Solita and the Spi

After her father's heroic death through the treachery of a Russian femme fatale, young Solita found herself in the care of her 'Aunt' Mildred in Italy – the cousin of her father's comrade in arms Hugo Leigh.
On Aunt Mildred's death, a destitute, angry and hurt Solita travels to England to confront her errant Guardian, now Duke of Calverleigh, who had vowed to care for her but apparently neglected his duty for ten long years.
It is true, he had forgotten her – largely thanks to his all-consuming infatuation with a beautiful Russian Princess. The chastened Duke determines to take Solita under his protective wing – and, as his charm and kindness dissolve her resentment, Solita's acute intuition and talent for language soon expose the wicked Princess's plot to overthrow the British Raj in India.
In this well woven tale of intrigue, Solita and her Guardian are both in mortal danger – and when she saves the Duke's life, not once but twice, he sees this innocent young beauty in a Heavenly new light.

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.