Crowned by Music Read online

  Crowned by Music

  BARBARA CARTLAND

  www.barbaracartland.com

  Copyright © 2014 by Cartland Promotions

  First published on the internet in January 2007 by Barbaracartland.com

  ISBNs

  eBook - 978-1-78213-589-0

  Print - 978-1-78213-545-6

  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.

  eBook conversion by M-Y Books

  Crowned by Music

  “Here they are!”

  Linetta then looked down and realised that standing opposite them on the other side of the wishing well were two men.

  It took her a moment to realise that they were in uniform and were very obviously Russians.

  As the Prince’s fingers now tightened on hers, they were painful.

  Then she heard him demand of the Russians,

  “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

  To her astonishment he did not speak in his own language but in German, which she had always understood the Russians used when they were moving about Europe and not in their own country.

  “We have been looking for Your Royal Highness,” one of the men replied. “And, as we’ve been so clever in finding you, we’ll certainly be rewarded when we tell those who’ve sent us that your body lies at the bottom of this well from which it can never be recovered.”

  As he spoke, he pulled a gun from under his arm and the man beside him did the same.

  It flashed through Linetta’s mind that these men were about to kill the Prince and she felt the full horror of the moment and could only gasp.

  Then she remembered the pistols which were in the pocket of her coat.

  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 Lover />
  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

  A Road to Romance

  A Golden Lie

  A heart of stone

  The Earl Elopes

  A Wilder Kind of Love

  The Bride Runs Away

  Beyond the Horizon

  Crowned by Music

  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.

  “Much has been written about Royal marriages being arranged for political and dynastic convenience, but in my studies of history I have found many Royal marriages that have turned out to be real love matches however unlikely it might seem on the surface.”

  Barbara Cartland

  CHAPTER ONE

  1882

  The Earl Granville, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, arrived at Windsor Castle not looking forward with any enthusiasm to his appointment with Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

  As he was very popular with the equerries and other members of the Windsor Castle staff, he was greeted with obvious pleasure on his arrival.

  He was politely offered something to drink after his journey from London.

  The Earl refused and said that he could not stay too long as he had so much work to do at his office, but could he please see Her Majesty as quickly as possible.

  An equerry hurried away and some twenty minutes later he returned to say,

  “Her Majesty is in a good temper and so will be pleased to see you, my Lord.”

  “I am very glad to hear that,” the Earl remarked, “because I am not sure when she does see me if she will be as pleased as she obviously is now.”

  Other members of the staff, who were listening to this conversation, laughed.

  “She is always good-tempered with you, my Lord,” one of them said. “It is when the Prime Minister comes that she is in a temper before he can even walk up the stairs!”

  It was indeed well known to the Earl that the Queen disliked Mr. William Gladstone.

  She had clashed violently with him in earlier years and at one time she had threatened to abdicate if he did not do what she wanted.

  When Mr. Gladstone came back for a second term as Prime Minister, it had been only natural that those in attendance on Her Majesty were determined to keep him away from her as much as possible.

  Unfortunately, as matters were becoming so tense in Europe and the Russians were behaving in what the Queen thought was a despicable manner, both the Prime Minister and his Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Earl Granville, were practically daily visitors at Windsor Castle.

  In fact when the Earl had said that he was visiting the Queen today, the equerry on duty had groaned almost noisily.

  “I only hope, my Lord, that you don’t bring Her Majesty bad news,” he said, as he escorted the Earl up the stairs.

  “I am afraid that Her Majesty will not be pleased at what I have to tell her,” the Earl replied to him, “so you can prepare yourself for a fairly gloomy evening.”

  “We have those far too often,” the equerry retorted. “If it is to do with the Russians again, I think we will bolt up the gates and refuse your Lordship and any of your staff admittance!”

  The Earl laughed as he was meant to do.

  At that moment they reached the passage that led to the Queen’s Private Apartments.

  “I will do my best not to make you as apprehensive as you are at the moment,” the Earl said, as they walked towards another equerry standing expectantly at the far end of the corridor.

