Rescued by Love
Rescued by Love
BARBARA CARTLAND
www.barbaracartland.com
Copyright © 2014 by Cartland Promotions
First published on the internet in December 2013 by Barbaracartland.com
ISBNs
978-1-78213-474-9 epub
978-1-78213-475-6 mobi
978-1-78213-435-0 Print
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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Rescued by Love
She had not gone far when one of the men who had spoken to Ivor before dinner joined her.
“I am the odd man out tonight,” he began, “so I thought I would come and find you.”
He was the one Weena had taken a dislike to and she knew that her mother would have thought him rather common.
Equally there was something about him which told her that he was not a particularly attractive person and she really had no desire to be with him.
“As it so happens,” she replied to him, “I was just going to bed. I feel rather tired. Perhaps it’s the fresh air and I know that I will fall asleep at once.”
He then said almost in a whisper,
“If you really intend to go to bed and not talk to me as I would very much like you to do, you must at least kiss me goodnight.”
Weena felt shocked by his forward behaviour and therefore said quickly,
“Goodnight. I really must go to my cabin.”
He put out his arm and pulled her close to him.
“You’ll go when I let you go,” he insisted. “You’re very pretty, in fact the prettiest girl in the whole ship. I want you to stay here with me!”
Weena put her hands against him and tried to push him away, but he was very much taller than she was and obviously much stronger.
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.
If you do not have access to a computer you can write for information about the Pink Collection to the following address :
BarbaraCartland.com
Camfield Place
Hatfield
Hertfordshire
AL9 6JE
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 1707 642629
Fax: +44 1707 663041
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
A Heart Finds Love
A Sacrifice for Love
Love's Dream in Peril
Soft, sweet & Gentle
An Archangel Called Ivan
A Prisoner in Paris
Danger in the desert
Rescued by 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 famous 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.
“Love is so strong and powerful that it can rescue you from anything however unpleasant and degrading.”
Barbara Cartland
CHAPTER ONE
1895
It was growing very dark and it was difficult for the two people climbing up the mountain to see ahead clearly.
“I cannot imagine why you are taking me here,” the girl kept saying.
The man merely replied,
“Come on, hurry! I want you to get to the top.”
They climbed further in silence.
Then with a sigh of relief she realised that she had reached the top of that particular mountain, although there were others nearby that were higher still.
Their tips, covered with snow, reached towards the stars.
She sunk down almost exhausted and sighed,
“I cannot imagine, Ivor, why you have brought me here at this time of night. I will be very tired tomorrow.”
“I want you to look down below you,” Ivor replied.
She wondered what he was talking about.
But because she was feeling breathless she was not prepared to argue with him.
She looked below to where she could just see the outline of their big house and the extensive garden beyond it.
It looked to her as it always had done, an isolated building on flat land that slipped down for several miles before it reached the sea.
Then to her surprise she could see lights at what she knew was the entrance to the drive, which was bordered, almost in English fashion, with trees on either side of it.
Now she could see lights moving between them.
“Look!” she exclaimed in astonishment. “There are lights going up the drive! Who can it be and why are they going to the house at this time of night?”
“That is what I brought you up here to see,” her brother answered.
“But surely we should be there to receive them?” the girl questioned. “You know that Papa cannot do so and there will only be the servants in the house.”
“I think, if they are wise, the servants will already have left,” her brother commented.
“What are you talking about?” the girl, whose name was Weena, asked. “I just don’t understand, Ivor.”
“You will understand very shortly,” was the reply, “when they set fire to the house!”
Weena gave a little scream.
“Set fire to the house! What on earth can you be talking about?”
“I have brought you here not only to save you,” he answered her, “but to convince you that after tonight we will have no home as it will be burnt to the ground.”
“But Papa – ” she began. “Papa will be burnt too.”
“He will know nothing. I gave him a pill before I left that will make him unconscious for twenty-four hours. By that time he will be buried in his own house which I actually believe he would prefer to being buried anywhere else.”
