“For the moment we will stay at our family house in Park Lane as my father has gone to the country. But we will have to spend a great deal of time with him there, not just because it will make him feel happy, but I will now have to look after the estate and our racehorses.”
Charles laughed.
“I can see I will not have to worry about you in the future. And now she is your wife, I need no longer worry about Tania.
“Actually now that Tania is leaving, I do think it is time I took Selina home. We have helped Florence to get started as much as we can and we will be waiting to help her again when she returns to England. But I too have my responsibilities and I have had enough of Scutari Hospital to last me for a lifetime.”
“Tania has been telling me all about its horrors and I think you have been absolutely fantastic in staying here so long. No one could have done more for Florence.”
“I think that you will find when she does return to England that what she has achieved is not just for England, but suffering men and women all over the world will award her a halo.”
“You can be sure of that,” agreed Rupert.
Once he had been settled comfortably in the Master Cabin of The Sea Horse, Tania bade her farewells to Lord Cardigan and he kissed her.
“Take good care of Rupert, Tania,” he urged her. “He is very special to me and to so many others in his Regiment. I sense that you have a healing hand just like Miss Nightingale and, as I can tell that you and Rupert are deeply in love, I imagine that your healing powers will be doubly effective on him.”
Lord Cardigan kissed her again.
As soon as he left the yacht, The Sea Horse moved slowly out of Balaclava Harbour.
Their Captain had been instructed to sail them very leisurely home and to avoid rough seas as much as possible.
Tania undressed and went up onto the deck in her dressing gown before she went to bed.
She thought that Rupert had been asleep when she had left him and stood still for a moment gazing at the moon turning the sea to silver and the stars shining brightly above.
It was difficult to think that it was only so near at hand that men were still dying to further the ambitions and politics of their rulers.
She wanted to pray for peace in the future.
But she knew that it was hopeless to ask for peace when there were still so many ambitious and unscrupulous men in the world.
Instead she prayed, as she had prayed so often, for Rupert’s and her happiness and because they had been so fortunate they must bring love and happiness to others.
She went below to find that Rupert was awake.
“I want you, Tania,” he sighed. “I thought you had left me.”
“Only to look at the moon and to thank God that we are married and that I now belong to you.”
“Come close to me,” he asked her.
Tania hesitated.
“Suppose I hurt your shoulder?”
“You will not do so if you lie on my right side. I want you near me. I want to feel that now the ring is on your finger, I can never lose you and you are truly mine.”
She took off her dressing gown and slipped gently and carefully into the bed beside him.
He put his right arm round her and when he felt the softness of her body against his, he sighed,
“This is all I have ever wanted, Tania. Now I know, my precious beautiful darling, that we are really one.”
“I love you. I adore you,” she whispered, “and we will never lose each other.”
“First I want to get well so I can tell you better than I can tell you now how much you mean to me.”
Tania understood what he was saying to her and she put her cheek against his shoulder.
“I am all yours,” she murmured. “Utterly yours and nothing in the world could be more perfect than that we are husband and wife sailing towards England. I never want to see this part of the world again, but I will always remember it.”
“We will remember it together because you came to me when I desperately needed you, but was terrified that I would lose you.”
“You could never have done that, no matter how long you were away, my darling Rupert. This is perfection – this is Heaven.”
“Just a small part of it and now, my precious, as I cannot bend over you and kiss you – you must kiss me.”
Very gently for fear she might hurt him, she did as he asked.
Her lips met his.
His very touch made her whole body quiver with the ecstasy and wonder of his kiss.
She knew that together they had found a perfect love that would be theirs forever.
Even when they died they would still reach out and find each other again.
Their love came only from God and would endure for Eternity, forever and beyond.
Where to buy other titles in this series
The Barbara Cartland Pink collection is available for download at the following online bookshops :-
www.barnesandnoble.com - epub format for the Nook eReader
www.whsmith.co.uk - epub format for the Smiths/Kobo eReader
www.firstyfish.com - epub format
ebookstore.sony.com - epub format for Sony eReaders
www.amazon.co.uk - For UK Kindle users
www.amazon.com - For international Kindle users
itunes.apple.com - for Apple iOS users
www.barbaracartland.com - Printed paperbacks
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
THE HEALING HAND
THE BARBARA CARTLAND PINK COLLECTION
Titles in this series
THE LATE DAME BARBARA CARTLAND
CHAPTER ONE 1854
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
Where to buy other titles in this series
The Healing Hand Page 14
