103. She Wanted Love
SHE WANTED LOVE
BARBARA CARTLAND
www.barbaracartland.com
Copyright © 2013 by Cartland Promotions
First published on the internet in April 2013 by Barbaracartland.com
ISBNs
978-1-78213-370-4 Epub
978-1-78213-371-1 Mobi
The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval, without the prior permission in writing from the publisher.
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SHE WANTED LOVE
“Do you really think that I would want to marry a man who is old enough to be my grandfather? The answer is quite simply ‘no’.”
Cyril Warner sat back in his chair.
“Are you really so stupid, Eleta, as to think that is your final word?”
“Of course it’s my final word. Have him on your Board, which I am sure is a very wise move, but I have no intention of marrying an old man and certainly not one who is marrying me for my money!”
There was silence for a moment and then he said,
“You have forgotten one thing.”
“What can that be?” Eleta asked suspiciously
“That I am your Guardian by Law,” her stepfather replied, “and you have to obey me until you are twenty-one. That, as I ascertained this morning, does not happen for nine months and by then you will be on my instructions married to the Duke of Hazelware.”
Eleta stared at him.
“Do you really intend to force me up the aisle with someone I have no wish to marry, an old man who is marrying me for what I possess and not for myself?”
THE BARBARA CARTLAND PINK COLLECTION
Barbara Cartland was the most prolific bestselling author in the history of the world. She was frequently in the Guinness Book of Records for writing more books in a year than any other living author. In fact her most amazing literary feat was when her publishers asked for more Barbara Cartland romances, she doubled her output from 10 books a year to over 20 books a year, when she was 77.
She went on writing continuously at this rate for 20 years and wrote her last book at the age of 97, thus completing 400 books between the ages of 77 and 97.
Her publishers finally could not keep up with this phenomenal output, so at her death she left 160 unpublished manuscripts, something again that no other author has ever achieved.
Now the exciting news is that these 160 original unpublished Barbara Cartland books are ready for publication and they will be published by Barbaracartland.com exclusively on the internet, as the web is the best possible way to reach so many Barbara Cartland readers around the world.
The 160 books will be published monthly and will be numbered in sequence.
The series is called the Pink Collection as a tribute to Barbara Cartland whose favourite colour was pink and it became very much her trademark over the years.
The Barbara Cartland Pink Collection is published only on the internet. Log on to www.barbaracartland.com to find out how you can purchase the books monthly as they are published, and take out a subscription that will ensure that all subsequent editions are delivered to you by mail order to your home.
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Titles in this series
These titles are currently available for download. For more information please see the Where to buy page at the end of this book.
The Cross Of Love
Love In The Highlands
Love Finds The Way
The Castle Of Love
Love Is Triumphant
Stars In The Sky
The Ship Of Love
A Dangerous Disguise
Love Became Theirs
Love Drives In
Sailing To Love
The Star Of Love
Music Is The Soul Of Love
Love In The East
Theirs To Eternity
A Paradise On Earth
Love Wins In Berlin
In Search Of Love
Love Rescues Rosanna
A Heart In Heaven
The House Of Happiness
Royalty Defeated By Love
The White Witch
They Sought Love
Love Is The Reason For Living
They Found Their Way To Heaven
Learning To Love
Journey To Happiness
A Kiss In The Desert
The Heart Of Love
The Richness Of Love
For Ever And Ever
An Unexpected Love
Saved By An Angel
Touching The Stars
Seeking Love
Journey To Love
The Importance Of Love
Love By The Lake
A Dream Come True
The King Without A Heart
The Waters Of Love
Danger To The Duke
A Perfect Way To Heaven
Follow Your Heart
In Hiding
Rivals For Love
A Kiss From The Heart
Lovers In London
This Way To Heaven
A Princess Prays
Mine For Ever
The Earl’s Revenge
Love At The Tower
Ruled By Love
Love Came From Heaven
Love And Apollo
The Keys Of Love
A Castle Of Dreams
A Battle Of Brains
A Change Of Hearts
It Is Love
The Triumph Of Love
Wanted – A Royal Wife
A Kiss Of Love
To Heaven With Love
Pray For Love
The Marquis Is Trapped
Hide And Seek For Love
Hiding from Love
A Teacher Of Love
Money Or Love
The Revelation Is Love
The Tree Of Love
The Magnificent Marquis
The Castle
The Gates of Paradise
A Lucky Star
A Heaven on Earth
The Healing Hand
A Virgin Bride
The Trail to Love
A Royal Love Match
A Steeplechase for Love
Love at Last
Search for a Wife
Secret Love
A Miracle of Love
Love and the Clans
A Shooting Star
The Winning Post is Love
They Touched Heaven
The Mountain of Love
The Queen Wins
Love and the Gods
Joined by Love
The Duke is Deceived
A Prayer For Love
Love Conquers War
A Rose in Jeopardy
A Call of Love
A Flight to Heaven
She Wanted Love
THE LATE DAME BARBARA CARTLAND
Barbara Cartland, who sadly died in May 2000 at the grand age of ninety eight, remains one of the world’s most f
amous romantic novelists. With worldwide sales of over one billion, her outstanding 723 books have been translated into thirty six different languages, to be enjoyed by readers of romance globally.
