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  “Since England? But you gave me no sign that you had feelings for me.”

  “How could I when, to all intents and purposes, you were my employer? You did not know who I was, or even where I came from, and so I naturally assumed you would never consider me.”

  “I would not care a jot if you were the daughter of a cowherd!” cried the Earl, holding her hand and stroking it. “I would still have fallen in love with you. And to think – I had given up all hope of ever finding love – ”

  Anthea stopped for a moment.

  ‘What is he saying?’ she thought, not understanding his meaning.

  “But surely, you had given up hope of ever finding love again,” she questioned him after a moment.

  The Earl looked at her and then sighed.

  “The truth is, Anthea, that I have never been in love before. I did not love my wife –

  “There have been women since Maureen died, but none who could hold a candle to you and none I loved.”

  “But your wife – you are really saying you did not love her? Then why did you marry her?”

  “It is a great secret and one that even Linette does not know,” sighed the Earl. “And I hope you will not think ill of me after hearing it. Do you love me enough for me to tell you what even Linette has no knowledge of?”

  Anthea’s stomach began to churn as her heartbeat quickened.

  She felt slightly sick with anticipation.

  ‘What could it be that he is about to tell me?’ she wondered frantically before saying,

  “Please continue, my Lord.”

  He took a deep breath and held her hand tighter.

  “It is a long story. Even though I am now the Earl, I was the younger brother. I had an older brother, Fulton, who married to please our father. It was not a love match, but a good one, uniting two of the most powerful families in Surrey.

  “But then one day the family business took him to Scotland to oversee the building of a ship in Glasgow.”

  “And there?”

  “And there he fell in love with Maureen, a local girl. You will forgive me for being forthright, but it is necessary for you to know all the unpalatable facts. She became with child and the scandal threatened to ruin the family name.

  “The shock of it all killed our father and he dropped dead a few months before Maureen was due to give birth.

  “Maureen’s father was understandably furious and demanded that my brother should marry his daughter. But, as Fulton was already married, he obviously could not and divorce would have created an even worse scandal.”

  “I don’t understand where you fit into this story.”

  “I offered to marry Maureen in order to save further scandal. I was almost sixteen and if my brother could not rescue the family honour, then I felt compelled to act like a man and save the day.”

  “And the child – is Linette?” stammered Anthea, as the truth slowly dawned upon her.

  “Yes. With Fulton now the Earl, he gave me lands and a house in Scotland that belonged to our family, so that Maureen, the child and I could settle down, bringing up Linette as my own.”

  “Such an amazingly noble deed!” exclaimed Anthea. “But I sense there is more?”

  “Yes, indeed. Unfortunately double tragedy struck. My brother went to India with a new ship and the Russians sank it off the coast of Gujarat and he was never found.

  “As I was now the Earl, it was decided that it would be best if my family and myself moved down to London. By this time, Maureen was carrying our own child, but the journey South was long and difficult.

  “As soon as we arrived in Park Lane, she miscarried and died of complications. I saw no point in telling Linette about her real parentage, so continued the deception to this day.”

  “So Linette is not your daughter! And she does not know this?”

  “No, I have brought her up as my own.”

  “This explains so much,” sighed Anthea, getting up from the sofa and walking towards the porthole. “I could not understand how one so young had a grown-up daughter and also, how you did not really resemble each other.”

  “That is because she is the image of her mother. It is no wonder that the gang thought you were my daughter as your colouring is quite similar to mine.”

  “Yes, that is what I believed too,” she said, sinking down on a nearby chair.

  Anthea could scarcely take it all in – there was so much she had not known.

  And Linette?

  She could not imagine how she would feel if she discovered that she herself was the result of an adulterous relationship. It was both shocking and scandalous.

  The Earl then moved towards Anthea and looked gravely down at her.

  “Please say you will still love me now that I have told you everything? Please don’t refuse to have me!”

  “Elliot, it has only made me love you more,” cried Anthea, turning her face up towards him. “I too confess to harbouring a secret, although it is not about me, it is about Linette.”

  “I already know all about this Roberto,” interrupted the Earl. “Never mind what Linette says, do you believe that she loves him and wants to marry him?”

  Yes,” answered Anthea in a low voice. “And what is more, she is so completely determined that she plans to marry him in secret so that she does not have to return to England.”

  “She has alluded to as much,” countered the Earl. “I think I had better meet Roberto as soon as possible. After what has happened to you, I feel we should leave Naples before long, but not before we have married!”

  Anthea leapt up and threw her arms round his neck, kissing him over and over again.

