The Dare-Devil Duke

by Barbara Cartland

  It was old, and not likely to wander off.

  At the same time she thought it would be wise to have somebody to look after it.

  There was a boy playing in a garden on the other side of the road and she called to him,

  “I will give you three pence if you will look after this pony while I am inside the cottage.”

  “Oi’ll see ’e don’ go ’way,” the boy said eagerly. By the time she had walked up the path the front door was open and Simon had gone inside.

  Kasia could see an elderly woman with white hair had her arms around him.

  Then he was talking nineteen to the dozen after she had sat down in a chair to listen to him.

  “They were horrid, nasty people, Nanny,” Simon was saying. “They would not let me do anything I wanted to do, and when I ran away to try to find you they said they would beat me if I did it again!”

  “That was very wrong of them,” Nanny said. “I was afraid you would miss me.”

  “I cried and cried,” Simon said, “but they would not let you come back.”

  “I think you can come back now, Nanny,” Kasia said from the door.

  Nanny looked up in surprise and Simon said,

  “This is my new Governess, Nanny. She is very nice, and tells me stories like you used to do.”

  Kasia walked into the cottage.

  “Do not get up, Nanny,” she said quickly as the old woman tried to rise from her chair. “I have only just discovered how much Simon needs you, and if you will allow me to do so, I will ask the Duke if you may come and live at the Castle.”

  “They said as how Simon was too old to have a Nanny,” the elderly woman answered.

  “He is too young to be without a mother,” Kasia said simply, and Nanny understood.

  When they went down to luncheon she let Simon tell the Duke how he had tried to search for Nanny after they sent her away and how he had found her again.

  The Duke listened. Then he said to Kasia,

  “I suppose this is your doing.”

  “Nanny is prepared to come and live at the Castle, if you will permit it,” Kasia said simply.

  The Duke’s lips twisted for a moment.

  “I can hardly say no!”

  “Why should you want to say no?” Kasia asked. “I believe she is very important to Simon.”

  “I want Nanny, I want her very much,” Simon said, “and I also want Miss Watson to stay with me.”

  “Which, of course, I am going to do,” Kasia said.

  “Very well,” the Duke agreed, “I will send a carriage for Nanny this afternoon.”

  Kasia smiled at him.

  “I hoped that was what you would do.”

  “I have a feeling I have little choice,” the Duke replied.

  Because Simon was so delighted at having his nanny back he had plenty to say at luncheon.

  Kasia thought afterwards that he and she had managed to keep the Duke laughing.

  “He must really be bored,” she told herself, “and longing to be in London with all the beautiful women, like Lady Julie.”

  However he showed no sign of being bored.

  Once again he said he would like them to have tea with him, although it might be rather later than it had been yesterday.

  “I am going to the farms,” he explained. “I did two this morning and there are two more waiting for me this afternoon.”

  “I would like to see the little lambs,” Simon said unexpectedly.

  “Very well,” the Duke replied, “you and Miss Watson shall accompany me. You can look at the lambs, the chickens and the calves while I talk to the farmers.”

  “That is something new to do,” Simon said.

  “I only hope,” the Duke replied, “that I am not interfering with your lessons.”

  Kasia knew he was teasing her, and she replied,

  “Not at all, your Grace. Simon must learn about country matters, which are all round him, as well as those subjects which are only to be found in books.”

  “I found the picture of King William all by myself today,” Simon said proudly, “and Miss Watson gave me a prize of a four-penny piece.”

  “Which of course is bribery and corruption,” the Duke said in an aside to Kasia.

  “On the contrary, it was as important as the laurel wreath at the Olympic Games!” Kasia retorted.

  The Duke laughed.

  *

  They drove off in a Phaeton with Simon sitting between the two grown-ups.

  The Duke pointed out to them various landmarks that were familiar to him from the time when he had been at the Castle as a boy.

  There was a mill which was not working at the moment, but he said he was determined to get it into operation as soon as possible.

  There was what had once been a race-course, but had fallen into disrepair during the war. He was arranging to put it into order again.

  Then they saw in the distance a tall tower which he told Simon had once been a watch tower for the Earls who had then lived in the Castle.

  That was also in need of attention.

  “You are not to go near it,” the Duke said, “until I have had time to restore it.”

  “Were there soldiers in the watch tower?” Simon asked.

  “I suspect they were archers,” the Duke said,

  “and they would have shot down any enemy who came near them.”

  “With bows and arrows,” Kasia said in case Simon did not understand.

  “That reminds me,” the Duke; said. “When I was a boy archery contests took place here and it is something I would like to revive.”

  “My father taught me how to use a bow and arrow,” Kasia said, “and I think if you bought a small one for Simon, it is something he would enjoy.”

  “Who shall I shoot?” Simon asked.

  “A target!” the Duke said firmly, “and nothing else! Then if you hit the bulls-eye you will receive a prize.”

  “Oh, please let me have a bow and arrow,” Simon pleaded. “I want to win lots more prizes, then I can go shopping.”

