A Heart of Stone

by Barbara Cartland

  The Earl saw that his aunt was asleep at the same time as Vanora did.

  His eyes twinkled and they both walked silently across the floor to the door.

  He opened it and then, as Vanora passed through it, he followed her.

  Outside he held out his hand and took hers.

  “I would like to thank you, Miss Bruce,” he said, “not only for what you have found today but for all your enthusiasm and interest. It is delightful for me to have you here and I am very grateful.”

  “I only hope I shall find more treasures tomorrow,” Vanora managed to say.

  He still had her hand in his.

  As she felt the strength of his fingers, she thought how strong he was.

  It was as much a part of him as his extraordinary good looks.

  She was then aware that the Earl had not released her hand and he was looking down at her in a somewhat strange manner.

  “I am just hoping,” he said as if she had asked, “that you will be here tomorrow.”

  “Why should I not be, my Lord?”

  “Because, as I have already said, the sea may be calling you or perhaps the wind from the moors will carry you up to the top of them and I will never see you again.”

  Vanora gave a little laugh.

  At the same time her eyes flickered and she could not look at him.

  “I think both are unlikely,” she said, “and I will be here for breakfast and ready to go to work.”

  “If you promise me that is what you will do,” the Earl said, “I shall not worry, otherwise I shall undoubtedly have a sleepless night.”

  Vanora laughed again.

  “I think that is unlikely, my Lord.”

  She took her hand from his.

  Then she walked away quickly down the corridor that led eventually to her room.

  She had the feeling that, as she went, his eyes were following her and he had not gone back into the drawing room.

  She did not look round.

  When she reached her bedroom, she thought that he was very much more perceptive than she had imagined any man could be.

  One day, and it might be any day, when she found the Stone, she would disappear.

  But she would not be lost in the waves of the sea or in the winds of the moor.

  She would merely go back to Ewen.

  He only wanted the Stone because he hated and loathed the MacFiles, who had taken it from him.

  Just to think about it spoilt the enchantment of The Castle.

  She had felt all through dinner that she was taking part in a play and she did not like to think that she was deceiving the Earl and his charming aunt.

  When she did leave, they would think of her very differently from what they were thinking of her now.

  Such thoughts upset her and they broke the spell that she had been enveloped in ever since she had come to The Castle.

  Vanora went to the window.

  She pulled back the curtains and looked out.

  There was a moon rising in the sky and the stars were reflected in the sea.

  There was the scent of the flowers from the garden and a faint wind was moving the leaves in the trees just below her.

  It was all so incredibly lovely, a picture that had an irrepressible enchantment for anyone who looked at it.

  She felt that she was a part of it all.

  The moonlight touched the water rising and falling into the fountain and turned it to silver. It was also making its way into her heart.

  ‘This is all a Fairytale,’ she told herself and she knew that it was something she could not express in words and yet she responded to it with every nerve in her body.

  Then suddenly, as if it made her afraid, she moved from the window.

  She pulled the curtains back into place.

  When she finally climbed into bed, she lay awake for a long time.

  She was trying to think clearly and sensibly about what she was doing, but she found it impossible.

  *

  The next morning Vanora was downstairs early in the library and she had catalogued quite a number of books before breakfast.

  When she went into the breakfast room, she found herself alone.

  Donald informed her that his Lordship had gone fishing and her Ladyship was breakfasting in her room.

  Vanora therefore ate breakfast quickly and went back to the library.

  The sunshine coming through the window made her long to go out into the garden, but she felt that she must do some work and perhaps snatch a little time off later.

  She found several books of great interest, but once again the First Folio of Shakespeare eluded her.

  She did, however, discover to her surprise that one of the Earl’s relatives had left some of the novels of Sir Walter Scott in the library.

  There was Waverley and Guy Mannering and also The Antiquary.

  And it was Sir Walter Scott who had arranged the triumphant visit of the King to Scotland two years ago

  Vanora was sure that some of the Earl’s relations must have gone to Edinburgh and perhaps they had hastily bought the books by Sir Walter Scott so that they would not appear ignorant of his fame when they met him.

  She also considered it stupid of her father to have refused to allow the McKyle Clan to take part in all the celebrations.

  ‘The trouble is,’ she thought to herself, ‘in Scotland we have far too many feuds starting with the English and continuing on amongst our own people.’

  She now wondered if the Earl was strong enough or patriotic enough for a great task and that was to unite the North of Scotland with the South of whom they had often spoken scathingly.

  And to make the whole country unite to promote new schemes of economic development and to improve the education of their people.

  This would, of course, bring them more prosperity.

  It was just a dream and yet she was thinking that someone like the Earl might be capable of doing it.

  ‘Perhaps I can talk to him about it,’ she reflected.

  Then she remembered why she was in The Castle!

  How could she steal from the Earl and at the same time want him to be of more influence than he was already.

