Call of The Heart

Half-starved, sickly and pale, the beautiful Lalitha lives in the shadow of her stepsister, the glamorous Lady Sophie Studley, darling of London's Beau Monde. Because only Lalitha knows the dark secrets upon which her stepmother, Lady Studley, has built a new life for herself and her daughter. Worked like a slave and frequently thrashed with her stepmother's cane, she feels that should one of these beatings go too far her death would merely come as a relief.The conniving mother and daughter's latest deceit involves Sophie's latest two suitors. Betrothed to Julius Verton, Sophie is dismayed to find that he has no money of his own, at least until his uncle, the Duke of Yelverton, dies.With typical callousness she plans to abandon Julius and elope with the immensely wealthy Lord Rothwyn, a friend of the Prince Regent. But she does not love him, only his riches and his position in Society. "Oh, well," she says, "perhaps his Lordship will not live long. Then I shall be a rich widow and will be able to marry Julius when he is the Duke of Yelverton after all!" But when news arrives that Julius' uncle is on his deathbed everything changes. Sophie sends Lalitha to meet Lord Rothwyn at the Church to tell him that he is being jilted. And from the moment the dashing Lord mistakes her for Sophie and seizes her in a passionate kiss, her heart is lost and her life is changed forever –

Barbara Cartland was the world's most prolific novelist who wrote an amazing 723 books in her lifetime, of which no less than 644 were romantic novels with worldwide sales of over 1 billion copies and her books were translated into 36 different languages.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, theatrical plays and books of advice on life, love, vitamins and cookery.
She wrote her first book at the age of 21 and it was called Jigsaw. It became an immediate bestseller and sold 100,000 copies in hardback in England and all over Europe in translation.
Between the ages of 77 and 97 she increased her output and wrote an incredible 400 romances as the demand for her romances was so strong all over the world.
She wrote her last book at the age of 97 and it was entitled perhaps prophetically The Way to Heaven.
Her books have always been immensely popular in the United States where in 1976 her current books were at numbers 1 & 2 in the B. Dalton bestsellers list, a feat never achieved before or since by any author.
Barbara Cartland became a legend in her own lifetime and will be best remembered for her wonderful romantic novels so loved by her millions of readers throughout the world, who have always collected her books to read again and again, especially when they feel miserable or depressed.
Her books will always be treasured for their moral message, her pure and innocent heroines, her handsome and dashing heroes, her blissful happy endings and above all for her belief that the power of love is more important than anything else in everyone's life.