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The Devilish Deception
Called home from his Regiment in Calcutta after having inherited the title of the Third Duke of Invercaron on the death of his uncle, Talbot McCaron is dismayed to find not only that his highland estate is all but bankrupt but also that his family seems determined to marry him off to Lady Jane Dalbeth from the neighbouring Macbeth Clan.
He soon understands the reason why, when he is informed that Lady Jane has inherited a vast fortune from her American Godmother.
Strolling in the grounds of his new domain, he comes across a thin half-starved yet bewitchingly beautiful young waif who appears intent on drowning herself in a torrential cascade he cannot understand.
With some difficulty in persuading her not to commit suicide, the Duke takes Giovanna, for that is her name, secretly under his wing and patiently waits to hear the reason for her desperation and terror.
What he eventually discovers is a Devilish Deception – an extraordinarily wicked plot – that almost defies belief and in the process of saving Giovanna he comes to realise that he has irrevocably and for ever lost his heart.
He soon understands the reason why, when he is informed that Lady Jane has inherited a vast fortune from her American Godmother.
Strolling in the grounds of his new domain, he comes across a thin half-starved yet bewitchingly beautiful young waif who appears intent on drowning herself in a torrential cascade he cannot understand.
With some difficulty in persuading her not to commit suicide, the Duke takes Giovanna, for that is her name, secretly under his wing and patiently waits to hear the reason for her desperation and terror.
What he eventually discovers is a Devilish Deception – an extraordinarily wicked plot – that almost defies belief and in the process of saving Giovanna he comes to realise that he has irrevocably and for ever lost his heart.
203 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2016
7 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,084 books835 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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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 6 reviews
November 1, 2023
This one had a bit mor mystery and intrigue to it.
The Hero has unexpectedly inherited a Scottish Dukedom, however the estate is bankrupt. As chief of his clan, his clan elders suggest that he marry the daughter of a neighboring chief who is an heiress.
Although the Hero finds the idea of marrying a woman for her money abhorrent, he knows he has a responsibility to his clan. When he meets the heiress and her stepmother, he is pleasant and charming to them but he instinctively finds something off about them.
He goes for a walk that night and encounters a young girl who is tries to throw herself off a cliff, but he prevents her. It also looks like she has been starving. The Hero rescues her and secretly brings her to his own castle to hide her.
The young girl is very scared but she wont reveal to him who has been terrorizing her and starving her.
The Hero pretends to be indisposed so he can stay home w the young girl, but his pushy neighbors, the heiress and her step mother visit him anyway. They are very presumptuous and tell him they have announced the engagement even if he has not formally proposed to the heiress yet. They try to make him sign a document where, he will agree, as the heiress’s husband to settle a large amount of money on the step mother. Since he finds their behavior very strange, he manages to put them of for the meantime, although he can see they are determined.
The young girl is slowly getting stronger, but she still will not confide her fears to him. One night, a presentiment of danger makes him wake up and go check on the young girl, he wakes her and they hide behind a secret panel in her room. They see the “cousin” of the step mom and some of his henchmen in the room. They are trying to find the young girl so they can kill her!
The young girl is beyond terrified. To alleviate her fears, and to comfort her, the Hero kisses her and they realize that they are in love.
SPOILERS:
The young girl, the heroine, now confides in the Hero. She is the missing heiress. The evil step mom had tricked her father, the chief, into marrying her. She was always mean to the heroine so she convinced the father to send her away.
The father sent the heroine to her grandmother in Italy, where she had been in a convent school for the past years. Her father passes away and soon after she finds out that her American Godmother has left her a fortune. She decides to go back to Scotland so she can help her clansmen. This is when her evil stepmother kidnaps her, tries to starve her to death and attempts to pass off her own daughter as the returning heiress. Truly a devilish deception 😉
The Hero and the heroine are now on their way to Italy to warn the grandmother, since the heroine fears her stepmother and the cousin will try and kill her grandmother, since, she can identify the heroine.
While there it is revealed that the Italian police have also been looking for the cousin who has a criminal background. They use the heroine as bait so that the evil cousin and stepmother will reveal everything.
