Love Conquers War

After the Battle of Waterloo and the subsequent Army of Occupation in France, the Earl of Monthurst returns to his ancestral home in England to find it in a very bad condition. Because labour had not beenavailable during the war, The Hall, which goes back to Tudor times, was badly in need of repair, while the farms on his extensive estatewere untenanted and the fields unploughed. Not only had all the localmen been taken by the Army, but a large number had not returned. Thevillagers had faced near starvation and many older people had diedfrom want of attention. The Earl had unwisely brought back with him a French Comtesse, who was very beautiful and possessive and wasobviously determined that he should marry her. He had thought that heand the Comtesse could arrive quietly and remain unnoticed in hishome. However, he finds the Vicar? s daughter, the lovely Raina Locke, is determined to make him realise his responsibility towards hispeople who have suffered so acutely during the war and he finds to his surprise they are confident that he will rescue them as well as hisown estate from ruin. How Raina, through sheer persistence convincesthe Earl to fulfil his responsibilities to his people and accept hisancestral duty. How Raina with the aid of her redoubtable Nanny savesthe Earl on the first night of his arrival home from the disapprovalof the local Lord Lieutenant and an inveterate gossip. And how shesaves the Earl from a despicable plot by the evil French Comtesse andhow she completely and absolutely falls in love is all told in thisromantic and inspiring tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.