Barbara Cartland – författare

Helsa, the exceptionally beautiful daughter of the Reverend Alfred Irvin, is thrilled when she learns that Irvin Hall, their vast ancestral home, has been rented for a large sum by a certain Lady Basset.Her Ladyship wishes to host a grand house party and has invited a number of distinguished guests including the handsome Duke of Mervinston.Helsa’s friend, Mary, agrees to play the vital role of lady’s maid to Lady Basset. But at the last minute Mary cannot do it as she has to visit her ill grandmother.So Helsa has to step into her shoes and be the lady’s maid.To everyone’s surprise Lady Basset organises a steeplechase and the Duke is the favourite to win on his stallion Masterpiece.However Helsa uncovers a dastardly plot on the day of the steeplechase to lure the Duke into marrying against his will.How Helsa saves the Duke and unexpectedly finds the love of her life is all told in this exciting romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The handsome and eligible Prince Ivan of Rusitania urgently needs to find a bride who is very young, very pretty and very rich.His cousin, Prince Peter of neighbouring Voskia, is determined to prevent him marrying as he intends to inherit Rusitania. He needs revenge on Ivan. Peter invaded Rusitania hoping for a quick victory, instead he suffered a disastrous defeat.Danger follows Ivan from Rusitania to Paris and then to London, where he meets Lady Cecilia Beaumont, who undertakes to help him find a suitable bride.Almost-on-the-shelf, Cecilia is intelligent, stylish and very wealthy. Wary of suitors after her fortune, she has given up on marriage and devotes herself both to her father, the Earl of Yarlington and the clinic she has founded to help the poor of London.Soon Cecilia finds her life threatened and her heart captured. Then she meets Peters and Ivans ex-mistress, the voluptuous Countess Natasha. Neither is what they seem on first sight.What happens as Ivan and Cecilia fight for happiness and their lives is told in this absorbing romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The Marquis of Milverton strides into White?s Club in a high state of irritation as he is being pestered by his family to take a ?suitable? girl for his wife. He is not surprised to find that his aristocratic friends are suffering the same pressure and theygather together to complain about their plight. They are all having affaires-de-coeurs with seductive married ladies and the Marquis himself is very much involved with a glamorous Countess. However they all recognise that they will have to marry eventually to carry on their ancestral titlesand family legacy. Listening to their grumbling is the Duke of Sandelford and he challenges them to go out into the countryside in disguise and find a beautiful girl to be their dream wife.If after three months, they failed they were to admit failure and accept their family?s suggestions. He also offers a one thousand pounds prize to those who succeed. He left them feeling it was at least a sporting chance and the Marquis was the first to accept the Duke?s challenge.Disguising himself as John Milton he sets out alone on his horse and has a number of unlikely adventures with people he would normally have never encountered. He helps some of them to happiness, then becomes bored and decides to returnhome, but will give one more village a last chance. How the Marquis becomes involved with a ruthless gang of horse thieves and then unexpectedly finds all he is seeking and can claim the Duke?s prize is told in this exciting and different tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Wenda has struggled alone to keep the family’s crumbling ancestral home, Creswell Court, going. Her brother, Robbie, now Lord Creswell, is spending his time in London where he is a great success in Society and with the Prince of Wales and thebeautiful ladies who surround him. The Prince has suffered from not being allowed by Queen Victoria to take any part in ruling the country and in compensation he goes from one attractive woman to another. He especially enjoys secret weekend house parties at his friends’ country houses – usually a party of ten and each gentleman brings with him a lady of his choice.To Robbie’s consternation the Prince of Wales suggests he should visit Creswell Court where he had heard the pictures are outstanding. Robbie is horrified, but he cannot refuse and so he rushes home to tell Wenda that the Prince is to be theirguest for a Royal house party. Wenda asks the obvious question as to how they can afford it and to her alarm Robbie takes down two valuable pictures, which are entailed, telling her he has found an artist to copy them so cleverly that the Trustees will not realise the originals are missing.Wenda manages to clean up the house while Robbie unexpectedly meets a beautiful young woman who says she is married. Robbie offers to help her and is instantly attracted to her. How Wenda is rewarded for making the house habitable and comfortable