Love Drives In (17 page)

"I swear I didn't – "

"But what does it matter now? You've done your worst. I only wish I knew just how much damage you've done, but I doubt if I ever will."

"I've stolen nothing," she cried. "I have never told anybody here anything about your carriage. If I had, I could have told them that our steering needs to be improved, because yours is smoother. But I've told them nothing. I swear it. Please, you must believe me."

"Believe
you?
Are you mad? Now, listen to me, for these are the last words we will ever exchange. I said you have done your worst, now I'm going to do mine. I'm going to win that race and win the Prince as a customer.

"Kennington Engineering will lead the world with the horseless carriage, and eventually people will forget that Radford's ever made one. I advise you to stick to railway engines. It's about Radford's level.

"There, now I've said all I have to say to you, and everything is over between us. After today I hope I never have to see or speak to you again."

With that, he walked out of the room, leaving her devastated.

She sank into a chair, while harsh sobs wracked her. She knew that he would never have spoken such cruel, cutting words to her if she had not hurt him beyond bearing, but they were still terrible.

After a while she raised her head and forced her tears to stop. Today she must think only of her duty. She could cry later. She could cry all night and all the following day. But she must not cry now.

It was like that through the lunch that followed. Dorina found herself sitting next to the Prince of Wales. At any other time this would have thrilled her, but now she found his jocular references to her 'little affair' with the Earl very hard to bear.

"You must be sure to invite me to the wedding," he said.

Dorina drew a sharp breath.

"There will be so wedding, sir."

"Really? Do I detect undercurrents?"

"Shoals and rapids," she said. "All of them dangerous."

"Ah! Well, I suspected something of the kind."

At last the meal was over and the company rose to leave the house.

At the starting point of the race they found the mechanics waiting with the vehicles, guarding them jealously.

They had been served lunch in a separate room, which Dorina thought very unfair since it was their hard work that had made all this possible. But Lord Glandon, whose social attitudes were very lofty, would not have dreamed of sitting down at the same table as mechanics.

Suddenly Dorina became aware that her workers were looking worried.

"Where's Jeremiah?" Mr. Johnson said worriedly. "He returned to the house ten minutes ago, heading for the kitchen. He wanted another slice of the excellent apple cake we had at lunch. But he should have returned by now. He's got to get in and drive."

At that moment a lad in the uniform of a page boy came running from the house.

"It's Mr. Conway," he said breathlessly. "He was leaving the kitchen and he took the wrong door and fell down the cellar steps."

Everyone exclaimed in concern.

"Is it a long drop?" Dorina asked. "Has poor Mr. Conway been badly hurt?"

"No, ma'am. He talking to us, but he thinks he's broken his leg. He says it hurts badly."

"Send for the doctor immediately," Lord Glandon said.

Dorina's eyes met Mr. Johnson's in horror.

"You'd better go and see him, my dear," the kindly Prince told her.

It took only a moment for her to descend the cellar steps and ascertain that the page boy had been right. Jeremiah Conway had sustained no head injuries, but his leg was badly hurt.

"I'm so sorry to let you down," he moaned. "I don't know who's going to drive now."

"Never mind that," Dorina told him. "The doctor is on his way and you must think about nothing but getting well."

Having ensured that someone was staying with him, she hurried back to the starting point of the race.

The Prince expressed his concern for Mr. Conway, before saying,

"Does this mean that our race cannot take place?"

"No, sir," Dorina said at once. "I shall drive the vehicle myself."

There was a buzz. Nobody had considered such a thing possible.

"Miss Radford," Mr. Johnson said in consternation, "you cannot simply get in and drive without any instruction."

"But how – ?"

"It would take too long to go into now. Believe me when I say that I can drive."

Looking up, she saw the Prince regarding her quizzically and she had the feeling that he understood a good deal.

"Well then," he said. "That's settled."

"It's impossible!"

Everybody turned and looked at the Earl, who had spoken.

"I can take no part in this," he said.

"But why not, my dear fellow?" the Prince enquired.

The Earl took a deep breath.

"I will not race against a lady," he said. "I'm sure that Your Royal Highness would not ask me to."

"But surely that depends on the lady," the Prince said. "She says she can drive. Do you have some reason to think that she is not telling the truth?"

When the Earl seemed unable to answer, Dorina said,

"Lord Kennington knows better than anyone that I
am
telling the truth. In fact, I've been taught by a master."

"Then that's settled," the Prince said, beaming.

"Sir, I cannot race against a lady."

"Any lady or just this lady?" Dorina asked, confronting him.

In a low voice he said,

"Stop this at once, do you hear?"

"I will not stop it," she said in the same voice. "Are you crying off, my Lord?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

"I will not race you."

"The race is mine then, and all that goes with it."

He went pale.

