A Duke in Danger by Barbara Cartland

understand, Walton, that whatever His Grace felt or did not feel about things, now that I am taking his place I shall have to make a great number of alterations. The first one is to restore the Castle to what it was in the old days.”
    He could not help thinking with some amusement that now he, of all people, was talking about “the good old days.” Yet, it was obvious that if things were to be restored as he wanted, he would have to step back into the past for an example of how they should be done. Still Walton hesitated, until at last he said:
    “When His Grace was making economies he turned Her Ladyship’s Governess, Miss Richardson, out of the Castle, and as she’d nowhere to go, Her Ladyship persuaded her to live in what had been the under-gardener’s cottage.”
    “Why did she not have anywhere to go?” the Duke asked curiously.
    “Miss Richardson’s getting on in years, Your Grace, and she has rheumatism, which makes it hard for her to walk quickly or for any distance.”
    “So you think that Her Ladyship has gone now to Miss Richardson in the under-gardener’s cottage,” the Duke said as if he was thinking it out for himself.
    “Yes, Your Grace.”
    “Very well. I will go find her.”
    He rose from the chair and walked towards the door as Walton said:
    “Mrs. Johnson, Your Grace, was wondering, if you are staying tonight, what you’d fancy for dinner.”
    Perceptively the Duke understood that if he wanted dinner, it would be difficult for the servants to provide the sort of meal they expected him to eat, unless he was prepared to pay for it.
    “Now listen, Walton,” he said. “You have to help me get things back to normal, and I expect you will be able to find some of the old staff in the village or elsewhere on the Estate.”
    He saw Walton’s eyes light up, and he said:
    “It may take a little time, but I suggest the first thing you do is get help for Mrs. Johnson in the kitchen and two or three young men to assist you in the pantry.” He knew as he spoke that Walton was finding it hard to believe what he was hearing.
    Putting his hands in his pocket, the Duke pulled out his purse, in which there were a number of gold sovereigns.
    He then took from the inside of his coat a twenty-pound note, which he put down on the small table where he had laid his purse, and said:
    This will help you get what is needed immediately. Send Mark, my groom, to a farm or the village to purchase meat or whatever Mrs. Johnson requires for dinner. I suppose there are some horses in the stables?”
    “Only two that Her Ladyship’s been riding, Your Grace,” Walton replied. “One’s getting very old.”
    “Mark can ride one of them,” the Duke said. “In the meantime, do what you can to improve things immediately, and there is no need to worry about expenditure. I will deal with that.”
    As he finished speaking and walked towards the door, he was aware that Walton was staring down at what he had left lying on the table as if he could hardly believe his eyes.
    The Duke did not go out the front door, which was still open, but down the passage that passed the Dining-Hall and the small Dining-Room.
    He then pulled open the baize-covered door which led to the kitchen-quarters.
    He came first to the pantry, where he could remember as a small boy he had been given sugared almonds and other sweet-meats by Walton.
    The huge safe was still there, and the table on which the silver was cleaned, and there was also the bed that folded up into the wall for one of the footmen who was invariably on duty at night to guard the contents of the safe.
    Now everything looked very shabby. The walls were damp and in need of paint, and the floor looked as if it could do with a good scrub.
    The Duke walked on past cupboards and doors which he did not bother to open and the narrow staircase which led up to the servants’ bedrooms.
    Then on his right was the huge kitchen, which he remembered had always been a hive of activity.
    The