for the Prince of Wales and how he finds the house party is even more amusing than he anticipated. And how the secret weekend provides love in a very special and delightful way for both Robbie and Wenda, is all told in this romantic tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Prince Nicolo of Vienz is irritated by his family and his Prime Minister continually begging him to be married for the sake of his country and to prevent it being taken over by a neighbour. He finally agrees to meet Princess Marziale, the daughter of the ruler of Bassanz. However when she arrives, the Prince learns by accident that she is very much in love with the Comte who had been sent to escort her to Vienz.Because the Prince has no wish to marry anyone, least of all someone who is in love with another man, he runs away to Venice without anyone, except his valet, Texxo, knowing that he is leaving the Palace. He orders Texxo to look after the horses at a hotel, while he hires a gondola to explore Venice. On his way down one of the canals the Prince is suddenly aware that a young girl is leaning out of the window of a grand house.Then he sees to his surprise that she is deliberately letting herself down by a rope into the canal.Thinking quickly he moves his gondola so that she falls into it and she begs him to take her away before anyone sees what has happened. How the Prince then finds that the girl he has rescued is incredibly beautiful and extremely intelligent.And how they set off on a thrilling adventure, knowing only each others’ Christian names and how they eventually fall in love is all told in this unusal romantic story by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The young and handsome Duke of Barenlock is twenty-seven and is being constantly pestered by his mother and his family to get married.They are not only frightened he will not produce an heir to the Dukedom, but the Castle, one of the most famous in Scotland, is in desperate need of repair. The Duke’s cousin Moira introduces him to an attractive American girl, Mary-Lee, who is an immensely rich heiress.Moira tries to pressure him into proposing to Mary-Lee, but he is idealistic enough to hope that one day he will fall in love with someone who will love him not for his title but for himself.To escape the pressure he goes for a walk by his river, which he shares with his Clans’ arch-enemies, the MacFallins.He sees a poacher in the shape of a young girl fishing his water and he is just about to order her off when she hooks a salmon and he cannot resist netting it for her.It is her first salmon and she is so delighted that he finds it hard to tell her she has no right to it and he then discovers that she, Sheinna, is the daughter of the dreaded Chieftain of the MacFallins. They agree to meet the following morning at the same place and Sheinna tells him that her father is forcing her to marry Sir Ewen Kincard, who is over seventy with a terrible reputation.How the Duke and Sheinna find a way together to resolve their problems and bring their Clans together, and how after severe danger they find real love for themselves is told in this exciting and stirring story of Scotland by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The beautiful Flavia Linwood had been living in the country until she was nearly nineteen.She should have been a debutante in London the previous year, but she was in deep mourning for her mother who had died suddenly. Now at last she travels to London for her Season.Her father, Lord Linwood, and his friend Lord Carlsby are courtiers in attendance on Her Majesty Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle and they are very proud of their position at Court.Quite by chance Flavia secretly learns that they are increasingly concerned that the Queen is becoming too interested in the handsome Earl of Haugton and heeds his advice rather than theirs.They therefore concoct plan to get him out of their way by marrying Flavia off to him.She is completely horrified at the idea! She has long ago made up her mind that she will only marry someone she loves and who loves her.How she tries to avoid the Earl, but finally meets him face to face and then finds that he feels exactly as she does and learns that, although he is nearly twenty-eight, he has no intention of marrying anyone, not even to have an heir to his title and fortune.How Flavia and the Earl plan to circumvent the ingenious scheme of Lord Linwood and Lord Carlsby.And, how by a strange and frightening drama at Windsor Castle, they finally find what they are both seeking is all told in this unusal romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Lord Waincliffe breaks his horse’s bridle out riding one day and calls at the nearest house for help so that he can ride home safely.It belongs to Terence Stourton, a Professor of Literature, and he meets his daughter, Rosetta, who repairs the bridle for him.Not only does he think that Rosetta is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, but he feels