This Way to Heaven by Barbara Cartland Page B

would warm her up and bring a healthy glow to her cheeks.
    But still she hesitated.
    Had she really promised the Earl this morning that she would not venture out onto the lake?
    No, on reflection she rather thought that she had said she would ‘abide by his rules’.
    Was that not the same thing as promising ?
    She bit her lip and clapped her cold hands together. She was far too honourable a girl to ever break her promise, but, oh, she did so want to skate!
    Would it really matter, just this once, when the Earl would not even know?
    â€˜Jasmina Winfield, you know very well how much it would matter,’ she murmured to herself and sighed.
    No , she would not do it.
    She had as good as promised and there was no way she would ever want the Earl of Somerton to believe that an American girl could not keep her word.
    She decided she would sit by the lake for five more minutes and then go indoors to get changed.
    It would be time for lunch very soon. Then perhaps reading a good book by a roaring fire would not seem such a bad way to spend such a miserable afternoon.
    Just then a movement on the ice caught her eye.
    There was the flash of a scarlet hood as if someone was sliding across the iced lake, not skating, but running and sliding like a child.
    Jasmina peered harder and realised that the muffled shape was quite small and, from the long skirt, it was a girl.
    Perhaps she was a child from the village sent up to the castle with a message and now hurrying to get home for her midday meal?
    Whoever it was she was very obviously enjoying herself.
    But as Jasmina watched, disaster struck.
    The child seemed to trip up – perhaps her foot had caught onto a half submerged log – and she fell headlong onto the ice.
    Jasmina watched anxiously, but the figure lay very still, right in the middle of the lake where she knew the ice would be at its thinnest.
    â€œHello, over there! Are you all right?” she called, but there was no reply.
    Desperately she looked around for help, but there was no one in sight.
    Well, promise or no promise, this was definitely an emergency and Jasmina could not leave the child lying on the ice. She could be badly injured.
    Without thinking twice, she pushed herself out onto the cold lake and started to skate cautiously across to the motionless victim.
    *
    The Earl was sitting at the great leather-topped desk in his study pretending to work.
    In his shirtsleeves and waistcoat he had a sheaf of important documents spread out in front of him. These were the secret Government papers he had brought downstairs with him from the hiding place in the ruined East Turret.
    He tried to read them aware that if they fell into the wrong hands they could cause endless trouble abroad, especially in the powder keg countries of the Balkans.
    The Earl realised that he should be concentrating on the notes and comments he had been asked to make based on the information he had been given, but his mind kept wandering away.
    A pair of vivid blue eyes, cascading golden curls and a lovely but determined face just insisted on invading his thoughts.
    A quiet tap on the door interrupted the pictures in his head and he thankfully called out,
    â€œCome in!”
    Mary appeared.
    â€œExcuse me for interrupting you, my Lord, but will you be joining Miss Winfield for luncheon, or do you want yours to be served in here? If you wish to lunch in company, I will arrange for the meal to be served in the small dining room.”
    The Earl pushed back his chair.
    â€œWhere would Miss Winfield go to eat otherwise?” he asked dryly. “On the stairs? In the kitchen?”
    Mary flushed.
    â€œOf course not, my Lord. I will arrange for her to have a tray in her room.”
    The Earl hesitated.
    He found to his total astonishment that he wanted nothing more than to sit opposite his young houseguest and talk to her about anything and everything that came into his mind.
    But they had not parted on the best of terms earlier