Love Drives In (7 page)

"Yes, of course" she replied, laughing openly now, with sheer delight at the thought of an evening with him.

"Let me tell you – " he began.

But before he could say any more they heard the butler's step outside. The next moment he entered with a letter on a silver salver.

"This has just been delivered, my Lord," he said, "and the bearer of it is waiting for an answer."

As he looked at the writing, Dorina thought a frown appeared between his eyes.

He opened the letter, read its contents and then said to the butler.

"Tell the bearer that I will send an answer tomorrow," he said, almost curtly.

"Very good, my Lord," the butler replied and left the room.

The Earl looked at the letter again for a moment and then put it aside. Dorina stared at him. She was almost certain that the letter had come from Lady Musgrove.

Now he said,

"Splendid. That's settled. We'll have dinner together tonight, and go on with the discussion we were enjoying. There's so much more I want to tell you."

But the door opened and the butler entered again.

"Lady Musgrove is here to see you, my Lord."

The Earl looked up in surprise. Lady Musgrove appeared looking, Dorina noticed, even smarter and more elegant than she had looked when she called before.

"Gerald!" she exclaimed. "I thought we were having luncheon together."

At the same time she held out both her hands towards him.

He rose from the chair and took one of her hands in his saying as he did so,

"This is a surprise. I have only just returned home and I thought, if you hadn't heard from me, you would understand that it was impossible for me to have luncheon with you yesterday."

Dorina knew by the expression on the Earl's face that he had forgotten.

Because she knew it was embarrassing, she slipped out of her chair and walked towards the door.

Even before she reached it, Lady Musgrove was saying,

"How could you have forgotten? I've been counting the days to when we would be together and when we would celebrate what is to me an important occasion."

"I'm sorry, I can only apologise," the Earl was saying as Dorina shut the door.

As she walked towards the office she could not help hoping that he was not deceived by such a woman.

'But suppose he is,' she thought. 'Perhaps he will take her out tonight, instead of me.'

The thought caused a little stab of disappointment in her breast. As Miss Radford she would have been immune from such careless treatment, but as a mere secretary she must learn to accept it.

But she was mostly concerned on his behalf, she told herself firmly. She would be sorry to see such an otherwise admirable man behave so shabbily.

Her disappointment at not sharing an evening with him was nothing to do with it.

Absolutely nothing.

But in a short time she heard the front door open and Lady Musgrove, still talking, depart through it.

After a moment she heard footsteps approaching and Henly looked in to say,

"His Lordship's asked me to tell you to be ready in an hour's time."

Her heart singing, Dorina hurried up to her bedroom.

Celia was there to help her and she gasped as they went through her wardrobe.

"Oh miss, they're so lovely. This pink one – "

"Yes," Dorina said. "I think I'll wear that."

It did not fit with her pose as a secretary, she realised, but then none of her clothes did. It came from Lentheric in Paris and was damask, heavily adorned. The low neck was trimmed with tulle and lace, and the festoons clung deliciously round the hem. It was magnificent.

The Earl was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, splendidly dressed for the evening. He bowed when he saw her and led her out to the waiting carriage.

As Dorina stepped into it, she thought that nothing would infuriate Lady Musgrove more than if she knew the common secretary to whom she had been so rude, was being taken out by the Earl instead of herself.

It was however something she could not say.

Instead she persuaded the Earl to talk about the races and how he had felt when his horse won.

"The moment I saw that horse at Tattersall's," he said, "I knew it was a winner, although everyone told me it looked too thin and too small."

He laughed as he added,

"Now they'll realise that I'm a judge of horseflesh."

Dorina smiled.

"Every man wants to feel that," she said. "But I'm sure it's the same with a horse as with anything else – when you see a winner you recognise it with your heart rather than your eyes."

The Earl laughed.

Then he said,

"How can you be sure of that?" Dorina asked.

"Because I am looking at you not only with my eyes but with something more perceptive," the Earl said.

"I wonder if that is true?" Dorina questioned.

"I think when you are older and have seen as much of the world as I have," the Earl replied, "you will realise that you see people, perhaps, with your heart rather than with your eyes."

"If that's true, then you will not make so many mistakes," Dorina answered. "It's very difficult to sum up another person, especially when they are doing their best to please you."

She was thinking of Lady Musgrove as she spoke.

The Earl was silent for a moment, then he said,

"I've never concealed the fact that I'm suspicious of you. You're not who you pretend to be."

He let a silence fall, as though he was expecting her to say something. But Dorina merely smiled at him. She felt happy and completely mistress of the situation.

The other women could gnash their teeth. He had chosen to be here with her.

He smiled back, completely understanding her silence. It was as though she had thrown a gauntlet down between them.

"I expect," he said, "that one day I will be able to find out if what I am feeling is the truth."

