104. A Heart Finds Love by Barbara Cartland

had only been vaguely interested when Alnina had taken him round the house for the first time, but now, because she was helping him, he told himself, he must do his best to help her.
    He was very certain that many of his friends and acquaintances were keen to collect genuine antiques.
    ‘I must tell them about the items that are for sale,’ he told himself. ‘Then I am sure she will be able to pay off Charles’s debts.’
    He was shown by Brooks into what he recognised was the Master bedroom.
    In this room was a rather uncomfortably large bed with its velvet canopy and the family insignia embroidered over the headboard.
    There was also an extremely fine chest of drawers which Lord Lester had used as a dressing table and over it there was an impressive gold mirror with the family crest on top of it.
    Brooks had placed his suitcase on a chair and was taking out the evening clothes which he laid neatly on the bed and the medals he put on the chest of drawers.
    The Duke took off his coat and trousers and it did not take him long to replace them with satin breeches and silk stockings.
    When he was finally dressed and wearing the blue Order of the Garter across his chest, he thought he certainly looked the part.
    Undoubtedly any foreigner would be impressed and only an Englishman would know he was overdressed and his clothes were more suitable for a dinner at Buckingham Palace than a wedding in the country.
    “I’ll find Miss Alnina, Your Grace, and tell her that you’re ready,” Brooks offered.
    “Thank you and I would expect my friend is also ready with his camera.”
    Brooks disappeared and the Duke, after another glance at himself in the mirror, walked down the passage.
    Once again he was realising what a large number of pictures had gone from the walls.
    As he reached the hall, he was aware, as he had not been before, that it was empty of chairs, tables and also, he suspected a grandfather clock.
    At the end of the passage, he met Brooks coming back from the music room.
    “Miss Alnina’s there, Your Grace,” he said.
    The Duke walked on and through the open door into the music room.
    Alnina was standing at the far end of it in front of the flowers.
    The Duke thought even at a first glance that she looked lovelier than any woman he had ever seen.
    She had taken a great deal of trouble in putting on the amazingly decorative wedding dress. It was just as she thought her mother must have worn it all those years ago.
    She had found the wedding veil, which had been in the family for years. It had taken her some time and the wreath of white roses on her head was exquisitely made and exceedingly becoming.
    She only had a small necklace of her own pearls to wear round her neck, as her mother had worn a diamond necklace.
    It made Alnina look young and more beautiful than if she had been loaded down by too many jewels.
    There were quite enough on the dress and it was shining in the sun pouring in through the open windows.
    With the background of flowers she looked, the Duke thought as he walked towards her, as if she had just stepped out of a Fairy tale.
    William had by now set up his camera.
    As the Duke took Alnina’s hand in his, William thought that it would be impossible to find a more good-looking pair anywhere in the world.
    Although he did not say so, he thought they must have stepped out of a dream and could not be real flesh and blood.
    “Thank you for all the trouble you have taken,” the Duke was saying.
    “I hope you are pleased, Your Grace. I was afraid that there would not be enough flowers for the background you required. But I found them in the end even though it was a somewhat lengthy search.”
    The Duke smiled.
    “No one,” he said, “will look at the background when they can look at you.”
    “I hope that you are right. My wreath was another formidable task, but I managed it and I also made myself a bouquet.”
    “You have thought of everything and I cannot tell you how grateful I am.”
    “Now