Sir Hereward Grantley is angry, as usual. A bad tempered man with little to commend him, he is determined that his niece, the orphaned Diona, will understand the great favour he has done by offering her a home. Diona, aghast at being thrust into a world of unkindness clings to the last thing her papa gave her, her beloved Dalmatian, Sirius, but when a rejected suitor decides to get his revenge by getting Sirius put down, Diona seeks refuge with a confirmed bachelor, the Marquess of Irchester.
The Marquis of Havingham visits his mother in Harrogate to tell her he intends to marry Lady Beryl Fern, the most acclaimed beauty in the Prince Regent's circle. This should be the happiest day of his life - he is handsome, fabulously wealthy and now about to be a bridegroom. There is only one cloud on the horizon - he is not in love. Convinced that true love is not worth the heartache, and that marriage to the 'Incomparable' Lady Beryl, will work because of their shared interests and position amongst the Beau Monde, only his mother is worried that he may be making a terrible mistake. For Torilla, the daughter of a clergyman working in the deprived mining village of Barrowfield, the news of the wedding means travelling South to be her cousin, Lady Beryl's, bridesmaid. Torilla is excited, not only about the wedding, but also the opportunity to return to the genteel parish she and her father left after the tragic death of her mother. For a young woman who has spent time amongst the grime and squalor of the mines, the lavish preparations and generosity of her cousin seem at times almost overwhelming. But as the wedding draws ever nearer Torilla cannot help wondering how attached the betrothed couple really are to each other. Their relationship is certainly nothing like the perfect soul mates that the cousins used to dream of. Afraid to question her cousin, Torilla unknowingly shares the same concerns as the Marquis' mother. Can a marriage really work that is based only on convenience? And as Torilla gets to know the Marquis better she becomes even more convinced that this is not a match made in heaven. But will anyone be brave enough to say something? With her feelings in turmoil and filled with concern for the future happiness of all, Torilla certainly hopes so.
Lost in a woodland daydream, cherubic eighteen-year-old Anita Lavenham is awoken from a reverie inspired by a sermon about the Devil by the sonorous voice of a handsome gentleman asking her to open the gate she's leaning on - a gentleman whose imperious, yet raffish air leads her to think that he is Lucifer personified! Anita and her two sisters are impoverished after the loss of their father and their Mama's illness - and soon she is obliged to go to live in Harrogate with her severe Great-Aunt Matilda, who, to Anita's chagrin, is determined to marry her off as soon as possible to the ageing and boorish local Parson. It seems she is fated to a life of misery until, by chance, she meets the Dowager Duchess of Ollerton at the Harrogate Pump Room where, to her amazement she realises that the Duchess's son is none other than her very own handsome fallen angel! Blessed by the kindness of the Duchess, who rescues Anita from the prospect of a loveless marriage and enlists her in the search for a bride for her discerning and disinterested son, Anita finds joy in her magnificent new surroundings and exalted company but still, surely, it is too much for her to hope that she herself might find a true love of her own?
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. 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.
Since her mother’s death, the beautiful but innocent Linetta Falaise has led a sheltered life under the wing of her kindly French Governess. So she is heartbroken to find that her beloved Mademoiselle is at death’s door and that she, Linetta, had unknowingly been living off her meagre savings for the last two years. As she now has no money, there is no alternative but for Linetta to travel to Paris and ask Mademoiselle’s niece, Marie-Ernestine, to help her find suitable employment, perhaps teaching English to French children. Almost as soon as she boards the cross-channel Steamer heading for Calais, her innocent eyes are opened to the wicked ways of the world when a strange man’s unwanted and frightening attentions drive her to seek the protection of a handsome and noble stranger, the Marquis of Darleston, who is travelling to Paris on a secret mission for the British Prime Minister. After they part company, Linetta is introduced to the heady glamour of Paris Society by the glamorous Marie-Ernestine, who is really the celebrated and infamous Blanche d’Antigney. Linetta is appalled by Les Grandes Cocottes, who sell love to the highest bidder, especially since she is expected to join them because she is so young and enchanting. Afraid, alone and beset by lecherous ‘gentlemen’, Linetta remembers the handsome distinguished Marquis she met on the Steamer and prays fervently that he will come to her rescue yet again.