Writing her first book ‘Jigsaw’ at the age of 21, Barbara became an immediate bestseller. Building upon this initial success, she wrote continuously throughout her life, producing bestsellers for an astonishing 76 years. In addition to Barbara Cartland’s legion of fans in the UK and across Europe, her books have always been immensely popular in the USA. In 1976 she achieved the unprecedented feat of having books at numbers 1 & 2 in the prestigious B. Dalton Bookseller bestsellers list.
Although she is often referred to as the ‘Queen of Romance’, Barbara Cartland also wrote several historical biographies, six autobiographies and numerous theatrical plays as well as books on life, love, health and cookery. Becoming one of Britain's most popular media personalities and dressed in her trademark pink, Barbara spoke on radio and television about social and political issues, as well as making many public appearances.
In 1991 she became a Dame of the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to literature and her work for humanitarian and charitable causes.
Known for her glamour, style, and vitality Barbara Cartland became a legend in her own lifetime. Best remembered for her wonderful romantic novels and loved by millions of readers worldwide, her books remain treasured for their heroic heroes, plucky heroines and traditional values. But above all, it was Barbara Cartland’s overriding belief in the positive power of love to help, heal and improve the quality of life for everyone that made her truly unique.
“I have always advised that you should never try too hard to find love or you will be disappointed. Love can come to you in a most unexpected way and at a most unlikely time. But do remember that out there somewhere is your great love and you will find each other.
Barbara Cartland
CHAPTER ONE
1866
As the train neared London, Lady Eleta Renton felt herself becoming more and more apprehensive.
She had never got on with her stepfather.
Therefore he would be extremely annoyed that she had been so long returning to England after leaving school.
She was already twenty and should have left when she was eighteen.
Eleta had, however, enormously enjoyed living in France and meeting so many girls from different countries.
She had stayed with a great number of her school-friends at their homes and, as she was so popular, they had hated her to leave them.
Her mother had died when she was seventeen and this was her third year as a pupil at the Convent of St. Mary Magdalene, which was just outside Paris.
It was in fact the most fashionable and certainly the most distinguished Finishing School in Europe and girls from fifteen onwards were taught by the nuns and every top professor in France.
It was very expensive, but even so many aristocrats in Europe felt their daughters should finish their education there and it would give them something special they could not obtain at any other school.
Eleta loved every single moment of her time at the Convent, especially learning foreign languages from other pupils.
She forced herself to talk in their language when she was alone with them and she soon became so fluent that she invariably won the Prize of the Year.
When her mother died, she happened to be staying in Africa with some French friends and it was impossible for her to return home in time for the funeral.
The Countess of Stanrenton had never been very strong after her daughter was born and spent a great deal of time with her doctors and it was not surprising to anyone when she died peacefully in her sleep.
When Eleta received the news from her stepfather, she was broken-hearted.
She adored her mother and could not bear to think that she had not been with her for the last days of her life.
There was, however, really no point in her hurrying back to England.
She had therefore sent a letter to her stepfather telling him that she was in Africa and that she would have another term at the Convent before coming home.
Actually it was over a year before she returned and, when she did, she found him even less attractive than he had been when her mother was alive.
So she had gone back to the Convent again and had stayed there enjoying every minute of it until now.
She would not have left even now if the Mother Superior had not said that she should go.
“You are now twenty, my dear,” she said, “and the oldest girl here. I am sorry, but you really must leave us because there is nothing more we can teach you.”
