A Steeplechase For Love

by Barbara Cartland

  “I thought I would find you here,” she began.

  “I hope everything is alright,” Mr. Martin asked her anxiously.

  “Everything as far as I know, but many more guests have arrived than I expected.”

  “Fortunately I had been told that there might be an unlimited number of guests,” said Mr. Martin, “so I warned Mrs. Walters.”

  “You did not warn me and I was astonished – ” Helsa sat down on the chair next to the desk.

  “A strange thing has just happened, Mr. Martin, and perhaps you will have an explanation for it.”

  “What is it, Miss Helsa?” he asked quickly.

  “When Lady Basset left her room, a gentleman she addressed as ‘my dear Duke’ was just coming out of the master bedroom. As they walked downstairs, I distinctly heard her imply to him that this was her own house, but she had not been able to live in it for some time.”

  There was silence for a moment and then as she looked questioningly at Mr. Martin, he remarked,

  “I hoped that you would not find this out, but I did know about it before she arrived.”

  “You knew – but you did not tell me?” Mr. Martin smiled.

  “You know quite well that I did not expect you to be here and there was therefore no reason to tell you what might upset you. I am quite sure it would have remained a secret to Miss Emerson as she is not as bright as you are.”

  Then Helsa responded smilingly,

  “It is no use trying to flatter me. But do tell me the truth, Mr. Martin. Why is she then pretending to own The Hall? It seems to me so extraordinary.”

  “It seemed so to me when I was told it by the man who came down from London to see if the house fulfilled her Ladyship’s requirements.” “Which it did, but why does she have to pretend to own it?”

  “No explanation was given to me. I was only told that her Ladyship was looking for a distinguished ancestral house that had always been in the possession of aristocrats. When Irvin Hall was then offered to her, she accepted it with alacrity, alleging that she was a direct descendant of a previous Earl of Irvindale.”

  “But I have never heard of her in my life,” Helsa protested. “You know as well as I do that Papa has been most meticulous in keeping the family tree up to date. I assure you there is not a single mention of anyone called Basset anywhere.”

  Mr. Martin looked embarrassed.

  “The manager of the Agency who found this house for her, Miss Helsa, told me in confidence that Lady Basset was anxious to pose as being related to one of the most famous names in the country. In fact she had turned down quite a number of large houses simply because she did not consider their owners aristocratic enough.”

  Helsa laughed.

  “Well, I suppose there is no need for us to mind her pretending to be a relation. It just seems to me to be a very strange way to behave.”

  “Very strange indeed,” Mr. Martin agreed. “But as you rightly say, it can do no harm and I thought that it was something you would never know as you were not at all likely to meet Lady Basset.”

  “Of course I should have wanted to meet her, but I didn’t think she would be particularly interested in meeting me, unless she went to the Church and was impressed by Papa.”

  Even as she spoke she knew by the expression on Mr. Martin’s face that he did not think Lady Basset would be that impressed by the village Vicar – unless she learnt that he was really the Earl of Irvindale.

  “But so far there have been no other puzzles,” she added, “and I suppose that Lady Basset’s claim to own the house is to be kept from the other servants.”

  “I think, to be frank, Miss Helsa, she does not know that there are any servants in the house who were here with your grandparents. In fact when the Agent came down to inspect the house, he thought there were just two caretakers in residence and I saw no reason to argue the point.”

  “So what he was making sure of,” Helsa ruminated, “was that Lady Basset could not then be accused of lying, whatever she may tell her guests.”

  “I suppose that is true enough, but you must agree, Miss Helsa, that we have arranged an amazingly high rent for this house, and it would be such a tragedy if we upset her Ladyship and she walked out without paying it.”

  Helsa gave a cry of horror.

  “Of course it would be and Papa is counting on the money to carry out restoration on the estate. Once we can start, I am very confident that we shall have excellent crops once again and produce something to sell.”

  “I am well aware of the current financial situation and therefore the longer Lady Basset stays here and the more demands she makes for extra servants and a number of other matters she mentioned to me tonight, the more she will have to pay.”

  “I am only grateful you are here to extract it from her, Mr. Martin, but I think it is a mistake for Papa to find out that she is telling lies. You know what he feels about people who lie.”

  “It is just unfortunate, Miss Helsa, that you have big ears,” Mr. Martin teased her.

  Helsa giggled.

  “I have been accused of many things, but not that before!”

  “I had the idea, until you came in to see me,” Mr. Martin added, “that no one would know of her Ladyship’s pretence and I have no intention of telling anyone.”

  “I would hope not. And I promise not to tell Papa. It was just rather unfortunate that I should overhear, the very moment she arrived, that she is playing a part as if on the stage. I am sure that all her guests are expected to do is to applaud her!”

  “Of course, and it is something they will naturally do. Robinson has told me that she has brought extremely expensive gifts for all of them. He was only aware of that, because as they were so valuable, she told him to put them in the safe.”

  “She must be very very rich,” commented Helsa.

  “I can only hope that is the truth and not another deception.”

  Helsa gave a little cry.

