Gerry Wade had proved himself to be a champion sleeper; so the other house guests decided to play a practical joke on him. Eight alarm clocks were set to go off, one after the other, starting at 6.30 a.m. But when morning arrived, one clock was missing and the prank had backfired with tragic consequences. For Jimmy Thesiger in particular, the words 'Seven Dials' were to take on a new and chilling significance...
In Dubious Battle What though the field be lost? All is not lost the unconquerable will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome? Milton Paradise Lost. The Argume
Thomas Pitt, mainstay of Her Majesty’s Special Branch, is summoned to Connaught Square mansion, where the body of a junior diplomat lies huddled in a wheelbarrow. Nearby stands the tenant of the house, the beautiful, notorious Egyptian woman Ayesha Zakhari, who falls under the shadow of suspicion. Pitt’s orders are to protect—at all costs—the good name of the third person in the garden: senior cabinet minister Saville Ryerson. The distinguished public servant, whispered to be Ayesha’s lover, insists that she is as innocent as Pitt himself. Pitt’s journey to uncover the truth takes him from Egyptian cotton fields to the insidious London slum called Seven Dials—and ultimately to a packed London courtroom in which shocking secrets will at last be revealed.
London, 1821. Former spies Malcolm and Mélanie Rannoch have been friends with Bow Street runner Jeremy Roth since they all met in the intrigues of the Peninsular War. Now settled in London, they frequently collaborate. On a chilly night, an urgent summons from Roth takes Malcolm to a tavern in the slums of Seven Dials. He finds Roth standing over the body of a murdered woman. Malcolm offers his assistance with the case, but Roth says Malcolm must investigate alone. When Malcolm asks why, Roth replies—because this is my wife. Malcolm and Mélanie plunge into the secrets of Roth’s estranged wife Allegra. Why did she disappear from England? Where has she been for five years? And why did she return now to the husband she abandoned? Their investigation is a race against time as another Bow Street runner is all too eager to arrest Roth for the murder. And though Malcolm and Mélanie are both convinced Jeremy Roth is not a killer, his story keeps changing. Secrets are nothing new for the Rannochs. But this investigation will force them to question everything they thought they knew about some of those closest to them. And to re-examine the secrets at the heart of their own marriage—before someone else they love falls victim...
The first three novels in Brenda Hiatt's bestselling "Saint of Seven Dials" series, in one bargain priced volume! SCANDALOUS VIRTUE An overprotected widow ready to kick up her heels meets a notorious rake trying to reform. Each sees the other as a shortcut to change…until the sparks fly! A sparkling prequel to The Saint of Seven Dials series. ROGUE’S HONOR A duke’s daughter disguises herself as a maid to avoid a marriage that would snatch away her inheritance. She is rescued from certain social disaster by another seeming servant who is in fact the legendary Regency Robin Hood, the Saint of Seven Dials. Love is the last thing either of them needs just now, but when was love ever wise? NOBLE DECEPTIONS An American shipping heiress and the new Saint of Seven Dials (a duke’s younger son!), trapped into a marriage neither wants, find aversion turning into attraction, then passion, and perhaps even love. But each is hiding a dangerous–and illegal secret identity. Trusting each other with the truth could lead to a lifetime of happiness–or to disaster.
Books 3-5 of Brenda Hiatt's bestselling "Saint of Seven Dials" series, here in one bargain priced volume! INNOCENT PASSIONS Former spy Noel Paxton takes on the role of the Saint of Seven Dials to hunt down a deadly traitor but finds himself distracted in his quest by studious and opinionated Rowena Riverstone, newly arrived in London. Is Rowena the innocent bluestocking she appears, or the very traitor he’s been seeking? And which is in more danger-his heart or his life? SAINTLY SINS After the last Saint retires, a penniless beauty assumes the identity of the Saint of Seven Dials to rescue her young brother from the streets. Lord Peter Northrup is both smitten and intrigued by the lovely Sarah Killian, but when he digs beneath the surface, he learns she has a secret that could ruin them both. But perhaps love is worth the risk… GALLANT SCOUNDREL What secret in Harry’s past changed a celebrated war hero into a drunken wastrel? Is he already beyond hope, or can becoming the next Saint of Seven Dials–and the love of the right woman–transform him back into the man he always had the potential to become?
A Regency Robin Hood, a duke’s daughter and deceptions of the heart To escape her stepmother's matchmaking machinations, Lady Pearl runs away, pretending to be a common housemaid, with the help of her abigail. When she is rescued from the near-disaster of recognition by a charming serving-man, Pearl pretends to be simpleminded to safeguard herself from any unwanted advances. But soon she begins to suspect that her rescuer is far more than the common servant he seemed at first. Luke St. Clair lives a double life, pretending to be a gentleman while in reality sustaining himself and the needy as the notorious Robin Hood-type thief, the Saint of Seven Dials. The last thing he needs in his life is a beautiful simpleton in need of protection. But "Purdy" proves to be anything but simple—or common! Once he learns the truth, does he dare continue, in the ballrooms of the elite, the flirtation that began in the slums of London? The risk is enormous, but Lady Pearl's sweet kisses may just be worth it. Themes: legendary rogue, unforgettable hero, honorable intentions, noble purpose, secret identities, an heiress in disguise, romantic outlaws, Regency London series
The Seven Dials refers to the layout of the cobbled streets in this London 'village,' which includes Monmouth Street, Earlham Street and Mercer Street. The seven streets radiate out from the central sundial Looking closely you'll see the dial only has only six faces; this is due to an earlier urban planning drawn up by Thomas Neale in the 17th century who devised the characteristic seven dials street layout to maximize the number of houses that could be built on the site so maximizing his profit.
