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As scandal and intrigue swirl around her, Jessica must discover where the heart finds true happiness.... Mannerling, the splendid family estate gambled away by Sir Beverley, remains the passion of his daughters. Beverley himself has died; the eldest daughter, Isabella -having failed in her bid to reclaim the family home--is blissfully wed. The mantle of saviour now falls to the next eldest daughter, Jessica. How fortunate then that the new owner of Mannerling had a marriageable son. In truth, Harry is a brutal letch, a drunkard, and a wastrel, but Je.

'I am going to die, she thought. It is sunny, and the whole of London is happy and joyous because I am going to die.'The great Marquess herself had come to enjoy the show.'Speech! Speech!'roared the crowd. Polly raised her hands and the crowd fell silent.'My lords, ladies, and gentlemen,'said Polly from the foot of the gallows.'Why is it that such as I who am poor and have nothing should hang for a petty theft when such as she,'- here Polly paused and pointed straight toward the woman who'd captured her -'Mrs. Blanchard, that abbess of Covent Garden, can commit murder on the souls of innocent country girls over and over again, and yet go free!'With those words Polly said her farewells and at last,'I bid you good day, my friends. We shall meet again. For such as you who enjoy a spectacle such as this will surely roast in hell!'

By day Felicity championed women's rights, but by night she dreamed of romance. She was the secret author of a scandalous new novel - the tale of a lady rake and her passionate exploits. Yet one titled gentleman grew more and more intrigued with this headstrong young woman, and Felicity would soon learn that real life could be infinitely more interesting (and stranger) than fiction.

Matilda, Duchess of Hadshire, was a virtual prisoner of a cruel husband who romanced his mistress right under the duchess's nose. Her only joy was dreaming of the handsome Earl of Torridon - for he, like her, was trapped in a horrid marriage and longed to find true love and happiness. Though she secretly wished for the death of her unkind husband, Matilda never imagined the guilt that would plague her when the illustrious duke was befittingly murdered by his own regular lady! When Matilda turned to Torridon for comfort, she discovered a few surprises in stor.

Annabelle Carruthers could only dream of being kissed by a man as dashing as Lord Darkwood. She remained locked in misery - married to a rakish drunk who gambled their lives into financial and social ruin. His sudden death - and rumors of spies and treachery - only made matters worse. Burdened with gambling debts, Annabelle feared she was on her way to the poorhouse. The only solution Annabelle could see was to offer herself up as mistress to the mysterious Lord Darkwood! Darkwood, however, was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of a lady such as.

The upper class of the social circle regarded Sir Benjamin Wright with utmost honor and respect. Yet Lady Emma knew her husband was, in fact, a drunken jealous brute who delighted in humiliating her both in and out of the bedroom. His murder had been a blessing, she thought - that is until the constable's accusing finger pointed to her. But it soon became apparent that her late husband hid secrets and enemies. When the practical Comte Saint-Juste arrived on the scene offering his services, Lady Emma was about to discover what the French dedication to l'amo.

Must one sister suffer in poverty while the other sister lives in the lap of luxury? This question plagued Harriet Clifton incessantly. Inviting herself to her widowed sister Cordelia's posh London townhouse for the season was surely the only way to meet a suitable partner - as well as to escape droughty old Pringle House forever. The vain Cordelia was meanwhile casting her net for the notorious Marquess of Arden, a man who preferred to court a mistress rather than wed a wife. Who would have believed that the Marquess would succumb to Harriet's countrified charms? Or that Cordelia would stoop quite so low as to try to conquer the Marquess at her own sister's expense?

Description based upon print version of record.

Fanny and her groom had been tricked! Parents on both sides, all impoverished, had decided to recoup their families'losses by marrying their children to the progeny of a wealthier neighbor. The joke was on them however when it was outed that neither family had a penny to its name. Charles was not the dark rogue of Fanny's girlish fantasies, but he was chivalrously determined that she should meet someone more appropriate for her than he. And for her part, Fanny was determined that Charles find a woman of greater means who would, perhaps, be the answer to his prayers. Yet as each lover set to find someone for the other, each was left with the nagging notion that true love might have nothing to do with riches.

