A Battle of Love
BARBARA CARTLAND
www.barbaracartland.com
Copyright © 2017 by Cartland Promotions
First published on the internet in March 2017 by Barbaracartland.com
ISBNs
eBook ~ 978-1-78213-958-4
Print ~ 978-1-78213-937-9
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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A Battle for Love
The butler then announced,
“The Marquis of Darincourt, my Lady.”
The Marquis was not surprised that Charlotte was obviously waiting for him.
She turned round from the window where she was standing to hurry towards him.
She held out her hand and he kissed it gracefully before he began,
“You look very beautiful, Charlotte, and I think that you know why I have come here to see you this afternoon.”
He felt that he was being slightly precipitate.
At the same time it seemed unnecessary to utter a number of unimportant words before coming to the point.
To his surprise Charlotte took her hand from his.
She turned away to walk towards the mantelpiece.
As she did so, the Marquis could see the perfection of her figure and the graceful way she moved.
He followed behind her slowly and, on reaching the fireplace, Charlotte turned round to face him.
The Marquis realised that she was behaving a little strangely and he asked her,
“What is troubling you? You don’t seem as pleased to see me as I had hoped.”
“I have something to tell you.”
He thought that her voice seemed a little uneasy.
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 Wante
d 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
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
Love solves the Problem
Blessing of the Gods
Love by Moonlight
Saved by the Duke
A Train to Love
Wanted - A Bride
Double the Love
Hiding from the Fortune-Hunters
The Marquis is Deceived
The Viscount's Revenge
Captured by Love
An Ocean of Love
A Beauty Betrayed
No Bride, No Wedding
A Strange Way to Find Love
The Unbroken Dream
A Heart in Chains
One Minute to Love
Love for Eternity
The Prince who wanted Love
For the Love of Scotland
An Angel from Heaven
Their Search for Real Love
Secret Danger
Music from Heaven
The Duke Hated Women
The Weapon is Love
The King Wins
Love Saves the Day
They Ran Away
A Battle of 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.
“Love is always with you. Love never leaves you. From the highest mountain to the bowels of the earth love is always at your side.
And in your many lives yet to come love will always be following you.”
Barbara Cartland
CHAPTER ONE ~ 1819
The Marquis of Darincourt drove his phaeton with a flourish out of London.
He was well aware that every pedestrian he passed stopped and stared as he flashed past them.
The two horses that he had purchased at Tattersall’s Salerooms were superb and matched each other perfectly.
The special phaeton, that he had designed himself, was yellow with black wheels and quite the smartest one in the whole of St James’s Street.
The Marquis himself was well worth looking at too.
He was very handsome and in his looks and in his behaviour he lived up to his nickname, which was ‘Darin the Daring’.
He had earned it when he was plain Captain Clive Darin in the Army.
He would undertake any mission however difficult and risky and yet he had succeeded in remaining alive.
The Marquis was today setting off on what was to him a new mission.
It was unlike anything that he had done before.
He had decided to be married.
He had been aware ever since the War was over, and he was moving around as one of the more celebrated bachelors in the whole of the Beau Monde, that he would eventually have to take a wife.
He himself had been an only son.
He was well aware that his father before he died and all his relations had been terrified that he would be killed on the battlefield.
He had thought to himself at the time that he would have to marry as it would be a great pity if the Darincourt name, which had played its part in British history all down the ages, should come to an end.
The Marquisate, which had been created a hundred years before, was an additional glory and it was something which should not be lost.
The Marquis was well aware of the importance of his position, his great wealth and his good looks.
It meant that there was not a debutante who was not striving to attract his attention or an ambitious Mama who was not praying that he would become her son-in-law.
It had not made him conceited, just slightly cynical.
He felt at the back of his mind he would like to be married for himself rather than for his possessions and his contemporaries would laugh at him for being sentimental.
At the same time he was an avid reader.
He had therefore often thought that he would like to search for true love as it had been sought for in the past.
He had been very impressed by the poems written by Lord Byron.
He, of course, knew him as they both belonged to the same Club, which was White’s in St. James’s.
The Marquis on his return from the War to England then spent a considerable amount of time with exceedingly attractive and sophisticated married women.
They were only too willing to receive him secretly when their husbands were away in the country.
They were definitely of the Beau Monde and yet the Marquis found that they behaved like the French cocottes he had known in Paris.
That was while he was in France with the Army of Occupation.
Now not only his grandmother but several of his relations were begging him, almost on their knees, to take a wife.
He had looked at the debutantes and thought that he had discovered a perfect pearl amongst them.
Lady Charlotte Warde was the only daughter of the Earl of Langwarde and was most undoubtedly the greatest beauty of the younger generation.
She had been a top debutante the previous year and Lady Charlotte had received, the Marquis was told, dozens of proposals of marriage.
Almost every eligible bachelor had laid his heart at her feet and she had refused them all.
It meant, the Marquis had supposed, that she was waiting to fall in love.
He had first met Lady Charlotte Warde at a ball.
When he had danced with her, he thought that her great beauty was even more outstanding than it had been described to him.
She had almost classic features. Her skin was as white as marble and soft as a rose petal.
She was very sure of herself and therefore amusing and fun and she was not too shy occasionally to utter a double entendre or a provocative reply to a question.
By the third time the Marquis met her there was no doubt in his mind that she would grace the end of the table at Darincourt Hall and would also undoubtedly be the most beautiful Pe
eress at the Opening of Parliament.
He danced with her at several other balls.
They daringly sat out in the garden at Devonshire House under the trees ornamented with magic lanterns.
When the Marquis kissed Lady Charlotte, she did not resist him and then he found that the eagerness of her lips aroused him.
‘What am I waiting for?’ he had asked himself that night when he retired to bed.
The following day his grandmother had once again beseeched him to remember that there must be an heir to the Marquisate of Darincourt.
The Marquis then told himself that she was right and he was unlikely to find anyone more beautiful than Lady Charlotte.
He was certain that when she was a little older she would be an amiable and successful hostess and that was important for the parties that he intended to give both in the country and in London.
Having made up his mind, he sent a note to Lady Charlotte.
He told her that he would call on her the following Wednesday at three o’clock.
He thought that would give him time to have an early luncheon in London and then he would drive to the Earl’s country house at the time he had mentioned.
He thought to save time and all the uncomfortable discussions he would buy an engagement ring and take it with him.
He chose one ring he felt particularly attractive.
It consisted of one large cabochon pearl, which the jeweller told him was one of the most perfect examples he had ever seen and it was encircled by diamonds.
The Marquis thought that he would explain to Lady Charlotte why he had decided to give her a pearl rather than a traditional diamond solitaire.
She would understand the compliment that he was paying her.
The ring was now securely in his waistcoat pocket and thinking of her made him drive a little faster.
He was planning as he travelled along, how soon the marriage would take place. And where he would take his bride for their honeymoon.
He had been abroad far too long and so it would be much more pleasant, he thought, to stay somewhere quiet and romantic in England.
Although Lady Charlotte was nineteen, the Marquis felt sure that she was innocent and pure.
She would know very little about love and it would be exciting to teach her about it.
There was one thing that he was completely assured about.
It was that he would be welcomed whole-heartedly by the Earl of Langwarde. He was well-known to be such a tremendous snob that he was laughed at behind his back.