Love Drives In

by Barbara Cartland

  "Of course I will," she cried joyfully.

  "Then quickly put on your hat and coat, and off we go."

  Everything was happening in such a whirl that she had no time to think. It wasn't until they were in the carriage and moving away fast that she knew a qualm of conscience.

  "Are you sure about confiding so much in me?" she asked. "If it's new and revolutionary, it might make your fortune."

  "I hope it will."

  "But don't you see, there must be other people trying to create the same thing. If a great new invention is 'in the air', then several people will think of it at once, because its time has come."

  He looked at her curiously.

  "How strange that you should say that," he mused. "It's true, of course, but not many people know it. You must know more about this business than I ever dreamed."

  "I – I was quoting someone," she stammered.

  She had been quoting her father, but she could not say that.

  "Are you going to tell me who?"

  "No," she said firmly. "I merely want to warn you about telling me too much about your miracle. How do you know that I'm not a spy from another camp? You've said yourself that I'm strangely well informed."

  The Earl laughed. "Why are you trying to make me think ill of you? Whoever you are, wherever you come from, I know that I can trust you."

  "Forgive me, my Lord, but you know no such thing."

  "But I do. Now, I don't want to hear any more. We shall soon be reaching the factory. It's situated in rather a rough district, but don't be worried. No harm will come to you."

  Looking out of the window she could see that he was right. The streets were becoming dingy and poor, although now that the lights were coming on they somehow seemed cheerful. But however rough they were, she was not worried. They reminded her of the places in Birmingham where her father's factories were. And she much preferred this honest shabbiness to the glittering decadence of the Alhambra.

  At last they arrived at what looked like a very large shed with wide doors. Light was streaming from inside and several men stood ready to greet them.

  The Earl assisted Dorina to descend, and introduced her briefly as his secretary. As she was still dressed to look forbidding, nobody thought this strange.

  They entered the great shed, which was lit by electricity and full of machinery. All around her Dorina saw working men in leather aprons. It was like meeting up with old friends, for she had known men just like this when she visited her father.

  And there was another thing she recognised, the look of joy and pride on their faces that told a tale of work that had come to fruition, of success too long delayed but finally achieved in the face of all odds. It was a look of sheer blazing triumph.

  The same look was on the Earl's face.

  "Now, are you ready for what I'm going to show you?" he asked.

  "I'm quite ready."

  "No, you're not. Nobody in the world is ready for this. A carriage that runs by itself without any horses. They said it couldn't be done, but we proved them wrong. Mike – "

  On the word a large man with grey hair stepped aside, indicating a very large object that made Dorina's eyes open wide.

  It had four wheels and four seats, but there the similarity to a conventional carriage ended. Instead of the seats being arranged in two rows of two, facing each other, both rows faced the front.

  The construction was about eight feet long by five feet wide, and stood six feet above the ground.

  "All the energy is generated here," the Earl said, laying his hand on a large metal box in the front, from which protruded a long spoke, with a wheel on the end.

  "It's powered by a thick, heavy liquid that we call petrol. It works because it can be set alight. Inside this box the petrol is drawn into the cylinder by the piston, and then compressed. Then a spark sets the petrol alight, which forces it up. When the engine is at full blast it can go as fast as four horses all galloping together."

  A murmur went round the men who had gathered around them. Four horse power. Fancy that!

  He raised the side of the metal box and Dorina peered inside with real interest.

  "But with no horses or reins, how do you make it go where you want?" she asked.

  "That's what the wheel is for. I'll show you."

  He climbed up into one of the front seats and leaned down, giving her his hand to draw her up beside him. The seat was higher than she had expected, and looking down she had a dizzying feeling of delight and excitement. From up here anything seemed possible.

  "Let's start up," the Earl called.

  "How do you generate the spark?" she asked.

  "Like this," he said, pointing to where a man had positioned himself at the front.

  The man thrust a bent spoke into the front and began to turn it. At the third turn the metal box started to hum.

  "It's alive," she gasped.

  "That's it. It's alive, just as horses are alive. It's a different kind of life, but it's still life."

  "But it isn't moving."

  "Watch down there."

  Following his gaze, she saw how he pressed a pedal near the floor. And then slowly, incredibly, the horseless carriage began to move.

  A mighty cheer broke out from all the men. Dorina too felt like cheering.

  Carefully the Earl turned the wheel to the left, and the carriage moved in the same direction. Then he turned the wheel to the right and again the carriage responded.