"And what are you feeling?" she asked innocently.

But he shook his head.

"Another time," she whispered, gazing at him in the semi-darkness.

"Yes. It will be something to look forward to. Now, let us think only of enjoying ourselves."

"Where are we going?"

"To the Royal Alhambra Palace. Have you ever heard of it?"

"I think so," she said slowly, wondering if the stories that had reached her could really be true. If so it was a strange destination for a gentleman to take a lady.

It was rumoured to be very thrilling in a manner that was 'not quite proper'. Young men and women flirted outrageously in an atmosphere of freedom and merriment.

"The place is notorious," a starched matron had once told Dorina.

"But I understand that families go there," she had protested. "Husbands and wives take their children there to see the performances."

"To be sure there is a 'family section'," the matron conceded. "And respectable people sit in it. But this is a mere fig-leaf to hide the impropriety. The fact is – " she lowered her voice dramatically, "women are permitted to enter
alone."

"Alone?"

"Without a male escort. Any woman can approach the ticket office and obtain entrance
alone.
And, of course, many women do, because it is there that they find the unattached male company that they seek. What this does for the moral tone, I need not describe."

And this was the establishment to which the Earl was taking her?

The way in was along a passage that was already crowded with men and women. At last they came to a hole in the wall, behind which sat a young man at a desk. He glanced up briefly, but at the sight of the Earl his face lit up in a smile.

"Evening, sir. Nice to see you. Two?"

Dorina had the feeling that the Earl was displeased at this sign of recognition. His voice was slightly tense as he said,

"Yes, please."

He handed over two shillings and received in return two circular pieces of tin, each with a hole in the centre and inscribed with raised lettering.

A little further on they came to a door, guarded by a man in a red uniform, his breast adorned with medals. He, too, seemed to recognise the Earl, for he grinned at him in a knowing way before allowing his eyes to flicker over Dorina.

It seemed to her that he regarded her with appreciation and she began to feel a little indignant.

They entered a huge rotunda, nearly a hundred feet across and the same in height. Looking up to the ceiling, Dorina saw tier after tier filled with people enjoying themselves in various stages of merriment.

The performance had already begun. A troupe of ballet girls was prancing lightly around the stage, showing much leg and receiving much appreciation from noisy young men.

Looking around, she saw the centre of the ground floor, which had been railed off. Here were seated what appeared to be families, husbands, wives, young people.

This must be the family section that was no more than a 'fig-leaf for impropriety'.

The Earl led her to one of the front stalls. Plainly this part of the house was respectable.

But the rest was as far from respectable as Dorina had ever seen.

Young men with hot eyes prowled about in search of young women, of whom there were plenty. Everywhere there seemed to be bars with liquor dispensed by pretty young bar-maids. Champagne flowed and the air was full of raucous laughter.

The ballet came to an end amid much applause.

Dorina thought of her mother, and knew she would have been shocked to see her here. How could the Earl have done this?

But then she realised that he saw her, not as an unchaperoned young lady, but as someone who would find the somewhat risqué atmosphere acceptable.

'I suppose he thinks that, because I go out to work, and manage without a chaperone, and sleep in his house, therefore I'm a woman of the world,' she mused. 'If only he knew how far from the truth that is. I suppose Lady Musgrove would love it.'

She found the thought vaguely disturbing. She did not want to be put on the same level as Lady Musgrove, whom she considered a thoroughly vulgar woman despite her title.

How many women had he brought to this place?

Was she merely the latest in a long line? Did he bring respectable ladies here, tantalising them with the promise of an excitement outside their normal experience? 'Just a little bit naughty, but not too much.' And then what?

She turned and found the Earl looking at her, admiration in his eyes.

"My Lord – " she began.

"Why don't you call me Gerald?" he said.

The words caught her off-guard.

"I hardly like to," she demurred. "I am your secretary, almost your servant – "

"Certainly not. Tonight we are two friends enjoying each other's company. Gerald and – Dorina?"

"Dorina," she agreed.

There was a laugh from behind them. Looking back, Dorina saw a little group of people who were undoubtedly a family. The sight reassured her. Whatever was happening in the rest of the Alhambra, there was a respectable part.

The next ballet started. It was vaguely about sea nymphs, which gave all the ballet girls an excuse to dress very lightly in floating, semi-transparent costumes. Dorina found herself blushing.

Then she came to a decision. She prided herself on being a strong woman who could grasp a situation and deal with it.

Very well, then.

As the music ended she joined in the applause as though she had not a care in the world. She smiled at the Earl and said,

"I feel rather thirsty. Perhaps we could walk about and find one of those bars, where we can have something to drink?"

He was instantly uneasy.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea," he demurred. "Perhaps we should leave and find a restaurant?