An Unexpected Love by Barbara Cartland Page B

instructions.
    He was more than thankful that she had given in to her more impulsive nature and allowed him to stay. For a moment he had been worried in case a more mature Lady Ravina had surfaced and he had been forced to leave.
    It was imperative that he stayed in the house this evening. She was in great danger, but he was not sure from which direction it would strike.
    But strike it would.
    The stakes were too great.
    He cursed silently that he had no name to put behind the rumours that had sent him on this difficult and delicate mission.
    Ravina left Sir Richard to Gibbs, ran up the stairs and tapped on Dulcie’s door.
    â€œDulcie. Are you awake? I need to speak to you.”
    There was a rustling and the door opened a crack to reveal Dulcie, wrapped in her long dressing–gown, her hair twirled up inside a soft cotton sleeping cap.
    â€œRavina. Whatever is wrong? Is there a fire?”
    â€œNo, of course not. I am so sorry to waken you, but I just wanted to let you know that Sir Richard Crawford is staying the night.”
    â€œWhat? Gibbs told me that he had just called to see your father?”
    â€œYes, he did, but his horse is lame and I cannot send him away to spend the night at the Blue Boar in Rosbourne. Father would be furious if I did.”
    Dulcie clutched the collar of her gown tightly to her neck.
    â€œOh, dear, Ravina. I really do not feel that this is wise.”
    Ravina smiled and patted her cousin’s arm.
    â€œDo not fret so, Dulcie dear. Gibbs will prepare a room for him in the guest wing and I am sure he will be up and away early in the morning before we are even awake. I will leave instructions that he can stable his horse here until it recovers and take one of our mounts to carry him on his way.”
    She left Dulcie still murmuring her objections and slipped away to her own room where Charity helped her unpin her long blonde hair and prepare her for bed.
    But when Charity had gone, Ravina felt too restless to sleep.
    She turned off the oil lamp and pushing aside the pale blue curtains from the windows, she opened the casements to let in the soft night air.
    Ravina’s room was at the side of the house overlooking the gardens that swept down to the river beyond.
    All was quiet and dark outside.
    Nothing moved in the still night, until the crunching of gravel caught her attention and she leant further out to see a dark shape walking round the side of the house.
    It was only one of the young footmen carrying a large box which Ravina recognised as one that her father had sent down from London containing a variety of provisions.
    Ravina sighed.
    She plucked one of the small yellow roses that rambled up the wall and cascaded over her windowsill all summer long. It had a sweet, heady scent like honey.
    â€˜I wonder if Sir Richard is asleep,’ she thought.
    It was odd to think of that tall, stern-faced man lying in bed in the other wing of the house.
    â€˜He is a strange gentleman. So severe and difficult, but sometimes there is an expression in his eyes which makes me think that under that austere surface is a person I could, perhaps, come to like.’
    She fell into a deep reverie and had no idea how long she had been sitting at the window, when the gravel on the pathway beneath her crunched again and Ravina glanced down casually from her perch, expecting to see the footman again.
    Then she gulped and drew back behind the curtains.
    It was Sir Richard!
    Wrapped in a long black cloak, he was prowling along the path and then, as if he realised the gravel was giving away his position, he stepped onto the lawn and vanished into the shadows cast by a tall beech tree.
    Ravina sat watching for another half hour but Sir Richard did not reappear.
    Eventually, puzzled, she climbed into bed.
    â€˜Perhaps he had felt ill and needed the fresh air. Maybe he had taken one brandy too many after I had left him in the drawing room.’
    She knew several of her father’s guests