The Earl of Bracken is meeting his good friend Captain Charles Kenwood at his Club in St. James's Street. He has just returned from a visit to Syria where he had been introduced to Sheik Abu Hamid, the owner of the most magnificent Arab horses the Earl has ever seen. They are both keen to buy horses from the Sheik who is reluctant to sell unless his greatest wish can be fulfilled. He wants to receive a Royal Princess as his guest at his house in the desert, so that he can show his neighbours how important and prestigious he is. The Earl and Charles concoct a plan to take a fake Princess with them to Syria, but cannot think how they can find a suitable candidate for the role until Charles suggests his beautiful sister, Vanda. The Earl has another reason for this escapade and leaving England in that he is being ruthlessly pursued by the glamorous Irene, Lady Grantham, and he is becoming disenchanted with her. Charles has no difficulty in persuading Vanda, as she is most enthusiastic about Arab horses. And they set off in the Earl's yacht together. They are greeted cordially by the Sheik and Vanda plays her part splendidly as the Princess. They are very impressed by all the Arab horses, but dangers soon arise as Vanda is too convincing as Royalty and their whole mission is jeopardised. 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."
