For one long moment the Duke looked at her.
Then his mouth came down on hers and held her captive.
For a moment he was conscious only that her lips were very soft, innocent and unsure. Then as his kiss deepened and he held her closer he knew that for him this kiss was different from any kiss he had ever known.
As he felt Militsa tremble, he was aware that just as he was feeling the wonder of it, so was she.
He knew that he had found something that he had always sought and which had eluded him until now and it was even more wonderful and glorious than he had imagined it could ever be.
He felt Militsa respond to him in a way he had not expected.
He thought because she was so young, innocent and inexperienced that it would take him a long time to awaken her to the wonder of love.
He had been prepared to wait, to control himself as he had these last days during their time on the yacht.
He thought that he had first to entice her into trusting him, then to question his indifference. But he had not expected that every day, every hour and indeed every moment he was with her, he was loving her more and desiring her as he had never desired a woman in his whole life.
As his kisses became more demanding, more possessive and insistent, he found that there was in fact a fire beneath the pride that was so much a part of Militsa that he could hardly imagine her without it.
And yet love was making her burn with a very different emotion and one which he knew would be strengthened until it became the flaming furnace that he himself felt burning through him.
Because he wanted to be gentle and tender and not spoil the fragile beauty that was spiritually so much a part of her, he raised his head to say in a voice that was curiously unsteady,
“Now tell me what you feel about me.”
There was a faint flush on her cheeks, her lips were red from his kisses, and her eyes held a light that had never been there before.
“I hated – you,” she said at last, “but now I – know it was from the very – beginning a – part of my – love.”
“From the beginning?” the Duke questioned.
“When I first – saw you in your cabin, you – frightened me.”
She thought that the Duke did not understand and explained quickly,
“Not only because I was afraid you would not do what we asked, but because you were so – handsome, so overwhelming, so commanding! It was what I had always believed a man should be – like and yet, because you had so much while we had so little, I told myself I – hated you.”
The Duke’s arms tightened around her and he merely said,
“Go on. Then what happened?”
“Papa and the others had all been quite certain that you would not do what we asked and, because I was afraid that you might refuse, I hated you for that. Then, when you took us on the yacht, I hated the contrast between your wealth and our poverty.”
“I can understand that,” the Duke said. “I saw you look at me with hatred in your eyes.”
“I hated you for what you made me feel and that is why I did not wish to see you or talk to you or go near you.”
“Then what did you feel?” he asked.
“Very strange feelings, almost as if my heart was – calling to yours and that – something within me – reached out to something that – came from – you.”
“Vibrations!” the Duke exclaimed. “I felt them. I felt them from the first moment you came to the yacht and when we drove together in that ramshackle vehicle to the empty house.”
“And when we – were on the – yacht,” Militsa said, “some part of me belonged to you – and yet I went on – fighting it because I was – jealous.”
She whispered the last words and turned to hide her face against his neck.
He kissed her hair before he said,
“I had no idea you felt like that. I only knew, after I had seen you, that no other woman attracted me.”
He felt her quiver against him.
Then, as if she had to know that was true, she lifted up her face to look at him.
“Did – you really feel like – that?”
“I promise you that is the truth,” he said, “but like you I fought against the strange feelings that I found difficult to understand. But it was no use, there was only one woman in the whole world and that was you!”
Militsa began to give a little cry of delight, but the Duke stopped her because he was kissing her, kissing her with fierce, demanding kisses, as if he would force her love from her lips.
Even as he did so, he knew, just as he had given her his heart irretrievably and for ever, so he had taken hers into his keeping and she was his completely and absolutely.
When they were both breathless, he said hoarsely,
“Get into bed, my precious. I want to be closer to you than I am at the moment.”
He kissed her again and went quickly into his bedroom on the other side of the boudoir as if he had to force himself to leave.
As he took off his white tie, tailcoat and stiff shirt, he thought that he was so thrilled, happy and excited that he was like a young boy with his first love.
He did not take long and, when he went back, he was wearing a blue silk dressing gown with his monogram surmounted by a coronet on the breast pocket.
He looked very handsome as he opened the door of Militsa’s bedroom. Fragrant with flowers, with a light only by the big white-canopied bed, it was very romantic.
But to his surprise Militsa, still dressed, was standing in the centre of the room.
He felt that something must be wrong.
“What is it? What has happened?” he asked.
“I cannot – undo my – gown,” she answered in a helpless little voice. “You will – think I am very – stupid.”
The Duke smiled as he walked towards her.
“My darling, forgive me. I should have remembered that you have not had complicated gowns to cope with these last years.”
She looked at him almost as if she was afraid that he was angry with her.
Then, when she saw the tenderness in his eyes, she threw herself against him and burst into tears.
He held her closely.
