Desire in the Desert

The Marquis of Peverell is appalled at the debts run up by his two cousins Julius and Nigel Pevel.
When they approach him once again for money he feels that the situation cannot continue.
He knows that the eldest, Julius, is expecting to inherit his title and fortune when he dies.
This is because after a very unfortunate marriage when he was young, the Marquis has openly vowed that he will never marry again.
He finds, however, that in his father’s Will there is a Clause allowing him to leave a great amount of his wealth to anyone he pleases.
He therefore decides that he will have a Ward, which will undoubtedly frighten off his two avaricious cousins.
The difficulty is for the Marquis to find the right kind of young girl he wants.
He visits the orphanages on his estate and finds that the majority of the inmates are very young and the children of labourers.
Finally, when he almost despairs of discovering what he wants, he finds in the last orphanage he visits a beautiful girl of sixteen, who is the daughter of a Missionary and is called ‘Shamara’.
She looks frightened and he thinks she is worried that she will not know how to behave as his Ward.
He decides to take her and his friend, Charles, aboard his yacht to West Africa.
The two men feel they can teach Shamara the rudiments of how to behave more easily if they are alone.
How Shamara intrigues and delights them, how when they reach Senegal Shamara and the Marquis are taken prisoner by the Chief of one of the local tribes.
How finally the Marquis finds what he has been seeking is told in this exciting story by Barbara Cartland.