  Round the great shed he went with Dorina clinging to his arm in transports of delight.

  "Oh it's wonderful!" she cried. "Can I try?"

  "You mean – you want to drive it?"

  "Yes, please."

  He drew to a halt and jumped down to the ground, indicating for her to move over behind the wheel. When he had climbed in the other side he showed her the foot pedal. The engine was still humming.

  "Grasp the wheel and press the pedal gently," he said.

  Dorina took a deep breath and pressed down with her foot. The carriage began to glide forward and she almost cried out at the wonderful feeling.

  "We're moving," she said ecstatically.

  "That's right. Now turn the wheel slowly, that's it – "

  But in the same moment she seemed to lose control. The carriage swerved and came to an abrupt halt against a heavy piece of machinery. The jolt sent her sideways straight into the Earl's arms.

  At once they were surrounded by men, worriedly examining the carriage.

  "Have I damaged it?" she cried.

  The man called Mike made a reassuring gesture.

  "Not so much as a scratch," he said.

  There was another cheer. Dorina realised that the Earl's arms were still around her.

  "Shall I take over again?" he asked.

  "Yes, I think perhaps you should," she said.

  They did another few rounds of the shed before coming to a halt.

  "I wanted you to see this," he said. "But now I suppose we must stop."

  They bade everyone goodnight, and left the shed in a kind of dream.

  All the way home they were quiet, awed by the beautiful thing that had happened. Neither of them could find words, but they both knew that they were glad they had shared the moment.

  It was about nine o'clock when they reached the house. Henly greeted them in the hall.

  "Cook wasn't sure whether you wanted dinner, my Lord."

  "Oh dear, I hope she isn't too angry with me," the Earl said. "Please tell her that anything will do."

  In the dining room he poured her a sherry and one for himself. Henly came in just then, stiff with disapproval.

  "I could have done that for your Lordship."

  "Don't worry about it," the Earl said cheerfully.

  Henly began to lay the table.

  "I have conveyed your message to cook, my Lord, and she says that she does not serve 'anything', but will provide your Lordship with a proper meal."

  He sailed out, the picture of outrage.
<
br />   Dorina gave a choke. The Earl's eyes met hers, gleaming with merriment. Then they laughed out loud together.

  "Poor Henly will never recover from you pouring your own sherry," Dorina said. "It is not what an Earl does."

  "Well, I'm not a proper Earl, any more than my father was. I'm just an engineer giving himself airs, but at this moment I wouldn't be anyone else in the world. Wasn't it wonderful as we went round and round, taking those turns – "

  "Crashing," she reminded him.

  "You'll learn. I'll teach you properly, because something tells me that you can understand about this more than any woman in the world, more than any person in the world."

  Before he could say more Henly swept in with soup. They maintained a sedate silence as he served them and swept out again.

  When the door closed behind him they both relaxed.

  "I can't stand this," the Earl said. "I've never been in such trouble before."

  "You'll have to apologise to cook," Dorina warned him.

  "I was only trying to be kind and helpful," he complained.

  "Servants don't always like that," Dorina said. "They think you're implying that they're not up to the job."

  She tasted the soup, which was delicious, and so missed the puzzled look that the Earl gave her.

  "I wonder how you knew that," he said.

  "Knew what?"

  "How do you know so much about servants? You speak as though you were used to armies of them. It's just one more mystery to add to the many mysteries about you. Don't you think it's time you told me everything?"

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Tell him everything!

  The temptation was great and for a moment Dorina almost yielded to it.

  But how could she tell him anything after this evening, when he had revealed his secrets to her? If he knew her true identity, he would put the worst construction on everything. It must wait for another time.

  So she only smiled mysteriously and shook her head.

  "You're right," he said at once. "I have no business asking, especially after I misjudged you so dreadfully."

  "Let us not speak of that," she said quickly.

  "But I must speak of it. I meant no harm but I was wrong about everything. To a certain kind of sophisticated lady, the Alhambra is nothing but a good joke."

  "You mean like Lady Musgrove, or 'Elsie' or, I dare say, many others."

  She had not meant to say the last words, but she was inspired by a sudden spurt of jealousy.

  "I give you my word," he said, "that I am not a hardened womaniser – "

  "No – of course not – please forget that I said that – I had no right – "

  "I admit that I have led a colourful life – perhaps too colourful – but I am not as bad as you think I am."

  "I think nothing, my Lord. Nothing at all."

  "Is that your way of telling me that I can never be anything to you?"

  "I – I cannot say," she faltered. "Please, let us not speak of it now."

