Barbara Cartland - A Kiss In Rome

“Gwen sent Mama the present over ten years ago,” Denise said. “Since then things have changed. All the smart women in London use a little powder, a touch of rouge and their lips are always invitingly pink.”

Alina laughed.

“Well, I shall be inviting nobody, but if you want me to look the part, I suppose I shall have to accept the ‘stage props’.”

“Of course you must,” Denise insisted.

She did not stay for long, but hurried away leaving Alina to put all the clothes that she had brought back into the trunks.

She added some of the clothes that had belonged to her mother.

Lady Langley had always been elegantly dressed, even though she could not spend a lot of money on her clothes.

But they were certainly very much smarter than anything Alina now owned.

She had therefore left her own dresses hanging in the wardrobe.

She found, which had belonged to her mother, a very pretty travelling gown in a deep blue satin.

It was fortunate that it could go under the cloak that Denise had brought her, which was almost the same shade of blue.

It was trimmed with just a little fur, which made it not look too smart for a journey.

There was a hat which Alina thought was really very becoming and she added just a few small feathers and a velvet bow to the crown.

Among the sunshades there was a handbag.

“I am afraid there is only one of those,” Denise had said as she then took it out of the box. “But Papa gave a lot of Mama’s belongings away to her relations after she died. They all asked for handbags because they knew that the ones Mama possessed all came from a very expensive shop in Bond Street.”

“I am delighted to have that one,” Alina said. “I am afraid that if anyone saw the bag I have been using, they would not for a moment believe I was rich enough to have any money inside it.”

“Then throw it away,” Denise suggested, “because that is the sort of thing that might make people suspect you are not what you are pretending to be.”

There were plenty of pairs of suede and kid gloves and silk stockings, which Alina had never expected to own.

There were also nightgowns and negligées as well as petticoats trimmed with real lace.

When she looked at them, Alina sent up a little prayer of thankfulness to God.

She at last owned some of the lovely things she had always longed to have and dreamed about.

By the time she had finished packing everything it was quite late. She went to bed and slept peacefully.

*

Mrs. Banks from the village dully came in early in the morning to prepare her a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs.

She looked in surprise at the pile of luggage.

“You be goin’ away, miss?” she enquired.

“I am going to stay with some friends,” Alina told her, “but I hope, Mrs. Banks, you will come in and look after the house while I am away and I will arrange for the Vicar to pay you your money every week.”

Yesterday Denise had actually been on her way downstairs when Alina had said to her in a rather embarrassed manner,

“I hate to ask you, Denise, but could you possibly let me have just a few pounds so that the woman who looks after the house can be paid? Otherwise it will get into a dreadful state.”

Denise stopped on the bottom step and gave a cry of horror.

“How stupid of me to forget to give it to you,” she apologised. “Of course I have brought you some money and remember there is plenty more whenever you need it.”

“I am ashamed to ask you when you have given me so much already,” Alina murmured.

“I have given you nothing that has cost me anything,” Denise admitted honestly. “Here is the envelope I have brought ready for you.”

She pulled an envelope out of her handbag and put it into Alina’s hand.

Then she hurried to where the carriage was waiting for her outside and it drove off.

When she opened the envelope, Alina saw that there was twenty-five pounds in it.

For a moment she thought it impossible to accept so much money from her cousin and when she saw her the next day she would give some of it back to her.

Then she remembered how much she owed in the village.

As soon as she was dressed, she went first to the Vicarage and then handed the Vicar ten pounds.

“I just don’t know how long I will be away,” she told him, “but will you please pay Mrs. Banks every week and if there is any dilapidation to the roof, which keeps happening, will you ask Barker to come and repair it?”

“Of course I will,” the Vicar smiled. “I am so delighted that you are having a holiday. I have been very worried about you.”

“I will be with my cousin, Denise Sedgewick, who you may remember I did lessons with for many years.”

“It is the best thing that could happen,” the Vicar said, “and don’t you worry about your house or anything here. I will see to it all.”

He hesitated for a brief moment before he added,

“You have been very brave, Alina, and I know that things have been difficult for you. But I prayed that God would help you and I do believe that He has answered my prayers.”

“I know He has,” Alina replied. “But please do go on praying for me.”

“Of course I will,” the Vicar agreed at once.

Alina then left and paid the grocer, the baker and the butcher.

She had in fact forgotten how much she owed and there was also a bill owing to the man who had replaced some broken panes of glass in the windows of the house.

When she went back, she looked and found that she had only three pounds left.

‘I must try and make it last,’ she told herself firmly. ‘I cannot keep bothering Denise for money when she has already been so kind and generous.’

The carriage arrived the following morning soon after eight o’clock.

When she finally put the newly decorated hat on top of her head, she looked at herself in surprise.

It was certainly very modern.

She had done her hair in a fashionable manner that she had seen illustrated in the Ladies’ Journal , which the Vicar’s wife often lent to her.

Now she thought that she looked exactly as Denise would expect her to.

There was no doubt that anyone seeing her for the first time would assume that she was very much older than she actually was.

As Denise jumped out of her carriage and walked into the house, Alina waited for the verdict.

Denise took one look at her cousin and gave a shout of delight.

“This is really marvellous!” she cried. “You look absolutely stunning and exactly how a chaperone should look.”

Alina had not used any the cosmetics that Denise had given her because she was afraid of overdoing them and making herself look vulgar.

But as soon as they were on the road that led to the train Station, Denise insisted on her powdering her nose.

She also made her add a little touch of rouge to her lips.

“Now that is how I want you to look from this moment onwards,” she insisted.

Alina stared at herself in the small mirror that fitted into her handbag and then asked nervously,

“You – you don’t think you have used – too much lip salve?”

“Too little !” Denise said firmly. “And before we get to London I will add some rouge to your cheeks.”

She did this as soon as they were alone in their reserved carriage.

When Denise had finished adding the rouge to her cheeks, she said,

“What about Mama’s jewellery?”

“I have on the earrings,” Alina said quickly, “but I thought that would be enough.”

“Not nearly enough,” Denise disagreed scornfully.

She had brought her mother’s jewellery with her in a special crocodile case, which she had told Alina to carry as well as her handbag.