Saga at Forty // Love at Forty — Barbara Cartland

Young, beautiful Marcia Fletcher was obliged to be her father's companion until she married, but the men she met on the Riviera filled her with loathing. She dreamed of a Prince Charming whom she would love and who would love her. She never showed a trace of enthusiasm on the occasions she met any of the countless men her father collected for her, not even when she met the unusual Malcolm Worthington. And it seemed Marcia left Malcolm cold, too, even though he thought she was very lovely to look at.

Suddenly one evening, without emotion, Marcia proposed, "Would you marry me?" she said. "You said you were a widower. It couldn't matter to you if I was your wife for just a little while, then you could divorce me or I could divorce you. It is my only chance of escape...and if you wanted me, I would do anything you wished."