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A Steeplechase for Love
Helsa, the exceptionally beautiful daughter of the Reverend Alfred Irvin, is thrilled when she learns that Irvin Hall, their vast ancestral home, has been rented for a large sum by a certain Lady Basset.
Her Ladyship wishes to host a grand house party and has invited a number of distinguished guests including the handsome Duke of Mervinston.
Helsa’s friend, Mary, agrees to play the vital role of lady’s maid to Lady Basset. But at the last minute Mary cannot do it as she has to visit her ill grandmother.
So Helsa has to step into her shoes and be the lady’s maid.
To everyone’s surprise Lady Basset organises a steeplechase and the Duke is the favourite to win on his stallion Masterpiece.
However Helsa uncovers a dastardly plot on the day of the steeplechase to lure the Duke into marrying against his will.
How Helsa saves the Duke and unexpectedly finds the love of her life is all told in this exciting romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.
Her Ladyship wishes to host a grand house party and has invited a number of distinguished guests including the handsome Duke of Mervinston.
Helsa’s friend, Mary, agrees to play the vital role of lady’s maid to Lady Basset. But at the last minute Mary cannot do it as she has to visit her ill grandmother.
So Helsa has to step into her shoes and be the lady’s maid.
To everyone’s surprise Lady Basset organises a steeplechase and the Duke is the favourite to win on his stallion Masterpiece.
However Helsa uncovers a dastardly plot on the day of the steeplechase to lure the Duke into marrying against his will.
How Helsa saves the Duke and unexpectedly finds the love of her life is all told in this exciting romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 12, 2012
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,057 books837 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 11, 2020
3.5 stars.
What do you do, when you're obsessed with royalty/the aristocracy and want to become a duchess, but you've got to factor in the following issues/problems ?
📍. You're a rich, attractive, scheming, grifter female, who's closer to 30/35, than to 20, and can only depend on expensive clothing and jewellery, to look good, because you live in an era where blepharoplasty and pore refining night serums have yet to be invented, while Estee Lauder's ancestors are probably still working as peasants somewhere in Europe.
📍. You might've earned your wealth on your back, somewhere on the continent as an actress/ballerina/courtesan, or you might've been married to a rich, wealthy merchant. But nobody knows for sure, because you like to cultivate your image as a lady of mystery.
📍. You call yourself *Lady Bassett* ( and boy are you prouder than a peacock, of that empty title ), even though nobody in the Ton can recall seeing that name in any peerage registry, there's no respectable Bassett estate or elegant Bassett townhouse in London, and no one knows anything about you or the late, elusive *Lord Bassett*.
📍. You've got your eyes on the most eligible duke ( who's a couple of years younger than you, but you'll never admit it ) but he's a confident sexy alpha hunk, who isn't a gullible moron, easily dazzled by your faux, glittering facade, and, who mightn't marry a newcomer to society, with zero connections to other families in the Ton.
📍. Time is running out, because you've got to pull off your biggest con, before someone outs you and the game is over before it even begins...
Well, if you're the wannabe OW in this novel, you'll devise an insidious scheme to drug, kidnap and marry the H, by paying off the priest and the witnesses, so they'd lie and say that he was a willing participant...
This is the villainess OW, *Lady Bassett*
In this story, our MC's are brought together when Lady Bassett, starts sniffing after the H. Victor, the Duke of Mervinston ( the H ) is the prime catch on the marriage mart and the OW will do whatever it takes, even if includes deception and skulduggery, to drag her man to the altar.
This is the H, the Duke of Mervinston:
The fraudulent Lady B rents the heroine's family's ancestral estate for a house party, invites the H and a few other gentlemen and pretends that the property ( including the ancestral portraits ) belongs to her paternal relatives. Helsa, the heroine, is the only child of a vicar who has inherited the impoverished Irvingdale earldom after the untimely death of his brother.
This is the heroine, Helsa:
Helsa's father can't afford to maintain/repair the estate, so he lives at the vicarage and leases the mansion to the social climbing Lady B. The OW is keen to impress her guests ( especially the H ) and she also insists that all the servants, including her lady's maid, be hired from the village. That's the first sign that something is up with this grifter; after all, all aristocratic women usually travel with their own lady's maid.
The heroine is drawn into Lady B's drama when she's forced, at the last minute, to masquerade as her lady's maid. Helsa doesn't want her father to lose the money from the rental fees, so she pretends to be Mary, an ordinary girl from the village. The H is very taken with Helsa, from the first time he sees her and this is so ironic, because he thinks she's just a servant. He's definitely more interested in her, than he is, in Lady B while Helsa, who thinks he's the most dreamy man she's ever seen, is depressed because she can't reveal her true identity to him.