  “You have had your pocket-money,” Kasia said.

  “Oh, yes, of course!” Simon said as if he had forgotten.

  “It is something I should have remembered,” the Duke said, “and of course, Miss Watson, I am very contrite.”

  Kasia smiled.

  “You must not blame yourself,” she said. “After all, you have no children of your own. However, I think your relatives have been somewhat mean.”

  “That is the right way to describe them,” the Duke said. “I am determined that is something I will never be.”

  He spoke so fervently that Kasia guessed he too had suffered from their meanness in the past.

  She remembered someone telling her that he had been quite poor before he became the Duke.

  Talking of money made her think of her own and that reminded her of Lord Stefelton.

  She gave a little shiver and the Duke asked,

  “What is upsetting you?”

  She was so surprised that he should be aware of what she was feeling that she looked at him, and he said,

  “I feel I can read your thoughts, Miss Watson, and your eyes are very expressive.”

  “Whatever it is, I hope you will not know what I am thinking,” Kasia replied, “because that would be very upsetting.”

  “Why?” the Duke asked.

  There was no answer to this, and she remained silent.

  Only when they returned home after an extremely interesting afternoon with the farmers did the Duke say,

  “I would like to talk to you after dinner, Miss Watson. I have given orders that Simon is to dine with you, although I think it would be better if we all dined together.”

  As if he had suddenly thought of it, he exclaimed,

  “Yes – that is a much better idea! Then I can be certain that the boy is being fed as he should be at his age.”

  “But I am sure your Grace has no wish to dine so early,” Kasia said.

  �
��We will make it seven o’clock,” the Duke said, “which after all, is the right time to dine in the country. Then Simon can be in bed by seven-thirty.”

  “I would like that,” Simon smiled, “because you have such scrumptious things to eat! I hate bread and milk, and Miss Watson said I was far too old for that sort of baby food.”

  “Miss Watson is right,” the Duke agreed. “So tonight you can enjoy yourself as I expect there will be the usual four or more courses for dinner. You will soon get as fat as a small pig!”

  Simon laughed.

  “If I ride Princess very fast, Uncle Darcy, I shall get as thin as you.”

  “That is extremely good thinking,” the Duke said, “and I agree with you.”

  Then as he looked at Kasia she knew quite well he had deliberately made it possible to dine with her, and not be alone.

  ‘I must not flatter myself that it is because he wants to talk to me,’ she thought. ‘It is more a case of “any port in a storm”, and he does not like being alone.’

  At the same time, she felt a strange excitement rising within her.

  She knew she wanted to dine with the Duke, and she wanted to talk to him.

  ‘When Simon has gone to bed,’ she thought, ‘we can talk and talk, as we did last night.’

  As if the Duke knew what she was thinking, he met her eyes.

  Then it was almost impossible for either of them to look away.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Simon pushed back his plate and got up from the breakfast table.

  “I am going to help Mr. Bennett with the wages,” he said.

  “That is very kind of you,” Kasia smiled. “He said you were a great help yesterday.”

  “I will not be very long,” Simon said. “Where will you be?”

  “In the music room,” Kasia replied.

  “Oh, that is good!” he said.

  He bent forward, kissed her on the cheek, then walked towards the door.

  As it shut behind him, the Duke asked,

  “What is all this?”

  Kasia smiled.

  “I thought you would be surprised,” she said, “but as Simon is so keen on money, I suggested he helped Mr. Bennett count out the wages. It is quite a long job at the moment with so many workmen here.”

  The Duke was staring as if he did not understand, and she went on,

  “You know that Mr. Bennett counts out each man’s money in silver and it means a lot of work. He said that Simon was good at it, and he could hardly believe he could have mastered the different coins so quickly.”

  “So that is arithmetic!” the Duke said.

  “Of course,” Kasia smiled, “and I will tell you something which is even more exciting.”

  “What is that?” he asked.

  “I remembered reading that musicians are often innately good mathematicians – ”

  The Duke was listening, and she went on,

  “ – Yesterday I played Simon some tunes on the piano and he managed to pick them out almost immediately with one finger.”

  “You never cease to amaze me, Miss Watson!” the Duke declared. “As, indeed you have done ever since you came here.”

  “Has it really been a week?” Kasia asked. “So much has happened that I can hardly believe it!”

  “Neither can I,” the Duke agreed, “and that is why I want to talk to you.”

  There was a deep note in his voice which made her look up at him.

  They both appeared to be speaking without words.

  Then the door opened and the butler came in.

  “The foreman of the builders wants to speak to your Grace,” he said to the Duke.

  “That is the man I sent for,” the Duke said. “Have you put him in the study?”

  “Yes, your Grace.”

  “Tell him I will come at once,” the Duke added.

  The butler walked towards the door.

  The Duke finished his coffee and got up.

  “I am afraid I shall not be in for luncheon today,” he said to Kasia, “since I have to go with this man to see one of the outlying farms. The house is in such a terrible state of disrepair that it might be best to pull it down and start again.”

