The Mountain of Love Read online

  ‘How is it possible to be so happy?’ she asked the flowers in the garden as she passed by the window. They seemed to nod their colourful heads in approval.

  Christopher had ordered a collection of delicacies and they had been left with a bottle of champagne on the table in the sitting room.

  Neither he nor Kayla had eaten since breakfast.

  But Kayla now found it was impossible to think of anything but him and his eyes were always on her.

  When they had finished and the bottle of champagne was half empty, Christopher said,

  “I have something to tell you, my darling.”

  Kayla looked at him rather apprehensively.

  “What is – it?” she asked.

  “I have just read a telegram from my brother telling me that my father is dead.”

  “Dead!” Kayla exclaimed.

  “He suffered a massive stroke after losing his temper, I suspect with your grandfather. And after being unconscious for five days, he died without regaining his senses.”

  Kayla did not know what to say and was therefore silent.

  After a moment’s pause, he continued,

  “It means we shall have to go home, but there is no immediate hurry. It will take us a long time and my brother will look after everything until I return.”

  “So – we don’t have to start back tomorrow?” Kayla managed to enquire.

  Christopher shook his head.

  “What I plan to do tomorrow,” he said, “is to take you to a special Temple that is dedicated to the Lord Buddha. I am going to ask the Abbot to bless us, so that we need not remember our appalling forced marriage when we both hated each other.”

  Kayla clasped her hands together.

  “Only you, Christopher, could think of anything so marvellous!” she exclaimed.

  “I have been thinking of you, my darling, and now you are really mine, I want to start our life together with the blessing of all the Gods and the happiness that only they can bring us.”

  Kayla drew in her breath.

  “How can you say such wonderful things – to me?” she asked. “I never thought you could ever think like – that.”

  Her husband smiled.

  “It all seems to come so naturally just because I love you, my Kayla. We must try and give the happiness we know to others too.”

  “I love you. I adore you,” Kayla repeated yet again.

  Christopher rose from the table.

  “I want you to say that again,” he smiled, “when we are a little closer.”

  Kayla blushed, as she knew what he meant without his saying any more.

  She walked from the sitting room back towards her bedroom.

  As she did so, she took off her negligee and threw it down on the chair.

  Then, as if she could not help herself, she went to the window.

  She looked out at the flower-filled garden and beyond it the mountains, brilliant and glowing in the sunshine.

  As Christopher joined her, she sighed,

  “As we have to return home, you will not be able to climb the mountain.”

  She realised, as she spoke, that she was very glad he would not leave her.

  “I have already climbed up a much higher and much more difficult mountain,” he answered her.

  He put his arms round her and she looked up at him in surprise.

  “When did you do that?” she asked.

  “It is called The Mountain of Love and I think I have nearly reached the top of it!”

  Kayla gave a little laugh of sheer happiness.

  “And am I there with you on – that mountain?” she whispered.

  “The mountain is you! I have conquered it and it is mine,” her husband replied, “and I will never never let it go.”

  As he spoke, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed.

  She knew, as she felt herself melting into him again, that they had indeed both climbed the mountain of love.

  Its strength would support them not only through this life but into many lives to come.

  For the love they had found was Eternal and would last for Eternity.

  *

  The next day, as planned, they went to the Temple of the Lord Buddha.

  It seemed to Kayla to have an atmosphere that was more Holy and Sacred than anywhere she had ever been.

  There were prayer wheels, endless shrines and Stupas. She knew that everyone in Nepal prayed there, being certain that their prayers would be answered by the Lord Buddha.

  Christopher had already sent a message to the Abbot to ask him if he would bless them.

  A Lama bowing politely on their arrival took them immediately into the Temple, where there was a strong scent of incense.

  The great statue of Buddha stood at the far end of the Temple and, as they walked slowly hand in hand towards the Buddha, the Abbot came from behind the statue.

  He stood waiting for them and, when they reached him, they went down on their knees.

  Raising both his arms above his head, he called for a Blessing to come from the source of creation.

  The eyes of the Lord Buddha, who sees all, knows all and pardons all, would protect them all throughout their lives.

  It was a long prayer, but a very moving one.

  Kayla was able, in a whisper, to translate the prayer to Christopher.

  Then there was the sound of bells and gongs and the fragrance of more incense.

  There was a soft response from several monks who they could not see.

  It was all very spiritual for both of them.

  When they left the Monastery, Kayla asserted,

  “Now I really do feel married! You were completely right, darling Christopher, in making us forget the horrible forced marriage that made us both angry – and unhappy.”

  “Yet I shall always say a prayer of thankfulness that you and I were brought together, Kayla. Otherwise I might never have found you.”

  Kayla slipped her hand into his.

  “Not if you were busy with those women – in Paris!” “Women? What women?” he asked. “For me there is no woman in the whole wide world but you.”

  “And you are the only man who will ever exist in my world – as you know, I have not met many others.”

  “I shall be extremely jealous if you do,” Christopher warned her.

  “Like you were on board ship when the young men wanted to dance with me!” “I did not realise at the time that it was jealousy. I thought I was just being a little possessive, but I shall be very envious in the future if you ever look at any man except me.”

  Kayla moved a little closer to him.

  “Do you really think that there could be anyone but you?” she asked. “But, of course, now you are the Earl we shall have to entertain and I could not bear any house I lived in to be cold, lonely and empty like my grandfather’s.”

  Christopher laughed.

  “I think that is extremely unlikely and, naturally, my precious, we will entertain and you shall have lots of people to talk to. But tonight there will only be me and never again will I permit you to drive me out of your bedroom with a revolver in your hand!”

  Kayla put her head on his shoulder.

  “Do you really think I would want to, Christopher?” He kissed her and she knew that nothing could ever be more wonderful than his kisses.

  She wanted to be closer still in his arms. “That is just what I want too,” he muttered. “You are reading my thoughts,” Kayla said, blushing a little.

  “It is something I have been able to do ever since I heard you calling me when you were imprisoned in that dark cell.”

  “Now I think of it, I can read yours too!” Then suddenly Kayla gave a laugh.

  “You realise,” she explained, “that I have always hated having no one to talk to and now I have you. At the same time we can understand each other without talking.”

  “I love your voice, I adore your laughter and there is one thing I am sure of,” he added.

 
“What can that be?” “That, however much we read each other’s thoughts, and however much we can express our love in kisses, we shall always argue about many different issues. And while I will teach you, my precious darling, all about love, you can teach me a great deal about life.”

  Kayla gave a little cry.

  “That is a marvellous thing to say to me and I do hope it’s true. Oh, my darling, darling husband! The future is so incredibly perfect that I am still afraid I shall wake up and find I am dreaming.”

  “We will only wake up when we have climbed further up the slopes of the mountain of love and then only to realise how fortunate we are and how the future will be even better than the present.”

  “That is what we will make it,” said Kayla, “and, of course, you will want – an heir.”

  “I want a great number of children, not only to fill the nurseries, but also to carry on all we will teach them, which quite simply and in one word is love.”

  Kayla knew he was thinking that he had never loved his father.

  She put out her arms to pull his face down to hers.

  “Our children,” she said in a whisper, “will be born with love, live with love, and learn from us to seek the same love we have found.”

  Her words excited him.

  He did not reply, but was kissing her.

  Demandingly, positively and passionately as if he was afraid that he might lose her.

  Having found her, he would never let her go.

  ‘This is not the end of an adventure,’ Kayla thought, ‘but the beginning of one, and it will go on thrilling us for ever and ever into our own glorious Eternity.’

  * * *

  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