Lady Georgina Lang returns to The Castle from her father's funeral to wonder what the future holds for her. Because her father had always longed for a son to succeed him, he had brought her up and educated her exactly as if she was a boy. She dressed as a boy and, although she had been christened Georgina, he liked calling her George. She was completely alone in the huge castle, which was now inherited by the new Earl of Langfield, a distant cousin who had been difficult to trace. Alister, however, had never, in his wildest dreams, expected to become the eleventh Earl of Langfield. He had left England in a fury because, having been pressed into marrying a very suitable young woman chosen by his family, he had run away to be free of her. When she died, he had sworn that he would never marry again as he disliked all women especially those who argued and were determined to have their own way. He finds his cousin Georgina at The Castle and she shows him the vast estate, the farms, the villages and The Castle itself, all of which now belongs to him. He also learns that, as he is the Head of the Family, traditionally they rely on him entirely for financial support. Georgina has already been warned by her aunt that on no account is she to wear men's clothes in front of Alister and always to be soft, sweet and gentle in his company. And she has to persuade him as a weak woman to realise his position as the Earl of Langfield. How a newspaper article describing The Castle and its valuable contents brings a tiresome neighbour to the Castle. How the Earl, because she is un-chaperoned makes Georgina go to the Dower House. How the article attracts some ferocious burglars to The Castle. How Georgina saves the Earl's life and unexpectedly finds love and happiness is all told is this unusual story by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Beautiful, young, impoverished Parson's daughter, Hermia Brooke, is happy with her simple country life, despite being shunned by her wealthy uncle the Earl of Millbrooke and her cousin, the spoilt and selfish Marilyn. In a chance encounter with a raffishly handsome gentleman, whom she decides resembles the Devil himself, she nevertheless helps him with a stone stuck in his horse's hoof. Rewarded with a golden guinea and a shocking kiss, Hermia finds her world turned topsy turvy when she meets the mysterious stranger once more at the behest of Marilyn, who is determined to trap this 'Devil' - namely the Marquis of Deverille - into marriage. Just as Hermia's innocent heart warms to the gentler side of this hard-bitten aristocrat and he falls under her guileless spell, the Marquis is embroiled in a murderous plot and Hermia must fight for his life, even as all hope of the love she dreams about for herself seems lost.

The beautiful Adella May is filled with joy as she sees Digby Dryden, the man she loves, walking towards her. But why does he turn away, refusing to look at her? Humiliated and hurt and her golden dream of love in ruins, what can Adella do now and where can she turn? Will she be forced to give up her hopes of seeing Digby again and obey her tyrannical Uncle Edgar and accept the proposal of the rich and suitable aristocrat, Lord Ranulph Fowles, a man she cannot love? Adella's dear school friend, Jane Hartley, holds an exquisite bouquet to her heart. The card attached to it bears the signature of the man she adores, but it is intended for another woman. Jane must endure the torment of knowing that she will never be loved by him, for she is just a humble Governess, while he, the most eligible bachelor in London, is from the highest echelons of Society. Trapped in a cruel web of deceit and obsession, the two girls fight to hold onto their dreams, but can they ever be happy in a world that does not recognise their right to love? Find out all in this enthralling and unusual romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Life in Devon in 1909 is hard and unforgiving, especially for young Emma Le Goff, whose mother and brother die in curious circumstances, leaving her totally alone in the world. While she grieves, her callous landlord Reuben Jago claims her home and belongings. His son Seth is deeply attracted to Emma and sympathises with her desperate need to find out what really happened, but all his attempts to help only incur his father's wrath. When mysterious fisherman Matthew Caunter comes to Emma's rescue, Seth is jealous at what he sees and seeks solace in another woman. However, he finds that forgetting Emma is not as easy as he hoped. Matthew is kind and charismatic, but handsome Seth is never far from Emma's mind. Whatever twists and turns her life takes, it seems there is always something - or someone - missing.