  “Simon and I will miss you,” Kasia said, “but I hope you will be back in time for tea.”

  “You can be sure of it!” the Duke said. “Take care of yourselves.”

  “We are riding after luncheon,” Kasia said, “and Simon is thrilled that you are allowing him to ride Dragonfly.”

  The Duke smiled.

  “Dragonfly is faster than Princess but equally well-trained and perfectly safe unless anything out of the ordinary occurs.”

  “I will try to make sure that does not happen,” Kasia replied.

  The Duke looked at her again and seemed about to say something.

  Then he changed his mind.

  He went from the breakfast room and Kasia knew she would miss him.

  It had been such fun these past few days, having both luncheon and dinner with him.

  Although she had always been afraid he might find Simon and her boring, he had shown no sign of it.

  In fact, every meal seemed to be one of interest, and also unending laughter.

  “It has also been very exciting!” she added to herself.

  When luncheon came, she missed the Duke.

  Simon chatted away about the money with which he had helped Mr. Bennett, and also the music which had followed.

  “I want to play with two hands, like you,” he said.

  “You will do that very soon,” Kasia promised. “Then we will arrange a musical evening and you shall play for your uncle.”

  “He will be surprised if I can play like you!” Simon said.

  “He will also be delighted, and very impressed to see how clever you have become.”

  “Clever enough to ride on a fast horse!” Simon said triumphantly.

  Dragonfly was a very good-looking horse.

  When Simon was mounted on him Kasia thought it was a pity that the Duke was not there to see how attractive he looked.

  They set off in their usual way, first into the paddocks, then riding over the flat ground beyond them.

  “I am going faster and faster!” Simon shouted.

  Kasia had to admit he was riding very well and her own horse had to exert itself to keep up with him.

  They rode until they came to a small clump of trees.

  Then they had to pull in their horses so as to go through it in single file.

  There was some ground on the other side on which they had ridden before.

  They were quite a long way from the Castle by now, but Kasia thought there was no point in returning too early and having to wait for the Duke.

  Then, as Simon went ahead of her through a copse, suddenly from behind the trees two men appeared.

  Almost before Kasia could realise what was happening, they seized Dragonfly’s bridle.

  As they did so two other men were standing beside her horse with their hands on the bridle.

  “Who are you? What do you want?” Kasia asked. “Ye’ll lam soon ’nough!” one of the men answered in a rough voice.

  To Kasia’s horror she was pulled out of the saddle onto the ground.

  As she landed she heard Simon give a cry and saw that he too was being dragged off his horse.

  “What are you doing?” she tried to ask.

  A gag was tied over her mouth, and at the same time a rope was wound round her.

  It pinioned her arms to her sides.

  She tried to struggle, but it was hopeless.

  A minute later a cloth was thrown over her head so that she could not see.

  She found herself being picked up and carried for what seemed some distance.

  She thought they must now be out of the wood.

  She was sure this was so when she was put down rather roughly in what she guessed was a cart.

  She was then aware that Simon was being placed beside her, and the cart started off
.

  As it was impossible either to see or to speak, she could only listen.

  She thought the cart must be a wagon like those the farmers used, and was drawn by one horse.

  ‘Who are they? What are they doing? Why were they waiting for us?’ she wondered desperately.

  Then she felt sure that, whoever they were, they had taken Simon prisoner in order to demand a ransom from the Duke.

  It was something her father had always been afraid might happen to her.

  However nothing of the kind had in fact ever happened.

  Nevertheless he had always insisted that the night watchman in whichever house they were, should be armed.

  When they travelled she knew although her father did not tell her so, that there was always a loaded revolver beside his bed.

  Since the war, men were returning from the Forces without a pension and without work.

  This had given rise to much more crime on the roads and in the Cities.

  In highwayman fashion, robbers, rogues and men who were simply hungry, extorted money from anyone they thought was rich.

  She wondered what the Duke would do.

  If they asked for ransom money for Simon, would he try to rescue them?

  Then she remembered despairingly how large the Estate was, and how wild and sparsely inhabited the country-side.

  If their kidnappers hid them cleverly, it would be impossible for the Duke to have any idea where they were.

  On and on the wagon in which she and Simon were travelling bumped over the rough, uneven ground.

  It made Kasia sure they were being taken to some isolated spot where they would never be found.

  She felt herself tremble with fear of what lay ahead.

  It must have been half-an-hour or perhaps longer when the wagon came to a standstill.

  She was pulled roughly from the back of the cart and lifted up in a man’s arms.

  She was sure from the movements beside her that another man was moving Simon.

  The man carrying her walked a little way in silence until he said,

  “Ye’ll ’ave ter gimme a ’and wi’ ’er up t’steps.”

  “’Er looks light enough t’me,” another voice answered.

  “Gimme a ’and!” the first one said furiously.

  With one man holding her shoulders and the other her ankles, Kasia was carried up some steep steps.

  She assumed at first they were outside.

  Then as they climbed higher and higher she knew she was inside a building.