  “Oh, don’t frighten me! I really think that it would break Papa’s heart if the tide has not turned as he believes and again we have to consider every penny we spend and leave so much undone that ought to be done.”

  “I do understand. But all I can say, Miss Helsa, is that you can trust me. We can only hope that we will sail through the storm to prosperity with the help of God and no one else.”

  “That is what I hope and will certainly pray for, Mr. Martin. Now I think it is time I went to bed. I am sorry to have kept you up for so long.”

  “I will not go to bed until everyone else has done so. I want to be quite certain that the coachmen have been properly looked after and there is no trouble in the stables.”

  “You are wonderful, you think of everything. We are so very grateful that we have someone as robust as you to manage all this.”

  Mr. Martin rose to his feet and smiled at her.

  “I might have guessed that I could not keep a secret from you, Miss Helsa. Actually I have worried quite a lot about Lady Basset’s plan to pose as a descendant of some great ancestral family. To tell the truth, when I heard that this was what she wanted, I put the price she had to pay for renting The Hall and estate up considerably!”

  “Oh, Mr. Martin,” Helsa exclaimed, “you really are amazing! I only wish we could tell Papa. He would think it so funny!”

  “But it is his business as Vicar,” Miss Helsa, “not to encourage lies and deception!”

  Helsa put up her hands.

  “I was only teasing – and I promise I will not say a word to Papa. Anyway I have no wish to upset him.”

  “Nor have I. Now do go and rest and don’t worry. Leave the worrying to me. Tomorrow may bring us more problems.”

  “I am praying there will be none – but I cannot help feeling that this makes the game even more exciting than it is already.”

  “As long as it does not get out of hand,” Mr. Martin cautioned.

  Helsa walked to the door and as she opened it, she looked back.

  “Goodnight,
Mr. Martin, and thank you for being so marvelous. I think Papa and I are so lucky to have you.”

  She did not wait for his reply, but closed the door behind her and ran upstairs.

  CHAPTER THREE

  As soon as Helsa was free the next morning, she hurried back to the Vicarage.

  She had left a note for her father to say that she was going to The Hall and thought that, as there were so many guests arriving and everyone was consequently in such a fluster, she should stay the night.

  She was determined not to let him know the real reason why she was staying there.

  As she walked towards the Vicarage, she wondered how she could convince him that she was still needed at The Hall.

  She should not have worried – her father was very pleased to see her, but as usual he was extremely busy.

  “I have a wedding today, my dear, in Upton, which you know is on the border of the estate, and a christening late in the afternoon in the other direction.”

  “Oh, Papa, it is too much for you!”

  He smiled at Helsa.

  “I will manage. Now tell me how they are getting on up at The Hall.”

  “Everything so far is going quite smoothly, Papa. The only problem is that there are far more people staying than Mr. Martin expected.”

  “Well, I imagine there is plenty of room for them, my dear, but you must help him all you can.”

  “That is exactly why I am staying up there,” Helsa replied. “As you know, the staff, especially the new ones, are not used to people from London. Mr. Martin and I are terrified they will make too many mistakes.”

  “Well, you can only do your best, no one can do more – ”

  Helsa knew he was not really listening to her and she was grateful for that mercy.

  If he had asked her direct questions, she would not want to lie, but it made it much easier that her father was so immersed in his own duties.

  She saw him off on his rounds.

  Then, as she was about to return to The Hall, the old groom, George, who looked after her Papa’s horses, ambled into the kitchen looking a little sheepish.

  “I hears, Miss Helsa,” he began, “there be some fine ’orses a-comin’ ’ere for the steeplechase.”

  “Steeplechase?” repeated Helsa. “I did not know we were having one!”

  “They be talkin’ about it in the pub last night and sayin’ it be a difficult ride, but there’s never been such fine ’orses in the stables as there be right now.”

  This was all news to Helsa and she considered that Mr. Martin should have told her.

  Having chatted to George for a short time and then to Bessie, who cooked for her and her father, she started back across the Park.

  She could not help wondering if George had got it all wrong, as he usually did.

  Maybe there was really no steeplechase and no fine new horses in the stables.

  Equally she wondered for the first time how Lady Basset intended to entertain so many gentlemen.

  She was thinking in the night that there were now nine of them, including the elderly gentleman, and only three ladies. It was a party that she would have enjoyed herself, but she thought wistfully she was never likely to host one.

  What interested her more than anything, however, were the horses – they had managed to keep two horses at the Vicarage with George to look after them.

  Her father rode one and she rode the other, but her horse was sadly growing old.

  She had no intention of allowing him to be ‘let’ out with the Hall. He stayed out in the paddock where he was quite happy until she wanted to ride him, but she thought that he must have missed her these last two days when she had not been able to go and see him.

  There was no time at present, but she told herself she must slip down to the Vicarage again as soon as it was possible, not only to make her father happy but to go and pat her beloved mount.

  He was called ‘Golden Arrow’.

  It was a name she had read about years ago in the newspapers when a horse of that name had won a classic race and it had always stuck in her mind.