  Her heart had leapt at his words, with their hint that he loved her, or might come to love her. But she could not respond to him as she might want to. Too much between them was concealed. Love could only flourish in honesty, and that time had not yet come.

  "I'm afraid that you are still offended with me," he said. "After what you suffered that night, I cannot blame you. I can only hope that time will erase the memory and you may truly come to forgive me."

  "But I have already forgiven you. It was partly my own fault for wandering off like that."

  "None of it was your fault," he said warmly. "I should have known better than to take you there. The thing is – I've become a little careless – you might say that I've lived carelessly. This house has seen too many women like Lady Musgrove, and Elsie, and others, I'm afraid."

  "You don't owe me any explanations."

  "But I want to make things clear between us. Don't you understand why? No, no, pretend I didn't say that. It's too soon. I only want you to know that all that is over. Such ladies are no longer a part of my life."

  For a moment she could not answer. She was afraid that if she spoke her voice would shake with the emotion of the moment. What she was hearing was so wonderful, so full of hope and joy for the future, that she could hardly believe it, desperately though she wanted to.

  "I – I am sure you have made the right decision, my Lord," she said at last. "You will be free to concentrate on your great inventions and see them benefit the whole world. You need no distractions."

  "Distractions, yes. That's what those frivolous women are. What I need is a woman who is as passionate about my creations as I am myself."

  He did not say more, but his eyes intent on Dorina made it clear that she was the woman he had in mind. She felt as though she were floating in a blissful dream.

  But his next words shook her to the soul.

  "And it will take all the concentration and all the skill of which I am capable, to defeat John Radford."

  There was a slight clatter as Dorina set down her wine glass too quickly, and struck her soup bowl.

  "John Radford?" she asked faintly.

  "My chief rival and the only one that I fear. You know so much, you must surely have heard of him?"

  "I have heard the name," Dorina said cautiously. "I believe he too is an engineer of repute."

  "Indeed he is, and a very great man," the Earl agreed with a readiness that warmed her to him. "Whatever major engineering developments there have been this century, he has led them."

  "He? Not your father?" Dorina could not resist asking.

  He made a humorous face.

  "No, Radford was always just a little ahead of my father in ingenuity and inventiveness. Not that I would have admitted that while Papa was alive. He too was a great man in his way and he improved dramatically on many of the ideas that were invented by other people. But he seldom got there first, and it was always his ambition to outdo John Radford.

  "The only way he managed it was with his title. He was so proud that they made him an Earl and offered Radford nothing. Mind you, I heard rumours that Radford was offered a title and refused it. I'm only glad my father never knew that. It would have spoiled the victory that meant so much to him.

  "Since he died, it has been my ambition to outwit John Radford, on my father's behalf. And now – " a glow seemed to light his face, "now I'm finally within sight of doing it. You can't imagine what that means to me."

  "Does it matter so much, being the first?" Dorina asked.

  "It's the first man whose name goes down in history," the Earl said simply. "John Radford knows that as well as I do. I suspect that's why he's suddenly gone quiet."

  "How do you mean?" Dorina asked in alarm.

  "He almost seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. People who contact his business in Birmingham find themselves talking to employees, but never to the man himself. It's as though he's gone into hiding, and my guess is that he's very close to victory and doesn't want any distractions. If only I knew the answer."

  He stopped as Henly appeared to clear away the soup plates and serve the next course. Meanwhile Dorina tried to think of a way to distract the Earl from this subject which was fraught with danger.

  When they were alone again she said,

  "So let us plan for the future of your horseless carriage. Have you decided on the next step?"

  "There are one or two small technical problems to be overcome, but they won't take long. The steering needs a little attention."

  "Tell me more."

  She spoke only to distract his attention. She did not care about the steering, but she loved to hear him talk with such intensity.

  And he did talk. All through the meal he discussed his work with a total confidence that Dorina could appreciate. In fact, she did not understand everything, but she knew she could follow more than any other woman would have been able to.

  The Earl was good at explaining things, better than her beloved father had been, s
he had to admit. Many things became clear to her that had been obscure before. The whole wonderful world of engineering and inventions seemed to open out before her, as if for the first time.

  At last the Earl said,

  "Serve us coffee in the library, please Henly. Then everyone can go to bed."

  When they were alone in the library he poured the coffee himself, while he talked on for another hour. It was about work, with nothing personal about it. Pistons, petrol, ignition, horse power – these were the words Dorina remembered afterwards.