there is something unusual about her. Only when he returns home does he realise that she bears an extraordinary resemblance to his sister, Dolina.Lord Waincliffe and his brother, Henry, are finding it very difficult to afford their house and estate and they have the idea that the Marquis of Millbrook, who livesnearby and is very rich, could help them build a Racecourse on both their estates that would solve all their financial woes.So they invite the Marquis, who is known for his love of beautiful women,and they expect their lovely sister to help them persuade him, but Dolina insists on going to London for a ball instead.They enlist Rosetta to impersonate Dolina for the evening and the Marquis is so deeply impressed by her and her beauty that he agrees to fund the Racecourse.Then the problems for Rosetta really begin and when all seems impossible and her heart is forever broken, everything is resolved in this fascinating and intriguing tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The Earl of Wentworth has a fiery and unpredictable temper and is about to fight a duel in Hyde Park with a Frenchman who has insulted him, when he is restrained by his friend, Sir Thomas Babbington, and a helpful Policeman.At the same time the beautiful Temia Brandon is returning home from her Finishing School in France and is longing to see her horse, Lightning, again.Temia discovers that her father has been hiding a dark secret for many years and is now being blackmailed by the odious Lord Alphonse who threatens to reveal the secret and ruin the family’s reputation.Lord Alphonse next proposes to Temia with her father’s approval and she has no alternative but to run away from her home in Northamptonshire to the bright lights of London.Through a strange set of coincidences Temia’s and the Earl of Wentworth’s paths cross and then Sir Thomas Babbington unexpectedly falls in love with her.Temia’s strong character and resolve are tested to the extreme and she is buffeted from pillar to post.How Temia helps defeat Lord Alphonse and despite endless dramas eventually find happiness with the one man she really loves and who loves her is told in this intriguing and fast-moving tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

When the Duke of Barningforde was told by his second son, Alastair, that he had married an actress in Paris without his approval, he exiled Alastair from England with only a very small allowance.His wife, Grace, actually came from a good Scottish family and was not an actress, but had a very fine soprano voice and sang with a famous French orchestra.But the Duke would not listen and Alastair and Grace never again set foot in their homeland.They were blessed with one beautiful daughter, Kayla, who is well educated thanks to Grace’s efforts after Alastair’s untimely death.Then Grace dies and Kayla, now eighteen, is left all alone in the world. At her mother’s suggestion, she returns to England and throws herself on the mercy of her grandfather, the Duke.Grudgingly the Duke takes her in to Forde Hall and is permanently hostile towards her, but at least she has somewhere to live.Then, to score off his neighbour, the Earl of Rothwoode, the Duke arranges for Kayla at a moment’s notice to marry his son, Christopher, the Viscount Roth.They do not meet until their wedding day and they both hate the marriage forced on them and inevitably dislike each other.To distance himself from his father, Christopher then sets out for Nepal with his new bride.How in that beautiful country, called ‘the roof of the world’, Kayla and Christopher find the key to everything they are both seeking in life is told in this unusual romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The Honourable Richard Brooke, the younger son of the Earl of Grandbrooke becomes a close friend of Prince Ivan of Karlova.The Prince however does not use his title as he is incognito. He is therefore known as Ivan Sazon.As is usual in Aristocratic families, Richard, as the second son is ordained and is then appointed to a Parish in Oxford.Prince Ivan is often at his house and it was not long before he falls in love with Richard’s sister Elizabeth, who is very beautiful.They marry and are very happy for six years and have one child, whom they christen Tarena.Unexpectedly Ivan is called back to Karlova because his father, the King, has died and he has to take his place. He also learns that he is expected to save Karlova and its adjacent country Dubnik from the Russians, who are determined to annex both countries.To do so he has to marry Princess Catrina of Dubnik.Shortly afterwards Elizabeth dies and Tarena goes to live with her Uncle Richard.Tarena is very happy with her uncle and takes her mother’s place in tending the garden and helping in the Parish.Then King Ivan dies and it is a tremendous shock to Tarena to learn that she must go to Karlova, become Queen and marry Prince Igor of Dubnik.This will save Karlova from the Russians and she goes with Queen Victoria’s blessing.Frightened but