Lady B's plans aren't working out so well, because the H has locked the connecting door to their bedroom suites, so she can't creep into his bed at night. Victor is a nicer Barbara C hero, because he's only interested in the steeplechase event that the OW has planned for her guests and isn't interested in a romantic relationship with her. She's dismayed not deterred, because her criminal accomplices are working on plan B: the drugging and kidnapping of the H.
The heroine ends up saving the H when she overhears the criminals' iniquitous plan to waylay/drug/kidnap him while he's participating in the steeplechase. Since this is a BC romance, the MC's quickly declare their mutual celestial love etc and the heroine's dad is on hand to marry them immediately, in a private ceremony. I was a little upset that there were no further scenes with Lady B, but it's implied that she'll receive her comeuppance: self imposed banishment from the Ton.
In fact, the heroine's dad suggests that Lady B would most likely never show her duplicitous face in high society again:
“If I may suggest something else, for I think you should leave England immediately on your honeymoon. By the time you return Lady Basset will have doubtless vanished from the Social world and what has occurred here will be forgotten.”
It might seem like mild punishment for this scheming criminal scammer, but it's the worst existence for a social climbing/wannabe duchess, who's lied about her entire life in order to impress aristocrats. So, it's a great cause for celebration, knowing that this awful woman will never be granted access to her heart's greatest desire: the upper echelons of the British Ton.
Safety: No sex, no OM, a wannabe OW and no cheating.
What do you do, when you're obsessed with royalty/the aristocracy and want to become a duchess, but you've got to factor in the following issues/problems ?
📍. You're a rich, attractive, scheming, grifter female, who's closer to 30/35, than to 20, and can only depend on expensive clothing and jewellery, to look good, because you live in an era where blepharoplasty and pore refining night serums have yet to be invented, while Estee Lauder's ancestors are probably still working as peasants somewhere in Europe.
📍. You might've earned your wealth on your back, somewhere on the continent as an actress/ballerina/courtesan, or you might've been married to a rich, wealthy merchant. But nobody knows for sure, because you like to cultivate your image as a lady of mystery.
📍. You call yourself *Lady Bassett* ( and boy are you prouder than a peacock, of that empty title ), even though nobody in the Ton can recall seeing that name in any peerage registry, there's no respectable Bassett estate or elegant Bassett townhouse in London, and no one knows anything about you or the late, elusive *Lord Bassett*.
📍. You've got your eyes on the most eligible duke ( who's a couple of years younger than you, but you'll never admit it ) but he's a confident sexy alpha hunk, who isn't a gullible moron, easily dazzled by your faux, glittering facade, and, who mightn't marry a newcomer to society, with zero connections to other families in the Ton.
📍. Time is running out, because you've got to pull off your biggest con, before someone outs you and the game is over before it even begins...
Well, if you're the wannabe OW in this novel, you'll devise an insidious scheme to drug, kidnap and marry the H, by paying off the priest and the witnesses, so they'd lie and say that he was a willing participant...
This is the villainess OW, *Lady Bassett*
In this story, our MC's are brought together when Lady Bassett, starts sniffing after the H. Victor, the Duke of Mervinston ( the H ) is the prime catch on the marriage mart and the OW will do whatever it takes, even if includes deception and skulduggery, to drag her man to the altar.
This is the H, the Duke of Mervinston:
The fraudulent Lady B rents the heroine's family's ancestral estate for a house party, invites the H and a few other gentlemen and pretends that the property ( including the ancestral portraits ) belongs to her paternal relatives. Helsa, the heroine, is the only child of a vicar who has inherited the impoverished Irvingdale earldom after the untimely death of his brother.
This is the heroine, Helsa:
Helsa's father can't afford to maintain/repair the estate, so he lives at the vicarage and leases the mansion to the social climbing Lady B. The OW is keen to impress her guests ( especially the H ) and she also insists that all the servants, including her lady's maid, be hired from the village. That's the first sign that something is up with this grifter; after all, all aristocratic women usually travel with their own lady's maid.
The heroine is drawn into Lady B's drama when she's forced, at the last minute, to masquerade as her lady's maid. Helsa doesn't want her father to lose the money from the rental fees, so she pretends to be Mary, an ordinary girl from the village. The H is very taken with Helsa, from the first time he sees her and this is so ironic, because he thinks she's just a servant. He's definitely more interested in her, than he is, in Lady B while Helsa, who thinks he's the most dreamy man she's ever seen, is depressed because she can't reveal her true identity to him.
Lady B's plans aren't working out so well, because the H has locked the connecting door to their bedroom suites, so she can't creep into his bed at night. Victor is a nicer Barbara C hero, because he's only interested in the steeplechase event that the OW has planned for her guests and isn't interested in a romantic relationship with her. She's dismayed not deterred, because her criminal accomplices are working on plan B: the drugging and kidnapping of the H.
