One minute, Amaryllis Duvane is the belle of the London season-a "diamond of the first water," desired by every man and envied by every woman. Even better, she's about to marry the man of her dreams.
But when her father dies, Amaryllis loses more than a parent-she loses her fortune. Left penniless, she's forced to depend on the generosity of her wealthy relations, who make her work as a servant to her own socially ambitious cousins.
When her ex-fiancé, the devastatingly handsome Marquess of Merechester, courts one of her relatives, Amaryllis can't bear the thought of him seeing what's become of her-or how much she still desires him.
Lady Betty has no interest in the Duke of Collingham. She doesn’t care that he’s fabulously wealthy, or devastatingly handsome, or impeccably well-dressed. All she sees is an arrogant nobleman with an abrasive personality and an annoyingly persistent streak.
And the Duke of Collingham is persistent. He can have any woman in the whole of Society—but the one who won’t have him is the only one he wants. And he’ll stop at nothing to persuade her.
Even the inhabitants of secluded Nethercote looked pityingly upon young Henrietta, the vicar’s sister; her plain features seemed to almost guarantee her a solitary future. And yet she had a determined spirit and magnificent hazel eyes. So when her great-aunt Hester left her unexpected wealth, Henrietta set out to conquer London’s glittering high society and confound them all.
But the fashionable elite was less than warm in its reception, especially when the newcomer, this bold minx, made clear her intention of winning the heart of one of society’s most treasured gems: the irresistible, extravagant, heart-stopping Lord Beau Reckford, a prize wildly beyond her humble origins.
“Nobody writes Jane Austen like Marion Chesney…[She] gets it right every time.”—Detroit Free Press, praise for the author
His kiss left her flushed and disconcerted—perhaps men were best avoided after all…
The Earl of Tredair has had his fill of balls, routs, and silly misses, and he despairs of finding someone extraordinary—that is, until he meets Miss Fanny Waverley.
Most unique and intriguing, Fanny and her two sisters are the adopted daughters of the reclusive bluestocking Madame Waverley. They have been raised as her disciples to spread the word of women’s rights and to encourage poor oppressed females to stand up against the iniquities of the male sex.
The beautiful and farouche Miss Fanny, however, finds it quite difficult to think of all men as cruel and lustful beasts—how can she when she finds herself longing to kiss one of the most hated of his breed?
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!
It was questionable how long Felicity could 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.
“Nobody writes Jane Austen like Marion Chesney…[She] gets it right every time.”—Detroit Free Press, praise for the author
Blessed with beauty, Mrs. Manners never bothered with the lesser skills of grammar and spelling. So, in order to entrap a second husband, namely the dashing Duke of Denbigh, she needed Miss Verity Bascombe. Surely the modest chit would be honored to write her love letters.
Poor Verity! Her old schoolmate was as selfish as ever. But the lovely girl’s gilded pen soon had the duke most intrigued by the poetic Mrs. Manners!
But alas, what began as a tiny deception became troublesome indeed—for Verity soon found herself enamored of the handsome duke!
“Chesney is a romance writer who deftly blends humor and adventure…[sustaining] her devoted audience to the last gasp.”—Booklist, praise for the author
Lovely Alice Lacey was a true incomparable, and her marriage to the Duke of Ferrant was the event of the season. Almost no one 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 announces these intimacies at the moment of the couple’s wedding.
Now the gossip mongers are relentless. Alice’s marriage started out, and has remained, cold and impersonal, and her new husband is already rumored to be taken with another woman.
Before she even realizes what is happening, Alice finds herself in a world of opposites: the man she thought she loved is something other than he seems; and the man she married, something far more than she hoped. Her last hope and redemption has to be convincing the man she wedded that they are in love.
Torn between her ancestral home and her heart, Belinda Beverley must make a difficult choice.
