Former rake Richard Dolforth is shocked–shocked!!!–to learn that he is not only legitimate, but also the heir to a viscountcy. Legitimacy is a burden Richard can adjust to, eventually, but membership in the peerage qualifies as an affirmative nuisance.
And yet, Richard has a sister he’s never met and an aunt who might have the answers to questions Richard has long held about the circumstances of his birth. Off to Yorkshire he gallops, only to learn that his sister has a cousin, and Miss Amabel Fielding is not about to let some viscount-come-lately disrupt a household she has been managing, and quite capably so, for years.
Richard respects an independent spirit, but he’s utterly flummoxed to find himself attracted to Amabel. She’s all wrong, and so is he, but the sizzle they feel is exceeded only by the sparks flying between them!
Lord Julian Caldicott is battling a severe case of winter doldrums as well as a serious bout of pre-wedding jitters. He longs to summon—invite, rather—his intended, Miss Hyperia West to Caldicott Hall, but she seems to be having a fine time shopping for her trousseau in London. Julian’s growing pile of miseries is only increased when a neighbor, Sir Clive Arbuthnot, reports that his titled cousin has gone missing.
Sir Clive entreats Julian to find the absent earl before creditors, importuning relations, and disgruntled tenants descend on Sir Clive, who was merely hosting his cousin for a visit when the disappearance occurred. Julian longs to hibernate at the Hall, but the missing peer might well be the victim of foul play, and Julian’s mother holds Sir Clive in particular esteem. Julian must face lies, scandals, maternal disapproval, his own worst fears, and deadly peril if he’s not to leave Hyperia waiting in vain at the altar!
Chloe Thatcher’s livelihood is in peril when her late grandfather’s bookshop is doomed to be sold at auction just as the Yuletide season arrives. Aidan Ferris is a man of business for the banker most determined to gain ownership of Chloe’s property, but Aidan is also decent, honorable, and prone to lingering beneath sprigs of mistletoe. Will Aidan take possession of Chloe’s home–or of her heart?
NOTE: Because this is such a small story (less than 20k words), it will not be available in print. If I can find another novella to pair with it, I will issue A Knight Before Christmas a Republished Regency duet. A Knight Before Christmas (this tale, not the one of the same name in Christmas in the Duke’s Arms/Christmas Treats) appeared in the 2018 holiday anthology ‘Tis the Season. I am not quite sure how duplicate titles happened–maybe blame it on the wassail?
A fortunate bequest…
Former vicar Bernard Huxley has inherited stewardship of complicated family businesses, and finds himself surprisingly happy immersed in trade. Then his London relations foist upon him guardianship of two small children when Bernard already has quite enough to keep him busy. He knows next to nothing about children generally, less than that about these two little darlings, and he’s utterly flummoxed regarding their articulate, stubborn, and curiously impressive mama.
Or a dangerous mess?
Sorcha, Lady Barclay, will use every weapon she can lay her hands on to protect her offspring from her meddling in-laws, but she has few defenses against a man who takes his honor seriously, listens to her, and sometimes even has worthy ideas. In fact, Bernard has a certain inconvenient appeal, which is of absolutely no moment, of course. When somebody threatens the children, accusations start flying, and trust goes straight down the jakes.
Will Bernard and Sorcha turn to each other, or let a mutual enemy forever drive them apart?
When one of Wellington’s best sharpshooters is threatened with dire consequences if he returns to his family seat, Lord Julian Caldicott is called in to unmask the blackmailer. Julian is willing to take on the investigation for the sake of a former soldier’s wellbeing, and also to relieve the grinding monotony of deepest mid-winter endured alone in rural Surrey.
Amid the sprawling elegance of Dunsford Keep, Julian finds a family on the outs with each other, their neighbors, and their own past. Lies and suspicions fly in all directions as accusations mount and Julian’s own family is pulled into the affray. If Julian cannot target the guilty party, an innocent man will be exiled from his home forever, and Julian might well be banished from Caldicott Hall too!
No room at the inn...
Joshua Penrose has come home from years abroad a sadder, wiser man. He doggedly makes his way to his former abode through a roaring Yuletide snowstorm only to find the house occupied by a lady who claims she owns the place. Joshua is nearly certain she doesn’t, and he’s equally convinced that he cannot spend one more minute battling the elements.
… and none at home either!!!
Hope Burdette has been widowed long enough to have seen every confidence trick and swindle aimed at unsuspecting women. She nevertheless did not expect to have the very ownership of her home challenged, much less by such a grouchy, taciturn, un-charming man. Joshua’s lack of guile suggests that he truly does believe the house to be his, and Hope is too soft-hearted to deny him temporary shelter.
Somebody is lying, and somebody will end up without a home, but first, Joshua and hope agree to a holiday truce. When the new year arrives, will they be sworn foes or a match made under the mistletoe?
The last thing Camden Huxley wants is to sort out his family’s sprawling Yorkshire estate, along with its squabbling tenants, retainers, and neighbors. Cam nonetheless turns his back on his greatest passion–trade–and travels to Lorne Hall, telling himself all the while that he’s merely making the duty visit required of any new titleholder.
Matters at the Hall are in serious disarray, but what alarms Cam even more are the matchmaking ambitions aimed in his direction. Miss Alice Singleton, granddaughter of the antediluvian estate steward, is a voice of reason and common sense, and she’s also sweet, kind, and possessed of a wicked sense of humor. To Cam’s bafflement, Alice alone seems to have no interest in becoming his baroness. For her part, Alice is indeed smitten with the new baron, but she has learned to avoid entanglements of any kind, and she is determined to make no exceptions even if this time, she really has fallen in love.
Cam and Alice will have to overcome old secrets and new betrayals, and learn to trust their hearts and each other if they are to have any chance of a shared and joyous future.
Lysander, Earl of Montmarche, really ought to re-marry, if for no other reason than that he’s completely flummoxed by his rambunctious, outspoken young daughter. He surely owes the girl and his frazzled nerves the benefit of a step-mama’s steadying presence. That he’s a bit lonely and also flummoxed by life in general is of no moment whatsoever.
Daphne, Lady Cargill, really has no interest in re-marrying, much less in taking on the challenges of being a step-mama. Long ago, she herself was rambunctious and quite out-spoken, but she put all that aside to become the dignified wife and mother society expected her to be. Daphne is nonetheless tempted by Lysander’s gravitas and quiet humor, and his kisses are nigh irresistible.
Will they make the safe and sensible choices expected of prudent, mature adults, or muster their courage for one more chance at love?
Somebody has made off with the loot–and with the lady!
An acquaintance from Lord Julian‘s military years begs his lordship’s help locating the fellow’s missing fiancée. The young lady’s family has only the flimsiest explanation for her disappearance, and the harder Julian digs for answers, the more complicated the puzzle becomes. He soon realizes that a young woman who was described as a bluestocking of no particular fortune might in fact have absconded with a hoard of gold, or been kidnapped in hopes she’d reveal the location of a literal treasure.
Julian must sort through lies, scandal, family feuds, and conflicting clues, all while battling his own demons, or the course of true love might end in doom.
The second half of the Lady Violet Mystery series in one bundle!
Lady Violet Belmaine has completed mourning for her late husband, but has only begun to fashion the life she wants for herself with the people she enjoys. To her surprise, she’s very good at solving socially awkward puzzles, and in the Lady Violet Mystery series, puzzles abound!
Lady Violet Holds a Baby
Lady Violet Goes for a Gallop
Lady Violet Pays a Call
Lady Violet Says I Do