The heroine ends up saving the H when she overhears the criminals' iniquitous plan to waylay/drug/kidnap him while he's participating in the steeplechase. Since this is a BC romance, the MC's quickly declare their mutual celestial love etc and the heroine's dad is on hand to marry them immediately, in a private ceremony. I was a little upset that there were no further scenes with Lady B, but it's implied that she'll receive her comeuppance: self imposed banishment from the Ton.
In fact, the heroine's dad suggests that Lady B would most likely never show her duplicitous face in high society again:
“If I may suggest something else, for I think you should leave England immediately on your honeymoon. By the time you return Lady Basset will have doubtless vanished from the Social world and what has occurred here will be forgotten.”
It might seem like mild punishment for this scheming criminal scammer, but it's the worst existence for a social climbing/wannabe duchess, who's lied about her entire life in order to impress aristocrats. So, it's a great cause for celebration, knowing that this awful woman will never be granted access to her heart's greatest desire: the upper echelons of the British Ton.
Safety: No sex, no OM, a wannabe OW and no cheating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2025
2
Mul oli seda vaja. Rohkem pole vist tarvis midagi öelda. Mul lihtsalt oli roosavahulist Barbarat selleks kaheks tunniks vaja. Väga noorena sai teda ikka rohkem loetud ning, kui aus olla, siis omas raamistikus, on ta kirjutanud päris okeisid lembelugusid. Jah, nad on kõik suhteliselt lahjad, ühe mustriga, suhkruvatised, naistel on alati mingi ebatavaline nimi (seekord oli Helsa), nad on vaid oma 18 aastat vanad ja nad ei oska enamasti rääkida järjepidevalt, sest nad on alati õhkamas või hämmingus ("Oh... ma ei teadnudki... et armastus... võib nii tugev... olla). Mind jubedalt see punktiiriga venitamine häirib! Aga, jah, olen nooruses täitsa kobedatele Barbara romantikatele otsa komistanud. Kahjuks, antud lugu aga kindlasti nende paremate hulka ei kuulu. Idee oli ju isegi huvitav, et meie kangelanna püüab päästa rikast ja nägusat aristokraati (millist siis veel?!) abielulõksu sattumisest, kuid mis mind seekord häiris, oli tõsiasi, et mees ja naine olid omavahel kontaktis ja rääkisid kokku vist ainult mingi alla kümme lehekülje kahesajast. Ja selline esimesest ja ainukesest pilgust armastus on totakas. Natuke rohkem võiks ikka aega koos veeta, isegi sellistes arhailistes ja traditsionaalsetes armastuslugudes. Lugejale ei ole üldse huvitav kui loed kõigest muust kui sellest, mis on raamatu fookus. Helsa veetis isegi n-ö kurjamiga rohkem aega koos kui oma "suure" armastusega ja tal oli rohkem keemiat mingi teenijatüübiga. Igav, selline lähenemine on lihtsalt tüütu ja igav. Oma eesmärgi loo lugemine aga täitis, milleks oli anda mu ajule võimalus teha pehme ja vähe energiat nõudev restart.
Mul oli seda vaja. Rohkem pole vist tarvis midagi öelda. Mul lihtsalt oli roosavahulist Barbarat selleks kaheks tunniks vaja. Väga noorena sai teda ikka rohkem loetud ning, kui aus olla, siis omas raamistikus, on ta kirjutanud päris okeisid lembelugusid. Jah, nad on kõik suhteliselt lahjad, ühe mustriga, suhkruvatised, naistel on alati mingi ebatavaline nimi (seekord oli Helsa), nad on vaid oma 18 aastat vanad ja nad ei oska enamasti rääkida järjepidevalt, sest nad on alati õhkamas või hämmingus ("Oh... ma ei teadnudki... et armastus... võib nii tugev... olla). Mind jubedalt see punktiiriga venitamine häirib! Aga, jah, olen nooruses täitsa kobedatele Barbara romantikatele otsa komistanud. Kahjuks, antud lugu aga kindlasti nende paremate hulka ei kuulu. Idee oli ju isegi huvitav, et meie kangelanna püüab päästa rikast ja nägusat aristokraati (millist siis veel?!) abielulõksu sattumisest, kuid mis mind seekord häiris, oli tõsiasi, et mees ja naine olid omavahel kontaktis ja rääkisid kokku vist ainult mingi alla kümme lehekülje kahesajast. Ja selline esimesest ja ainukesest pilgust armastus on totakas. Natuke rohkem võiks ikka aega koos veeta, isegi sellistes arhailistes ja traditsionaalsetes armastuslugudes. Lugejale ei ole üldse huvitav kui loed kõigest muust kui sellest, mis on raamatu fookus. Helsa veetis isegi n-ö kurjamiga rohkem aega koos kui oma "suure" armastusega ja tal oli rohkem keemiat mingi teenijatüübiga. Igav, selline lähenemine on lihtsalt tüütu ja igav. Oma eesmärgi loo lugemine aga täitis, milleks oli anda mu ajule võimalus teha pehme ja vähe energiat nõudev restart.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews