33. An Unexpected Love

"Protected by loving parents, young, beautiful and happy, Lady Ravina Ashley has the world at her feet. Unused to harsh words, she is taken aback when a stranger at a ball in London takes her to task for her behaviour towards a clumsy suitor. But Ravina hopes that one day she will fall madly passionately in love and refuses to think of marriage to anyone until then. With her parents away in the Balkans, Ravina leaves London to stay with her cousin, Dulcie, at Curbishley Hall, the Ashley estate in Dorset. She is travelling with Sir Michael Moore, who has begged a lift in her carriage to his home a few miles away from hers. To Ravina’s surprise on the journey she once again meets the man who felt he had the right to criticise her behaviour – Sir Richard Crawford! Sir Michael’s attentions, however, are far more complimentary and Ravina’s belief in her own judgement of men cannot be shaken. What will happen when Sir Richard is forced to ask Ravina for hospitality at Curbishley Hall? Why is he so anxious to spend so much time in her company and is he hiding some secret from her that could threaten her and her family? What happens to Ravina, who she eventually falls in love with, and how she fights against the dangers that surround her is told in this romantic novel by BARBARA CARTLAND."