  There was no sign of him at luncheon time and she realised that he would have taken his luncheon with him when he went to the river.

  Lady Sophie was very interested in what she had been doing in the morning and, when Vanora told her that she had found the novels of Sir Walter Scott, she said,

  “I enjoyed reading him myself and I am always hoping that he will write some more books.”

  “Would you like me to bring you one of them from the library now?” Vanora asked her.

  Lady Sophie shook her head.

  “I find it tires my eyes to read for long,” she said. “But, of course, I am very interested in everything you discover and it’s so good for Neil to take an interest in The Castle.”

  Vanora looked surprised.

  “Has he not done so in the past.” she asked.

  Lady Sophie shook her head.

  “He has spent much more time in England than in Scotland and it was inevitable that he should be such a success in the Social world which means so much to His Majesty.”

  Vanora knew that this was quite understandable as, looking so handsome and so dashing, the Earl would have naturally been talked about in what was known as the Beau Monde.

  “I have been so worried about him at times,” Lady Sophie was saying, “because, of course, he should marry and have an heir. But the beautiful women with whom he enjoyed himself would not be the right sort of wife for the Chieftain of the MacFiles.”

  Vanora knew this to be true.

  “I am sure there must be plenty of suitable young women in Scotland,” she said, “as well as in London.”

  “They might be suitable,” Lady Sophie said, “but if one is honest they are seldom beautiful. The women Neil spends his time with in London are acknowledged as the great beauties of the year.”

 
She gave a sigh and then went on,

  “To be honest, my dear, I was very frightened in case he married the last one he was attracted to.”

  “Was she very beautiful?” Vanora enquired.

  “I believe the King said she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and everyone knows that he is a good judge.”

  She gave a little laugh and then she sighed again.

  “One day, my dear, when you have sons of your own,” she said, “you will worry, as we all do, over whom they will marry. With someone of such consequence as my nephew, it is vital that he chooses the right woman.”

  There was silence and then Lady Sophie added,

  “I don’t want my nephew to be bored in Scotland, so I have asked some young people to stay and they will be arriving tomorrow.”

  After she had spoken, there was a short silence and then Vanora said,

  “I am sure if you have done that, ma’am, it would be a mistake for me to have my meals in the dining room. I shall quite understand if I can have them elsewhere.”

  Lady Sophie smiled.

  “That is very sensible of you and, of course, as you say, it would be correct. I will therefore arrange with the housekeeper that you use one of the boudoirs as a sitting room. I think there is one almost next to your bedroom.”

  “That would be very convenient,” Vanora replied.

  At the same time her heart sank.

  She knew that it was ridiculous of her, yet she was disappointed that she would not be able to continue talking to the Earl.

  As she went back to the library, she said to herself,

  ‘You are being quite ridiculous. You are not here to enjoy yourself, but to do exactly what your brother as Chief of the Clan has ordered you to do. Now get on with it and then you can go home.’

  Then she saw a mountain of books in front of her and the sunshine streaming in through the windows made the library look very alluring.

  It was then she knew, if she was honest, that she had no wish to go home.

  She wanted to stay in this enchanted castle.

  However wrong it might be for her as a McKyle, she wanted to look at and go on talking to the Earl.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Vanora heard the guests arriving the next afternoon.

  They chatted as they walked from the hall up to the drawing room.

  She wondered if amongst them there was anyone as beautiful as the lady whom Lady Sophie had mentioned as the Earl’s last love in London.

  She found herself thinking about it when she should have been sorting out the books.

  Had the Earl missed her when he had returned to Scotland? Had he any intention of going back to London to be with her?

  She wondered if the lady in question was clever as well as beautiful.

  The more she had talked to the Earl, the more she realised how well read he was.

  She was aware too that he had a ‘third eye’ which made him see deep inside the person he was speaking to.

  Once or twice when they were having a discussion, she realised that he had read her thoughts before she had expressed them or he anticipated what she was going to say before she said it.

  She tried not to think about him.

  Yet her thoughts kept returning to the guests who were upstairs.

  She found it hard to concentrate on the books.

  There was one shelf right in the middle of the room that she had finished.

  She had filled it with all the books she could find in Gaelic and those that referred to the history of Scotland and that at least would make it easy for any visitors to find what they required.

  It was not, however, other readers she was thinking about but the Earl.

  She knew that he, if no one else, would appreciate the library when it was finished and she wanted to ask him now what he thought of the shelf that she had already done.

  Then she told herself firmly that she must behave in a more discreet manner.

  Otherwise Lady Sophie might want her sent away before her task was finished.

  Even as she thought that, she remembered that her real task was to find the Stone.

  When she had found it, Ewen would expect her to take it to him and leave the library unfinished.

  She worked until it was teatime and then one of the maids brought her some tea on a tray.

