Читать книгу A Kiss In Rome - Barbara Cartland - Страница 3

Denise arrived the next afternoon.

Alina watched in amazement from the window of the drawing room as the coachman and footman carried a number of trunks into the house.

They hauled them up the stairs and into Alina’s bedroom and, as soon as they had done so, Denise started to open them.

“I have brought you Mama’s luggage,” she said. “It has her initials on it and looks, I am sure, much more luxurious than anything you have.”

Alina was aware of that and she also saw the initials ‘A.L.’ on the trunks.

Before she could ask the question Denise said,

“You must remember that Mama’s name was Alice.”

“Of course it was!” Alina exclaimed. “I had almost forgotten.”

“I suddenly thought of the luggage when I was driving home,” Denise said with glee. “As soon as I told Papa that Lady Langley was chaperoning me and he was delighted about it, I went upstairs to the attics. All Mama’s things were still up there and just look at what I have found!”

She opened the trunks one by one.

First she lifted out an evening cloak of black velvet trimmed with ermine.

Alina made a little murmur of delight.

Denise then produced another cloak, which was of blue velvet this time trimmed with Russian sables.

“They are so lovely!” Alina exclaimed.

“Wait!” Denise cried.

She then produced a sable stole with plenty of tails.

Alina knew that most of the Ladies of Fashion wore this type of fur if they could afford it.

There was also a number of sunshades that were pretty and especially elegant.

Next Denise opened a large hat box.

“I thought that Mama’s other clothes were far too out of date for you to wear them,” she said, “except for a few evening gowns. But hats have altered very little since she died, in fact they are now only more elaborate.”

She then removed a number of hats trimmed with feathers and bows of ribbon and Alina realised at once that they would help to make her look older.

She could also take the decoration from one hat to make another look more spectacular.

“You know how elaborate everything is today,” Denise was saying, “and that is why I am sure we can add lace and frills to the evening gowns so that they look more up to date.”

The bustle, which had been prominent when Denise’s mother was alive, had gradually now become more a part of the skirt.

But for older women the evening gowns with their trains were still very much the same as they had been.

“I am sure that we can find a dressmaker in Rome who can smarten up some of these gowns,” Denise proposed. “In the meantime I have brought you every gown of mine I can find that does not look obviously as if it belonged to a debutante.”

There were a great number of them and Denise unpacked them quickly saying,

“I always thought that this gown was unbecoming because it was too dark and this other one I bought in a bad light. I really think it would become you whilst on me it is a disaster.”

Certainly the darker dresses with their rich colours threw into prominence Alina’s very fair hair and the whiteness of her skin.

Finally Denise brought a small box from the last trunk with an air of triumph.

“Look what I found as well in the attic!” she enthused.

She opened the box and Alina saw that inside there was face powder, mascara and a tiny pot of rouge.

“How could your mother have had all this?” she asked.

“That is a question that has worried me,” Denise replied, “until I remembered one of our cousins, who was very smart and sophisticated coming to stay. I could not have been very old at the time, but I can remember her laughing at Mama and saying she was ‘old-fashioned’. And after she had left, a small parcel arrived, which was a present from her.”

“‘What do you think Gwen has sent me?’ I heard my mother ask Papa.

‘I have no idea,’ he replied.

“She opened the box and showed him what was inside,” Denise went on.

“And what did your father say?” Alina enquired.

“I remember him roaring in fury, ‘I am not having my wife looking like an actress!’

“My mother laughed at him.”

‘“If we go to London,’ she said, ‘you will be ashamed of me for looking so countrified.’

“‘That is how I like you,’ Papa replied and put his arms round her. ‘So she never used it,’” Denise finished, “but now you will find it very useful.”

“But – I have no wish to look like an actress,” Alina protested.

“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.

Now she looked for the case and then took out two rows of pearls that she put round Alina’s neck.

There was a diamond ring for her third finger and a Wedding ring.

As if this was not enough, Denise then added an emerald and pearl bracelet and a brooch in the shape of a butterfly.

“Will it be safe to wear them ‒ when we are travelling?” Alina asked nervously.

“We have plenty of people looking after us,” Denise replied, “including, of course, the intimidating Marquis of Teverton!”

In the excitement of preparing for the journey Alina had almost forgotten about him.

Now she asked,

“Will he be coming with us?”

“I am afraid so,” Denise answered, “but he will make quite certain he travels in another carriage on the train to Dover and keeps to his own cabin in the ferry.”

Alina looked surprised.

“Don’t forget,” Denise explained, “he does not want us and, although we have to stay in the house where he is staying, I am certain that we will only see him passing us on the stairs.”

Alina looked at her cousin questioningly and she said,

“I told you that Papa tricked him into taking me to Rome and he fell without realising it into the trap that Papa set for him.”

“What trap?” Alina asked.