"How could I have guessed," he went on, "how could I have known that morning when I felt like a man leaving the condemned cell that Rodney Marsden, and of course my mother"s prayers, would come to our rescue?"
"We must not think about it," she said. "Sometimes, when I wake up in the night in your arms, I am afraid it is all a wonderful dream and I shall find myself back at Barrowfield with only the smell of coal dust and the darkness of the mine."
"All that is over," the Marquis said firmly. "We have a lot to do, my precious, in going round my possessions a and there are quite a number of them a to see that no one is suffering unnecessarily and there are no more horrors of which I am in ignorance."
"We will do that," Torilla agreed, "then we will come back here and be alone together?"
It was a question rather than a statement and the Marquis smiled very tenderly as he said, "It will always be waiting for us, this house of love, where every day, my darling, I learn things about love which I never knew before."
"And you will a teach them to a me?" Torilla whispered.
"You may be quite sure of that."
"You do not a mind that I am very a ignorant a of such things?"
"Do you think I would want you different?" the Marquis asked almost fiercely. "Your innocence and your purity are not only what I have always sought, I also find them extremely exciting."
"You are so magnificent a you have done a so much, suppose after a time a you tire of me?"
"We are one person, my lovely sweetheart. It would be easier to lose an arm or a leg than to tear you out of my heart."
"Oh Gallen!"
It was a sigh of sheer happiness.
The Marquis was still looking down at her. His eyes held an expression no woman had ever seen before.
He ran his finger down her small straight nose, then outlined first her top lip and then the bottom one.
As he felt a little quiver go through her he asked, "Does that excite you, my little love?"
"It always a excites me when you a touch me."
"What do you think it does to me?" the Marquis asked in a deep voice.
His fingers encircled the softness of her neck, then moved lower to her breast.
He felt Torilla"s whole body move as if to hidden music, her breath coming fitfully between her lips.
Then his mouth came down on hers blotting out thought.
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 t.i.tles per month until all five hundred are available.
The Eternal Collection, cla.s.sic 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 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.
THE TEMPTATION.
OF.
TORILLA.
Barbara Cartland.
end.