Two attractive, intelligent people with one thing in common both of them have sworn never to marry, unless it is for true love. Beautiful and headstrong, Lady Elva Chartham shocks her family when she denounces the debutante balls and festivities of London as a waste of her time. Determined not to bow to the pressure of polite society into an early marriage, she returns home to the pleasures of the country and to dream of travel and adventure. Little does she know that opportunities for both will be presented to her during a surprise visit from her cousin, the enigmatic Duke of Sparkbrook. Handsome and equally adamant that he will not marry the eligible young ladies paraded before him, they enter into a pact to help the British Government. Leaving the safety of England for Russia and the opulent court of Empress Catherine, Elva and the Duke grow closer as they face great danger amongst the plotters and espionage they discover. Will they succeed in their mission and return safely back to Britain? Or will their deception be discovered as they get drawn ever deeper into a court filled with desire, betrayal, revenge, and ultimately love?

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.