The Marquis of Elvington, heartbroken to discover the woman he intended to marry has deceived him, decides to leave England and put as many miles as possible between them. Handsome, intelligent and a great favourite at the Court of King William IV and Queen Adelaide, the Marquis is used to the admiration of women and respect of men, so the duplicity of his intended wife strikes him a cruel blow. However, a thick fog makes it impossible for his yacht to leave Dover Harbour, so he is forced to remain on British soil another night. Anger swiftly chasing his sadness, he decides to visit a cheap quayside inn to escape the loneliness he feels and drown his sorrows. Sitting alone, his mind firmly fixed on how the woman he loved has betrayed him, he vows never to love or trust again. But Fate seems determined to challenge him as almost immediately he is forced to act as a 'Good Samaritan' to protect a young lady, Ola, intent on escaping the clutches of her hateful stepmother and dishonourable cousin. Blaming his act of charity on the vast quantities of brandy he consumed and against his better judgement, he offers to sail her in his yacht, The Sea Wolf, to Calais. Ola is brave, opinionated and daring - as well as possessing the most flaming red hair he has ever seen. From the moment she steps aboard, decrying men and their dastardly intentions, the Marquis is hard put to keep in step with her wild ideas and brave deeds. In turn admiring her free spirit and amazed at her lack of understanding of the ways of the world, they form a strange truce based on the fact that both vow never to marry. But Fate has not finished meddling yet and they are soon embroiled in incredible adventures, too fantastic for either of them ever to have imagined, that push their friendship to its very limits.

Just eighteen, beautiful and intelligent, Yola Beauharnais lives a blessed Fairy tale life at her magnificent family castle on the Loire. Then her grandmother announces that she has been promised in marriage by her late beloved father to the Marquis de Montereau. Yola is appalled. She has heard of the Marquis, who, although handsome and sophisticated, has a reputation in Paris as a rake, socialite and 'ladykiller'. How could she possibly marry such a man, one who wants her only for her castle and the extensive estate? Determined to marry only for true love, wherever she may find it, Yola is helped by her father's mistress and travels 'undercover' to Paris in the guise of a woman of questionable morals to meet the notorious Marquis and find out for herself whether he might fall in love with her as herself and for herself only. Or whether she must betray her father's dying wish and refuse her unwanted suitor. On meeting the Marquis in her disguise, Yola finds that there is much more to him than his reputation suggests and, as love blossoms between them, she comes to bitterly regret her deception. Will she really find her true love or will she be condemned to live a life of disappointment and delusion as the Sleeping Beauty of her enchanted castle?

Just eighteen, beautiful and intelligent, Yola Beauharnais lives a blessed Fairy tale life at her magnificent family castle on the Loire. Then her grandmother announces that she has been promised in marriage by her late beloved father to the Marquis de Montereau. Yola is appalled. She has heard of the Marquis, who, although handsome and sophisticated, has a reputation in Paris as a rake, socialite and 'ladykiller'. How could she possibly marry such a man, one who wants her only for her castle and the extensive estate? Determined to marry only for true love, wherever she may find it, Yola is helped by her father's mistress and travels 'undercover' to Paris in the guise of a woman of questionable morals to meet the notorious Marquis and find out for herself whether he might fall in love with her as herself and for herself only. Or whether she must betray her father's dying wish and refuse her unwanted suitor. On meeting the Marquis in her disguise, Yola finds that there is much more to him than his reputation suggests and, as love blossoms between them, she comes to bitterly regret her deception. Will she really find her true love or will she be condemned to live a life of disappointment and delusion as the Sleeping Beauty of her enchanted castle?

Arriving home from school, Bertilla is sad to find her home unprepared for her and her widowed mother is far from pleased to see her. Even worse, Lady Alvinston, a celebrated Society beauty, makes it clear that she has no intention of allowing her pretty eighteen-year-old daughter anywhere near the glittering London social scene she enjoys so much herself. As her mother continues her scheming to snare a wealthy husband before her looks fade, the last thing she needs is Bertilla making it obvious that she is old enough to have a grown up daughter. So when handsome Lord Saire, the prize amongst all of the eligible bachelors, happens upon Bertilla at a railway station, Lady Alvinston determines that their paths shall never cross again. Hastily packed up and sent to live with her mean-spirited Aunt Agatha, a Missionary in Sarawak, Bertilla is reconciled to the fact that she will never see England again. Feeling rejected, unloved and facing the deprivations of a Second Class ticket on her long sea voyage to Malaya, she is astounded to meet Lord Saire once more. Cut off from everything she knows and thrown into the elegant world of the steamship Saloon, Bertilla clutches at the kindness offered by Lord Saire, the man the Society matron's call, 'the Love Pirate'. Dashing, independent and a well-known heartbreaker, Lord Saire is cast in the unusual role of rescuer as they travel towards the beauty and mystery of the Far East. Acting as guardian and protector to Bertilla is very different to the passionate but brief relationships with Society beauties he normally enjoys and demonstrates the caring side of his nature. But is this a role he relishes or are his eyes really on the sophisticated married women he usually spends time with? As a man who has shunned love and marriage is he really the ideal protector for Bertilla as she dreams of freedom, romance and true love?