As one of the two remaining unmarried Beverley sisters, Belinda considers herself the last hope for Mannerling, the beloved estate gambled away by their father. Each of her four elder sisters had hoped—even schemed—to marry one of Mannerling’s successive owners. But all had chosen true love over their ancestral home. Practical and duty-bound, Belinda would woo and wed Lord St. Clair, current holder of the estate. True, he is a silly fop, hardly what she desires in a husband, but she vows to make the man love her—even at the expense of her own happiness. Dashing Lord Gyre, however, can hardly ignore the ridiculous drama; Belinda is far too good for that dandy St. Clair. His lordship therefore decides it is his duty to win the lovely Belinda’s heart.
The Beast—that was what they called her. With her plump body and rough tomboy ways, she felt more like a clown. It was hopeless. Poor penniless Tilly could only sit among the chaperons as a paid companion to the spiteful Lady Aileen. The best she could do was sit … and dream. But suddenly Philip, Marquess of Heppleford, the most eligible bachelor of all, decided he wanted her for himself, to be his wife, and they were married. His intent was to keep his freedom, fulfill the conditions of his father’s will, and shock his aunts. He never imagined he’d return from a scandalous adventure in Paris only to find a seductive beauty—a beauty who had learned that loving well is the best revenge.
In this whirlwind series, Marion Chesney brings us spirited, independent women who are at once bewitching, beguiling, and determined to make their mark on the world, be it within their social circle or extending beyond. With their arms wide open, these women are absolutely original and unforgettable, as are the tales in which they are featured.
It was an unfair decision—to be forced to choose between her home and her heart …
When one of her sisters is attacked by Harry Devers, the lecherous son of Mannerling’s present owner, Abigail Beverley puts her obsession with reclaiming the mansion on hold. It is then that Abigail meets the dashing and extremely eligible Lord Burfield, fresh back from the army and in full-time pursuit of a bride. She must be quick to grab his attention lest he be snapped up by Prudence Makepeace.
Meanwhile, unexpected circumstances force the insufferable Harry to recuperate from a riding accident in the Beverley home, where Abigail’s twin sister, Rachel, nurses him back to health—and into betrothal. Stirred from its brief slumber, Abigail’s fury returns, alive and kicking. So when Rachel begins to have doubts about marrying Harry, Abigail devises a daring plan to win back Mannerling once and for all.
“Charming…A delight.”—Detroit Free Press on The Banishment
In the fourth installment of the Daughters of Mannerling series, beautiful Rachel must choose which she wants more—true love or Mannerling mansion.
The haughty Beverley family is obsessed with regaining Mannerling, the exquisite seventeenth-century mansion gambled away by their now-deceased father, Sir Beverley. Three of the six Beverley daughters, including Rachel’s twin, have failed to win back their ancestral estate—settling for love matches over Mannerling’s heirs. Now it is Rachel’s turn to woo the latest eligible bachelor-in-residence, handsome widower Charles Blackwood. But her plan to win the autocratic Charles almost comes to naught: At their first meeting, Rachel forgets herself and admonishes Charles for neglecting his two small children. The antics of young Beth and Mark Blackwood successfully throw Charles and Rachel together, but does Rachel love Charles for himself or for Mannerling?
“Yet another frothy good time.”—Publishers Weekly
The tenth earl of Berham does not know what to do. An attractive thirty-two-year-old bachelor, he has been appointed guardian of the young Freddie Armstrong, the eighteen-year-old grandson of his late father’s dear friend. That’s bad enough. Then he discovers that the boy is really a girl! It is against all convention and against his personal code to keep a young lady concealed in his own home. He must find a solution.
The earl’s frequent visitor, Lady Clarissa Rennenord, heartily agrees—but for less noble reasons. Lady Clarissa hopes to snare the earl in marriage and does not want any competition. She recommends that Freddie be sent to a seminary. No one but Lady Rennenord knows what a horrid place it is—and no one, including Lady Rennenord, expects Freddie to escape. Now Freddie is back, and the earl finds her presence unsettling in more ways than one.
“As ever, [Beaton] shows herself a master of historical detail and color.”—Publishers Weekly on Our Lady of Pain
