Wanted - A Bride - Barbara Cartland - E-Book

Wanted - A Bride E-Book

Barbara Cartland

0,0

Beschreibung

When Lord Templeton is sent for by Sir James Redwell, the British Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, he knows that there is trouble somewhere in the world and because he is so successful at dealing with international problems he realises that there is a new mission for him. The problem this time is in Siam and its adjoining country Khmer and he agrees to try to find out if it is true as the Siamese think that the French have their eyes on Khmer. Lord Templeton agrees to go, but Sir James tells him that there is a further problem in that both the King of Siam and the King of Khmer are anxious to marry an English woman so that they have a greater call on the British and can proudly fly the Union Jack. Sir James suggests to Lord Templeton that he would be absolutely safe if he takes his lovely niece, Amina, with him pretending to be his wife. Lord Templeton is not very keen on this as he is pressure from his family to preserve his title and estate and anyway he has sworn never to marry until he is much older. However Sir James presses him to take his niece for the simple reason that she has been brought up by her father as a boy and hates the idea of marrying anyone. Amina is dressed in beautiful clothes for the journey and reluctantly begins to feel a little more feminine. Finally they set off and are treated warmly in Siam but there is danger and death waiting for them in Khmer. How Amina visits the esoteric green Buddha in Bankok and is given an important message that will change her life. And how, after a devastating encounter in a cave in Khmer, she unexpectedly finds the love of her life is all told in this exciting story by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:

Android
iOS
von Legimi
zertifizierten E-Readern
Kindle™-E-Readern
(für ausgewählte Pakete)

Seitenzahl: 211

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Das E-Book (TTS) können Sie hören im Abo „Legimi Premium” in Legimi-Apps auf:

Android
iOS
Bewertungen
0,0
0
0
0
0
0
Mehr Informationen
Mehr Informationen
Legimi prüft nicht, ob Rezensionen von Nutzern stammen, die den betreffenden Titel tatsächlich gekauft oder gelesen/gehört haben. Wir entfernen aber gefälschte Rezensionen.



Wanted - A Bride

BARBARA CARTLAND

www.barbaracartland.com

Copyright © 2015 by Cartland Promotions

First published on the internet in February 2015

ISBNs

978-1-78213-621-7 Print 978-1-78213-677-4 Epub

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

Wanted - A Bride

On their way back to their Residence they had to pass by the Temple that contained the green Buddha and Amina asked if she could once again go inside.

“I am sure that you can,” Lord Templeton said and passed the suggestion on to one of the equerries.

A footman opened the door for her and he sat back while she went in.

The Buddha was there twinkling in the lights of the candles and she thought that he vibrated towards her even more than he had when she had first visited him.

This time he seemed to be trying to send Amina a message of vital interest to her and she bent her head to catch it exactly.

It suddenly became clear that the Lord Buddha was telling her that something of great importance was about to happen to her and it was that love was coming into her life and that she must take it gratefully with both hands.

She stood for a long time looking up at him and thinking about this startling message and wondering where this great love would come from.

Then, feeling that by now Lord Templeton might be annoyed at her being so long, she turned and then went outside the Temple and back to the carriage.

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.

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

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

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 the greatest gift our Creator has bestowed on us and we human beings must always be eternally grateful.”

Barbara Cartland

CHAPTER ONE 1868

Lord Templeton was in a bad temper as he travelled to London.

He was enjoying himself in the country breaking in two extremely good horses that he had only recently added to his stable.

It was hot and humid in London and he wanted to stay in the country where it was very much cooler and to be with his animals.

Yet the letter he had received from Lord Stanley, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, said that it was important for him to come urgently to London for a meeting in his office.

Lord Templeton considered for some time whether he should say that it was just impossible at this time for him to go to London.

Then because he had done so much over the years for the Department for Foreign Affairs, he knew clearly that it was his duty to do as Lord Stanley asked.

At the same time it had infuriated him while he was driving away yet again from his ancestral home in Sussex on the road back to London.

Finally he left behind him the empty dusty country roads for the more crowded streets leading into the Capital itself.

And then he pulled his horses up at the front of his impressive mansion in Berkeley Square.

He handed the reins to a smartly dressed groom, ran up the stone steps and proceeded to tidy himself after the tiring journey.

Then, almost with some reluctance, he set off for the Department for Foreign Affairs in Whitehall.

He had been there so often, but thought that after the last time he had helped them, he had done his duty and could now enjoy himself peacefully at home.

The Officer who he met as he entered held out his hand.

“Good morning, my Lord,” he greeted him. “We were hoping that you would be here earlier. Lord Stanley stayed until he was forced to return to No. 10 Downing Street where the Prime Minister was waiting for him.”

“I am sorry to have missed him,” Lord Templeton replied, “but I did not arrive in London until well after one o’clock.”

While they were talking, the Officer was taking him along a corridor that led to the Secretary of State’s private office.