Innocent young Candida is almost destitute after the death of her beloved father. Resolving to keep up the family's modest Elizabethan manor house in Hertfordshire and support Ned, the family's faithful servant, she sees no alternative but to sell her beloved pitch-black stallion, Pegasus. So, when the worldly Major Hooper offers to take her and her mount to Hyde Park where she will undoubtedly find a high price, she agrees, though with a heavy heart. Little does she suspect that Major Hooper trades in young women as well as horseflesh - and soon she finds herself and Pegasus 'sold' to the dashing but awe-inspiring Lord Manville. A terrible maze of misunderstanding ensues and just when Candida realises that she has lost her heart to his Lordship, the London Society that seemed so carefree turns cruel. Even as she flees astride Pegasus, she is heartbroken, knowing she may never again see the man she loves -

Amidst the exciting preparations for the grand opening of Prince Albert's prized Crystal Palace, a young orphan, Sorilda, is being forced into marriage by her recently cuckolded uncle, the Duke of Nuneaton. Having sheltered lovely Sorilda since the tragic death of her parents, the usually fair-minded Duke has been driven to jealous retaliation by his deceitful new Duchess. Suspecting his close neighbour, the Earl of Winsford, of ungentlemanly conduct with his beautiful wife, the Duke issues an ultimatum. The Earl must renounce the Duchess and marry the Duke's flame-haired niece or face the public embarrassment of a scandal. Handsome, intelligent and fabulously wealthy, the Earl makes his choice and reluctantly marries Sorilda, his helpless bride. Angry at being pressured into such a union and aghast that he does not know, let alone love, his wife, the Earl remains distant and determined not to let Sorilda into his life. Enjoying the freedom from the miserable prison of her uncle's home, Sorilda's natural charm and positive nature soon force their way to the surface, despite the coldness of her bridegroom. Delighted by everything around her, it is not long before she has made her way into the hearts of everyone she meets. But, as London Society eagerly awaits the Great Exhibition, a spurned Duchess is busy plotting. Furious at being caught in a compromising situation, and filled with hatred for Sorilda, who has married the man she desires, she will not rest until she has her revenge.

After the death of the kindly old Earl of Yardecombe, Oscar the brash and pleasure-seeking new Earl seems to care little for the people of the Parish - let alone for the plight of young Dorina Stanfield, her widowed father and their impoverished family at the rundown Vicarage. Dorina's opinion of this raffish gentleman is lower still when she hears of lewd goings-on with his flamboyant friends at the 'Big House'. Confronting his Lordship, Dorina is stunned to find him chastened by her accusations. Nevertheless, she is unconvinced. Everything changes, though, when Dorina overhears the Earl's wicked heir presumptive's Satanic incantations, summoning the Devil to murder his Lordship. Suddenly what she thought was hatred for Oscar turns into a Divine and eternal love that swiftly conquers the perpetrator of this devilry - but will the elusive Earl ever feel the same about her?

The beautiful Lady Eleta Renton returns from France where she has stayed long over her time at the Convent School in Paris. Because her mother had married again after becoming widowed and then she died too, Eleta was in no hurry to come home. When she arrives back in London, rather sad at leaving the Convent School, she is horrified when her stepfather, whom she had never liked, tells her that she is to marry the Duke of Hazelware, because he is important to him in his business of shipbuilding and the Duke requires a wife with money. As she had never even seen the Duke, Eleta protested violently, especially when she learns her intended husband is over fifty, but her stepfather informs her that he is her Guardian by law until she is twenty-one and that will not be until the end of the year. As she is terrified at being forced into this marriage, she decides that the only course open to her is to run away . She learns from her mother's maid, Betty, of whom she is very fond, that there is an Agency nearby where she might be able to find a position as a secretary or a Governess. At the Agency the only place available is with the Marquis of Teringford, who has a very tiresome, badly behaved child of nine years of age, with whom no Governess will stay and has apparently run through a large number of them. One of them actually said when she left that she was a child of the Devil. Because she is desperate and despite Betty's misgivings at the Marquis's apparently doubtful reputation, Eleta takes the position and goes to his magnificent house in Hertfordshire. Here she finds that the small child has never been loved, which is the reason why she is so difficult. Also the Marquis is seldom there and, when he is, he scolds and lectures his daughter to distraction. How Eleta eventually tames and finds love for her pupil and for herself is all told in this romantic and moving tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

