Hide and Seek for Love by Barbara Cartland

story,
    â€œI have a complete list of what has been sold and what has been taken away and I obtained the highest price possible for the items we sold for him in the open market.”
    â€œI really cannot understand why he was doing this,” murmured David.
    â€œIt is something I have asked myself thousands of times, my Lord, but I never found an answer.”
    â€œAnd what is left, Mr. Morley?”
    He knew that this was the most important question.
    â€œI am afraid, my Lord, you will be upset to know that the answer is in fact very little.”
    â€œI have always believed that my grandfather, when he came into the title, was an exceedingly rich man.”
    â€œHe was, my Lord, and if the money he has taken from this Bank is still in existence, as it should be, then it is worth nearly two million pounds!”
    David gasped.
    He had realised that as the Head of the family, his grandfather was unbelievably rich, but he had not thought he was as rich as that in actual cash.
    And if one included the house, its contents and the estate, the total would amount to considerably more.
    â€œI must tell you, my Lord,” Mr. Morley carried on, “there were some shares that we could not sell, but which may be worth a great deal more in the future than they are at present.  I have a list of them.”
    He took a piece of paper from the table.
    â€œYour grandfather, my Lord, invested in steamships when they were first driven by oil.  However, he invested into an English Company that has not done as well as the Americans.”
    He handed the list to David.
    â€œMy directors believe it has prospects, although at the moment the dividends are hardly worth mentioning.”
    David looked down at the paper he was holding.
    He saw that the Marquis had, as the Bank Manager had just revealed, quite a number of other investments.
    America, he had been told, was booming and it was therefore reasonable to believe they might be worth a great deal more in the future.
    â€œThere are several shares, my Lord, in Companies that are involved in developing inventions for machinery and photography.  But they are of little value at present, but we can hope that they will prove successful in the future.”
    â€œI think there could be every likelihood that they will, but equally I need a great deal of money now to put the estate in order.”
    â€œI have been told so, my Lord, and I can only hope that by some miracle you will be able to find the money your grandfather withdrew from us.”
    â€œDo you think that it could be hidden somewhere in Ingle Hall?” David asked him.
    Mr. Morley held up his hands in a helpless gesture.
    â€œHow can we possibly tell?  I think before he died his Lordship was not reasonable in any way, nor was he, I feel, entirely aware of what was happening around him.”
    David thought that this was true, seeing the condition of the house and the grounds.
    He then asked the Bank Manager if he could have an overdraft and some cash immediately.
    â€œI have spent what I had when I left India on the journey and providing myself and the two people in Ingle Hall with something to eat last night.  I have no wish to go hungry tonight or next week while I look round to see what has happened to the two million pounds that should still be safely in your keeping.”
    â€œI only hope that you will find it, my Lord, and of course, as we have been of service to the Inglestone family for many years, we will be pleased to permit your Lordship to overdraw a reasonable amount without security.”
    â€œAs you are well aware, Mr. Morley, everything in Ingle Hall is entailed, yet I cannot help thinking that I will be able to find something I can either sell or pawn until we set matters straight or better still, find the enormous fortune my grandfather has hidden away.”
    â€œWe are only too willing to help in every way we can, my Lord, but as you are well aware, I am