The Magnificent Marriage

Barbara Cartland

May 2018 · The Eternal Collection Book 194 · Barbara Cartland EBooks ltd

About this ebook

Young Lady Lettice Burne is outstandingly beautiful with fair hair like sunshine and a flawless pink-and-white complexion. Yet her father, the Earl of Alderburne, desperate to find a wealthy suitor for her to pay off his mountain of accumulated debts is, resigned to the fact that she is, immature, and empty-headed, and therefore, unlikely to make the brilliant marriage that he had envisaged for her. So when, the handsome, dashing and rich Maximus Kirby expresses interest in her hand, the Earl is eager to send her to join him in Singapore. Maximus Kirby has been hugely successful in the Far East in trading and has started many profitable businesses that have brought unexpected prosperity to many poor communities. Lettice cannot possibly go to him in Singapore alone. So her sister Lady Dorinda goes, posing as her companion, albeit reluctantly, knowing that she is assuming her usual guise of 'ugly sister' thanks to the disfiguring eczema on her face and body that she has suffered from since childhood. To Dorinda's delight and astonishment, the tropical climate miraculously cures her skin complaint and now everybody can see that she is every bit as beautiful as Lettice, including Maximus Kirby. Once in Singapore Dorinda and Lettice face great dangers, which Maximus Kirby and Dorinda have to defeat and Lettice becomes more and more determined that she will, not marry Maximus Kirby. And, will Lady Dorinda finally find the love and the 'Magnificent Marriage' that her disease has always denied her?

About the author

Barbara Cartland was the world's most prolific novelist, having written an astounding 723 books in her lifetime, including 644 romantic novels that achieved worldwide sales of over one billion copies and were translated into 36 different languages. In addition to romantic novels, she also authored historical biographies, six autobiographies, theatrical plays, and advice books on life, love, vitamins, and cookery. Cartland penned her first book, "Jigsaw," at the age of 21, which became an immediate bestseller, selling 100,000 copies in hardback in England and throughout Europe in translation. Remarkably, between the ages of 77 and 97, she increased her literary output, writing an incredible 400 romances to meet the global demand for her work. She wrote her final book at the age of 97, prophetically titled "The Way to Heaven." Her popularity was immense in the United States, where in 1976 her current books held the number 1 and 2 spots on the B. Dalton bestsellers list simultaneously, a unique achievement. Barbara Cartland became a legend in her lifetime, particularly cherished for her romantic novels. Her works are treasured for their moral messages, pure and innocent heroines, handsome and dashing heroes, blissful happy endings, and above all, her belief in the power of love as the most important aspect of life. Her millions of readers around the world continue to collect her books to read again and again, especially during times of misery or depression, finding solace in the love and happiness that define her stories.