“My precious love! My sweet! You must not cry. You have been so wonderfully brave, I cannot bear you to be unhappy.”
“I am not – unhappy,” she sobbed. “I am happy – so wildly – happy – that I can’t – believe it.”
“It’s true, my lovely darling.”
“I was so – afraid when Papa – died,” she whispered incoherently, “and I was all – alone – I don’t want to earn – my living – I don’t want to be proud, but – safe with – you.”
“Which you are and you always will be,” the Duke answered with his lips against her hair.
“Very very sure,” he said. “But you must not cry, my love.”
He thought as he spoke that it was the breaking of the barriers that she had erected between herself and the world as a kind of armour.
Now she was no longer proud, but his.
He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face up. With the tears on her dark lashes and on her cheeks she looked so lovely that he stared at her as if he had never seen her before.
“I love you! I love you!” he exclaimed. “How can this have happened to us? Out of the whole world, how could I have been so fortunate as to find you?”
“That is – what I am saying,” Militsa murmured. “I had no idea that you would – love me. When I offered you – myself, I pretended it was for no other reason than that I must pay a debt of – gratitude, but I know that if I could be with you if only for a – little while, it would be – something to remember – for the rest of my life.”
“The rest of your life will be spent with me,” the Duke asserted firmly, “and, my darling, I know we shall be ecstatically happy even though I have had to fight a major battle against a very
formidable enemy called ‘Pride’.”
“I will never, never be – proud in future,” Militsa said humbly.
The Duke laughed.
“I assure you that it is something I would not prevent or alter and I shall be exceedingly proud of you, my beautiful darling.”
“Do you – really think I am – beautiful?”
“I will convince you that you are very beautiful,” the Duke answered, “but it’s going to take a long time.”
“I will love that as I love talking to you!”
“I too enjoy talking to you,” the Duke replied, “but now, my adorable wife, I have so much to teach you about love.”
He felt Militsa draw in her breath.
Then she said in a voice that had a sudden note of passion in it,
“Teach me – please – teach me! I not only want to love you – but to make you – love me – and I am – so – ignorant I don’t know – how to – begin.”
“This is how we begin,” the Duke said with his lips very close to hers.
He kissed her until the breath was coming quickly from between her lips and then, as he kissed her neck, he knew that she vibrated with a dozen strange emotions that she had never known existed.
She was so alluring, so exciting that he himself was aroused by her physically and spiritually as he had never been before.
“I – love you!” he exclaimed. “God, how I love you, my darling one! And I will be very gentle. I will not hurt or frighten you.”
“l am – not frightened,” she whispered. “I only – love you – until there is – nothing in the world but – you.”
Then, as his lips held her captive and her body was invaded with a strange fire that burned away pride and hatred and everything except love, she felt him undoing the back of her gown.
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
Lord Ravenscar’s Revenge
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
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.
Pride And the Poor Princess
Barbara Cartland
Barbara Cartland
Ebooks Ltd
This edition © 2014
Copyright Cartland Promotions 1953
eBook conversion by M-Y Books
Author’s Note
I became interested in gypsies in 1960 when I found that they were unjustly treated in being moved every twenty-four hours so it was impossible for gypsy children to go to school. After a bitter battle which took three years, I eventually got the law altered so that local authorities were obliged to provide camps for their own gypsies.
Now in Hertfordshire there are eight County Council camps and my own, which is, I believe, the only entirely Romany gypsy camp in the world and which the gypsies themselves christened ‘Barbaraville’.
I have learnt in my dealings with the Romany gypsies how extremely moral they are and how they marry for life.
Romany gypsies are very secretive about their beliefs, customs and even their language so that the little that has been written about them is often untrue.
They have suffered terrible persecutions in every country in Europe. Beginning in 1939, Germany started their internment with the aim of their entire extinction. More than 400,000 gypsies lost their lives under the Nazis before the end of the Second World War.
Today most countries are following our lead and trying to find some way in which the gypsy children can be educated.
The Kalderash gypsies believe they are the only authentic gypsies. They came from the Balkans, then from Central Europe and are divided into five groups,
Lovari in France called Hungarians.
Boyhas who come from Transylvania.
Luri (or Lult) the Indian tribe.
Tschurari (Chruai) who live apart from the other Kaldarash gypsies.
Tutco-Americans who emigrated from Turkey to the United States before returning to Europe.
Chapter One 1825
“It’s no use,” Princess Laetitia said to her sister, “I shall never get this gown to look anything but dowdy!”
“You will look lovely in it whatever it is like,” Princess Marie-Henriette replied.
Laetitia smiled.
“You know perfectly well that whatever we wear will be wrong when Cousin Augustina sees it.”
Marie-Henriette laughed.
“She is afraid that we might receive even one compliment that she thinks ought to be paid to Stephanie! Anyway, she dislikes us all, Mama included.”