reason being that nine years ago the Duke’s fiancée had left him the day before their Wedding and ran off with her riding master. This had affected the Duke so badly that since then he has categorically refused to allow a woman to come into his house nor onto his estate. Or indeed anywhere near him. Worse still, he has not allowed his family any of the money that they were entitled to as he did not want any of his money to go to females. Sheldon’s friends suggest that, as the Duke would not recognise him, he applies for the position of valet at Dartmoor Hall to find out exactly what the Duke is doing with his money. They then take bets as to whether Sheldon will get the job and if he does whether he will be able to change the Duke in any way. Shortly after his arrival at Dartmoor Hall the Duke is shot by a burglar in his shoulder and is seriously ill. Sheldon then asks his cousin, Lady Kenton, to urgently send a nurse, who, of course, must be male, to care for the ailing Duke. How the male nurse, when he arrives, looks rather strange to the Duke’s staff, but seems competent. How the Duke himself recovers almost miraculously and unexpectedly appears to have changed. And how Sheldon finds love at the magic pool in the wood is all told in this unusual and exciting story by BARBARA CARTLAND.

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.