He stated quite bluntly - and much to Isabella's relief - that theirs would be a marriage in name only. But neither Harry nor Isabella was aware of the other's disguise - contrived in vain to thwart the impending nuptials. Isabella was not the selfish ice princess she seemed, nor was Harry a mincing dandy, but a prime Corinthian. A search for buried treasure and a thwarted suitor out of revenge add adventure to the marital mayhem, as two hearts discover that love lies no farther than the nearest kiss.

t was true. The lovely young widow, Lady Charteris (Delphine to her friends), had agreed to abide by her parents'wishes and marry the Comte Saint Pierre. Delphine's parents had long since died in the French terror, but when she learned of their wishes for her, she believed it her duty to respect their wishes. Delphine would marry, but it would be a marriage in name only. But when Delphine saw Jules Saint Pierre, she got the shock of her life. He was the same man she had seen juggling in the streets at a local fair. What was he doing as the Comte Saint Pierre? Was he posing? Had she made some terrible mistake?

The Misses Penelope Yarwood, Euphemia Perkins, and Letitia Helmsdale all smugly informed her that the Marquess of Cleveden was at once the most eligible and the most elusive catch in the London marriage mart. Society?s most dazzling beauties had failed to win him over yet, and a newcomer like Fiona didn't stand a ghost of a chance of having him look at her twice. That was all that fiery-tempered Fiona needed to hear, and she bet - far more wealth than she possessed - that she would snare the maddeningly elusive marquess before the season's end. Now Fiona faced the risk of losing a wager she could not repay - and more, the even greater danger of losing her heart.

With little to live on but her romantic daydreams - which frequently starred the dashing Marquess of Fleetwater - Jean Lindsay lived a rather dismal life with her nasty, drunken uncle. Jean was always the object of ridicule, that is, until news of her unexpected inheritance spread. Suddenly her worn dresses became quaint, and her forthright manner turned magically to charming, but to Jean's horror, someone wanted her dead! With the marquess nearby to save her pretty neck, Jean felt quite safe and quite smitten. As for her hero how had an unsophisticated child from a Scottish manse turned his head and his heart askew.

Tongues were set wagging when Elizabeth Markham's glamorous young parents were killed, leaving their only child to the unspeakable class of poor relation. Forced to live with her cruel, miserly uncle Julius, Elizabeth was forbidden to participate in the season's festivities. Elizabeth realized that marriage was her only escape, and she decided on a daring plan: she would trick her way into the Duke of Dunster's exclusive house party and snare one of the eligible bachelors sure to be happy to dance with her. Elizabeth's plan succeeded swimmingly, as she.

'I have my pride. I have sworn to marry the girl, and marry her I will.'After ten long years, the Earl of Devenham had returned to wed Mary Anstey, only to find that their feelings for each other had cooled off considerably. Nevertheless, they both put on bright faces for the benefit of family and friends. But Mary's younger sister Emily saw through their masquerade. She would sacrifice anything rather than see her retiring sister married to the now haughty earl. Desperate measure were called for a sleeping draught in Mary's wedding-morning chocolate and Emily could don the veil and force an annulment with the trick was discovered. It was the kind of plot that could,and would,get young Emily into trouble.

Lady Lucinda Esmond's swine of a father was forever fleecing young bucks in London's gaming halls - until he met Captain Mark Chamfrey who, having been once cheated, would not be made a fool of again and promptly kidnapped ten-year-old Lucinda for ransom! But, when Chamfrey thought better of it and returned the girl, Esmond nonetheless exacted his own price: Chamfrey could redeem himself and save his skin by marrying his little victim nine years hence, just time enough for Chamfrey to inherit a title and fortune. Lucinda's fat.

From the top of his flawlessly groomed head to the waxed tips of his fashionable shoes, Lord Andrew Childe was every inch the perfect gentleman. But Andrew's arrogant composure was almost always shattered by the impertinent Penelope Mortimer, an achingly lovely country beauty who had a clear knack for ruffling his lordship's feathers. Her nose for trouble seem to land Lord Andrew into the most awkward situations and love itself quickly became the most delicate of them all!

It was Christmas and the Davenport sisters found themselves alone, without even a dour-faced maid to supervise them. Instead they were expected to obey strict puritanical devotions. But this year the elder, flame-haired Gillian boldly decided that it was high time the sisters let their hair down a little bit. So with the help of a kindly relation, the two daring misses exchanged their usual somber (and considered proper) attire for more modish gowns and hairstyles that would surely have given their parents apoplexy! It was to be a memorable year and a Christmas rich in plum pudding, eggnog, carols, and a most breathtaking tree. The Davenport sisters reveled in the rituals of Christmas as well as in the selection of handsome gentlemen who had come to help celebrate the festivities. So it was that it was this year that Gillian was caught under the mistletoe by Lord Ranger Marden. She then discovered things her mother had never dreamed of telling her.

