' to be a right close finish at Ascot this year. His Grace has set 'is 'eart on winning the Gold Cup with Dragonfly.”

“My father is just as determined to win the race with Samson,” retorted Venetia. “So we will be watching one of the most exciting races Ascot has ever held.”

When they went back to the house, Rock remarked,

“It means so much to them. They all feel as if the horses are theirs as much as mine.”

“Our people feel exactly the same,” added Venetia. “I think perhaps I should pray for a dead heat.”

“I think that if you want to be completely fair, you should keep your prayers out of it. I fear that yours may be more efficacious than mine!”

Venetia smiled at Rock.

“Now,” she declared, “that is a new challenge and one we have not thought of before!”

They enjoyed an excellent dinner and Venetia told Benson afterwards that she would like to visit the kitchen tomorrow morning.

“I want to thank the chef,” she said, “and also to meet those of the staff I have not seen already.”

The housekeeper and two of the maids had helped her change before dinner and she could see that they were delighted at her new gowns from Frederick Worth.

Rock now suggested,

“I think after all the late hours we spent in Paris we should retire to bed at once. I know you will want to go riding tomorrow after breakfast.”

“Having seen your lovely horses I cannot imagine anything more appealing. I must tell you I am delighted by your house, even though I am a little overwhelmed by it.”

“I am hoping, Venetia, that you will be very happy here. We will make it even better than it has ever been in the past. I want it to be a sanctuary where we, and all those who belong to us, feel safe and secure whatever happens in the world outside.”

He was speaking seriously and Venetia knew that it meant a great deal to him.

“I will do my best not to fail or disappoint you – ”

“I don't think you could ever do that. Now go to bed, Venetia, and tomorrow we will start a new chapter of our life together and forget anything that has upset us in the past.”

“You make it sound very dramatic, Rock. Chapter One was marvellous – not at all what I expected, but I enjoyed it enormously.”

“So did I,” Rock agreed. “But as I have said, that was only Chapter One. Now we will see what happens in
Chapter Two
.”

He thought as he spoke how much he wanted to kiss her, but he sensed the moment was not quite right and he must wait a little longer.

As they were talking, they had been walking up the stairs.

Now Venetia walked into the beautiful room, which she guessed, although he had not told her, had been his mother's room before she left for Scotland.

Everything about it was exquisite and quite perfect.

There was a maid waiting in the room and it was therefore impossible for her to say goodnight to Rock and she knew he would not come to her room after she was in bed.

She was indeed more tired than she had thought and she fell asleep almost as soon as she blew out the candles.

*

When she woke, it was half-past eight and the maid was pulling back the curtains.

They had arranged the previous night to breakfast at nine o'clock – later, as Rock said, than they usually did in the country.

“I have ordered the horses for nine-thirty and I will show you my favourite parts of the estate. Then later when we feel stronger, I will take you to the boundary. But that is too far for the first day we are in the saddle.”

“I am so longing to ride, Rock, and I don't mind where we go. It will be exciting to ride with you and see if you are as good a horseman as my Papa.”

She was being provocative and teasing him.

“That is indeed a big challenge and in reply I will expect you to sail over the jumps on the Racecourse as well as your father did the last time he was here.”

Now, as she put on her riding habit, she hoped she would be given one of the best jumpers in the stables, but she rather expected that Rock would keep it for himself.

When she was dressed, she reached the top of the stairs and looking down she saw the Head Groom was in the hall talking to Benson.

He saw her and exclaimed,

“Oh, there you be, Your Grace!”

There was something about him that made Venetia sense that he was agitated in some way.

She hurried down the stairs.

“What is it?” she asked. “Is anything wrong?”

“I be afraid, Your Grace, there's been an accident,” the Head Groom replied.

“
An accident
! What has happened?”

“Silver Star, who His Grace took out this mornin' at seven o'clock, 'as come back alone!”

Venetia drew in her breath.

“Alone! Is the horse damaged in any way?”

“No, 'e don't appear to 'ave 'ad a fall, but perhaps His Grace be struck off 'im by a low bough or somethin' like that.”

“Then we must find him at once – ”

“I've already sent out four men, Your Grace. We don't know in which direction His Grace went, but they be goin' on what we knows be His Grace's usual rides.”

“Bring me a horse,” Venetia cried. “No – I'll come with you to the stables.”

She did not wait for him to answer.

She set off at a run to the stables they had visited yesterday.

It only took the Head Groom a few minutes to bring out one of Rock's best stallions.

Venetia was waiting at the mounting block.

She picked up the reins and rode to the back of the house towards the artificial lake.

She did not quite know why, but, as they had seen it together last evening, she was convinced that was the way Rock had ridden.

Then, as she rode along the lake, she looked ahead.

She saw again the roof of the tomb Rock's ancestor had built for himself.

She felt almost as if the Temple was calling to her, begging her to come closer.

She passed through the trees at the end of the lake and then she saw that the Temple was on higher ground with rhododendrons encircling it.

It was somewhat larger than she had expected and she could see through the bushes that it was of solid stone painted green but without windows or doors.

Yet she felt that in some way she could not explain it was connected at this critical moment with Rock.

Then an idea came to her mind, which she felt she should have thought of before.

The Earl of Darran had sworn to have his revenge.

Had he been waiting for Rock to return from France to carry out his threats to shoot him or injure him?

Rock had never spoken of the Earl all the time they had been in Paris together and she had almost forgotten his existence and that he was the reason for their being married so hastily.

There had been so much for her to think about and enjoy that the Earl had slipped completely from her mind.

Now she was suddenly afraid.

Supposing he had shot at Rock when he was riding over his own land early this morning?

Rock would have been unaware that there was anyone lurking behind the trees or in the bushes.

The Head Groom had said the horse had not fallen and it was very unlikely that Rock would have dismounted and let the horse run away.

Surely if anything unusual had happened someone on the estate would have seen it?

She was now all alone at the weird Temple erected by Rock's ancestor and it still seemed to be calling her.

Then, as she rounded the Temple, she saw to the left a little below her that there was a small cottage.

It stood by itself and was not a part of the village, which was on the far side of a hill.

On an impulse, knowing there was nothing else she could do, Venetia rode down to the cottage and, as she drew nearer, she saw it was very quaint with a thatched roof.

Sitting outside the door was an elderly man with white hair.

One of his legs was stuck out in front of him proclaiming, without Venetia looking at the crutch beside him, that he was crippled.

He looked up at her as she approached. She bent forward to speak to him and, as he put his hand up to his ear, she realised it was unlikely he would hear her.

So she dismounted and attached her horse's bridle to a post.

The small gate was open and a path led her to the old man.

“Good morning,” Venetia began, “let me introduce myself. I am the new Duchess of Rockinston.”

She held out her hand and the old man took it.

“I 'ears about you,” he said, “and they says you be pretty as a picture.”

“Thank you for the compliment. What I have come to ask you is if you have seen anything strange happening here. His Grace went out riding early this morning and his horse has come back to the stables without him.”

She spoke slowly and carefully so that the old man could hear her.