Oppressed and trodden on by her aunt and uncle, the Duke and Duchess of Bruntwick, who despise her because her father died in debt and her mother was French, Rocana Brunt yearns to escape the confines of their Bruntwick Castle. Yet when her dear cousin Lady Caroline is ordered much against her will to marry the imperious Marquis of Quorn, simply to extricate him from a potential scandal over one of his many liaisons, loyal Rocana agrees to take her cousin's place at the altar so that Lady Caroline may elope with her beloved Patrick. At least she believes that this deception and the loveless marriage that would undoubtedly follow, might free then her from her virtual slavery. Her deceit is not revealed until long after the wedding, when she and the Marquis reach Paris and her cousin and Patrick are safely and ecstatically wed. And soon, through her own magic and some dangerous escapades, Rocana herself feels a glimmer of hope that she too is about to find eternal happiness in a true love of her own.
Alone since the tragic death of her beloved parents, Indian-born beauty, Sita, has suffered a life of torment at the hands of her uncle, her reluctant Guardian, who despises, abuses and beats her. In despair on a voyage to Calcutta, she is on the verge of throwing herself overboard when she is saved by a handsome and mysterious stranger. Even after her saviour disappears, he seems ever-present in her thoughts and in the background of events as Sita is caught up in the political intrigue and turmoil surrounding the controversial Ilbert Bill, which aims to put Indian Judges back into the Indian Courts to sit in judgement not only on their compatriots but also on the British. Kidnapped by murderous men desperate to stop the Ilbert Bill, who say, “if your uncle wants you back, he will have to agree to kill it.”Sita is locked into a cold damp cell in an ancient Fort and is desperate to escape when she is rescued by her hero, who she has sent her thoughts to that she is in desperate danger.Her hero disappears and then she helps a mysterious stranger save the Nizam of Hyderabad from being killed by a dissident. She is then distraught that her uncle wants to return to England and she has had no contact from her hero and she does not even know his name. Sita can only pray that the thoughts of love she sends out so fervently will reach him and bring him to her rescue once more.
The Marquis of Stowe is on the verge of a dreadful scandal that threatens to ruin both him and the lovely, but married, Lady Burnham. Knowing that their secret is out and that her husband will be plotting revenge, the Marquis casts about desperately for a way to avoid the scandal, which he knows is inevitable despite the wealth and good looks that have made him a darling of the Beau Monde. Seeing a perfect solution, he decides to offer marriage to the Duke of Dawlish's daughter and leaves for the country. Surely the Duke will be grateful for his daughter to make such a match? There is only one problem - marrying the Duke's daughter might provide a way out of his current dilemma, but having met her the Marquis is dismayed by her dullness. Horrified at the sacrifice he would have to make, he suddenly realises that there is another way to put the cuckolded husband off the scent and preserve his freedom - as long as he can find a young woman happy to go along with his seemingly foolproof idea. Eager to renew his acquaintance with Ajanta Tiverton, the beautiful daughter of a local Vicar, the Marquis hurtles to the Vicarage to tell her his plan and the role that only she can play. Certain that this will get him out of immediate danger and sure that he can offer an attractive financial incentive to help the impoverished family, it seems that if their daring charade is successful everyone involved will benefit. All Ajanta has to do is play her part and all will be well. Swept into a rich luxurious world they have never known before, the Marquis sets out to charm the Vicar and Ajanta's sisters. Delighted by their new surroundings and excited by the attention of the eloquent Marquis they cannot believe the happiness Ajanta has bought into their lives. But the Marquis is not the only one masking the truth - Ajanta too has a family secret she would prefer not to share and, as the deception continues and feelings run high, she cannot help but worry what will happen in the final Act of their play and where the curtain will fall.
After years of fighting with the Duke of Wellington against Napoleon, the Marquis of Melverley has neglected his family seat, preferring his dalliances with LondonÕs Beau Monde beauties. ÊNow, betrayed by his latest mistress, he returns to Melverley Hall to lick his wounds, but nearing home he is halted by an accident and meets the beautiful young Christina Churston, heartbroken at the death of her old but very beloved pony. ÊSoon, he is appalled to find that she is not only orphaned but also being pestered by a lecherous old womaniser, who lives nearby. ÊSo the Marquis promptly offers her his protection at Melverly Hall to be chaperoned by his old Governess, Miss Dickson. ÊJust as Christina melts his heart and he sets about saving the local people from penury, she is kidnapped by the MarquisÕs evil cousin, Terence Verley, who is the Heir Presumptive to the title and the estate. ÊKidnapped, imprisoned and about to lose her life, or worse, Christina realises too late that she has lost her heart to the Marquis, whom she is sure that she will never see again Ð
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.