  The Earl reached him. He bowed and greeted the Earl,

  “Good afternoon, my Lord, it is very good to see you again.”

  “Now that is the sort of greeting I like to have when I arrive,” the Earl replied. “But they are full of gloom and doom downstairs and expect I will be about to upset Her Majesty and that will be the end of her good mood.”

  “I think I know why you have come,” the equerry replied, “and all I can say, my Lord, is that you will be very lucky if you receive an elegant answer to the question you are going to put in front of Her Majesty.”

  “I am crossing my fingers and hoping for the best but expecting the worst,” the Earl answered lightly.

  The two equerries laughed as if they could not help themselves.

  One of them opened the door and then ushered the Earl inside.

  He returned almost immediately to say,

  “Her Majesty is waiting to see you, my Lord.”

  He opened the door and the Earl went in.

  The Queen, dressed in black mourning which she had worn ever since her beloved Prince Albert had died all of twenty years ago, was sitting near the window.

  Sunshine was streaming in through the windows of the room and it seemed to envelope her.

  The Earl, after bowing to her deeply, walked slowly towards her.

  She appeared to be relaxed in a way that made her much less awe-inspiring than she usually was to those who visited her on affairs of State.

  “Good morning, my Lord,” she greeted the Earl. “I would be most pleased to see you if I could not guess why you have made this particular visit.”

  “As you know we are always sorry to do anything to upset Your Majesty,” the Earl replied. “But, alas, there are many important matters that the Prime Minister and I cannot decide for ourselves.”

  He paused before he continued,

  “Therefore we have to trouble Your Majesty even though we have no wish to do so.”

  The Queen smiled,

  “I am always pleased to see you, my Lord, in any other capacity and I am always anxious to hear how your family is. So please let us get through the official business as quickly as possible.”

  The Earl gave a sigh of relief.

  Her Majesty was indeed in an excellent humour as he had already seen and so perhaps things would not be as difficult as he expected they might be.

  “What I have to tell Your Majesty,” he began, “and, I know it has been said very often, is that another of the Principalities in the Balkan States is in desperate need of Your Majesty’s help.”

  “I guessed that wa
s why you had come,” the Queen answered. “But I told you the last time you were here with the Prime Minister that I have no more relations to help the Principalities and they must look elsewhere for protection against those meddlesome Russians.”

  “If that were possible I am quite certain they would do as Your Majesty wishes,” the Earl assured her. “But unfortunately the only country that the Russians have any fear of or at least any respect for is ours.”

  He knew as he spoke that it was impossible for the Queen to forget that it was entirely through her sending four Battleships through the Dardanelles that had halted the entire Russian Army when they were only within six miles of Constantinople.

  Because they dared not fight against Great Britain, they had turned back in disarray.

  As General Gorchakov had said at the time, it had cost them the lives of fifty thousand picked men and many millions of money for nothing.

  After that Her Majesty was quite certain that they would not attempt to conquer Constantinople again or even make bellicose threats to Turkey.

  But the Earl and the Prime Minister had discovered that they were still causing as much dissension and unrest in the smaller Principalities of the Balkans as they possibly could.

  And the only way the Balkan Rulers could defend themselves was to take an English bride and fly the Union Jack to warn off the Russians or else the full might of the British Army and Navy would be thrown at them.

  Queen Victoria was being called the ‘Matchmaker of Europe’ by everyone in diplomatic circles.

  She had set many of her relations on thrones and saved them from invasion by the Russians and despite this the Russians themselves were behaving very badly.

  They sent spies into the Principalities pretending to be salesmen of anything that country might want.

  Once they were established they caused revolutions and uprisings, which had never happened before.

  The Prince of every small Principality was terrified of a Russian invasion except when he was able to fly the Union Jack beside his own flag.

  The Queen, who was violently against Russia, had taken a stand from the very beginning by proclaiming that she would help any Principality that she possibly could.

  But unfortunately, as the Earl knew only too well, she had now run out of brides of Royal Blood, who were prepared to sit on a throne even though they knew from the beginning that it was very precarious.