Heedless. Stubborn. Disgraced.Small town Illinois, 1870: "My stepfather was not particularly fond of me to begin with, and now that he'd found out about the baby, he was foaming at the mouth."Desperate to avoid marriage, Nell Lillington refuses to divulge the name of her child's father and accepts her stepfather's decision that the baby be born at a Poor Farm and discreetly adopted.Until an unused padded cell is opened and two small...

A reluctant lady sleuth finds she's investigating her own family.1881, Sussex. With a drowned husband—the second love lost—an overbearing family, no longed-for child, and the responsibility of a huge baroque mansion, it's not surprising Lady Helena Whitcombe is overwhelmed. When attractive, mysterious, French physician Armand Fortier disturbs her first weeks of mourning with his theory of murder, Helena's reluctant and ineffective attempts at investigation...

Spoiled. Headstrong. Pregnant.Desperate to avoid marriage, NELL LILLINGTON refuses to divulge the name of her child's father and accepts her stepfather's decision that the baby be born at a Poor Farm and discreetly adopted.Until an unused padded cell is opened and two small bodies fall out.MARTIN RUTHERFORD, Nell’s childhood friend, is the only one she can turn to, but he has his own plans—he wishes to build a grand department store in Chicago and become one of that...

Do you ever really know your family?In the 1880s a sixth daughter learns not to ask for much, even if she’s the daughter of an earl. Even if she married the richest man in her corner of Sussex. Even if she’s now a widow with a splendid Georgian mansion.Lady Helena Whitcombe is still trying to adjust to widowhood and reconcile her family loyalties with her desires when her artist sister Odelia makes a startling suggestion. Why not make her mark on the house ...

The fog that rolled in off Lake Michigan that November morning was not an unusual phenomenon. But when Peter finished buttoning his coat to ward off the chill, he realized he was no longer alone in the lakeside cemetery. Was his past catching up with him?This short (17 pages) tale of a Victorian haunting will delight readers of classic ghost stories.

The ghost of Charles Dickens is restless. Eternity is so long, and the world has changed in ways he finds hard to accept. His thoughts take him to his first real home on Doughty Street in London, where he encounters another spirit—a small boy with the unmistakable stamp of poverty upon him. A boy from his own time, and one who has clearly claimed the right to haunt the home where Dickens knew the first taste of success.But why? The answer to Dickens’ question is in the attic, and w...

Does love conquer all? Nell’s not so sure. Adjusting to wedlock isn’t easy for a woman whose initial aversion to the married state took her to the Poor Farm. When a tragedy out of the blue prompts her to repay past debts, her charitable instincts threaten to wreck her happy new life. What does she really want—and what does she really need?Attraction to an old friend shakes Tess’s world. Can she change his indifference to love?Martin struggles with demons from his own past a...

A dynasty is at stake.It seemed like a straightforward request–and Helena is used to her sister Blanche making demands on her time and fortune.But the most ambitious of her sisters reveals a dilemma that may wipe out the title she holds. When tragedy strikes, Helena must reprise her role as the Investigating Lady to save a nephew she doesn’t even like.And what about her own future? The return of a hero from the past awakens old emotions and suggests new pos...

Love or independence? Few choices remain for Nell and her new family on the Kansas frontier…Kansas, 1872. Unwed mother Nell Lillington hopes to support her daughter Sarah and friend Tess by working as a seamstress in an isolated seminary. When her only ally among the seminary's leaders dies, she must choose between returning to her old life in Chicago and remaining in charge of her destiny.As her talent as a dressmaker begins to win her commissions, Nell attracts the attent...

How did the upper echelons of British society really function in the late Victorian era? Read this entertaining insider account to find out. You’ll discover the truth behind the details that so many of today's novels get wrong . . .Perfect for all history buffs, writers, and Anglophile readers, this is an annotated edition of an 1885 book written for an American audience by Adam Badeau, who served as US Consul in London in the reign of Queen Victoria. His tell-all account, laced wi...

For unwed mother Nell Lillington, 1876 Chicago—and her new wealth—offer the promise of longed-for independence. She dreams of a place in society for her daughter Sarah and contentment for her friend Tess. Yet how can she settle in a town where she’s far too likely to run into Martin Rutherford and his glittering, faithless wife, Lucetta? Can she resist her love for Martin for Sarah’s sake?Martin was doubtless joking when he told Nell that if she got herself mixed up with a murderer...

Heedless. Stubborn. Disgraced.Small town Illinois, 1870: "My stepfather was not particularly fond of me to begin with, and now that he'd found out about the baby, he was foaming at the mouth"Desperate to avoid marriage, Nell Lillington refuses to divulge the name of her child's father and accepts her stepfather's decision that the baby be born at a Poor Farm and discreetly adopted.Until an unused padded cell is open...