The Castle of Love by Barbara Cartland Page A

you but I am angry no longer. I believe you." He turned to Sarah. "Have you given her anything for this fever?"
    "I have. I will give her more now. It is a potion that works wonders."
    The Earl nodded. "Good. We will speak more but now I must go. The guests are arriving."
     He quickly kissed Jacina's hand before laying it gently down. He then found his way to the door and opened it. His valet stood waiting outside to guide him downstairs.
    "Master Hugo," Sarah called after him.
    The Earl half turned. "Yes, Sarah?"
    "What will you do, sir, about this business?"
    The Earl's voice was like steel as he replied. "Rest assured, Sarah, I will deal with the matter. I will deal with the matter this very night."
    With that, the door closed behind him.

CHAPTER SIX
     Jacina lay listening as the musicians tuned their instruments in the ballroom below.
    The wedding party in the morning was small, as the Earl had wished, but the ball that evening would be well attended. All the most prominent families of the district were invited.
    Coaches were already rolling up to the castle entrance. There were squeals as ladies gathered up their skirts and hurried to come in out of the rain that had begun to fall.
    Jacina turned her head on her pillow and sighed.
    Her fever had abated since the visit of the Earl. This was partly due to the bitter black potion Sarah had administered and partly due to her enormous relief of spirits, once she knew that the Earl now believed her.
    She had even begun to feel hungry and Sarah had immediately gone to the kitchen to order her some soup.
    The orchestra below struck up a waltz. As Jacina watched the firelight shadows on the wall, they appeared to dance in time to the music. She wished she was recovered enough to go to the ball. Then her brow knit with concern.
    The music was playing and the guests were arriving, but that did not mean all was well!
    She had dimly registered the Earl's parting words. "I
    will deal with the matter this very night." Now these words began to haunt her.
     In what way would the Earl deal with the matter? What could he possibly do tonight when the castle was so full of guests?
    If Felice was in love with Fronard – as she surely was – then why had she still resolved to marry the Earl? The injuries he sustained in India had provided her with the perfect excuse to withdraw from the marriage had she so wished.
    If Fronard was in love with Felice – as he surely was – then why was he happy to see her married off to someone other than himself?
    Could it be that they simply planned to continue their liaison after the marriage, whilst at the same time enjoying all the comforts that the wealth of the Earl would provide?
    At this moment the door opened and Nancy entered, her face bright red from having run all the way up from the kitchen with her message.
    "I'm to tell you, miss, that Sarah's decided to make up a broth from fresh. So she'll be a half hour more."
    "Thank you, Nancy. Are you busy below?"
    "Oh, miss, it's bedlam. It's all got to be ready for supper at nine. What a feast they'll have though! There's wild boar – it's been roasting on a spit all day – and pheasant and jugged hare and oysters. I sneaked away one of them oysters to have a taste but I didn't like it, miss. It were just a mouthful of seawater."
    As she chattered Nancy began to sway to the strains of the waltz floating up from the ballroom.
    "Ooh, miss, aren't them tunes lovely? There's not been a ball here since I came. The old Earl didn't go in for them."
    "Have you seen the ballroom, Nancy?" Jacina asked.
     "I peeped in through the French windows from the garden, miss. It's like a fairy-tale. There's hundreds of candles in them – candelabras – and there's a gold saucer round each candle to catch the drips. Which is a good thing. I heard at the Duchess of Marlcombe's ball the wax dripped onto the bare shoulders of the ladies below and scalded them something awful."
    "Did you see the Earl and his – his