106. Love's Dream in Peril

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Book: 106. Love's Dream in Peril Read Free
Author: Barbara Cartland
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different. It was a whole new life beginning for both of them.
    “Mrs. Mottram!” she called out. “I wonder, might I take Jane out to tea in the town this afternoon?”
    “You know it is against the regulations for pupils to go into town unaccompanied by a teacher.”
    “But we are not really pupils here anymore,” Adella countered. “Jane is about to be a teacher herself and I am about to be a Society lady. I promise to be exceptionally well-behaved.”
    “The streets of Oxford are thronged with young gentlemen who have just finished their examinations at the University. I cannot allow it.”
    “I should not think that the young gentlemen will be going to a tearoom,” Adella said, “and if they do, they will have their mothers and sisters with them.”
    Mrs. Mottram hesitated.
    “Please!” Adella continued. “One day I should love to be able to tell my own little girls how I took my best friend out to tea on my last day at school!”
    “Very well,” she agreed reluctantly. “But you must be back by five o’clock and you must speak to no one you have not been introduced to! And, Adella, please remove that ribbon from your hair before you leave the premises.” The June sunshine was making dappled patterns on the pavement as it shone through the green leaves on the trees and it was a perfect afternoon to be strolling through the quiet streets of Oxford towards the town centre.
    Adella said that she would very much have liked to skip a few steps for sheer joy, but then restrained herself and gave her grey parasol a little twirl instead.
    “I can’t believe Mrs. Mottram agreed to this,” Jane said.
    “Oh, she would do anything for me, well, almost anything. She wants me to send all my own little girls to school with her.”
    “And would you?”
    “Of course not! I shall keep them at home with me. I would never dream of sending them away to school. Oh, Jane, please hold my parasol for a moment, would you?”
    She pulled the pink ribbon out of her pocket and reached up to untie the grey one that restrained her curls.
    “Adella, someone is coming!” Jane now whispered, holding Adella’s parasol as well as her own. “You should not be arranging your hair in the street!”
    The clop of horses’ hooves approached along the street behind them. Two gentlemen were riding into town.
    Adella struggled to restrain her hair, as it fell over her shoulders in a cascade of gold.
    “Good afternoon, ladies!”
    The horses had by now caught up with them and a fair-haired young gentleman with piercing blue eyes leant down from his saddle and doffed his hat.
    “Are you in need of assistance? You seem to be having trouble.”
    Adella looked up at him.
    His white teeth flashed as he smiled down at her from his high perch on his tall grey thoroughbred.
    As she met his gaze, Adella felt suddenly clumsy and awkward and, as she fumbled with her hair, the pink ribbon dropped to the pavement.
    “Lord Ranulph. Here’s a damsel in distress! Jump down and hold those parasols for the other lady so that she can help her friend,” he suggested.
    His companion, a lean young man with dark hair and dark eyes, looked rather embarrassed.
    “Stand, Major!” he said, soothing his fretting black thoroughbred. He dropped from the saddle and handed the reins to the fair-haired man.
    “Allow me,” he said, taking the parasols from Jane.
    Jane’s face was bright scarlet, as she retrieved the ribbon from the pavement and tied it around Adella’s hair.
    “Thank you, sir,” she murmured, looking down at her boots.
    “It was nothing.” The young man turned to Adella and his eyes glowed as he looked at her. “My pleasure, miss,” he said with a low bow.
    And then he caught the reins of his black horse and jumped up into the saddle.
    “Come, Digby!” he said and the two young men turned their horses and trotted briskly away down the road, laughing as they went.
    “Oh, my goodness!” Adella exclaimed, when she had recovered herself.

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