Because she had been so unhappy, because she had missed him so terribly, she felt now as if he was making her a part of him and she was no longer alone.
She was so completely his that even a Wedding ceremony could not make them any closer.
‘I love you! I love you!’ she wanted to shout out.
But the Earl was kissing her fiercely, demandingly, passionately, as if he thought that he had lost her and was making sure that she could never escape him again.
He kissed her until they were both breathless and then he raised his head and said,
“How can you be so utterly completely different from anyone else I have ever known? How can you make me feel as I thought it impossible to feel for any woman?”
“How do you – feel?” Salrina whispered.
“Wildly, ecstatically happy!” he replied. “But still desperately afraid that I might lose you again.”
His arms tightened until he hurt her as he said,
“As that is something I intend to prevent, we are going to be married at once. I have no intention of gambling on what I know is my whole future happiness. ”
Salrina made a little murmur and hid her face against his neck.
“Can I – really marry – you?”
“You are going to marry me!” the Earl said firmly. “Ever since I have known you, you have been unpredictable and, when you disappeared, I could only curse myself for my stupidity and be more afraid than I have ever been of any enemy, gun or cannon!”
Salrina laughed.
“I am sure that is not true!”
“I will make you believe me, by making sure that you are my wife and keeping you with me by day and by night!”
He gave a little groan as he said,
“The only unselfish thing I have ever done, when I was wanting you so overwhelmingly, was to leave you the other night when you were tired. It was like sticking a thousand daggers into my body to go back to my empty bed alone!”
Salrina thought of what an agony it had been for her to leave him the next morning, but she merely made a little murmur against his neck and she felt him kiss her hair before he went on,
“I believe, my darling, that we are going to be very happy in the future. We have so many things in common, even though we need not spend all our time looking for French spies and saving the Prince Regent’s life!”
It was then that Salrina raised her head to look at him with a worried expression in her eyes.
“Please – listen to me,” she pleaded.
“I would rather kiss you!”
“No – please – ”
“What do you want to say?”
“Only that I – do not think you ought to – marry me,” she said hesitatingly. “You see, I have never – lived in your world – and I know nothing about it – or the people who are – important to you.”
She made a little sound that was like a sob before she went on,
“I shall make – mistakes and perhaps you will be – ashamed of me – or else become – bored and that would be even worse than – losing you now.”
“I shall not be bored and you will not lose me,” the Earl said firmly. “I cannot think why you should feel that you would be upset or embarrassed by my friends or the Prince Regent for that matter.”
Salrina laughed, but there was a touch of fear in it.
“You – don’t understand. This is where I have lived – all my life. Look around you and you will see how very poor we have been. So poor that we have often been hungry. I have never been to parties or met smart people and I never had a decent gown to wear until you lent me one of your sister’s.”
She thought as she spoke that she was throwing away something so infinitely precious that she would regret it all her life.
At the same time because she loved him she had to be honest and she loved him enough to want his happiness even more than her own.
As if he understood, the Earl said in a different tone from what he had used before and which was quiet and tender,
“It is because your life has been different, my darling, that you are so different. Do you not understand that it will be very exciting and very thrilling for me not only to give you all the things you have missed but to look after you, help you not to make mistakes and to know that unlike the other women there have been in my life you will be mine, completely and absolutely mine!”
His arms tightened and then he said,
“More than anything else, I want to teach you, my beautiful one, about love. I adore your ignorance, your shyness and the way you are completely unspoilt.”
He drew in his breath before he said,
“I could no more be bored with you than if I was touching one of the stars, which is something we will do together.”
Salrina remembered how her mother had said,
“A woman must always encourage her husband to aim for the stars, even though they may seem out of reach.”
“Will you let me do things with you?” she asked. “You are so clever, so brilliant. I know that there are so many people you can help and there will be so much to do for England when the War is over. You can lead, guide and inspire the people who will follow you.”
She saw the surprise in the Earl’s eyes as she added,
“Please – let me be with you and help – if only in a – tiny way.”
“I know from what you have said it will not be a ‘tiny’ way, but a very large way,” the Earl replied, “and, Salrina, you are so perfect that I can hardly believe that I have been fortunate enough to find you.”
He looked at her for a long moment before he said,
“You have not answered my question. How soon will you marry me? For I do not intend to wait one second longer than is necessary.”
Salrina laughed, and it was a sound very near to tears, as she answered,
“Now! This moment! If I can be your wife, I swear that I will try to make you happy and will love and worship you for ever!”
Then the Earl’s lips found hers and he kissed her at first almost reverently as if she was something very precious and sacred.
Then, as she knew that she excited him, she felt the fire burning once again on his lips and flickering flames rise within herself.
It was so glorious, so perfect, and at the same time so much part of the Heaven she believed that she would never find again, that she surrendered herself completely to his kisses, feeling his heart beating frantically against hers.
After a long time he raised his head to ask in a curiously unsteady voice,
“Now what do you feel?”