When he entered, Lord Templeton was delighted to see his old friend, Sir James Redwell, the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Sir James was indeed the most knowledgeable and intelligent man that Lord Templeton had ever met and he had enjoyed working with him more than anyone else in the Department.

As he came in, Sir James jumped up from his desk and held out his hand.

“It is delightful to see you, Ivan,” he began. “I was afraid that you would refuse to leave your horses and your beautiful country house.”

Lord Templeton laughed abruptly and sat down in a chair near to Sir James’s desk.

“I came,” he replied, “because I felt it was my duty. But I can tell you straight away that I have no intention of going to some obscure and uncivilised part of the world simply because you fancy that there might be an outbreak of war or attrition in perhaps the next twenty years or so.”

Sir James sat back in his chair and laughed.

“That sounds so like you, Ivan,” he chuckled. “But you know as well as I do that I would not have sent for you if it had not been of great importance.”

Lord Templeton groaned.

“Important or unimportant,” he protested, “I am too busy in the country to leave England.”

There was silence for a moment.

Then Sir James said,

“I think when you hear where I want you to go that you will feel differently. It is, in point of fact, someone you admire who has been asking for you.”

“I am doing my best not to listen,” Lord Templeton grumbled.

They both laughed.

Then Sir James, picking up some papers from his desk, went on,

“Ivan, I know that you have always been impressed by King Mongkut and the great success that he has been in Siam during the last few years.”

Lord Templeton sat up sharply.

“You are not telling me that he is in trouble!” he exclaimed. “I thought that Siam was the most delightful and the most peaceful place that I have ever visited in all my travels.”

“No! No! Fortunately it is not the King himself who is in trouble,” Sir James replied. “I agree with you that he is an excellent King and it would be a disaster if anything happened to him.”

“Then what is wrong?” Lord Templeton asked.

“It is the King himself who has asked for our help because he is worried about what is going on in Khmer, the country next to his.”

Lord Templeton frowned.

“You don’t mean to tell me that the French are up to their old tricks again?”

“I am afraid that is the truth,” Sir James confessed. “As you can imagine, because King Mongkut has applied to us, we can hardly refuse to help him.”

Lord Templeton gave a deep sigh.

“What exactly does he want?” he asked.

“He wants us to send out someone who understands the whole situation and to make sure that the rumours they have heard are correct and that the French are deliberately infiltrating into Kymer with the intention of taking it over eventually.”

There was silence for a moment.

Then Lord Templeton said,

“I suppose it would be too optimistic to think that it was just the usual ignorant chatter that can so easily in the East be misconstrued and exaggerated.”

“There I would agree with you,” Sir James replied. “At the same time, you know as well as I do, that the King would not have asked us for our help unless he was really upset and aware that there was likely to be trouble.”

Lord Templeton knew this to be true.

King Mongkut had reigned over Siam for seventeen years and he had been most successful in making Siam one of the most delightful and char places that Lord Templeton had ever visited.

The country of Khmer on the other side of Siam was a very different cup of tea.

The King of Khmer had only recently come to the throne and he was far more intent on enjoying himself than attending to all the difficulties or the dangers of ruling his country.

The British Government had known for some time that the French were anxious to enlarge their possessions in the East and Khmer seemed an easy place to intrude into and eventually possess.

As Lord Templeton did not speak, Sir James said,

“What we want you to do, if it is possible, and you know as well as I do that it is possible, is for you to go out and use your charm and your intelligence as you always have, in finding out the truth of the situation, at the same time making it clear to the King of Khmer that he must, at all costs, keep his throne to himself and not let the French take over his country.”

“Do you think that it will be an easy task?” Lord Templeton quizzed him.

Sir James smiled.

“No King likes being told how to behave. And, as I have never met the King of Khmer, I have a feeling that he will not listen to anything I have to say to him anyway.”

Then Lord Templeton remarked,

“The French are very clever and I am sure if they have set their hearts on owning Khmer they will in some way of their own infiltrate into the country before the King is hardly aware of what they are up to.”

“I agree with you,” Sir James said. “But there is no one else I can send who has had half the success that you have had already when you have helped us out in so many difficult situations.”

He paused for a moment and then went on,

“And I can think of no one else who can speak the languages of the East as well as you do.”

Lord Templeton realised that this was indeed true.

He had been very fortunate when he was young that his father, who had been a diplomat, had taken his wife and son with him on many of his journeys.

Because he enjoyed being able to talk to the people in the many countries he had visited, his son had, at a very early age, learnt to speak foreign languages almost as well as he spoke his own.

It was only the fact that his father had been so rich, which had prevented his only son from having, in any way, to work for his living.

Lord Templeton had therefore travelled around the world when he grew older.

After becoming a friend of the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, he had helped him in many ways which were not official but very much appreciated by the Prime Minister and the British Cabinet.

And as his friendship with Sir James grew he found himself, time after time, being sent abroad on some strange mission to an outlandish spot simply because there was no one else who would be able to converse with the occupants of the place in question.