'I DO NOT THINK I WANT TO BE MARRIED AT ALL. I WANT TO BE RICH. VERY RICH?.'Miss Henrietta Bascombe's closest of friends chums gasped to hear of such a well-bred lady talk of going into trade, but Henrietta was determined to turn her pittance of an inheritance into a fortune by opening a London sweet shop that would rival the famous Gunther's! Undaunted by a challenge, Henrietta proceeded to hang out the traditional confectioners sign of a golden pineapple and soon earned the custom of the entire haute ton. That is, until the proud Earl of Carrisdowne took exception to his younger brother and his best friend ogling the girls behind Bascombe's counter. It was clear to the earl that Miss Bascombe would have to be put out of business and soon. But the earl looked forward to tangling with the fiery-eyed proprietor much more than he was willing to admit.

The grim guardian; for the lovely and young Miss Patricia Patterson, life seemed a delightful dream until the spectre of her guardian, Lord Charles Gaunt, cast a dark shadow over her carefree days of idleness and evenings of dazzling balls and delicious flirtations. Lord Charles demanded that Patricia act the part of a proper but perfectly put together boring young Miss. What was to her even worse, was that he insisted she devote her waking hours to cultivating her mind rather than captivating her swarm of admirers. So it was the battle was joined - between the handsome, arrogant aristocrat who had Patricia under his lawful power, and Patricia, who in turn vowed to turn this hateful tyrant into her lovelorn subject.

Miss Honeyford was sour on romance, but she had been duly dispatched to London to save the family fortune by hunting for (and securing) a wealthy husband - and thereby proving her role as a loving if not entirely dutiful daughter. Honoraria obeyed. But if she was reluctantly willing to surrender her hand, this beautiful young lady who could ride, shoot, and argue with any man was not about to lose her head or her heart to any of the dismal cads in lads of the Marriage Mart. First she met the arrogantly attractive Lord Alistair Stewart, who treated her infuriatingly like a little girl. And then she met the skillfully seductive Lord Channington, who treated her intoxicatingly like the desirable full-grown woman that she was. But now that she had a choice, which role would she choose and just how much risk was she willing to run?

As far as matrimonial prospects were concerned, Lucy Bliss was told she'd make an excellent clergyman's wife. Her mother, however, had loftier aspirations for her lovely younger sister Belinda. Belinda would marry a duke. More specifically, the Duke of Wardshire. Lucy was truly horrified. Lucifer Wardshire! Why, he was rumored to be as wicked as the devil, with orgies and mistresses'and worse! As the London Season unfolded, Lucy couldn't decide who was more abominable, her vulgar mama or the arrogant yet disconcertingly handso.

Just when he'd fobbed off the last brat, another appeared to take her place! Poor Lord Anselm! The dashing bachelor was forever plagued with dying relatives leaving their female children to his care. Indeed, he had squired so many a silly miss from schoolroom to marriage mart that he had sworn off woman altogether. The current ward was far and away the worst. Cheeky as only a French girl could be, Yvonne de la Falaise had surely sent her papa to an early grave with her melodramatics and mischief. Thank goodness for her governe.

She was a bewitching young girl, that pretty Polly Marsh, and she knew it. She also knew that beauty could be her passport into the castles where she had always known she belonged. So she set her sights for a duke and joined the firm of Westerman's as a stenographer. Surely one of that noble family would notice her and then all of her dreams would come true! The trouble with Pretty Polly Marsh was that she just didn't know her place. But others did... and were only too happy to remind her that dashing Lord Peter was merely playing at love when he appeared to be paying her court. The duchess was beside herself. Peter's brother, the starchy Marquis of Wollerton, was desperate to pry Peter from Polly's side. But Polly was determined to have Peter... and her dream. Peter wouldn't betray her... would he?

As the youngest of four unmarried vicar's daughters, Frederica feared her destiny was to die of boredom in the sleepy village of Barton Sub Edge. Her looks were deemed unfortunate and her willful manner labeled her difficult. She never dreamt the arrival of a stranger would be a twist to her fate. But Frederica and the wordily gentleman from the city, Lord Granton had something in common: boredom. So it was that the two formed a secret friendship. Frederica lived vicariously through his many tales of adventure while he found a delightful respite from t.

A woman of independent means with a healthy dose of cynicism about the male persuasion, Harriet Tremayne is content with her circle of spinster friends and their devotion to literature, women's rights, and intellectual interests. However, when she determines to undertake a London Season for her beautiful but featherbrained niece, she concedes she must appear less a bluestocking and more fashionable to successfully sponsor this impossible young lady whose only real desire, it seems, is to consume chocolate. Certainly her modish new appearance has nothing to do with the attentions of.

