A Castle of Dreams Read Online Free Page B

in her decision to sail home on a small boat rather than wait for her brother to regain his strength.
    David had spent much of his time in his cabin and Viola had begun to be increasingly worried about her twin.  She felt he should be further along the road to recovery than he was.
    They had docked briefly in Belfast where several of the passengers had disembarked.
    Then the boat had immediately set out on the short journey across the Irish Sea towards Liverpool.
    â€œThis is totally different to our wonderful journey outbound to America,” murmured David, his voice low and hoarse.
    Viola smiled.
    It had been a fantastic trip on a great liner, although she had still been smarting from her brief encounter with the Duke of Glentorran.
    But she had been determined to enjoy herself and had forced herself to dance every night, in spite of a desire to sit and ruminate over the dark-haired Scotsman who had annoyed her so much.
    However, all the excitement of the voyage over had paled into insignificance when they reached America.
    The first clue that their lives were about to change was the luxurious chauffeur-driven car that awaited them at the quayside in New York.
    They were hurried past the necessary officials by a young man, who announced that he was to be their personal assistant and they were next driven to a vast house in the most expensive part of New York.
    Inside the opulent mansion they were greeted by a tall thick-set American, Mr. Lewis Wilder.
    Viola had noticed at once that he was wearing black and his square rugged face carried a sad expression.
    But she could never have dreamed of what he was about to tell them.
    Tragically their father had died of a fever just four days before they reached New York!
    David was now the new Earl of Northcombe and this vast house belonged to them.
    But that was not all.
    The rest of Lewis Wilder’s news was so incredible that even now Viola could scarcely believe how much their fortunes had changed.
    Because they had now become amazingly rich – so wealthy it made her head spin.
    She had seen the figures laid out before her in the bank manager’s office and realised that from now on she could buy whatever she liked and never miss it.
    But even so, it still seemed totally unreal, as if she had fallen asleep in Cousin Edith’s house in London and was dreaming the whole adventure.
    Now, as the motor yacht they were travelling home in tossed violently in the storm, she said to her brother,
    Â â€œAt least we can pay for the very best treatment for you when we land.”
    David smiled weakly.
    â€œAll I want is rest, quiet, warmth and really good English food, Sis.  I enjoyed America, but everywhere was so noisy.”
    â€œI still find it hard to believe that Papa finally made his fortune finding oil, when he had spent all those years when we were both young, chasing one foolish dream after another,” sighed Viola.
    â€œAt least he lived long enough to know he was rich and that his children would never want for anything again.”
    â€œBut at the cost of his own life!  Remember that Lewis Wilder told us how our poor Papa contracted the fever that killed him down in Texas in the oil fields.”
    David coughed, his whole body shaking.  He pulled Viola’s thick warm coat closer to his chin.
    â€œI wish I could feel some sun on my face!  Listen, Viola, I like to think that our Papa would have felt that his life’s work was finished.  He had achieved everything he set out to do and was at last vindicated in the eyes of everyone who said he was a fool and a dreamer!”
    Viola nodded.
    It was increasingly difficult to recall those first few weeks in America as the days had passed in such a whirl of activity.
    She had been sad to lose her father, of course, but if she was honest, she had seen him so little in the course of her life that it was like hearing of the passing of a distant relation.
    Viola was sorry, but not