Now, as Sir James looked at him almost pleadingly, Lord Templeton said,

“I really do want to be in England at this moment. What is very important to me is that I have a horse, which I think may win the Gold Cup at Ascot.”

“I know I am asking a great deal of you,” Sir James replied. “But you do understand, Ivan, better than anyone else how tactfully this situation has to be approached and no one could do it better than you and I mean no one.”

Lord Templeton sighed.

“The trouble with you,” he said, “is that you always ask me in a way that I find difficult to refuse. If I had any sense, I would never come inside this office again!”

“I just knew that you would not fail me,” Sir James answered thankfully.

“I have not actually agreed to do what you ask,” Lord Templeton protested. “I presume that you want it done immediately.”

“If possible, yesterday!”

“Of course, of course,” Lord Templeton sighed. “I might have known that I should be out of England for the two months I do so want to be in it!”

He spoke despairingly, but Sir James just laughed.

“It may not be quite as bad as all that. You may find that the whole rumour is just a load of rubbish. At the same time if it is not, you should be able to prevent the French taking over at Khmer without anyone being aware of it happening until it is too late.”

“I know, I know,” Lord Templeton murmured. “I have heard all this before. I suppose I will have to do as you ask. But let me make it quite clear that I am not doing it willingly.”

“It does not matter a bit whether you go willingly or unwillingly,” Sir James answered, “as long as you go. There is however one thing that I must say to you and you may think it very odd.”

“What is that?” Lord Templeton asked.

Sir James seemed to hesitate for a moment before he said,

“For your own comfort and because things may be very difficult for you when you arrive, you must say that, since you last visited King Mongkut and his country, you are a married man.”

Lord Templeton stared at him in astonishment.

“A married man!” he exclaimed. “But you know as well as I do that I have no intention of marrying anyone until I am very old and require an heir to my estate and my title.”

“I have heard you say that before,” Sir James said. “That is why, Ivan, I think for your own comfort and safety that you should tell both Kings that you are a married man. In fact that your wife is travelling with you.”

“I think you must have really gone mad! Why has this happened so suddenly and why should I pretend to be married when I am not?”

“Because both King Mongkut and King Norodom of Khmer have the intelligence to realise that if someone of importance in their country was married to an Englishman it would give them greater powers against an enemy and de facto a closer association with Great Britain.”

Lord Templeton smiled.

“A great number of countries have already thought of that,” he replied. “As you very well know, the Queen is called ‘the Matchmaker of Europe’.”

“Which she most surely is,” Sir James agreed, “and Europe has certainly had many English brides flying the Union Jack over them.”

He threw out his hands as he continued,

“Now both these Eastern Kings have realised how much prestige these brides could bring to a country into which they marry and they want the same.”

Lord Templeton laughed.

“I just don’t believe it!” he protested. “Honestly the whole thing is ridiculous. As you know, we have had many Principalities in the Balkans presented with English brides and the Czar, I am told, bites his fingernails down every time that he hears of another wedding to a British bride.”

“And it has undoubtedly been a great success,” Sir James added. “You know as well as I do that the Russians cannot afford to fight the English. Her Majesty has almost certainly saved us from what would have been a terrible slaughter all over the Balkans.”

“I agree with all that!” Lord Templeton exclaimed. “But surely King Mongkut does not think it necessary to protect himself in the same way.”

“Well, the envoy who went recently to Siam,” Sir James informed him, “happened to be an Earl and the head of an ancient and respected English family and I am sure what he told us was the truth.”

He paused for a moment to make quite sure that Lord Templeton was listening before he went on with his tale,

“He said that he was pleaded with, badgered and even threatened because King Mongkut and his Courtiers were so determined that the Earl should return to England with a bride of their choosing.”

“Was it really as bad as all that?” Lord Templeton asked.

“From what I can gather, even worse,” Sir James replied. “When the Earl went to Khmer he had the greatest difficulty in preventing himself from being married when he was unconscious or shall we say too drunk to know just what was happening to him.”

“If I had not known you all my life, James,” Lord Templeton said, “I would think that you were not telling me the truth.”

“Unfortunately it is the truth,” Sir James insisted, “and that is why I want you to take a wife with you on this journey to Siam.”

Lord Templeton smiled.

“Do you really think there is a woman who would agree to such a suggestion or who would not attempt to trick me afterwards into taking her up the aisle, which I have no intention of doing?”

“I know that,” Sir James said quietly.

He was well aware, although Lord Templeton had not mentioned it, that he had been badly treated by a girl he had wanted to marry.

It had made him vow that he would never marry until he was anxious for an heir to his title to whom he could leave his vast possessions when he died.

He had been deeply hurt when he was only nineteen and had fallen in love with a very beautiful girl who was the daughter of one of his father’s friends.

She was the same age as him and both her parents and Lord Templeton’s had thought that it was an ideal way of joining their two families together.

And his father had approved of and encouraged the engagement almost before Ivan was aware of it.

The young couple were then engaged secretly and there was no doubt that Ivan Templeton fell very much in love with the girl.