“Oh, don’t say that, Reverend Mother,” Eleta cried. “I feel I learn more and more every day I am here and I am very happy.”
The Mother Superior knew the background only too well and why Eleta did not wish to return to her stepfather.
“I know and we would love to keep you. But we cannot break the rules of the Convent just for one girl.”
“So I have to go back,” Eleta replied in a low voice.
“You will find that you will soon enjoy yourself with your friends. Among the debutantes I am afraid you will find yourself really rather old and they will think you are ‘not one of them,’ so to speak.”
Eleta had laughed.
The Mother Superior had said it in French using a slang expression.
“I will pray for you,” the Mother Superior promised quietly, “and I know things will seem much better when you are at home than they do from here.”
Eleta thought that she was being optimistic and it was most unlikely, but she had no choice except to leave at the end of the term.
It was now May and the sun was shining and she tried to think of how beautiful it would be at her father’s house in Northamptonshire.
She realised, however, that she had to go to London first – to the house where her mother had died which was in Berkeley Square.
It was agony for her to think that her Mama would not be waiting for her as she always had been in the lovely drawing room filled with spring flowers.
The Countess would be sitting on the sofa with her feet up as her doctors had advised her to do and she would then hold out her arms as Eleta entered the room.
But now there would only be her stepfather.
She was quite certain that he would look at her in a way that she always disliked. It made her feel as if he was summing her up and not being pleased with the final sum.
The Earl of Stanrenton, Eleta’s father, had died in a most unfortunate accident when he was out riding and his wife was broken-hearted and so was his daughter.
Eleta had adored and idolised her dear Papa, as she called him. Although he deeply regretted not having a son, he had been extremely fond of his pretty daughter.
It was two years later that the Countess had married again, simply because she was so lonely and depressed and also because Mr. Cyril Warner was very persuasive.
He was not an aristocrat as the Earl had been, but he had been well educated and had made a large fortune for himself building ships.
He was, however, as Eleta had discovered almost immediately, a tremendous snob.
He had not merely fallen in love with the widowed Countess, he had also thought being married to her was a huge step up on the social ladder for himself.
Eleta found during the holidays that her stepfather took endless pains to invite to the house anyone who had a title.
Eleta knew, although he had never said so, that he was deeply upset at not being able to have a child by his wife because she was not strong enough.
Therefore he had to be content with a stepdaughter.
But he was well aware that Eleta had resented him from the very moment he had married her mother.
It was not a happy situation and so Eleta spent a great deal of her holidays with her friends.
Only when her mother died quite suddenly did she bitterly regret that she had not been at home all
the time.
She should have disregarded the fact that she was uncomfortable with her stepfather and resentful of him.
Now she thought despairingly, as her Mama was not there, she would have to see a great deal more of her stepfather than she had in the past.
She had already notified some of her friends that she was returning home and she was certain they would welcome her with open arms.
At the same time the house in Berkeley Square and Renton Park in the country would be incredibly dull and uncomfortable if she had to spend any time alone with her stepfather.
‘If only Mama was here,’ she thought, ‘everything would be different.’
The mere thought of her Mama brought tears to her eyes and she had loved talking to her and being with her.
The Countess had been a most intelligent woman, despite having been brought up by Governesses and it was her idea that Eleta should have a better education than hers.
“I have had to teach myself,” she admitted. “Your father was a great reader and an ardent traveller, so I learnt much from him. I must not now deprive you.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Eleta had said when she was told that she was to go to France.
“I will miss you, my darling,” her mother replied, “more than I can say. But I know I am doing the right thing. You have the same intelligent brain as your father had, so you will learn from the Convent more than any Governess could possibly teach you.”
So Eleta had gone to France unwillingly and had stayed longer than anyone expected, as she found that she was so happy there.
It was really fascinating not only to learn from the teachers at the Convent, but from all the girls themselves, especially those from distant countries.
Now, she thought, she had already seen a great deal of the world, but there was much more to see and she only hoped and prayed she would be able to go on travelling.
She was, however, anxious that her stepfather was already planning a social life for her and she knew in her heart of hearts that she would find it boring.
There would be endless balls every night to which inevitably she would be invited purely because she was her mother’s and father’s daughter.
And she was sure that her stepfather would insist on escorting her and that was because he would then meet the aristocrats whose daughters were the Season’s debutantes.