"I think not," he said, "since it is you that has lost your driver."

"And have replaced him with another. I'm ready to start. It is
you
who are backing out."

In desperation the Earl turned to Mr. Johnson.

"Surely you have someone else who can drive?" he demanded.

"It's not his decision, it's mine," Dorina said firmly before Mr. Johnson could reply.

But he touched her arm nervously.

"Wouldn't it be better if – ?

"No," she told him.
"I
make the decisions here."

He backed off, startled by how like her father she had looked at that moment.

"Stand back," Dorina said to the little crowd around her vehicle.

As they moved away she climbed into the driving seat.

"I'm ready, my Lord," she called to the Earl, "unless, of course, you're afraid of the competition."

That did it. His lips tightened and he leapt into the driving seat of his own carriage.

"Ready?" cried Lord Glandon. "Then the race has begun."

Two men cranked up the engines until they hummed, then hastily got out of the way. The next instant both carriages glided forward.

She went a little faster, then faster still. It felt wonderful.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see that the Earl was keeping neck and neck with her. A slight bend in the road was coming up and he suddenly accelerated so that he reached it first and was round it while she was still approaching.

That was useful, she thought, since she would not have liked to race him round a bend. On the other hand, he was now well ahead.

The spectators were travelling across country by carriage, so that they could get ahead of the race and watch them approach. Dorina could see the Prince's carriage, with the Prince himself surveying the race.

She speeded up and to her delight caught up with the Earl fairly easily. She managed to get round the next bend ahead of him.

But another bend approached almost at once. Turning the steering wheel she discovered that it had stiffened. It did not seem to respond well and suddenly she realised that she could not turn properly into the bend.

She wrenched frantically at the wheel, but nothing happened. The next moment she had hit the grass verge, careered forward and struck a large stone. The force of the impact overturned the carriage and threw her out.

The Earl, following just behind, saw everything and gasped with horror. He forgot that this woman was his enemy and forgot that he had vowed revenge on her. Nothing mattered as long as she was all right.

"Dorina!
Dorina!"

He threw himself down beside her, afraid to touch her, yet terrified that she did not move. Her eyes were closed and her face was dreadfully pale.

"Dorina," he whispered, reaching out to lay his finger tips against her face. "Oh dear God! Please wake up, my darling.
Please."

The agony in his voice reached her and she turned her head, opening her eyes. Seeing his face leaning over her, she forgot everything except how much she loved him.

"Hello," she said weakly smiling.

"Thank heavens!" he said fervently.

"What happened?" she asked, struggling to get up. "Ouch!"

She had managed to prop herself up on her elbow, but she ached all over, and would have fallen back, except that his arms went around her and he cradled her against him.

"You could have been killed," he said hoarsely.

"It was the steering," she whispered. "I did say yours was better."

"To blazes with the steering!" he said violently.

"But you've won."

"What does that matter? What does anything matter, as long as you're all right?"

"I'm sorry I deceived you, but I didn't spy on you. Truly I didn't. It was just a muddle and it all got out of my control. You do believe me don't you?"

"Yes, yes," he said frantically. "As long as you're not seriously hurt I don't care about anything else.
Oh, my darling!"

"And I love you, always and forever. My darling, what would I have done if you'd been killed? Forgive me for everything I said."

"It was my fault," she assured him, "all my fault. I should never have deceived you in the first place – "

"Such an innocent deception," he broke in quickly. "I should have been more understanding. But I'll make it up to you. I'll spend my whole life making it up to you, if only you'll forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive," she murmured. "Let us put it behind us and think only of the future."

Behind them they heard the sounds of the others approaching, exclaiming consternation.

"Don't move," the Earl told her, "in case you have any broken bones."

"No, I don't think so. Just bruises. I can stand up."

Clinging to him, she managed to rise. But as soon as she was on her feet, he lifted her in his arms.

"Over here, old fellow," the Prince called, indicating his own carriage. "We'll soon have her back to the house to see the doctor."

Tenderly the Earl helped Dorina into the carriage and got in beside her. The Prince regarded them benignly.

"No serious damage?" he asked.

"Nothing very much, thank you, sir," she said.

"Except that you lost the race. I'm afraid I shall be taking Kennington's carriage now."

"I'm glad," she said at once. "Besides, after this, Radford's and Kennington's will be teaming up, so it's all the same thing."

Before everyone's incredulous eyes, the Prince of Wales opened the door and climbed out, leaving Dorina and the Earl alone.

"It's a lovely day, Glandon," he boomed. "I think I'll take a gentle stroll back to the house."

He paused just long enough to give Dorina a wink, and then wandered off in the other direction.

As the carriage began to move the Earl enclosed Dorina in his arms again.

"My darling," he said, "I might so easily have lost you."

"Oh no," she said. "You will never lose me. Never in all my life."