Hide and Seek for Love by Barbara Cartland

carrying.”
    Newman put his fingers up to his forehead.
    â€œNow I thinks about it,” he said, “I’ve an idea that I seen him once going up the stairs with a parcel in his arms.  I can’t be certain what sort of parcel it were. I just thinks as how he’s going up to his bedroom and I expects I says to him, ‘luncheon’ll be ready in five minutes, my Lord’.”
    David was listening intently.
    â€œThat does sound as if what he brought back from the Bank might be on the first floor.”
    â€œIt seems sensible for him to hide it in his bedroom or somewhere close by,” suggested Benina.
    â€œThat’s right,” Nanny agreed.  “If he was worrying about his precious money, he’d not want it to be out of his reach.”
    â€œVery well, that’s just what I wanted to know.  Now Miss Benina and I will start searching the first floor and when Newman has time, he can look at some of the rooms on the ground floor.  This is going to take time.”
    â€œOf course it is,” came in Benina, “and I expect you realise that there is not only this room on the ground floor.”
    She started to count on her fingers.
    â€œThere is the drawing room, the dining room, the ballroom, the refreshment room next to it, the music room, the Chapel and the library not to mention the tapestry room and the room where we have just had breakfast!”
    David held up his hands.
    â€œNow you are scaring me, but we will manage them all in time.  I am only trying to speed up what we have to do so we don’t waste any time searching somewhere like the ballroom where I am certain no one would want to hide anything.”
    â€œOne never knows what people’ll do when they’re a bit funny in the head,” observed Nanny gloomily.
    â€œYou have forgotten the gun room, my Lord,” said Newman.  “It’s big enough for a man to hide any amount of secrets in those cupboards and drawers.”
    â€œI will leave that to you, Newman,” smiled David.  “Meanwhile Miss Benina and I are intending to work very hard and the only person who will not be concerned with looking for the money is Nanny.”
    â€œI knows you’ll do better if your tummies are full,” muttered Nanny, “and that’s what they’re a-going to be!”
    â€œI am already looking forward to luncheon, Nanny.  Now come on, Benina, let’s start work!”
    â€œI was thinking what a lot of rooms we have to do, my Lord.”
    Benina had not exaggerated.
    David found that on the first floor there were not only the Master Suites and twelve Staterooms, there were fifteen other bedrooms as well as the picture gallery, the china room and a large room that contained the armour and the robes of each succeeding Marquis.
    There was also, which David could not help lingering over, a room filled with stuffed wild animals and birds.
    There were heads of tigers, black bears, stags and panthers and many weird and unusual stuffed birds.  They were exhibited on tables or hanging down from the ceiling.
    â€œI call these fascinating,” David observed to Benina.
    â€œI felt so too when I first saw them, my Lord, but these birds are not heavy enough to have coins inside them and I am sure you would not wish to open them up.”
    â€œThat would be sacrilege.  Let’s go on.”
    The picture gallery boasted pictures he knew were of inestimable value if they were put onto the open market and china that had been collected by early Marchionesses of Inglestone who had superbly good taste.
    It was impossible not to linger over some Japanese china figurines and wonder at some of the early English models, which were very colourful.
    â€œCome along, my Lord, you are wasting time,” said Benina when he had stopped for quite five minutes gazing at a cabinet full of Russian snuff boxes, ornamented with portraits of the Czars in enamel