Call of the Heart by Barbara Cartland Read Free Book Online

there would not be a penny-piece and she had the feeling that once Lady Studley had achieved her ambition, she would be thrown into the gutter and they would wash their hands of her.
    In the meantime she waited on them as a servant.
    Sometimes she planned to write to her Uncle, but there were so many complications and such violent penalties if she were to be caught doing so.
    Then three weeks after they arrived in London Lady Studley threw the newspaper at her with a coarse laugh.
    “Your Uncle is dead,” she said. “You can read about it in the Death Column!”
    “Dead! ” Lalitha cried.
    “You will not be able to afford time to mourn him!” her Step-mother sneered. “So get on with your work!”
    Lalitha knew then that her last hope of escape had gone. She found herself just existing from day to day.
    When she had finished each of the innumerable tasks that were set for her she was too utterly exhausted to do anything but seek the oblivion of sleep.
    Lately Lalitha had begun to feel that her brain was affected. Lack of nourishment and continual beatings made her feel so stupid that it was hard not only to remember things that she had been told, but even at times to understand what people were saying.
    Now she tried to recall what Lady Studley had told her to say to Lord Rothwyn.
    Her mind seemed blank and all she could think of was the agony her back was causing her.
    She could feel her dress sticking to the open wounds that had been left by her Step-mother’s cane.
    She knew that when she came to take it off it would hurt excruciatingly and as she pulled the material away from the scars they would bleed again.
    Under her dark cloak she unbuttoned the back of her dress as far as she dared.
    No-one would see it and as soon as she had performed the errand on which she had been sent she would go back and bathe the parts which hurt the most.
    “If only this were over and I need not tell His Lordship,” she murmured to herself.
    She had a wild idea of running away, but where could she run to?
    She had no money and no-where to go and if she went back to the house without having confronted Lord Rothwyn, she knew only too well what would happen to her.
    The carriage was drawing nearer to the Church of St. Alphage. She could now see the spire, then the lych-gate, and beyond it the grave-yard.
    Her Step-mother had ordered the hired carriage from a place where she had an account and the men had been told to wait for her, which Lalitha knew was a concession.
    She might have been told to walk home.
    Now the horses were pulling up and she drew in her breath, trying frantically to think what she had to say as the carriages came to a stand-still.
    She pulled the hood of her dark, well-worn cloak down over her face. It covered her completely and was made of a warm material.
    She felt cold and shivery but she told herself it was not so much the air outside as the fact that she was frightened.
    “There is nothing to frighten me,” she thought, “I am not involved in this. I am only a . . . messenger.”
    Nevertheless she knew as she stepped out of the carriage and walked through the lych-gate that she was trembling.
    It was very dark in the Church-yard although there was a lantern hanging on the Church porch.
    The grave-stones stood sentinel-like and accusing, as if they were shocked at the lies she had to tell.
    Hesitantly she moved down the path towards the porch, the Church looming dark and somehow ominous ahead of her. Suddenly there came the sound of quick foot-steps, and before she had time to see who was approaching she felt strong arms go round her.
    “My dearest, you have come! I knew you would!”
    As she looked up to protest a man’s mouth was on hers.
    For a moment she was shocked into immobility.
    It was impossible to move and insistent, passionate, demanding lips kept her speechless.
    Vaguely, far away at the back of her mind, she thought that she had not known a kiss could be like this.
    Then with a tremendous