Marian Devon (Anne Devon)

After losing heavily at the tables, Georgiana Morland's brother incautiously challenged the honor of London's most notorious duelist. It's up to Georgie to save her brother from his own folly, not only by paying his debt out of her meager funds, but also to convince the implacable Lord Garth not to shoot her brother. That should be the end of it, except for a certain visit to Vauxhall Gardens and the complications that aroused there.

When her father dies a pauper Alexandria Linnell's betrothed breaks their engagement and she is forced to become the companion of her horrid great-aunt Augusta. That is until Harry Romney needs a convenient bride and proposes to his childhood friend Alex. But life is more complicated than either thought and the elopement - in a curricle of all things - is just the beginning of the trials that beset the young couple before true love finally finds them.

Louisa Faircot's biggest mistake in life was defying her father and running away with Nicholaus Varley. Not only was the man a fortune hunter, who never forgave her for getting disinherited, but he was already married! Stranded, disgraced and without money in Brussels at the time of Waterloo, she took up the acting profession, much to the distress of the young Lieutenant Adrian Grayson, who wanted to marry her and protect her by his name. But Louisa knew how cruel it was to selfishly accept his offer and held him off, until that last battle, when she granted him his dying wish and married him on his deathbed.

Frances Armstead had a problem. Her guardian was trying to marry her off to his neighbor's second son but Frankie wanted none of it. It wasn't Bertie that was the love of her life but his older brother Evelyn. To stop Uncle Matthew from carrying out his plan, she told him she was secretly betrothed to Lord Wainwright's heir, safe in the knowledge that Greville was miles away fighting the French. When news came that Greville was lost at sea, Frankie went into mourning for her fake betrothed. But Greville was very much alive and coming home for good. Soon he would find out about Frances' deception. At no time could either have foreseen what happened next.

Thus Lord Petherbridge sets afoot his plan to provide for his natural daughter by having her marry one of his nephews. All three have compelling reasons for wanting the inheritance, compelling enough to marry an actress. Unfortunately, nobody bothered to consult Sarah, who is no milk and water miss but have strong views on love and marriage.

That's how Cassandra Devenham's father saw it and nothing could convince him that his spinster daughter, with no interests outside horses and the country, would be delighted, at the advanced age of four and twenty, to acquire a worldly stepmother. Then her father mistakenly thinks her cousin George offered for her. Poor George had more than enough on his plate, what with having to give up his excellent valet for the dubious skills of his friend Charles Denforth, squeezing out of the betrothal to his cousin and keeping a Bow Street runner in the dark. Nor is Captain Denforth's life a sinecure, as he tries to balance his growing attraction to Cassie, avoid being thrown into Newgate, keeping his father ignorant of this most recent scandal, staying clear of his host's amorous intended and surreptitiously prepare for the all important steeplechase. The happy bridal couple, or are they? hardly gets the look-in as the situation spirals out of control.

Newly arrive in England, Antonia Lewis is astonished to receive a proposal from a total stranger. Mr Denholm, trying to please an exacting parent, has promised to offer for the neighbor's daughter. Little does he realize it's not the insipid, but rich, Rosamond he offers his name and future but her poor cousin Tonia. While making good of his escape, he encounters Tonia on her way to London to take refuge with the grandmother she has never met. Life takes an unexpected twist when Antonia finds her grandmother, who has secrets of her own.

Before he knows it, out of work actor Nicholaus Forbes is on his way to Bath, impersonating the chance met Major Garreth Wincanton, while the major continues to lay siege against Amabel, the most delightful actress and a darling of theater. Little does he know that Wincanton's aunt has hatched a scheme to get rid of her tiresome, youthful companion by marrying her off to her nephew. The plot thickens when the major also arrives in Bath. Soon the actor and the major both befriends the companion, lovely Lady Venetia Lowther - as each other! Then Amabel decides to take a hand...

Although a great admirer of Madame Blanchard, the balloonist, Maria Carlton had never expected to soar above the clouds herself, particularly not with an inebriated lord and a fat peke, on a perilous flight across the English Channel and without a sou in her pocket. Surviving the hard landing, Maria's life becomes even more entangled as she cares for her injured companion, hides a fugitive, finds herself the victim of blackmail, sneaks off without paying her bills at the inn and that is just the beginning.