convinced that she must follow in her father’s footsteps, Tarena travels to Karlova aboard a British Battleship accompanied by her uncle. How Tarena is taught the language of Karlova by the dashing Count Vladimir in charge of the Escort of Karlovan soldiers on board.And how she succeeds in astounding and defying the Russians, at the same time falling in love, is all told in this fast moving tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Queen Victoria sends for the Duke of Sherbourne and asks him to undertake a very secret mission on her behalf. It is so secret that only his loyal valet, Jenkins, is told.The Duke agrees and it takes him to Greece where he had not been for some years.He visits King George who is the same age as he is and whom he has known in the past.He has been a great success as King, although he was only eighteen when he took over the throne and he is married to Princess Olga of Russia and they are extremely happy.The Duke envies them and, although he has been pursued by a great number of beautiful women in London, he has never yet fallen in love. He consistently refuses to marry although his family beg him to produce an heir to his ancient title.Before the Duke leaves Athens, he says that he must visit the Parthenon because he wants to see again the view from the top as it is the most inspiring in the world.When he reaches the top, the only other person there is a young and beautiful girl who he senses is about to commit suicide.How the Duke persuades Princess Thalia not to throw her life away in such a stupid fashion.How he learns that she is being forced by her uncle to marry a Russian Prince she detests.How he goes to Delos, the island where the God Apollo was born.How, when he is there, he experiences a strange and mystical feeling that cannot be expressed in words.Eventually the Duke finds all that he is seeking.All his and Thalia’s problems and difficulties are solved not only by the brains of human beings but with the help and guidance of the Gods themselves.This is all told in this intriguing and surprising story by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Beautiful Lady Lucilla Welton is all alone in the world, having lost both her parents in a tragic accident. She has nowhere to go and so she stays with her cruel and distant Aunt Maud, who wants to marry her off as soon as possible. An ardent suitor is at hand – the rich Texan, Harkness Jackson – but his proposal is not one Lucilla could ever contemplate. She has already met the only man who will ever find the key to her heart – but the handsome Marquis of Castlebury is enthralled by another and for him, Lucilla seems to be no more than a casual friend. She accepts the Marquis’s invitation to visit Paris with him and her old Nanny comes as chaperone. She is enchanted to be with him, but dark clouds are gathering. And, once Harkness Jackson has found out where she is, the odds against Lucilla ever finding happiness grow longer and longer.She flees the persistent American and the Marquis believes that she has run away with him. She is taken in by her maid from her hotel and her artist brother, who paints her and the portrait catches the eye of the Parisian art world – and the Marquis.Will Lucilla ever find true love with the man she adores? Will the Marquis finally come to his senses and follow his heart?All is revealed in this exciting, heart-stopping romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Princess Zelda of Brienz in Switzerland is being harassed by her father to marry a King or Prince of one of the small countries of Europe.Zelda is very beautiful and determined that when she does marry it will be for love and only love and she cannot possibly fall in love with any of her father’s suitors.She runs away from her home to her cousin, Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein, who has always been very fond of her.She tells him that she is determined to find out the truth about a scandal that has been repeated ever since she was born. This was that her real father was the fourth Duke of Milverden from one of the foremost aristocratic families of England. She is also hoping to find the love of her life.To please her, the Prince sends her to stay in London with an old friend of his, Lady Craven, so that she can discover for herself if she is really one of the Milvers.Prince Johann also gives her an introduction to Queen Victoria who, he is well aware, knows more about Royalty in Europe than anyone else.How Zelda is advised to behave in a very strange way both by Queen Victoria and by her Prime Minister, Mr. Disraeli.How she manages to meet the present Duke, who succeeded her supposed father and finds that owing to a humiliating experience when he was a young man he has become a recluse and hides away in his magnificent house filed with treasures and will see no one.How in an assumed personality, but being intelligent and astute, she attracts and puzzles him.And how finally they both find happiness is all told in this unusual romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Dalma Wickham, having been in Athens to learn Greek, arrives at a British Steamer to return to London to find that they will not allow her dog, Twi-Twi, on board.Because she is turned away from the British ship, she walks round the quay and sees a most magnificent yacht.While she is admiring it, a bomb goes off at the end of the quay and the seamen leave the yacht to see what has happened.On an impulse, because she realises it is her last chance of getting Twi-Twi to England, she slips aboard the yacht and hides in one of the empty cabins.The yacht goes to sea and she is just beginning to feel hungry when Twi-Twi starts barking.Dalma has made up her mind that the owner of the yacht must be very rich and old and, when the door opens, she sees a young man who is very handsome and he is the Earl of Ravenscraig.Because her father, Lord Wickham, is a trusted advisor to the Prime Minister and Queen Victoria, she recognises that there would be a great scandal if she travels alone with such a handsome man.Because she is herself so beautiful and interesting, the Earl says he will not turn her off his yacht, but he has a problem to resolve in Fez before he returns to London.It turns out that he is trying to rescue a young woman, the daughter of his secretary, who has been captured by evil white slave traders.How Dalma helps the Earl in freeing the girl when she is about to be sold.How they reach England in safety, but Dalma knows that she is already in love with the Earl.How she discovers that he is married to a Greek Princess and is faced with an appalling problem for which there is apparently no answer.And how they both wish on a star that one day they will be together for ever is told in this exciting romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

After the Battle of Waterloo and the subsequent Army of Occupation in France, the Earl of Monthurst returns to his ancestral home in England to find it in a very bad condition. Because labour had not been available during the war, The Hall, which goes back to Tudor times, was badly in need of repair, while the farms on his extensive estate were untenanted and the fields unploughed. Not only had all the local men been taken by the Army, but a large number had not returned. The villagers had faced near starvation and many older people had died from want of attention. The Earl had unwisely brought back with him a French Comtesse, who was very beautiful and possessive and was obviously determined that he should marry her. He had thought that he and the Comtesse could arrive quietly and remain unnoticed in his home. However, he finds the Vicar’s daughter, the lovely Raina Locke, is determined to make him realise his responsibility towards his people who have suffered so acutely during the war and he finds to his surprise they are confident that he will rescue them as well as his own estate from ruin. How Raina, through sheer persistence convinces the Earl to fulfil his responsibilities to his people and accept his ancestral duty. How Raina with the aid of her redoubtable Nanny saves the Earl on the first night of his arrival home from the disapproval of the local Lord Lieutenant and an inveterate gossip. And how she saves the Earl from a despicable plot by the evil French Comtesse and how she completely and absolutely falls in love is all told in this romantic and inspiring tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

On a hot summer’s day in 1880 the beautiful Lady Rosella is cutting a basket of blooms in her beloved Rose Garden at her aunt’s house in Hampshire. It is her seventeenth birthday and no one remembers it except for Thomas, the gardener’s boy.Later she is driven to Winchester and has an unpleasant encounter with two raucous gentlemen in the local tavern before going on to fit her first ball gown that her aunt has given her the money for just before she died. But who is the lovely masked woman she glimpses in the mirror at the dress-makers, a glorious vision clad in rose-pink silk? And who is the dark figure approaching through the shadows of a dim and ghostly ballroom?Before she will discover the answers to these questions and to escape marriage to a most unpleasant companion of her uncle’s, Rosella must travel many miles to the glorious City of Venice accompanied by Pickle an extremely talkative and colourful parrot. She has left behind everything dear to her and when a mysterious stranger appears in Venice, Rosella believes that he may be the love she has so often dreamed about. This love will bring her pain and passion beyond anything she could ever have imagined. But her hopes are in ruins when she discovers the mysterious stranger to be the son of her arch enemy and once again she must flee.Will Rosella and her true love ever be reconciled – or will the Fates conspire to keep them apart forever? Find out in this thrilling new romance by Barbara Cartland, the one hundredth title in the Barbara Cartland Pink Collection.