“That I am in Paradise!”
As she spoke, Salrina remembered how when she left Fleet Hall she felt that she was being shut out of Paradise.
“And you are happy?”
“Wonderfully – gloriously – marvellously happy and very – very – excited.”
At the last word Salrina stammered and shyly hid her face.
The Earl, however, put his fingers under her chin so that he could look at her.
“Does that still frighten you?” he asked.
“Not really,” she whispered. “But perhaps you will be shocked if my love makes me very – wild and – unrestrained.”
The Earl laughed, and it was a very tender sound, before he said,
“My sweet, my darling, could anyone be more alluring? I adore you.”
“You will not – be shocked?”
“I am only afraid of my shocking you. But I think, my precious, that the fires of love will burn for both of us.”
Then he kissed her until she was no longer on Earth but moving in the sky among the stars to a Paradise that was made for them by God.
The Earl knew that they had both found the perfection of love that all men seek, but only a few are privileged enough to ever attain.
“I love you! God how I love you!” he said hoarsely.
Then he was kissing her again and Salrina knew that there was no need for words.
It
was love that was in her heart, in her mind, in her soul and in her body.
Love, that made her belong to him and him to her and there was no escape for either of them.
OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES
The Barbara Cartland Eternal Collection is the unique opportunity to collect as ebooks all five hundred of the timeless beautiful romantic novels written by the world’s most celebrated and enduring romantic author.
Named the Eternal Collection because Barbara’s inspiring stories of pure love, just the same as love itself, the books will be published on the internet at the rate of four titles per month until all five hundred are available.
The Eternal Collection, classic pure romance available worldwide for all time .
Elizabethan Lover
The Little Pretender
A Ghost in Monte Carlo
A Duel of Hearts
The Saint and the Sinner
The Penniless Peer
The Proud Princess
The Dare-Devil Duke
Diona and a Dalmatian
A Shaft of Sunlight
Lies for Love
Love and Lucia
Love and the Loathsome Leopard
Beauty or Brains
The Temptation of Torilla
The Goddess and the Gaiety Girl
Fragrant Flower
Look Listen and Love
The Duke and the Preacher’s Daughter
A Kiss for the King
The Mysterious Maid-servant
Lucky Logan Finds Love
The Wings of Ecstacy
Mission to Monte Carlo
Revenge of the Heart
The Unbreakable Spell
Never Laugh at Love
Bride to a Brigand
Lucifer and the Angel
Journey to a Star
Solita and the Spies
The Chieftain Without a Heart
No Escape from Love
Dollars for the duke
Pure and Untouched
Secrets
Fire in the Blood
Love, Lies and Marriage
The Ghost who Fell in Love
Hungry for Love
The Wild Cry of Love
The Blue-eyed Witch
The Punishment of a Vixen
The Secret of the Glen
Bride to the King
For All Eternity
King in Love
A Marriage made in Heaven
Who can deny Love?
Riding to the Moon
Wish for Love
Dancing on a Rainbow
Gypsy Magic
Love in the Clouds
Count the Stars
White Lilac
Too Precious to Lose
The Devil Defeated
An Angel Runs Away
The Duchess Disappeared
The Pretty Horse-breakers
The Prisoner of Love
Ola and the Sea Wolf
The Castle made for Love
A Heart is Stolen
The Love Pirate
As Eagles Fly
The Magic of Love
Love Leaves at Midnight
A Witch’s Spell
Love Comes West
The Impetuous Duchess
A Tangled Web
Love lifts the Curse
Saved By A Saint
Love is Dangerous
The Poor Governess
The Peril and the Prince
A Very Unusual Wife
Say Yes Samantha
Punished with love
A Royal Rebuke
The Husband Hunters
Signpost To Love
Love Forbidden
Gift Of the Gods
The Outrageous Lady
The Slaves Of Love
The Disgraceful Duke
The Unwanted Wedding
From Hate to Love
A Very Naughty Angel
The Innocent Imposter
A Rebel Princess
A Wish Comes True
Haunted
Passions In The Sand
Little White Doves of Love
A Portrait of Love
The Enchanted Waltz
Alone and Afraid
The Call of the Highlands
The Glittering Lights
An Angel in Hell
Only a Dream
A Nightingale Sang
Pride and the Poor Princess
Stars in my Heart
The Fire of Love
A Dream from the Night
Sweet Enchantress
The Kiss of the Devil
Fascination in France
Love Runs In
Lost Enchantment
Love is Innocent
The Love Trap
No Darkness for Love
Kiss from a Stranger
The Flame Is Love
A Touch of Love
The Dangerous Dandy
In Love In Lucca
The Karma Of Love
Magic For The Heart
Paradise Found
Only Love
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.
Paradise Found
Barbara Cartland
Barbara Cartland Ebooks Ltd
This edition © 2015
Copyright Cartland Promotions 1953
eBook conversion by M-Y Books