Alice Lovesey was a poorly mistreated scullery maid whose desperate plea for help miraculously summoned Wadham Hall's rakish eighth duke - summoned him from the dead! Though caught up in the delights of being newly materialized, the duke promised to return the favor by helping Alice become a lady of quality. But did Alice's heart stand a ghost of a chance now that she had lost it to a restless spirit?

Arranging a season for an unruly young lady whose habit was to enter drawing rooms by sliding down banisters presented a challenge at best - especially since the hoydenish Mira had a sister of incomparable grace and beauty. Mira wasn't daunted at all by the local society and its ridiculous marriage mart. Her heart belonged to Lord Charles, who had been the object of her dreams ever since she was a child. Alas, Charles had eyes only for her ever-perfect sister, Drusilla. Along the sidelines, the Marquess of Grantley was enjoying Mira's jealous antics - although pushing her sister into.

The local society could only speculate how a pair of turtledoves would cope as the guests of the scandalous Lady Dacey. Surely she would attempt to corrupt them - an act that both Pamela Perryworth and Honoraria Goodham would see as welcome entertainment in their rigid, joyless lives. Though Mrs. Perryworth is married - most unhappily - and the young Honoraria has a cloying tendency to read too much scripture, the purity and loveliness of both ladies nonetheless inflames the senses of two notorious lords. Mr. Sean Delaney loses his heart at first sight of the fair Mrs. Perryworth w.

Lovely Alice Lacey was a true Incomparable, and her marriage to the Duke of Ferrant was the event of the Season. But almost none realized, however, that Alice was secretly in love with someone else - or that she had confided her feelings to a clever talking mynah bird who determined to announce these intimacies at the moment of the couple's wedding! Now the gossip mongers were relentless. Alice's marriage had started out and remained cold and impersonal, and her new husband was already rumored to be taken with another woman. Before she even realized what was happening, Alice found.

Emily had been retrieved from orphanage life for the exclusive position of companion to Sir Peregrine's hound, Duke. Upon the gentleman's death, Emily and Duke inherited a fortune in diamonds. But Duke soon fell prey to greedy relatives, and Emily had to protect herself from Lord Storm, who had declared Emily's pedigree quite unsuitable, while at the same time threatening to steal her heart.

When young widow Lady Lovelace realized she had been swindled to near-bankruptcy by her curmudgeonly cousin, she knew she would have to marry again for money.These were the very thoughts of Lord Philip, who had nothing between him and destitution but

London was all on edge and astir to have in its midst the exquisite Princess Felicity of Brasnia. What scandal would ensue should society discover that the bejeweled heir to a royal throne was in truth Miss Felicity Channing of Cornwall, fleeing a match she did not want and that had been arranged by her conniving stepfather! But how long could Felicity carry off this lively masquerade before she would falter? Especially since the dark, raffish eyes of Lord Arthur Bessamy seemed to look right through her disguise - and set her spirited heart to pounding?

The handsome but arrogant Lord Charles Hawksborough desperately wanted to catch the infernally insolent thief who had held him up at pistol point on the King?s Highway and ridden off with his family's inheritance and jewels. Hawksborough just as desperately tried not to want the piquant and penniless Miss Amanda Colby when this young lady and her twin brother came to stay at his London townhouse at the height of the social season. Hawksborough feared his own desire for this slip of a girl when he was about to wed the most beautiful and more suitable Lady Mary Dane. Meanwhile, Amand.

Miss Marjorie Montmorency-James was lovely, young, and very impressionable. All these characteristics contrived to help her fall in love with a certain Lord Philip's picture when it appeared in the newspaper. Until the day she saw Lord Philip's photo, she had only fantasized about a mysterious lover whose shadowy features were never quite clear.Now she had a real live nobleman to dream about.Little did she suspect that she would soon meet Lord Philip in the flesh. How could she imagine such a thing? After all, what could justify a daughter of the middle class rubbing shoulders wit

A dead witness. A forgotten crime. Hamish Macbeth never had it so hard as in this newest Highlands mystery! When a local woman tells Sergeant Hamish Macbeth that she doesn't remember what happened the previous evening, he's not unduly worried. After all, she's been out drinking and he'd prefer not to be bothered with such an arrogant and annoying woman. But when her body is discovered in a ditch, Hamish is forced to investigate a crime that the only known witness - now dead - has forgotten...

Poor Lucy was living a dream. She had married a gambler, a womanizer, and a drunkard. And she refused to admit that his frequent overnight absences were of any significance. The sting came when it was revealed that Lucy's parents had bought her husband for her. And then one night at a ball, Lucy met the charismatic Duke of Habard and suddenly anything seemed possible.