The British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, asks Lord Kenington to travel to India to find out if growing reports about the Russian menace are really true.The Liberal Opposition in Parliament are sceptical and are certain that Disraeli is manufacturing a scare about nothing in asserting that the prime objective of the Russians in invading Asia is to wrest India from the British.On the P & O Liner to India, to Lord Kenington’s surprise, a very beautiful young girl comes up to him and asks if she can be seen speaking to him.Aisha explains that, owing to various mishaps, she is travelling alone and un-chaperoned and is being pursued by a tiresome man, Arthur Watkins, and she is frightened at the way he is behaving.Learning that she is the daughter of one of the most successful Officers in the Army in India, Lord Kenington is only too pleased to help her.He understands that Aisha’s father, Major Warde, is one of the key men in The Great Game, a British Secret Service dedicated to defending India from the Russians. Because they find each other so interesting, Lord Kenington is as worried as Aisha is when they reach Calcutta to find that her father is not waiting for her.Lord Kenington fears that if he is missing there may be an alarming reason for it and they then travel together to Simla to stay with the Viceroy, Lord Lytton.How when they are there Major Warde turns up unexpectedly, having saved a Fort on the North-West Frontier.How Aisha is kidnapped from Viceregal Lodge and how eventually she finds happiness after her terrifying ordeal is all told in this intriguing romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

When two dashing gentlemen ride up to Rensham Hall, the ancestral Norfolk home of the beautiful Lady Chiara Fairfax, her world is turned upside down, as she and her mother are just recovering from the unexpected death of her father, Lord Fairfax. One of them, the handsome Mervyn Hunter, is soon in ardent pursuit of the lovely Chiara. But can she trust his declarations of love or does the mysterious, dark-haired stranger she encounters by chance on the seashore hold the key to her future happiness?Mervyn Hunter proposes marriage to Chiara and she turns him down, as she does not love him and she senses that he is cold and calculating and has an ulterior motive in asking her to be his wife.As she watches spellbound, a group of wild swans fly North over the sea towards Russia, Chiara feels a magical world of passion and beauty calling to her. Soon she too will be travelling North to the enchanting City of St. Petersburg, although in the company of Mervyn Hunter’s pushy sister and her two tiresome daughters. But will she ever break free from the clutches of Mervyn Hunter and his family and be reunited with her true soulmate, the elusive and mysterious Count Dimitrov? Find out, in this scintillating and thrilling romance by Barbara Cartland.

The beautiful Lady Eleta Renton returns from France where she has stayed long over her time at the Convent School in Paris.Because her mother had married again after becoming widowed and then she died too, Eleta was in no hurry to come homeWhen she arrives back in London, rather sad at leaving the Convent School, she is horrified when her stepfather, whom she had never liked, tells her that she is to marry the Duke of Hazelware, because he is important to him in his business of shipbuilding and the Duke requires a wife with money.As she had never even seen the Duke, Eleta protested violently, especially when she learns her intended husband is over fifty, but her stepfather informs her that he is her Guardian by law until she is twenty-one and that will not be until the end of the year.As she is terrified at being forced into this marriage, she decides that the only course open to her is to run awayShe learns from her mother’s maid, Betty, of whom she is very fond, that there is an Agency nearby where she might be able to find a position as a secretary or a Governess.At the Agency the only place available is with the Marquis of Teringford, who has a very tiresome, badly behaved child of nine years of age, with whom no Governess will stay and has apparently run through a large number of them. One of them actually said when she left that she was a child of the Devil.Because she is desperate and despite Betty’s misgivings at the Marquis’s apparently doubtful reputation, Eleta takes the position and goes to his magnificent house in Hertfordshire.Here she finds that the small child has never been loved, which is the reason why she is so difficult. Also the Marquis is seldom there and, when he is, he scolds and lectures his daughter to distraction.How Eleta eventually tames and finds love for her pupil and for herself is all told in this romantic and moving tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The beautiful Alnina Lester is confronted with a formidable task when her brother, Lord Lester, dies after fighting a duel