His sister was staring at him incredulously as if she thought it impossible to understand what he was saying.
Because Ivor knew just what she was feeling, he rose and moved closer to her.
“Now listen, Weena,” he said, “I have not worried you with this before, but I have known for some time that things were becoming increasingly uncomfortable for us in the neighbourhood.”
He paused for a moment before he continued,
“They hate Papa as they hate all those who are in a position of authority and privilege.”
“I don’t understand what you are saying,” Weena wailed.
“Well, to put it very bluntly,” Ivor told her, “we are going to have a Revolution all over Russia, not all at once, but slowly until eventually it disposes of the Czar and all those who toady to him.”
“I think you must be mad!” Weena gasped. “How can that possibly happen in a country as huge as Russia?”
“There have been Revolutions happening all over,” Ivor replied, “and because I realise that our people feel the same I have recently been seeing a girl whose family is one of them, so to speak. Because she was intimate with me, she told me the full truth.”
“That they intend to kill our beloved Papa?” Weena said incredulously. “I just don’t believe it!”
“You are now going to see it happen and because I did not want you to be distressed or to do anything foolish like pleading with these people, which would have been useless, I have brought you here.”
“I cannot believe – you are telling me – the truth,” Weena muttered, stumbling over the words.
At the same time she was still looking down at their house below.
She could see that the flaming torches had reached the end of the drive and she realised her brother was right in saying that they were going to burn down her home.
For a moment the mob came to a halt.
Then they started moving towards the house so that one group of the torches went to the North of it while the other went to the South.
It was then that Weena gave a cry.
“Oh, Ivor, Ivor – you must stop them!”
“No one can do that,” he said quietly. “In fact there is no one we can turn to for help, who could come in time to save us.”
“But if you knew about it,” Weena protested, “you could have told someone in the Police or in the Army who would have made those revolutionaries, whoever they are, behave.”
Her brother gave a little laugh that had no humour in it.
“No one could do that!” he ejaculated, “just as no one will be able to stop these people from rebelling all over Russia.”
He sighed before he went on,
“We are at the edge of the country so that no one will worry unduly when they find out that our home is burnt to the ground and Papa is dead.”
Weena gave a little sob, but he continued,
“That is why you and I hav
e to go away now to a new country and that is England.”
He realised that he was speaking almost to himself.
His sister was mesmerised by the growing flames below.
Now she saw that, after standing for a moment so that the first man waited for the last, someone must have given an order and the mob rushed forward.
The burning torches burst through the windows of the drawing room.
Some of them flared up inside the building and then more were lit to follow those that had gone in first.
It was an agony that she could not even express to realise that the hall was now alight and the kitchen quarters were beginning to blaze.
Then the fire was bursting out in the dining room, the sitting room, the two drawing rooms and eventually, and she could not bear to look at it, the library was burning as well.
How could they do it?
“Now they will burn Papa,” she cried frantically.
The words seemed to break from her lips as if she could not prevent herself from uttering them.
She hid her face against her brother’s shoulder.
“He will know nothing and feel nothing,” he tried to comfort her. “I promise you that he was completely unconscious before I left him. You know, as well as I do, I would not want him to suffer in any way.”
“I know that,” Weena sobbed. “But it’s our lovely ancestral home and now we have nothing.”
Her brother’s arms tightened round her.
“We only have what I had the foresight to hide away,” he replied, “which will, I sincerely believe, at least keep us alive for some time.”
There was silence for a moment.
Then Weena asked,
“Is that why you made me give you all Mother’s jewellery?”
“I put it in a safe place, where we can collect it. There are also all the clothes you gave me last week which were, I hope, your best.”
“They were, because you had told me that we were going to stay with one of your friends,” Weena murmured, “who was planning to give a ball for us.”
“I had no wish to tell you why I wanted them, yet now we own only those dresses and what we now stand up in.”
“How could you possibly let them burn everything we owned and which we are so proud of?” Weena asked.
She was thinking of all the pictures that her mother had loved and the furniture that her father had always been so thrilled to have collected throughout his life.