Sleeping Princess

Freshly home from her Finishing School in Florence, the beautiful young Lady Odela Ford finds to her dismay that her new stepmother, the Countess of Shalford, is scheming against her and her beloved father.
Odela's mother, who she adored, has died and her father has married again rather too quickly.
To her horror and mystification she overhears one day her stepmother ordering her lover, the Viscount More, to marry Odela – for her money as he has very little himself.
This is the first that Odela hears of the American oil shares that her late mother left her, which have now accumulated into a vast fortune.
Unwilling to tell her father that he is being betrayed by his wife, Odela seeks refuge with her old Nanny at the country house of the Marquis of Trancombe.
Almost straight away there is an undeniable and irresistible attraction between her and the handsome Marquis.
But no sooner has she found safety than new danger appears in the form of a ruthless thief and she finds herself, together with the Marquis, imprisoned under threat of death.
Will she and her hero die ignominiously before their love can be awakened?

"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[…]"

Excerpt From: Barbara Cartland. "The Golden Illusion." iBooks.