in Paris.She finds that he has accumulated an enormous number of debts, and to meet his creditors everything in their house, which has been in the Lester family for generations, has to be sold.Even though she has sold a great number of treasures, she is still short of money.Alnina goes round the house to see what else she can find to sell.In her mother’s bedroom she sees her extraordinary and unusual wedding dress, which her father had found in China. Exquisitely embroidered, it was decorated with diamante and many precious stones.She decides she would ask what seems to her a very large sum for it and advertises it in The Times.The advertisement is seen by the Duke of Burlingford, who is planning to visit Prince Vladimir Petrov in Georgia with his friend William Armstrong.They had been there several years earlier and found gold in one of the tall mountains of the Caucasus before the Duke through two unexpected deaths, succeeded to his title.William warns him that Prince Vladimir is determined to marry his daughter to an English Nobleman and it would therefore be dangerous for him to visit Tiflis in case he was forced by some means or other up the aisle with the Princess.How the Duke concocts a plan and answers the advertisement for the wedding dress. How he finds that Alnina can speak Russian fluently.And how he begs her to go out with him to Tiflis and then encounters a different danger but a very menacing one that leads them both eventually to their hearts’ desire is all told in this intriguing adventure by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Princess Caterina of Theiss receives a letter from her close friend Princess Henriet of Istria asking her to stay with her immediately.The two Provinces were close to each other and part of Austria.On arrival at the Palace in Istria, Princess Caterina is horrified to hear that, owing to the Russians’ threatening behaviour in the Balkans, the Emperor of Austria has written to Queen Victoria asking her to send an English husband for Princess Henriet so that the Union Jack can fly over Istria and deter any greedy predators.The Russians at the time are a great menace to all Europe and are especially anxious to acquire access to the Mediterranean, which Istria could easily provide.The Duke of Dunlerton, whose mother was Princess Alice of Saxe-Coburg and therefore Royal has been sent by the Queen to marry Princess Henriet.But Henriet tells Caterina that she is already madly in love with Fritz Hofer, a tall handsome Officer in her father’s best Regiment.Rather than marry anyone else, she insists to Caterina that she will kill herself!To save her friend from suicide, Caterina agrees that Henriet will escape with the man she loves and she will take her place and marry the Duke without him or anyone else realising what is happening.How Caterina does so successfully.How she is terrified of what will happen when the Duke discovers that he has been made a fool of and is now married to the wrong Princess.How they are all afraid of Queen Victoria and what she will say when she learns about Caterina’s deception.And how, despite her sacrifice for her friend, she unexpectedly finds the love she has been hoping for and praying for all her life is all told in this exciting story by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The beautiful Adella May is filled with joy as she sees Digby Dryden, the man she loves, walking towards her. But why does he turn away, refusing to look at her? Humiliated and hurt and her golden dream of love in ruins, what can Adella do now and where can she turn? Will she be forced to give up her hopes of seeing Digby again and obey her tyrannical Uncle Edgar and accept the proposal of the rich and suitable aristocrat, Lord Ranulph Fowles, a man she cannot love?Adella’s dear school friend, Jane Hartley, holds an exquisite bouquet to her heart. The card attached to it bears the signature of the man she adores, but it is intended for another woman. Jane must endure the torment of knowing that she will never be loved by him, for she is just a humble Governess, while he, the most eligible bachelor in London, is from the highest echelons of Society.Trapped in a cruel web of deceit and obsession, the two girls fight to hold onto their dreams, but can they ever be happy in a world that does not recognise their right to love?Find out all in this enthralling and unusual romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Arliva Ashdown is not only the most beautiful girl in London Society but the richest as she has inherited her father’s huge fortune.At a ball she is giving she overhears two people talking outside the window and she is horrified to learn that, although they are very much in love with each other, the man is telling the girl that the only chance he has of obtaining money for his crumbling house and estate is to marry Arliva.A little later she overhears another conversation between the Countess of Sturton and her