The Island of Love (Camfield Series No. 15) by Barbara Cartland Read Free Book Online

could find out was that they had been discovered by Captain Cook who, while at first he had been given an overwhelming welcome, was later killed by the Hawaiian warriors.
    The bones of the greatest navigator m the world had been scattered so that it had been impossible to find and bury them all completely.
    This had all happened a century ago, and by all accounts Hawaii which was an independent native Kingdom, was now very friendly towards the British, although the Americans were encroaching upon the islands, determined to annexe their territory to their own country.
    Lydia stored everything she learned about Hawaii in her mind, only wishing she had more time and when she was in London could have visited the British Museum, or perhaps one of the big Libraries to find out more.
    ‘There must be somebody who can tell me about them,’ she thought despairingly.
    As if somebody had whispered the answer to her, she suddenly knew that the person who would undoubtedly know more about them than anybody else would be the Earl.
    It was only the day before they were actually leaving that the Earl came to the house to make the last-minute arrangements with her father.
    “If he is coming here I want to see him alone,” Heloise said, “so do not monopolise him, Papa! You know that once you start talking about horses it is impossible for anybody else to get a word in edgeways!”
    She spoke in an impertinent manner which always made Lydia feel uncomfortable, and Sir Robert said sharply:
    “He says in the note he sent me that he wants to talk about the journey. You will have plenty of time with eight days on the ship across the Atlantic, and God knows how many in the train across America, to talk your head off!”
    Heloise suddenly veered round like a weather-vane and said plaintively:
    “I have no wish to travel all that way! Why can we not stay at home and get married?”
    “You will do that when you return,” Lydia said, “and you know you want a Spring wedding with your bridesmaids all carrying Spring flowers.”
    “I have changed my mind,” Heloise said. “I think it would be far more appropriate to carry orchids.”
    “They are not so colourful,” Lydia answered, “but we can talk about it on the trip.”
    She felt with a little throb of her heart that it was unlikely her sister would talk about anything else except her wedding, and it would therefore be difficult to twist the conversation round to the subjects she wanted to learn about.
    About America, of which she knew very little, and of course, especially about Hawaii.
    Already she was seeing it in her mind’s eye as an El Dorado of sunshine, palm-trees, a blue sea with waves breaking on golden sands, and the vivid colours of the flowers.
    All this she felt would make it seem like a fairytale land.
    “I am so lucky, so very, very lucky,” she told herself.
    She found it hard to believe, after being pushed into the background for so long and told by Heloise not to appear unless it was absolutely necessary, that she was actually to go with her on this fascinating journey.
    Heloise, she soon learnt was not at all pleased by the idea.
    “I cannot think why I could not have my lady’s-maid with me,” she complained. “It is quite ridiculous to suggest that Jones would make trouble on the ship with the sailors. She is too old, for one thing!”
    “It is very exciting for me to be able to come in her place,” Lydia said, “and you know, if you are honest, that I can do your hair far better than Jones can!”
    “Well, you are not to push yourself forward, just because you are my sister,” Heloise warned crossly. “I do not want another woman with me. I would have much preferred to be the only one.”
    Lydia stared at her for a moment before she said: “Are there to be no other members of the party except you and Papa?”
    “No, of course not!” Heloise said. “The Earl said it was his idea that I should go with him when the Queen asked him to represent her at