  She thanked her and the girl said,

  “They be a-talkin’ their heads off in the drawin’ room and it makes me think of how quiet it usually be here in The Castle.”

  Vanora wondered if that was what the Earl enjoyed.

  She quickly ate what was brought her for tea and continued her work with the books.

  She was just considering what the next shelf should contain when the door of the library opened.

  The Earl came in.

  And it seemed to Vanora as if her heart turned a somersault.

  She told herself it was because he was smiling and looking pleased to see her.

  “I am afraid I have neglected you, Miss Bruce,” he said. “I know my aunt has told you that we have guests to stay and, as they have not been to The Castle for years, they are curious to see the improvements I intend to make.”

  He paused for a moment to look at the books.

  Then he went on,

  “They will wish to see the library and I am sure that they will be very impressed with what you have achieved already.”

  “As you see,” Vanora replied, “I have finished one shelf, but there are a great many more to do.”

  The Earl walked to the shelf and looked at it.

  “I see what you have done and that is splendid. It is exactly what I wanted and I will be able to find any book I require without having to climb from one end of the room to the other.”

  “Don’t speak too soon, my Lord,” Vanora replied. “There are, as you well know, thousands more waiting for my attention.”

  “I am aware of that and I am extremely grateful to you for what you are doing in such a sensible way. I know, of course, that it would be quite impossible for you to be anything else.”

  He was gazing at her as he spoke.

  Despite herself, Vanora blushed and it made her look even lovelier than she was already.

  The Earl now demanded impulsively,

  “How is it possible that you can look like you do and at the same time know so much about history?”

  Vanora was just about to answer him when the door opened and Donald announced,

  “Major and Mrs. Morgan to see you, my Lord.”

  The Earl turned round in surprise.

  Vanora saw two people come into the room. The man was middle-aged and the woman very much younger and quite pretty.

  For a moment the Earl did not speak.

  She knew that he was not sure who the newcomers were and then he exclaimed,

  “It’s Cyril! Surely it is Cyril!”

  “You are quite right,” the newcomer said advancing towards him. “I hoped you would not have forgotten the time we spent together in the Regiment before I was posted to India.”

  “Of course I have not forgotten you,” the Earl said. “But I am surprised to see you and – ”

  He looked towards the woman who had come into the room with him.

  “Let me introduce my wife, Alice,” Major Morgan said.

  The Earl shook her by the hand.

  “We have arrived to impose on your hospitality,” Major Morgan said, “since one of the wheels on our chaise has something wrong with it.”

  The Earl was listening and Major Morgan went on,

  “I have shown it to one of the men in your stables and he said he could have it mended by tomorrow morning, but unfortunately not before.”

  The Earl smiled.

  “Then of course, Cyril, you and your wife must stay here tonight and I am delighted to welcome you.”

  “That is very kind of you, Neil,” the Major replied.

  “So what are you doing in Scotland,” he enquired, “and so far North
?”

  “We are on our way to visit some of my wife’s relations,” the Major replied. “We took a ship for some of the way and then decided to drive in the Highlands, which I have always wanted to visit.”

  “Well, I am delighted to have you. Now you must come upstairs to the drawing room where my aunt, Lady Sophie, is having tea with my other guests.”

  He did not introduce the newcomers to Vanora.

  She had moved away while they were talking to the other end of the library.

  She watched them go, the Earl towering above his friend and she thought that they were lucky to be joining the party and would doubtless have many reminiscences of the past to talk about.

  When they had gone, the library seemed very quiet and Vanora felt lonely.

  The sun was shining brightly outside and she had been working ever since luncheon.

  She decided that she needed some fresh air.

  She let herself out of a door that was not often used and found the garden looking even more enchanting than it had from the windows.

  She wanted to walk towards the fountain.

  Yet she knew, if she did so, anyone looking out of the drawing room windows would see her and that might be a mistake.

  She turned away from the front of The Castle and moved through some trees down towards the sea.

  Now she had a clear view of the bay where the Earl’s yacht was anchored in a secluded spot.

  As she looked at it, she wished that the Earl would take her on it, if only for a short distance.

  She had been very impressed by the yacht that had brought her to Edinburgh, but she thought that the Earl’s was infinitely superior.

  She wondered if he would soon get bored with The Castle and want to travel to other parts of the world and it would be so tempting having a yacht ready to carry him anywhere he wished to go and she longed to be able to do the same.

  She stayed by the sea and in the garden for what seemed a long time and then the shadows began to deepen and the sun was sinking lower in the sky.

  She thought she should go back to her room and so let herself in through the same door.

  As she then walked into the library, she saw to her surprise that the Earl was there and alone.

  As he saw her, he exclaimed,

  “I was wondering where you could possibly be and if perhaps you had suddenly decided to return to Mount Olympus and I should be unable to find you again.”