157 Love is A Maze

With her mother ailing in the long absence of her father, Sir Terence Brantforde, who is abroad on a Top Secret Government mission, beautiful young Davina does not have enough money to buy the food her mother needs if she is to recover. So she seeks work with a family friend and Society fashion designer, Lucy Crofton. And is sent by Lucy to fit a new creation for the brash Lady Brant, which is a showpiece for the prestigious Marlborough House Ball, Davina is crushed to find that her Ladyship is indisposed and unable to attend. Worse still she has no intention of paying Lucy, who is counting on the dress’s public appearance to inspire more orders for her salon. In the heat of the moment Davina decides to take the daring step to go the Marlborough House Ball in Lady Brantforde’s place and in her dress and in an instant her life is changed forever. Posing as the widowed lady at the ball she meets the dashing and rakish Duke of Norminster, who sweeps her off her feet and urges her to attend another ball at his own magnificent and beautiful house in the country, Nore. There Davina meets Lady Lucille Hedley, the Duke’s current fancy, who sees her at once as a potential rival. When exploring the Duke’s mysterious maze in moonlight as she cannot sleep, Davina overhears a dastardly plot by Lady Lucille and her husband, who everyone thinks is dead, to blackmail the Duke for many thousands of pounds. How Davina manages to warn the Duke and is then threatened with death, but is rescued by the Duke and, despite her deep feeling of guilt at impersonating Lady Brant, finds true love is all told in this exciting romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.