Love By the Lake

\"Lady Lolita Vernon, daughter of the late Earl of Walcott and Vernon, has run away. Her stepfather, Ralph Piran is forcing her to accept the attentions and perhaps an offer of marriage from his businesspartner, Murdock Tanner, who is very rich but old andrepulsive. While she is trying to cover her tracks in London shebumps into a small boy, Simon, who is weeping because he has beenbeaten cruelly by his stepmother. Because it seems a strangecoincidence and because Lolita is desperately sorry for the small boy, she listens to his story and agrees to take him to his uncle, Lord Seabrook, who lives in a castle by Lake Ullswater. When they arrive at the castle, Lord Seabrook accepts Lolita? s suggestion that she isemployed as Simon? s governess, calling herself Mrs. Bell. Lord Seabrook is being pursued by Lady Cressington, one of the greatbeauties of London, and she has stolen a valuable necklace from thefiancé she has jilted. How Lolita unwittingly starts a chain ofevents which alerts her stepfather to her whereabouts, how sheattempts to run away again this time from Lord Seabrook, andeventually finds the happiness she is seeking is all told in thisenchanting romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.\"