  She had always wanted to own a horse she could call ‘Golden Arrow’.

  ‘Perhaps one day,’ she reflected, ‘I will be able to ride horses that George would call ‘fine’. Then my horse will be worthy of being described as one that travels very swiftly.’

  When she reached The Hall, it was not quite eleven o’clock and she thought there would be no chance of Lady Basset requiring her services until nearly luncheon time.

  She had dressed her this morning almost in silence and said nothing unusual, yet Helsa had felt instinctively that she was annoyed about something.

  She only hoped it was nothing that concerned the household, but she thought it would be a mistake to ask her any questions.

  Now she wondered what the guests would be doing after breakfast and she was almost sure if they had brought horses with them, they would be out riding.

  If there really was to be a steeplechase, she could understand why Lady Basset had asked so many gentlemen and so few ladies to her party, unless of course she wished to remain the ‘Belle of the Ball’ without any competition.

  Because she was so curious, Helsa approached the stables from the back.

  She passed through a small clump of trees and over a piece of waste land and when she drew nearer, she could hear no guests in the stables as if there were, they would be talking to the grooms.

  She was quite right and when she turned into the stable yard, there was no one to be seen.

  Only as she pushed open the door to the first stable did she see that there were several new horses that had not been there before.

  The groom rubbing down a particularly fine stallion was also a stranger.

  As she then stopped, he touched his forelock.

  “Good morning,” said Helsa.

  “Mornin’, ma’am.” “That is a magnificent horse you are attending to,” she remarked to the groom. “Who does it belong to?”

  “To ’is Grace the Duke of Mervinston.” “He is certainly a very beautiful animal – ” As she spoke, she pushed open the door of the stall and slipped in. She patted the stallion and recognised that he was more majestic than any horse she had ever seen.

  Certainly he was far superior to any animal that had been in the stables before.

  “Where are the others?” she asked, hoping that she had not made a mistake and there were no others.

  “They be out bein’ ridden by them gentlemen as be staying ’ere at the big ’ouse,” the groom replied.

  Then before she could ask another question he said,

  “His Grace brought two ’orses with ’im. One ’e be breakin’ in. It’ll be givin’ ’im a tough time this mornin’!”

  “I expect he is a very good rider,” Helsa muttered.

  She had no idea whether he was or not, but she was curious about him.

  The groom grinned.

  “’E be one of the very best, and if ’e don’t win yon steeplechase tomorrow, I’ll eat me ’at.”

  “That will undoubtedly give you acute indigestion,” giggled Helsa, “but I hope he does.”

  “’E’ll do it all right, ma’am, and you just mark me words, ’e’ll show ’is ’eels to them other gentlemen.”

  Helsa smiled at him.

  She then let herself out of the stall and walked back to The Hall.

  She went in through the backdoor and straight into Mr. Martin’s Office.

  “Good morning, Miss Helsa,” he greeted her as she entered. “I was wondering what had happened to you.”

  “I went back to see Papa and then George told me that they are holding a steeplechase! You did not tell me.”

  “I did not get the chance. When you left me to go and wait on her Ladyship, I was informed when she arrived that there would be twelve guests in the house which I had not expected.”

  Helsa realised he was feeling quite indignant as he went on,

  “An expert on steeplechase
s is also arriving today to arrange one for the gentlemen who are here. Then I was told that horses for the event would be coming in late last night and that those who were bringing them would require accommodation.”

  Helsa laughed before she replied,

  “Oh, poor Mr. Martin! It must have been a shock for you!”

  “I am getting used to it and fortunately The Hall is quite big enough to house an Army if necessary. So the newcomers, after they had put their horses in the stables, slept in the East wing.”

  “If they are all going to be here every night,” Helsa cried, “you will need one or two more housemaids to make their beds if nothing else.”

  “I have thought of that already and I have got two women coming from the village who, quite frankly, I had previously not thought good enough to work here.”

  Helsa laughed again.

  “It is no use being too particular. I was astonished when I saw so many gentlemen arriving yesterday with her Ladyship, but now I know the reason.”

  “It is certainly a new way of entertaining and one which will amuse your father when he hears about it.”

  “I have just been to see Papa. He is very busy and fortunately did not ask me too many questions.”

  She felt as if some of the tension disappeared from Mr. Martin’s eyes and then she continued,

  “He quite understands that you need me here and was not at all upset that I have to stay away from home.”

  “Well, thank goodness for that. I was afraid that he would insist on your going home and I was wondering if Mrs. Walters would be able to cope in your absence.”

  “She is doing very well, but I should not suggest asking any more of her. I will try to see Papa some time during each day so that he does not believe it his duty to come to find me.”

  Mr. Martin threw up his hands.

  “Oh, don’t let him do that! I am sure that the Vicar would be extremely upset at you pretending to be a lady’s maid. He would also be perturbed that we have had to tell quite a number of lies.”

  “I do agree with you, Mr. Martin, that it would be a great mistake to worry Papa. Now I had better go upstairs and see if her Ladyship’s room is exactly as she wants it.”