  “Would you, Anthea? Would you marry me?”

  “I will! Oh, I will!” she cried, kissing him again. “I had thought that after Jolyon, I would never feel like this or love again. Shall we go and tell Linette now?”

  “No, wait – I want to stay in your arms just a little longer,” murmured the Earl, as he kissed her.

  Pulling away, he smiled at her,

  “It must have been a very lucky star that brought us together. Fate has, indeed, worked in a mysterious way for you are that lucky star!”

  “I would love to think so or maybe it was Mama in Heaven smiling on us. Two lonely people searching – who found each other – and love.

  “Now come along, I think I hear Roberto outside on deck – let us not delay – the quicker you meet him and approve of him, the sooner we can get married – perhaps, a double wedding is in order?”

  Anthea then entwined her arm through his and they unlocked the Saloon door and emerged out into the evening air much to the amazement of the assembled crew who had been waiting outside for news.

  “Look, the moon is rising and the stars – have you ever seen anything more brilliant?” whispered the Earl, as they moved along the gangway to where Linette stood with Roberto.

  As soon as she saw them coming towards her, she pulled away from Roberto, a guilty expression on her face.

  “Anthea,” she began. “I am so very sorry.”

  “Hush! Linette. Your father and I have something important to tell you.”

  Linette stared at her father and then at Anthea, who stood before her, so obviously together.

  “You – and Papa?” she stammered. “I just do not believe it.”

  “I have asked Anthea to be my wife and she has accepted,” confessed the Earl.

  Almost immediately the entire crew began to clap and cheer, throwing their hats into the air.

  Linette let out a cry of joy and ran to embrace first her father and then Anthea.

  “You are going to be my stepmother? I can think of nothing better!”

  “But wait, Linette. There is something else your father wishes to discuss with you.”

  “Yes, dearest,” put in the Earl. “I believe that you have yet to introduce me to Roberto?”

  He then extended his hand to the shocked young artist standing next to her.

  Anthea tactfu
lly withdrew so that he could acquaint himself with Roberto.

  She turned and walked down the deck to find that Jackson was coming rapidly towards her with something in his hand.

  “Miss Preston,” he called out to her, waving a piece of paper. “This has just come for you!”

  “What is it, Jackson?”

  “A telegraph from London.”

  Taking the message with shaking hands, she read,

  “Please come home, my darling Anthea. You will not be forced to marry anyone you do not wish. I love you very much.

  Your adoring father.”

  “Oh!” she cried, with tears in her eyes. “This could not be better. Papa has forgiven me for running away and wishes to see me again. He has finally come to his senses – thank you God!”

  With the warm Mediterranean wind blowing at her hair and a full moon casting a silvery light over the deck, she watched as the Earl shook Roberto’s hand with a huge smile upon his face.

  Seeing Anthea, he murmured something to Linette and Roberto and then quickly came over to her.

  “My darling! A double wedding it is! We shall be married before we leave for England.”

  “Oh, Elliot, this is so perfect!” she whispered, as he pulled her towards him, “and I have some wonderful news for you too. Papa has just sent me a telegram and he wishes me to come home.”

  “How did he know where you were?”

  “I confess I sent him a telegraph during the voyage. After I was so ill with seasickness, I began to miss him so very much that I relented. I hoped he would not tell my stepmother my whereabouts.”

  “And now he knows where you are, you will not be forced to return and marry against your will?”

  “No, my dearest. And what is more, I will not be returning as Miss Preston, but as Lady Hayworth! It is a pity that he will not be at our wedding, but maybe we shall have another celebration when we return to London.”

  “It will be the biggest and best celebration that Park Lane has ever seen. You need never fear again, my darling, as long as I am by your side.”

  He kissed her once more and their love spiralled up towards Heaven, towards God and all His angels.

  “Safe at last,” murmured Anthea, as they watched the stars glitter over Naples Bay and the majestic shadow of Vesuvius, so mysterious in the moonlight.

  “And we have a lifetime of love to look forward to for the rest of Eternity – all of us!”

  Where to buy other titles in this series

  The Barbara Cartland Pink collection is available for download at the following online bookshops :-

  www.barnesandnoble.com - epub format for the Nook eReader

  www.whsmith.co.uk - epub format for the Smiths/Kobo eReader

  www.firstyfish.com - epub format

  ebookstore.sony.com - epub format for Sony eReaders

  www.amazon.co.uk - For UK Kindle users

  www.amazon.com - For international Kindle users

  itunes.apple.com - for Apple iOS users

  www.barbaracartland.com - Printed paperbacks