son, Simon, who is a rather unpleasant young man Arliva has been trying to avoid.The Countess insists that her son proposes to Arliva as they too need money to upkeep Sturton Castle and, although Simon has no wish to do so, the Countess persists, saying that Arliva will accept him because of his grand title.Disgusted by what she has heard, Arliva makes a dramatic decision.She decides to hide away in the country and see if she can find someone who loves her for herself and not for her money and so she manages to become a Governess to Lord Wilson’s three grandchildren whose parents have been drowned at sea.With great brilliance she leaves her house in London where she is chaperoned by her aunt without anyone realising where she is going and installs herself in Lord Wilson’s house in the country.Here she is able not only to make the children happy with new ideas and activities that no one has thought of before but to drastically change the routine of the household.Suddenly, when she least expects it, she is kidnapped by the Countess of Sturton, who makes her a prisoner in Sturton Castle and she is starved until she can no longer refuse to marry her son.How she is prays fervently that she will be rescued from a terrible fateHow a man, who she thinks is an angel, saves her by what seems to her a miracle just before the day of the wedding.How they both find a happiness that only comes from God and is the love that all people seek, is told in this unusual story by BARBARA CARTLAND.

After visiting the lovely Countess of Helston as her husband is away, Lord Lanwood did not arrive home until the early hours of the morning.And after sleeping later than usual the following morning, he is ready to go riding when his valet tells him that a strange man was waiting downstairs to see him urgently.Pierre, a rough-looking, rough-speaking Frenchman gave him a letter from his nephew Charles.It said that he was being kept a prisoner until he told his captors and their patron, the scheming Comte de Roulé, how to break into Lord Lanwood’s castle as they planned to steal his fabulous collection of treasures as well as his valuable paintings, including three exceptional Fragonards.The letter also said that Pierre would take Lord Lanwood to France if he pays him well to rescue Charles.Lord Lanwood has trouble understanding the Frenchman’s low slang so he engages the help of the Vicar’s daughter, the beautiful Isa, who is adept at languages. When they reach France, Pierre takes Isa to where Charles is imprisoned and, disguised as a nurse, she dresses his wounded shoulder each day.Between her and Lord Lanwood they devise a clever plan to rescue Charles from the French Comte and the ruffians who have imprisoned him.They ask the Comte to dine with them at their hotel and, while he is doing so, they spirit Charles away from his captors.How when they eventually return to England the story ends in great happiness both for Isa and Lord Lanwood, is told in this exciting tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The Earl of Hillingwood calls his great friend, Lord Waverstone, to an urgent meeting with him at White’s Club in St. James’s for a serious discussion. The Earl is determined that his only son, Royden, is married to his friend’s daughter, Malva, as he feels that it is time Royden produced an heir to Hillingwood Towers and all its fabulous treasures and carry on as well his ancient and illustrious lineage.The beautiful fair-haired Malva and Royden do not wish to marry and anyway they are definitely not in love with each other. They are both seeking an ideal love that will sweep them off their feet and they will be gloriously happy for ever.To circumvent their fathers’ ambitions for them they devise an ingenious plan to pretend to their fathers that they are indeed married, but they want it kept secret until they return from their honeymoon because Queen Victoria would not approve of anyone marrying while they are still in mourning as Malva is for her mother.When they do return from their honeymoon, they will then say that they have found that they are totally unsuited to each other and will divorce immediately.Because both fathers would be horrified at the Social shame and scandal of the mere idea of a divorce, they will be delighted and relieved to be informed that no wedding has actually taken place. And then they will take the pressure off them and leave them alone.Malva and Royden set off for their pretend honeymoon in his new yacht for West Africa telling the Captain that they are brother and sister.It is when they anchor in a quiet bay off the African coast and decide to visit the Palace of the local Vizier that their adventure really begins.How Malva, because of her beautiful golden hair is kidnapped by the Sultan for his harem and how she is daringly rescued by Royden.And how love comes to them both in a most unexpected way is all told in this exciting tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.