No Time For Love (Bantam Series No. 40) by Barbara Cartland Read Free Book Online Page A

her case against us.”
    “I can see that,” Gary remarked.
    “Then we tell Donaldson,” Harvey went on, “to arrange for the Villa to be got ready for Wynstan, and to get Larina, or whatever her name is, there as soon as possible. If he cannot take her himself, he can send a competent Courier with her. It is only a question of organisation.”
    Harvey paused to look at his brothers for their approval. “It is certainly an idea,” Wynstan said slowly.
    “Have you a better one?”
    “No, and I would much prefer to argue this thing out in Sorrento rather than in London.”
    “I am glad somebody is pleased about it!” Harvey said in an exasperated voice. “I shall not have a moment’s peace or a good night’s sleep until I know you have settled this matter, Wynstan. I am relying on you to save the people who have given me their faith and trust.”
    There was almost a sob in his voice.
    His brother laughed.
    “Spare me the dramatics, Harvey! I will do my best, although I do not mind telling you I find it an intolerable nuisance to have to go traipsing off to Europe just when I want to be at home.”
    A sudden thought struck him.
    “What are we going to tell Mama?”
    “Oh, God!” Harvey ejaculated, then quickly he added: “We will just have to pretend that you have had an urgent message from one of your lady-friends.”
    “She is not going to be pleased about that!” Wynstan said. “And she particularly wants me here now when she is so upset about Elvin.”
    “Mama will always accept that affairs of the heart—yours at any rate—come first!” Harvey said with an almost spiteful note in his voice.
    “And I think,” Gary interrupted, “she is secretly rather proud of your success. She thinks you are a chip off the old Hamilton block, who from what Mama tells us behaved in a very reprehensible manner with the lassies in the heather before they were told to get out of Scotland!”
    “I will think of something to tell her,” Wynstan said in a weary voice, “but if I find that you, Harvey, have been decrying me behind my back or saying any unpleasant things such as you have said in the past, I swear I will tell her the truth.”
    “I promise you I will support you in every possible way,” Harvey replied. “And another reason why it is so important for you not to go to London is that Tracy might ask questions. We do not want that supercilious Duke of hers looking down his aristocratic nose and saying that the English do not get into this sort of jam!”
    “Personally, I like Osmund,” Wynstan said. “He is not supercilious to me. At the same time it is important that Tracy should not learn about this, if indeed there is anything to learn.”
    He walked towards the door.
    “Personally, I think I shall find that the whole drama is a figment of Harvey’s fertile imagination.”
    “Where are you going?” Harvey asked hastily. “We have to compile a cablegram.”
    “You can do that without me,” Wynstan answered. “If I have to sail across the Atlantic, which let me say is the last thing I want to do at this moment, I might as well do it in comfort. The ‘ Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse ’ sails tomorrow morning, and I will be on her.”
    He left the room and closed the door behind him.
    Gary and Harvey looked at each other.
    “I congratulate you, Harvey,” Gary said. “I never thought for one moment that Wynstan would agree to what you suggested.”
    “Frankly neither did I,” Harvey replied.
    Wynstan boarded the ‘ Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse ’ just before she was ready to leave New York harbour on the morning tide. She was noted as being fitted out with every comfort and also providing the maximum amount of entertainment with which to while away the passage across the ocean.
    Wynstan was however more interested in the passenger - list of which he had taken a copy from the Purser’s office.
    Although his booking had been made at the last moment, the magic name of Vanderfeld had secured for