When the evil couple arrive, it comes to light that evil cousin has changed his plan, and he now wants to marry the heroine himself, so he can be in charge of her large fortune. The stepmother is so enraged because, she has been in love with him all along, so she shoots him. As she does so, one of his henchmen shoots her as well. Then the Italian police reveal themselves and arrest everyone.
The Hero spirits the heroine away, for a quick wedding and honeymoon. ❤️❤️❤️
What about the daughter of the stepmother, the fake heiress you say? Not to worry, she will be exposed and will never be heard off again.
The Hero has unexpectedly inherited a Scottish Dukedom, however the estate is bankrupt. As chief of his clan, his clan elders suggest that he marry the daughter of a neighboring chief who is an heiress.
Although the Hero finds the idea of marrying a woman for her money abhorrent, he knows he has a responsibility to his clan. When he meets the heiress and her stepmother, he is pleasant and charming to them but he instinctively finds something off about them.
He goes for a walk that night and encounters a young girl who is tries to throw herself off a cliff, but he prevents her. It also looks like she has been starving. The Hero rescues her and secretly brings her to his own castle to hide her.
The young girl is very scared but she wont reveal to him who has been terrorizing her and starving her.
The Hero pretends to be indisposed so he can stay home w the young girl, but his pushy neighbors, the heiress and her step mother visit him anyway. They are very presumptuous and tell him they have announced the engagement even if he has not formally proposed to the heiress yet. They try to make him sign a document where, he will agree, as the heiress’s husband to settle a large amount of money on the step mother. Since he finds their behavior very strange, he manages to put them of for the meantime, although he can see they are determined.
The young girl is slowly getting stronger, but she still will not confide her fears to him. One night, a presentiment of danger makes him wake up and go check on the young girl, he wakes her and they hide behind a secret panel in her room. They see the “cousin” of the step mom and some of his henchmen in the room. They are trying to find the young girl so they can kill her!
The young girl is beyond terrified. To alleviate her fears, and to comfort her, the Hero kisses her and they realize that they are in love.
SPOILERS:
The young girl, the heroine, now confides in the Hero. She is the missing heiress. The evil step mom had tricked her father, the chief, into marrying her. She was always mean to the heroine so she convinced the father to send her away.
The father sent the heroine to her grandmother in Italy, where she had been in a convent school for the past years. Her father passes away and soon after she finds out that her American Godmother has left her a fortune. She decides to go back to Scotland so she can help her clansmen. This is when her evil stepmother kidnaps her, tries to starve her to death and attempts to pass off her own daughter as the returning heiress. Truly a devilish deception 😉
The Hero and the heroine are now on their way to Italy to warn the grandmother, since the heroine fears her stepmother and the cousin will try and kill her grandmother, since, she can identify the heroine.
While there it is revealed that the Italian police have also been looking for the cousin who has a criminal background. They use the heroine as bait so that the evil cousin and stepmother will reveal everything.
When the evil couple arrive, it comes to light that evil cousin has changed his plan, and he now wants to marry the heroine himself, so he can be in charge of her large fortune. The stepmother is so enraged because, she has been in love with him all along, so she shoots him. As she does so, one of his henchmen shoots her as well. Then the Italian police reveal themselves and arrest everyone.
The Hero spirits the heroine away, for a quick wedding and honeymoon. ❤️❤️❤️
What about the daughter of the stepmother, the fake heiress you say? Not to worry, she will be exposed and will never be heard off again.
January 12, 2021
Ah! Finally, a healthy male character! The one who knows his worth, who is brave, and who enjoys live. He doesn’t have neither this typical for BC’s gentlemen annoying snobbish attitude to people, especially towards women, nor stupid egotism and “I’m a poor unloved lonely child” excuse for disdain to any living thing except from dogs and horses.
Thanks to dame Cartland for this freshness of normal man. Although there’s a bit too much melodrama, it’s still an enjoyable reading.
Thanks to dame Cartland for this freshness of normal man. Although there’s a bit too much melodrama, it’s still an enjoyable reading.
June 30, 2022
Don't judge me - it was in the house in Harpswell.
August 23, 2023
I always have a good time reading BC books and this was not exception. I loved the mystery and learning more about Scotland.
July 2, 2025
Fast paced but great character building and was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns in the plot! Will definitely be reading another Barbara Cartland book in the future.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 6 reviews