Barbara Cartland - An Introduction to the Pink Collection

He stared. “You’re as poor as that? And you weren’t even tempted to keep them?”

“Oh yes,” she said quietly. “I was tempted.” She rose, to silence further discussion of this fact. “Shall we go now?”

He was about to make a light hearted comment, but something about her pale face silenced him.

“If you will be kind enough to show me the way,” he said, “I would be grateful.”

They left the house and climbed down to the woods and the stream, across a rough wooden bridge, grown somewhat precarious with age.

“Why is the cross on my land rather than in the cemetery?” the Earl enquired.

“Because this is where it was found, and Papa thought it should stay there. Look, there it is.”

Just ahead of them stood the cross looking strong, dark and impressive amongst the trees.

She walked quickly ahead, and when she reached the cross she knelt down and said a private prayer thanking God for letting her find the money, with all the good it might do for the man who owned it, for the villagers, and perhaps to her too, although she could not, for the moment, see how.

The Earl stood still, watching her in silent respect, wondering what was happening to him and to his whole world.

Only when she had finished praying did the Earl move forward. She lifted the thistle, which he took from her and flung away. Then he bent down and started to pull up the ground round the cross. It crossed Rena’s mind that perhaps he would find nothing. As the Earl pushed his hand lower and lower, she closed her eyes and held her breath.

Then she heard him make a sudden sound which was almost a yell of delight.

She opened her eyes. He was looking towards her, his hand outstretched. In it she saw a large lump of soil. Something in it was shining in the sunshine coming through the trees above them.

More coins. For a moment she thought she was dreaming.

“Your prayers have been answered,” he said jubilantly. “And there are probably more if we dig deeper.”

“It is true, it is really true!” Rena said almost beneath her breath.

The Earl lowered his voice. “Let’s get back to the house. No one must know what we’ve found or that we’ve been here. The rest need to be brought up by experts who know how to treat them so that they won’t be damaged.”

As he spoke he put the soil he was holding into the pocket of his coat. Then, putting his arm round Rena, he took her back the way they had come. Only when they reached the house and went in through the front door, did the Earl speak.

“You’ve saved me,” he said. “At least for the moment, you’ve saved me from feeling nothing but despair for this house and all it contains.” Then he shook his head like a man in a dream. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“It’s Papa you should thank,” Rena said. “Do you really think there will be enough money for you to restore The Grange?”

“I cannot believe our luck is as good as that,” the Earl answered. “But even a little money is a tremendous help. It gives me a chance to think. But this must remain our secret.”

“Of course,” Rena promised. “Once word gets out and you’ll have the whole village digging up your land.”

“And the only person I want to share it with is you.”

Smiling, she shook her head. “It belongs to you.”

“Miss Colwell, please tell me something. When you first went to that place this morning, what were you praying for?”

“For a job,” she said simply. “I’ve ‘eaten the bread of idleness for the past two months,’ and frankly it’s beginning to taste rancid.”

“Then let me offer you a job, as my housekeeper.”

She stopped and stared at him. “You mean that?”

“It’s not much of a job. You’ve seen the place as it is. It would take a brave spirit even to contemplate taking it on? And indeed you are a brave spirit.”

“Am I?”

“Everything you’ve done today – I’m filled with admiration. You could take that huge task on, and defeat it. Oh, wait!”

“What is it?” she asked anxiously, seeing her lovely new job vanishing before her eyes.

“Perhaps your family wouldn’t care for you to take such a post. They might think it beneath you.”

“Mama’s family probably would. They were Sunninghills, and very proud of it.”

“You’re a Sunninghill? There’s an Admiral Sunninghill.”

“My third cousin. Or fourth. Or fifth maybe.”

“He might object.”

She stopped and faced him. “My lord, are you still in the Navy?”

“No.”

“Then Admiral Sunninghill’s disapprobation is neither here nor there.”

With a slight dismissive gesture, Rena disposed of Admiral Sunninghill and all his works.

“But you?”

“They ignored Mama after her marriage. I doubt he knows of my existence.”

“I won’t tell him if you don’t.”

They shook hands solemnly.

“And your family at home in the vicarage? How will they feel?”

“I have no family.”

“Nobody? No brothers, sisters, mother?”

“No brothers or sisters and my mother died last year.”

“You’re completely alone?”

She nodded. Suddenly she couldn’t speak for the tightness in her throat.

“So,” he said, “that settles it. Now you’re my housekeeper.”

“Then my first job should be to ensure that you are well fed,” she said, forcing herself to speak brightly. “I think we’ve already used up whatever was in the house. If you will give me some money, I will go to the shops and buy provisions, although they won’t be very grand.”

“I’ll be thankful for anything,” the Earl answered. He put his hand into his pocket and brought out a sovereign.

“Will this be enough?”

“Oh, more than enough,” Rena said.

The Earl laughed ruefully. “I hope you won’t find my stomach is bigger than my pocket, which happens to most people after they leave the Navy.”

“I am sure you were well fed in those days,” Rena said. “I dare say ships are run very effectively.”

“That’s true. Everywhere you looked my ship was clean and bright which is something I cannot say about my house!”

“Leave the house to me. Later, when I’ve seen you fed, I can bring you some vegetables from my own garden. And then there’s Clara.”

“Clara? I thought you said you lived alone.”

“Clara is a chicken. She lays eggs.”

“An invaluable addition to our community,” he agreed.

Rena collected a shopping basket from the kitchen and hurried out to the village grocery. Luckily Ned, the owner, had been to the town the previous day, and was well stocked.

She went through the shop like a whirlwind, buying in flour, milk, tea, coffee, meat, butter, sugar, paraffin for lamps. It wasn’t going to leave much of the sovereign, but she had a hungry man to feed.

“Are you buying for an army Miss Colwell?” Ned asked in admiration.

“No, for the new owner of The Grange.”

He stared. “I did hear someone had arrived but – owner? Are you sure?”

“He’s the Earl of Lansdale.”

“But the family died out.”

“Apparently not. It took time to trace him, and he was in the Royal Navy, which is why it took so long to get hold of him.”

“That’s good news,” Ned answered. “And, of course, if he’s opening The Grange, he’ll have to repair it and that’ll be a blessing to us all. There are too many workmen with no work now.” He added slyly, “Best not tell him about the ghost, then.”

“I wasn’t going to mention the ghost,” Rena declared primly, for the simple reason that there’s no such thing.”

“No ghosts?” Ned demanded indignantly, as if she’d deprived him of a treat. “Course there are ghosts. What’s a house like that without a ghost?”