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 and the only man who ever dances with her, Lady Margery will have nothing to do with men; what's more, she does not even particularly like Charles.Bored beyond words, she firmly decides this is the end of it all and returns to the comfort of her only love, her home at Chelmswood. But she does not find comfort even th...

Lady Lucinda Esmond's swine of a father, the Earl of Sotheran, was forever fleecing young bucks in London's gaming halls with impunity—until he cheats Captain Mark Chamfrey, who kidnaps ten-year-old Lucinda for ransom.But when Chamfrey has a change of heart and returns the girl, Earl Esmond nonetheless exacts his own price: Chamfrey can only redeem himself and save his skin by marrying his little victim nine years hence.Lucinda's father could not have foreseen what a beauty...

Though Frederica chafed at the restricted life she lived as the adopted daughter of an infamous bluestocking, she did agree with the philosophy. Until men learned to appreciate intellectual equals, Frederica was better off without them. But her sister's elopement has sparked fires of romance in Frederica's well-educated head, making her ripe for the considerable charms of Lord Harry Danger, who has saved her from a pack of drunken thugs. Now if he would only treat her as an equal and stop ...

A lovely widow plans to marry a French count in this historical romance by bestselling author M. C. Beaton.It 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 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 whe...

The summer of 1273 is peaceful for most of England, except in the village of Tyndal, where Martin the cooper has been poisoned at the local inn. Martin had enough enemies, so the killer could be anyone. It could be his usual whore, who is about to be tossed aside for another woman; it could be the innkeeper's niece, who has secret reasons for fearing him; or perhaps it's the blacksmith, a man whose temper might have exploded when he was mocked once too often.This crime has naught t...

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 ...

On a spring evening in 1140 Shrewsbury, the midnight matins at the Benedictine abbey suddenly reverberate with an unholy sound—a hunt in full cry. Pursued by a drunken mob, the quarry is running for its life. When the frantic creature bursts in to claim sanctuary, Brother Cadfael finds himself fighting off armed townsmen to save a terrified young man.Accused of robbery and murder is Liliwin, a wandering minstrel who performed at the wedding of a local goldsmith's son. The cold ligh...

The winter of 1139 will disrupt Brother Cadfael's tranquil life in Shrewsbury, as raging civil war has sent refugees fleeing north from Worcester. Among them are two young orphans from a noble family and their companion, a young Benedictine nun. The trio, never reaching Shrewsbury, has disappeared somewhere in the wild countryside.Cadfael fears for these three lost lambs, but another call for help sends him to the Church of Saint Mary. A wounded monk by the roadside will surely die...

Outside the pale of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in September of the year of our Lord 1140, a priestly emissary for King Stephen has been reported missing. But inside the pale, what troubles Brother Cadfael is a proud, secretive nineteen-year-old novice.Brother Cadfael has never seen two men more estranged than the Lord of Aspley and Meriet, the son he coldly delivers to the abbey to begin a religious vocation. Meriet, meek by day, is so racked by dreams at night that h...

Waverley women pursue their aspirations no matter what the obstacle. They may marry if the cause seems to suit the purpose, or they may flirt until their heart is content—or, perhaps, until the gentleman who has proven to be the most elusive of all is clearly within reach. No matter what the obstacle, none is too big for a Waverley woman. These are books of dreams, lessons, fanciful thoughts, and, most of all, tales of girls grown now to women who won't settle for anything less than their ...

When one of her company falls ill on a return journey to Tyndal, Prioress Eleanor accepts lodging at a nearby manor. There, Master Stevyns’ wife is having an affair with the groom, while a local widow acts more the lady of the manor than the lady herself. The master’s eldest son and spouse are obsessed with sin and heaven, while his youngest son, bound for the church, unexpectedly returns with more interest in lute playing than the priesthood. It is no surprise when someone’s throat is cut...

Christmas, AD 1141 Abbot Radulfus returns from London, bringing with him a priest for the vacant living of Holy Cross (known as the Foregate), a man of presence, scholarship and discipline, but neither humility nor the common touch. When he is found drowned in the mill-pond, suspicion is cast in many directions, not least towards a young man who came in the priest’s train, sent to work in Brother Cadfael’s garden. For he has little obvious priestly calling. Indeed, he soon attracts the fri...