Morag Fleming, the Countess of Murr, had been bride to the most lecherous lord in Scotland - yet the ravishingly lovely girl had never been touched. So it was that Morag had never borne a child - yet as a young widow, she arrived in London with a fine son in tow. Her background had left her ignorant of the follies and fopperies of fashion - yet soon all of society was at her feet. Most incredible of all, she knew so little about the ways and wiles of love - yet set her heart upon none other than the devastatingly handsome, charming, and wealthy Lord Toby Freemantle, who could have.

Handsome, dashing Henry Wright, the Duke of Westerland, needed a wife in a desperately short period of time. If he could not find a wife, he would lose the legacy he so desperately desired. Young, lovely but sheltered M

Certainly the two should never have met. The handsome, wealthy Marquess of Rockingham was the most notorious man in London, as infamous for his violent temper as he was for his intemperate ways. Miss Lucinda Westerville was a country vicar's daughter, as innocent as she was lovely and as proper as a young lady could possibly be. Yet when this improbably matched pair met at a glittering social ball, they had struck the dubious bargain to become man and wife - in name only! But Lucinda soon found that she had taken on more than she bargained for when she vowed not to love this untamed,

At age twenty-three, the petite Lady Margery has already graced the rows of wallflowers for many a season. With the one exception of Charles, the Marquess of Edgecombe, the only man who ever dances with her, Lady Margery will have nothing to do wi

When Lady Anne Sinclair vowed to marry anyone as long as it meant she married before her spoilt beauty of a sister, she had no idea the'anyone'would be the Marquess of Torrance. Long the darling of the ton - and considered quite the confirmed bachelor - he succumbed to Annie's charms and, most magically, made her his wife. But Annie's lifelong battle for attention had ill-prepared her for married life. In a tipsy revery on her wedding night, she blurted out her real reason for marrying the Marquess - and her husband's formidable pride shut the door on any further communication.

Miss Jennie Bemyss was in a position that any intelligent young lady would envy. The wealthy, worldly Marquis of Charrington proposed a marriage of convenience that would leave him free to pursue his pleasures, and leav

Lady Jane Lovelace has conceived the idea of approaching the most notorious man about town, Lord Charles Welbourne, with a most unique proposition. But when he counters her offer with a condition that he thinks will halt her impudence, much to the surprise of both, she accepts. A novel of passion and intrigue, The Westerby Inheritance is the first volume of this new and emotionally charged romantic saga all played out against a backdrop of elegant eighteenth century society.

She was a lady's maid who longed to be a lady. How else could Lucy Balfour hope to win the favor of Andrew, Viscount Harvey, the toast of the town, who seemed ready to take a bride at last? There was only one way to do and that was to command his attention. It seemed an impossible dream; first she had to become the peer of her own mistress, the coldly beautiful Lady Angela, who was determined to claim Andrew as her own. But there was Hamish MacGregor, the wily old butler, who promised to make Lucy's dream come true. With Lucy's unaccountable good luck at baccarat, they could win a.

Penelope - golden-haired, azure-eyed, fresh from the county - has stolen the heart of the most desirable Earl of Hestleton. Rich, startlingly handsome, he is the most eligible lord in the realm. He had planned to toy with her affections then toss her to the bon ton, but when the Earl discovers that he is a pawn in Penelope's Aunt Augusta's social-climbing scheme, he begins to doubt Penelope's true love. Can the belle keep her beau or will her aunt's ambitious plans force Penelope to flee?

She was an honored guest in a palatial country home. Aunt Mabel, the lovelorn columnist of Home Chats magazine, had been summoned to prevent the Duchess of Dartware's son, Paul, from a marriage that others believed a fate worse than death. Who would

It's a maiden's miracle! Annabelle Quennell, daughter of a poor country parson, gets a chance at a London Season to snare a wealthy husband. But before she sets off, Mad Meg the Gypsy predicts trouble ahead! And it is nothing but woe that Annabelle finds. Godmother Lady Emmeline sponsors Annabelle's spree-and demands she wed the oafish Capt. MacDonald. But things get worse when Annabelle fears she is losing her heart to Lord Varleigh - elegant, well-pursed, but who is taken by another mistress! What a pickle Annabelle had gotten into, and it only gets more sour by the moment!

Poor little Susie. A beautiful dreamer, she imagined herself happy in a rose-covered cottage, only to find herself mistress of a great damp castle and wife to the elderly Earl of Blackhall. Luck, not the lecherous earl, contrived to spare her and by

Maggie Macleod was weary of life with a soul sickness that ate into every fiber of her being. In a mad way, it did not seem strange to her that she should be on the way to High Court to stand trial for the murder of her husband. Her marriage seemed to have been one long dreary desert lit by flares of cruelty.