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Warned by a Ghost
The lovely young orphan Sedela Craven is very excited to hear that the Marquis of Windlesham is returning home from active service in the Duke of Wellington’s Army in France at the end of the long war against Napoleon Bonaparte.
He, however, lingers on in London with his beautiful lover Lady Esther Hasting, an exquisite yet unscrupulous woman who is unfaithful to him while striving to ensnare him into marriage for his riches and his celebrated title.
Informed of this by her Nanny, Sedela dresses up as the Windles’s family ghost, Lady Constance, who appears as a warning whenever the family is in danger.
Entering the Marquis’s bedroom at midnight through a secret passage she warns him that he is in grave peril from a woman who is unfaithful to him with a man he trusts as his friend.
To his fury the Marquis soon discovers that the ‘ghost’ spoke the truth when he catches Esther in bed with his friend.
It is only back at his estate preparing with Sedela for a lavish party for his family and friends that he begins to realise what his heart truly desires and it is Sedela.
But it seems that it is too late, for she has been kidnapped and faces death at the forked tongue of a deadly cobra.
The only hope is that the Marquis can rescue her in time to save her life and their love!
He, however, lingers on in London with his beautiful lover Lady Esther Hasting, an exquisite yet unscrupulous woman who is unfaithful to him while striving to ensnare him into marriage for his riches and his celebrated title.
Informed of this by her Nanny, Sedela dresses up as the Windles’s family ghost, Lady Constance, who appears as a warning whenever the family is in danger.
Entering the Marquis’s bedroom at midnight through a secret passage she warns him that he is in grave peril from a woman who is unfaithful to him with a man he trusts as his friend.
To his fury the Marquis soon discovers that the ‘ghost’ spoke the truth when he catches Esther in bed with his friend.
It is only back at his estate preparing with Sedela for a lavish party for his family and friends that he begins to realise what his heart truly desires and it is Sedela.
But it seems that it is too late, for she has been kidnapped and faces death at the forked tongue of a deadly cobra.
The only hope is that the Marquis can rescue her in time to save her life and their love!
146 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2017
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,203 books866 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 5, 2024
Heroine pretends she is a ghost to warn the Hero about his evil mistress and her two timing ways.
Hero doesn’t believe it for a moment. But nevertheless catches mistress deceiving him with his friend, so goes back to the country.
The heroine is his childhood friend, so they start hanging out and doing things together like planning a big party for the neighborhood with a circus.
Evil mistress shows up tries to make mischief by having the heroine kidnapped and almost killed by a snake, but Hero saves the day. And they realize they love each other.
HEA
Hero doesn’t believe it for a moment. But nevertheless catches mistress deceiving him with his friend, so goes back to the country.
The heroine is his childhood friend, so they start hanging out and doing things together like planning a big party for the neighborhood with a circus.
Evil mistress shows up tries to make mischief by having the heroine kidnapped and almost killed by a snake, but Hero saves the day. And they realize they love each other.
HEA
May 22, 2022
Beautiful story where good wins out in the end.
September 23, 2024
Typical for her Canfield books.
September 19, 2010
Another one of those BC templates...A Mr./lord/baron/viscount/earl/marquis/duke/prince/king etc. needs a wife/pretend wife/ pretend mistress etc. to get an inheritance/get rid of an unwanted woman/rise in rank/complete a top secret mission etc., and there’s a convenient miss/vicar’s daughter/lady/princess/a friend’s poor relation etc. who just might help him, but there’s no chance in all that’s holy that he’ll fall in love with her, because he’s a rake and he will never change…But he ends up falling in love with her anyway.
Some of the stories maybe have a little twist on the whole thing with a young woman of the ton needing a chaperone to accompany her abroad, but she asks a poor friend (possibly a vicar’s daughter) to go with her. Then said vicar’s daughter meets the friend’s cousin who happens to be a lord/baron/viscount/earl/marquis/duke and falls helplessly in love with him, but he thinks she’s a worldly and experienced widow and plans on making her his mistress, but she runs, he follows, discovers she’s actually a virginal vicar’s daughter, confesses his love and they get married.
Sometimes there’s also a kidnapping/murder/coup/revolution/woman scorned etc. thrown into the mix to liven things up a bit...But mostly, only the names change.
Some of the stories maybe have a little twist on the whole thing with a young woman of the ton needing a chaperone to accompany her abroad, but she asks a poor friend (possibly a vicar’s daughter) to go with her. Then said vicar’s daughter meets the friend’s cousin who happens to be a lord/baron/viscount/earl/marquis/duke and falls helplessly in love with him, but he thinks she’s a worldly and experienced widow and plans on making her his mistress, but she runs, he follows, discovers she’s actually a virginal vicar’s daughter, confesses his love and they get married.