Lady Loretta's father, the well-respected Lord Lieutenant of the County, is doing his best to force her into marriage with the Marquis of Sauerdun, the son of a good friend. Whilst her father thinks he is making a good match for his beloved daughter, she is aghast at the thought of an arranged marriage and vows she will only marry for love. Searching her mind for a way to stay free to pursue the kind of love she has always dreamt of, she happens upon a good plan. What if she could prove to her straight-laced father that the man he means for her is not only an unsuitable husband, but a philandering rake too? With the Marquis's reputation for love affairs with beautiful, seductive and preferably married women well known in Society, surely this would not prove too difficult? Seizing upon this last ditch attempt to stay unmarried, Lady Loretta devises a scheme to prove to her father that her intended is an unrepentant heartbreaker. Throwing herself upon the charity and good nature of her notorious cousin Ingrid, whose scandalous love affair has already rocked polite English Society, she heads for Paris alone. Delighted at how quickly she has escaped and enjoying the freedom of her adventure, Loretta determines to find out more about the Marquis and wastes no time in seeking him out. But Fate has its own plans for this spirited English beauty and before too long she is caught up in a web of deceit that threatens to change her life forever.

When two dashing gentlemen ride up to Rensham Hall, the ancestral Norfolk home of the beautiful Lady Chiara Fairfax, her world is turned upside down, as she and her mother are just recovering from the unexpected death of her father, Lord Fairfax. One of them, the handsome Mervyn Hunter, is soon in ardent pursuit of the lovely Chiara. But can she trust his declarations of love or does the mysterious, dark-haired stranger she encounters by chance on the seashore hold the key to her future happiness? Mervyn Hunter proposes marriage to Chiara and she turns him down, as she does not love him and she senses that he is cold and calculating and has an ulterior motive in asking her to be his wife. As she watches spellbound, a group of wild swans fly North over the sea towards Russia, Chiara feels a magical world of passion and beauty calling to her. Soon she too will be travelling North to the enchanting City of St. Petersburg, although in the company of Mervyn Hunter's pushy sister and her two tiresome daughters. But will she ever break free from the clutches of Mervyn Hunter and his family and be reunited with her true soulmate, the elusive and mysterious Count Dimitrov? Find out, in this scintillating and thrilling romance by Barbara Cartland.

The British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, asks Lord Kenington to travel to India to find out if growing reports about the Russian menace are really true. The Liberal Opposition in Parliament are sceptical and are certain that Disraeli is manufacturing a scare about nothing in asserting that the prime objective of the Russians in invading Asia is to wrest India from the British. On the P & O Liner to India, to Lord Kenington's surprise, a very beautiful young girl comes up to him and asks if she can be seen speaking to him. Aisha explains that, owing to various mishaps, she is travelling alone and un-chaperoned and is being pursued by a tiresome man, Arthur Watkins, and she is frightened at the way he is behaving. Learning that she is the daughter of one of the most successful Officers in the Army in India, Lord Kenington is only too pleased to help her. He understands that Aisha's father, Major Warde, is one of the key men in The Great Game, a British Secret Service dedicated to defending India from the Russians. Because they find each other so interesting, Lord Kenington is as worried as Aisha is when they reach Calcutta to find that her father is not waiting for her. Lord Kenington fears that if he is missing there may be an alarming reason for it and they then travel together to Simla to stay with the Viceroy, Lord Lytton. How when they are there Major Warde turns up unexpectedly, having saved a Fort on the North-West Frontier. How Aisha is kidnapped from Viceregal Lodge and how eventually she finds happiness after her terrifying ordeal is all told in this intriguing romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

While staying at Lady Merrill's French Riviera villa, flame haired and beautiful American heiress Nevada van Arden passes her time by casually breaking the hearts of her many ardent suitors - particularly that of young David, Lord Merrill. When his uncle, intrepid explorer and diplomat Tyrone Strome, overhears her cruel humiliation of his lovelorn nephew, he resolves to teach this 'vixen' a lesson - and save David from his misery. Tyrone Strome abducts Nevada, spiriting her away in his luxury yacht to Morocco. There the reluctant voyager, swaddled in native clothing, is terrified by the perils of the Sahara and its nomadic tribesmen. But, as they flee from certain death or worse, they find sanctuary in a beautiful hidden valley, a second Garden of Eden, where to Nevada's surprise, love begins to blossom in the desert.

On a hot summer's day in 1880 the beautiful Lady Rosella is cutting a basket of blooms in her beloved Rose Garden at her aunt's house in Hampshire. It is her seventeenth birthday and no one remembers it except for Thomas, the gardener's boy. Later she is driven to Winchester and has an unpleasant encounter with two raucous gentlemen in the local tavern before going on to fit her first ball gown that her aunt has given her the money for just before she died. But who is the lovely masked woman she glimpses in the mirror at the dress-makers, a glorious vision clad in rose-pink silk? And who is the dark figure approaching through the shadows of a dim and ghostly ballroom? Before she will discover the answers to these questions and to escape marriage to a most unpleasant companion of her uncle's, Rosella must travel many miles to the glorious City of Venice accompanied by Pickle an extremely talkative and colourful parrot. She has left behind everything dear to her and when a mysterious stranger appears in Venice, Rosella believes that he may be the love she has so often dreamed about. This love will bring her pain and passion beyond anything she could ever have imagined. But her hopes are in ruins when she discovers the mysterious stranger to be the son of her arch enemy and once again she must flee. Will Rosella and her true love ever be reconciled - or will the Fates conspire to keep them apart forever? Find out in this thrilling new romance by Barbara Cartland, the one hundredth title in the Barbara Cartland Pink Collection.

"Once upon a time . . . "as a fair maiden lay weeping upon a cold tombstone, her heartfelt desire was suddenly made real before her: tall, broad of shoulder, attired in gleaming silver and gold, her knight in shining armor had come to rescue his damsel in distress. . . .
"A Knight in Shining Armor"
Hailed worldwide as one of the most romantic novels of all time, Jude Deveraux's dazzling bestseller "will capture your heart--and hold it" ("Daily Herald, "Chicago) with its breathtaking tale of lovely Dougless Montgomery; her savior knight, Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck; and the timeless adventure of passion and memory, danger and desire that sweeps them into each other's arms.

When her irresponsible brother rents the family home, Langston Manor, for the duration of the Royal Ascot races to Valient, Earl of Trevarnon and his wild gentleman friends, lonely and innocent young Demelza is afraid. Although married to a woman who has lost her mind and is in an asylum, Trevarnon is a well-known 'ladies' man' - and, for her own safety and modesty, Demelza agrees to hide among The Manor's maze of secret passages. As she watches, though, through the old house's ancient peepholes, she sees another, very different, side to the notorious Nobleman. Suddenly one moonlit night, under a honeysuckle arbour, Demelza realises that she has lost her heart utterly to this dashing stranger. But her love is wrong. Valient Trevarnon can never, ever be hers Then, when she secretly foils a sinister plot against her beloved, she triggers a chain of events and an overwhelming passion far beyond her control - and perhaps now she dares to hope for her heart's desire -

Beautiful young Araminta Sinclair's world is turned topsy turvy when her brother Sir Harry loses six hundred pounds at cards to the famously ruthless Marquis of Wayne. It seems that all is lost, but then Araminta has an idea Using the superb culinary skills with which her epicure father endowed her and with the help of her uncle, General Sir Alexander Bracknell, she will earn the money to repay her brother's debt of honour by posing as a chef. When her uncle boasts that his mysterious new cook rivals even the legendary Careme, the Prince Regent's chef, the gentlemen at White's Club cannot resist turning the situation into a bet. But no sooner is she at work in the kitchen of the Marquis of Wayne himself, than she uncovers a murderous plot and then to her surprise love blossoms in her heart - a love that seems doomed by her deception until she finds that the cynical Marquis does, after all, have a heart.

