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The one thing he had been adamant about, though, had been his refusal to go into his father's business. Peter wanted to be an engineer. So they had quarrelled.
     
    "Very sad indeed," Mrs. Usher had said. "I think poor Robert often regretted his own obstinacy and probably poor Peter wished they could have seen eye to eye. Peter was a nice lad. I was fond of him and sorry, too. He hated hurting anyone, but sometimes you have to. Then David took over the job that should have been Peter's. When Robert grew older and was suffering from gout, he sold his business to David at a very reasonable, almost absurd figure. A generous man, Robert, but sometimes foolish. David was certain he would inherit the castle and everything. When he heard about you ... an unknown stranger ..."
    And yet, Cindy thought as she drove carefully up towards the castle, David had shown no anger or coldness in London and he must have known she was the girl who had literally stolen the castle from him, though without knowing it.
    One thing, she told herself, this settled her stupid dream about him. No wonder he didn't want to know her !
    She drove the car round behind the castle and parked it in one of the open garages. Paul was in the yard, but he ignored her. Cindy was tempted to go to him and say how sorry she was—yet could she say that truthfully? she wondered. Mrs. Usher had explained Mrs. Stone's animosity.
    "She hoped that Robert would leave Paul the castle. Why she should think that I don't know. After all, they'd only been with him ten years. Again Robert was too generous. He paid for a good education for Paul, but look what the boy's like now—a typical
     
    hippy, lazy as they come. Adored by his mother, of course, who sees no fault in him."
    Cindy had sighed. "It makes me feel pretty miserable. I didn't want to hurt all these people."
    Mrs. Usher had smiled. "Not to worry, dear child. Robert often talked to me of you. He loved your mother, you see. That's why you were asked to stay here. Unfortunately your mother said no and that was that, but he never forgot how you loved the castle. He knew, you see, that both the Stones and David would sell the castle. Only Peter wouldn't .. . nor you."
    Now as Cindy hurried to her bedroom to change into another frock, she wondered just how she was going to keep the castle going—always of course allowing for the fact that Peter didn't turn up. How David must hate her, she thought unhappily. Why, oh, why had she to meet a man she liked so much on sight only to find he hated her. ?

 
     

CHAPTER FOUR
    CINDY was very quiet as Mrs. Stone served up dinner. Cindy had never felt so uncomfortable before in her life. She had no desire to hurt the Stones or David Baxter; indeed, she herself had nothing to do with it—but perhaps they didn't realise that? What was there she could say ? Unable to answer that question, Cindy decided it might be wiser to keep quiet.
    Afterwards the sat alone in the huge cold drawing-room before a log fire that crackled and sparkled. How quiet everything was. If she ever lived there, Cindy decided, she would certainly have a dog, or even several, and some cats. How wonderful to have a real home—not just a box-like bedsitter where you had to ease your way round the furniture that took up what little space there was. Suddenly restless, she got up and wandered down the lofty dark hall, dimly lit by a very old chandelier that looked as if it might fall at any moment.
    The click-clack of her heels on the polished floor sounded absurdly loud and echoed and re-echoed as she went from room to room. There was little difference in them, for they were all full of old antiques—each article amazingly clean and polished. Mrs. Stone certainly worked hard, Cindy thought. Poor Mrs. Stone—her dream demolished.
    The library was the most interesting, even though it
     
    was so cold. Cindy walked past the crowded bookshelves, looking for something to read.
    After she had collected several books that