Sometimes there’s also a kidnapping/murder/coup/revolution/woman scorned etc. thrown into the mix to liven things up a bit...But mostly, only the names change.
March 8, 2012
"Ivan, Marquis og Windleshame, triuphantly returned from the Battle of Waterloo and was eagerly pursued by every hostess for his elegance and perfect charm. Yet, his ambitious mistress had marked him for a more sinister purpose. Only his impetuous and lovely young country neighbour, Sedela Craven, could save Ivan from the deceitful coils of dazzling Society beauty, Sedela's ingenious plan succeeded-all too well. For nothing could deter the reckless mistress from her plot-except the sweet and all-conquering power of love!"
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October 25, 2017Rather than rating any Barbara Cartland novels (because they'd all be either five stars or none, depending on your tolerance for cheese), I have a watchlist for common tropes:
The watch list
Orphaned heroine with unusual name: Sedela Craven, but she's not an orphan; her parents are temporarily out of the picture while visiting her mother's very ill sister in Leicestershire.
Who — speaks with — Shatner-esque pauses: Yes. "Oh, — please let's have — a circus!"
Who lives with her titled uncle: No, but her father is General Sir Alexander Craven.
And his unsympathetic wife: No, Mama is very nice (but not nice enough to warrant a name).
Absurdly named hero with aristocratic title: Ivan, which is not at all an absurd name, is the Marquis of Windlesham.
Female friends of heroine: None but Nanny, the elderly nanny of both Ivan and Sedela.
Male friends of hero who seem more pleasant than he does: None. He has a friend called Roger, Lord Bayford, who is a cad. A cad and a bounder.
Hero and heroine united in shared love of a dog: No, it's organising a circus this time.
Act of vengeance by a bitter former servant: No bitter servants, but Nanny accidentally reveals the circus plan to Ivan's bitter former paramour, Lady Esther Hasting, who gatecrashes the event after arranging for Roger to kidnap Sedela with the help of a snake charmer.
Heroine requires rescue from: Being kidnapped and locked in a hut in the dark with a cobra (as depicted on the cover design), although, to be fair, she manages to get herself to safety first by climbing into the ceiling.
Duels fought: None, but Ivan uses his duelling pistol to shoot the cobra.
Book ends with one of the pair recovering in bed: No, both are in rude good health.
What the heroine believes the hero's lips give her when they kiss at the end: To Sedela it was as if she had been taken from the darkness of Hell into the glory of Heaven.
Diamond-studded snuff boxes mentioned: None.
Heroine inwardly approves of the hero's champagne-coloured pantaloons: Sedela has no interest in pantaloons.
The watch list
Orphaned heroine with unusual name: Sedela Craven, but she's not an orphan; her parents are temporarily out of the picture while visiting her mother's very ill sister in Leicestershire.
Who — speaks with — Shatner-esque pauses: Yes. "Oh, — please let's have — a circus!"
Who lives with her titled uncle: No, but her father is General Sir Alexander Craven.
And his unsympathetic wife: No, Mama is very nice (but not nice enough to warrant a name).
Absurdly named hero with aristocratic title: Ivan, which is not at all an absurd name, is the Marquis of Windlesham.
Female friends of heroine: None but Nanny, the elderly nanny of both Ivan and Sedela.
Male friends of hero who seem more pleasant than he does: None. He has a friend called Roger, Lord Bayford, who is a cad. A cad and a bounder.
Hero and heroine united in shared love of a dog: No, it's organising a circus this time.
Act of vengeance by a bitter former servant: No bitter servants, but Nanny accidentally reveals the circus plan to Ivan's bitter former paramour, Lady Esther Hasting, who gatecrashes the event after arranging for Roger to kidnap Sedela with the help of a snake charmer.
Heroine requires rescue from: Being kidnapped and locked in a hut in the dark with a cobra (as depicted on the cover design), although, to be fair, she manages to get herself to safety first by climbing into the ceiling.
Duels fought: None, but Ivan uses his duelling pistol to shoot the cobra.
Book ends with one of the pair recovering in bed: No, both are in rude good health.
What the heroine believes the hero's lips give her when they kiss at the end: To Sedela it was as if she had been taken from the darkness of Hell into the glory of Heaven.
Diamond-studded snuff boxes mentioned: None.
Heroine inwardly approves of the hero's champagne-coloured pantaloons: Sedela has no interest in pantaloons.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews