[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-114654-en":3,"doc-seo-114654-105":28,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":89},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":20,"language":21,"language_code":22,"site_id":23,"html_lang":22,"table_of_contents":24,"faqs":25,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":26,"read_time":27},114654,687197207057,"Sage","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0",1,"Story & Novel","The Runaway Heart - Barbara Cartland - Chapter One - 1957","Romantic suspense opens in 1957 with Karina slipping away from Letchfield Park under the guidance of her cousin Felix. After a secret, careful departure involving heavy luggage and a dark driveway, they reach a waiting Bentley and speed toward London. As gates remain open and danger recedes momentarily, Karina grapples with disbelief and fear of being retrieved, while Felix frames her escape as reclaiming freedom from those who kept her under control. A fragile resolve replaces trembling uncertainty.","AUTHOR’S NOTE  \nAs my readers know, my books are usually set in the Regency period and in the nineteenth century, when my heroes are all dashing, fearless and incredibly handsome.  \nAnd my heroines are all beautiful, intelligent and resourceful as well as pure and untouched until, o􀂭 course, they are married to the hero in the last chapter.  \nThis exciting story I have exceptionally placed in the 1950s when I believe that it was still possible for my heroes and heroines to be as romantic and chivalrous as their forbears.  \nI wrote “The Runaway Heart” after my 􀂭irst visit to India when I saw with my son the glorious Taj Mahal and wondered at the sublime love that inspired such a beautiful memorial.  \nOceano􀂚PDF.com  \nCHAPTER ONE ~ 1957  \nThere was a gentle knock on the door, which was opened immediately.  \n“Are you there?” a voice breathed, hardly above a whisper.  \n“O􀂭 course,” a man’s voice replied.“Who else did you think it was?”  \n“Oh, do be careful. Don’t speak so loudly.”  \nThe girl’s reply was agitated.  \nNow she pulled the door wider and the man outside stepped forward and put his arm around her shoulders.  \n“Don’t worry, Karina,” he said.“It’s quite all right. There is no one about and it’s nearly dark anyway. Stop trembling. Everything will be all right.”  \n“I suppose it will,” she answered almost with a sob.“Aunt Margaret is in the library with Uncle Simon. They are reading the newspapers, as they always do at this time o􀂭 the evening.”  \n“And Cyril? Where is Cyril?”  \n“He has gone to the stables. He should not be back for at least an hour.”  \n“Then what are you worrying about?” the man asked.“Come on! Let’s get it over. Where is your luggage?”  \n“It’s just at the top o􀂭 the stairs,” she said. “I did not dare bring it any further in case somebody heard me.”  \n“All right, I will fetch it.”  \nThe man turned and ran up the narrow stairway and a moment later came down again carrying a heavy suitcase. He put it down at the girl’s feet, smiled at her and asked,  \n“What are you bringing with you? Bricks? That’s what it feels like.”  \n“I thought I had better pack everything,” she murmured, but he did not hear her because already he had run up the stairs again, this time to reappear with two suitcases, one in each hand.  \nThey were such a burden that he found it dif􀂭icult to negotiate the narrow staircase, which, covered in linoleum, was exactly the kind o􀂭 staircase that could be found in the back quarters o􀂭 every large country house.  \n“Is that the lot?” he asked a little breathlessly.  \n“Yes – no, there is my hat box,” the girl cried.“But I will get that. You go ahead with the suitcases.”  \nShe did not wait for his reply, but ran up the stairs swiftly and gracefully to come down them much more slowly, a large hat box in her hand.  \nIn fact it seemed unnaturally large because she was such a tiny person. Even in the dusky gloom it was possible to see the shining fairness o􀂭 her hair and the wide blue eyes set in a little oval face.  \nIn her prim woollen dress and tweed coat she looked like a schoolgirl and the thought must have struck the man returning for her, for he stood still a moment and said,  \n“You are quite sure that you are nearly twenty-one? I don’t particularly want to spend a few years in prison for abducting someone under sixteen.”  \nKarina laughed.  \n“Don’t be ridiculous, Cousin Felix! You know perfectly well that you were asked to my twentieth birthday party last year.”  \n“But I didn’t come,” he said.  \n“No, you did not come,” she sighed. “All the relations were asked and only the very old and very dull ones turned up.”  \n“Well, i􀂭 you are nearly twenty-one, you certainly don’t look it,” he said.“Come on, wide eyes, let’s hurry to the car before someone discovers it in the drive and wonders why it is waiting there.”  \nKarina picked up the hat box, which she had put down at the foot o􀂭 the staircase while she talked to Felix. Lifting the suitcases, Felix Mainwaring preceded her out o􀂭 the door, along a narrow ","cbCaieuEYByjlQHX","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaieuEYByjlQHX","pdf",1171466,184,"English","en",105,"# Chapter One ~ 1957","[{\"question\":\"Where and when does Chapter One take place?\",\"answer\":\"Chapter One is set in 1957 at Letchfield Park, where Karina prepares to leave during the evening in near darkness.\"},{\"question\":\"Who helps Karina run away, and how do they depart?\",\"answer\":\"Her cousin Felix helps her. They move through the back grounds, load suitcases and a hat box into a Bentley, then drive toward London.\"},{\"question\":\"What is Karina most worried about during the escape?\",\"answer\":\"Karina worries they might be stopped at the gates and that the caretakers or long-serving staff may force her back to the house.\"}]",1785401948,283,{"code":4,"msg":29,"data":30},"ok",{"site_id":23,"language":22,"slug":31,"title":13,"keywords":32,"description":14,"schema_data":33,"social_meta":84,"head_meta":86,"extra_data":88,"updated_unix":26},"the-runaway-heart-barbara-cartland-chapter-one-1957","",{"@graph":34,"@context":83},[35,52,66],{"@type":36,"itemListElement":37},"BreadcrumbList",[38,42,46,49],{"item":39,"name":40,"@type":41,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":43,"name":44,"@type":41,"position":45},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":47,"name":12,"@type":41,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",3,{"item":50,"name":13,"@type":41,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-runaway-heart-barbara-cartland-chapter-one-1957/114654/",4,{"url":50,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":22,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":60,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":61,"interactionStatistic":62},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":39,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-30",true,{"@type":63,"interactionType":64,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":65},"ViewAction",{"@type":67,"mainEntity":68},"FAQPage",[69,75,79],{"name":70,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":72},"Where and when does Chapter One take place?","Question",{"text":73,"@type":74},"Chapter One is set in 1957 at Letchfield Park, where Karina prepares to leave during the evening in near darkness.","Answer",{"name":76,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":77},"Who helps Karina run away, and how do they depart?",{"text":78,"@type":74},"Her cousin Felix helps her. They move through the back grounds, load suitcases and a hat box into a Bentley, then drive toward London.",{"name":80,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":81},"What is Karina most worried about during the escape?",{"text":82,"@type":74},"Karina worries they might be stopped at the gates and that the caretakers or long-serving staff may force her back to the house.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":50,"og:type":85,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":57,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":87,"canonical":50},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":23},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":90},[91,94,98,102,107,112,117,122,127,130,134],{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},90,"story-novel",{"id":45,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":51,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":103,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":104,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":106},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":108,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":109,"show_sort_weight":110,"slug":111},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":113,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":114,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":126},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":129},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":133},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":135,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":136,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":137},19,"General","general"]