Valda lives a life of luxury with her mother and stepfather in a beautiful chateau in France. Educated in Paris and enjoying all that French society can offer, Valda's English roots seem a very distant memory. That is until the day her stepfather declares that in true French style he is planning an arranged marriage for her. Horrified at the thought of marrying a complete stranger, Valda knows that it is impossible for her to go along with her stepfather's wishes, no matter how angry he will be by her disobedience. Much as she loves him, she has inherited her late father's lively intelligent mind and spirit of adventure, as well as his wealth. She also possesses a soul that cries out for true love. Declaring that she intends to marry only for love and will choose her own husband, Valda struggles against a tradition that challenges all of her hopes and dreams. Determined to prove to her stepfather that she can make wise, independent choices for herself, she bravely decides to embark on the journey of a lifetime to become a photographer. Stealing away at daybreak with her friends, the Gypsies, she knows that a Romani caravan is the very last place that anyone will look for an English heiress, leaving her safe to pursue her plan. Reaching the Camargue in the South of France, Valda is captivated by its wild beauty and the stunning birds, bulls and horses. But before very long a handsome stranger catches her attention in an unexpected way. Still in disguise, she begins to realise that the romance she is seeking might be within her grasp - if only she can make him see that love is worth much more than money.

Bored with the Social world of London and the constant demands of the lovelorn Prince of Wales, the Marquis of Aldridge takes refuge at his remote country estate, Ridge Castle, deep in the 'Witch Country' of Essex. Riding through a village close to The Castle he comes upon a mob of villagers dragging the unconscious body of a young woman to the duck pond. Convinced she is a witch, they are bent on putting her to the ultimate test. If she drowns she is innocent. If she floats she is evil and must die Rescuing the young waif and installing her at his castle, the Marquis is convinced that this raven-haired, blue-eyed beauty, whose name is Idylla, is far too lovely - too innocent - to be a witch. Nevertheless, he falls helplessly under her spell - and as he uncovers the murderous plot that brought her to him, he also discovers a love beyond anything he imagined possible.

After the Battle of Waterloo and the subsequent Army of Occupation in France, the Earl of Monthurst returns to his ancestral home in England to find it in a very bad condition. Because labour had not been available during the war, The Hall, which goes back to Tudor times, was badly in need of repair, while the farms on his extensive estate were untenanted and the fields unploughed. Not only had all the local men been taken by the Army, but a large number had not returned. The villagers had faced near starvation and many older people had died from want of attention. The Earl had unwisely brought back with him a French Comtesse, who was very beautiful and possessive and was obviously determined that he should marry her. He had thought that he and the Comtesse could arrive quietly and remain unnoticed in his home. However, he finds the Vicar's daughter, the lovely Raina Locke, is determined to make him realise his responsibility towards his people who have suffered so acutely during the war and he finds to his surprise they are confident that he will rescue them as well as his own estate from ruin. How Raina, through sheer persistence convinces the Earl to fulfil his responsibilities to his people and accept his ancestral duty. How Raina with the aid of her redoubtable Nanny saves the Earl on the first night of his arrival home from the disapproval of the local Lord Lieutenant and an inveterate gossip. And how she saves the Earl from a despicable plot by the evil French Comtesse and how she completely and absolutely falls in love is all told in this romantic and inspiring tale by BARBARA CARTLAND.

The Duke of Ravenstock is the most attractive and elusive bachelor in London - and the most notorious.His exploits and romantic escapades keep the salons of the Social world buzzing - but never more so than when he announces that he will marry. His friends soon realise that what has captured the Duke's heart is the purity and innocence of his intended bride.The wedding date has been fixed when the Duke discovers by accident that his fiancee has taken a lover, a close friend of his.Shattered and disillusioned, the Duke plots a cruel revenge. When he reveals to his sister, the Mother Superior of a Convent in Paris, that he seeks the most innocent girl he can find for his bride, she introduces him to Anoushka, a novice in her care at the Convent.Anoushka has a mysterious background, having been brought secretly and anonymously to the Convent as a child.n Somewhat reluctantly Anoushka agrees to marry the Duke, but, to his amazement, her beauty and innocence prove more of a challenge than he could possibly have imagined.