When mother's away her daughters will play. While Mrs Haydon attends to her oldest daughter, her two youngest are left to their own devices. Hark, two young and presentable men arrive in the Sussex neighborhood of our heroines and instantly make a play for the beautiful sisters. Or do they? Who is Mr Drury, really? Is he a free-trader or a preventive or something else entirely? Will the wealthy Mr More marry lovely Camilla Haydon or is he the here-and-thereian his friend paints him? What with teaching music, carriage rides, smugglers, kite flying, ghosts in the graveyard, seashore excursions and midnight kisses, Lucy has an unusually adventurous summer for a parson's daughter.

All her life Mary Anne Hawtry has been expected to trade her beauty for a rich husband, but now that she's landed one of the biggest catches on the Marriage Mart, she finds she can't bear to live with him. Particularly since she's still in love with Anthony Rodes, the local vicar's son, who's marriage proposal she turned down due to his lack of fortune. When she realizes love is more important than money, Captain Rodes has unexpectedly inherited a fortune and won't believe Mary Anne's protestations of undying love. Even worse, he's already engaged to another!

The very proper Miss Eliza Osborne had never done anything out of the ordinary until she runs away from a despicable marriage proposal. Traveling on public coach for the first time in her life, she is robbed and becomes acquainted with an ex-convict. This is just the beginning of Eliza's adventures as she becomes involved with the Wenham family. What should have been a quiet visit to her aunt in the parsonage is soon spinning out of control among stolen jewelry, boxing matches, balls, a rascally old lady, a jealous mother, a crippled heir and an illegitimate son.

The new Lady Fawcett has made a grievous social faux pas: Unknowingly she had invited the couple that eight years ago set the countryside aflame with gossip, when Lady Harriet dumped her fiancé, and the woman she caught him kissing at their betrothal party, in the pond. Unmarried and living on strained means, the last thing Lady Harriet wanted was to be cooped up in a house with the man she has never forgotten and who can still make her heart beat faster. Was it perhaps finally time to forgive and forget?

Jemima Forbes first meeting with the celebrated Lord Montague was stormy indeed. When her older sister Clarissa got the measles, she reluctantly took her place at her aunt's Christmas house party, to meet the priggish young man Aunt Lawford thought a suitable match for her impoverished niece. While Jemima knew she had to make a prudent marriage, she couldn't like Mr. Newbright; not that she had much time to think of marriage, what with his lordship's possible involvement with an escaped prisoner, her friend Jane's love affair with the unacceptable Edward Baldwin, sick servants, impossible cousins and a traditional Yuletide celebration with all the trimmings.

The four beautiful Percival sisters had been a smash hit at their come-out in 1797. Now, twenty years later, they are set on having their daughters repeat the success. Although Sylvia is all that their chaperon Lady Freemantle could hope for, she is in despair over the chubby Claire and the beanpole tall Jenny. While all the young bloods gather around Sylvia, her cousins catch the attention of some of the gentlemen as well, although perhaps not in a romantic way. As the season progresses Lady Freemantle is more and more convinced that bringing out her sister's progeny is a disaster. What if none of the girls find a husband?

While waiting to join her father in France, Andrea Prior is to spending a few weeks with her dearest friend Emiline and her redoubtable grandmother on the Blakeney estate. It's almost S:t Valentine's day and romantic Emmy drags Andrea into one mad escapade after the other in pursuit of old Valentie's Day customs. Some are just weird, while others land both girls in trouble up to their necks. The season is further enlivened by Lord Blakeney himself, who still appears to be the same childhood tormentor who dropped frogs down their dresses, his handsome friend Beau Austen, the stuttering Sir Nigel Lucomb and the unspeakable Lord Gresham. But Cupid has some tricks up his sleeve neither could have guess.

Lady Lavinia Pickering is bored. At fifty life has got into a rut and it's time for a change, which is why she starts the Pickering Club with her two closest friends. Also recruited is Catherine, obviously of gentle birth and hired as the new upstairs maid, but in reality a fugitive, who's story is yet to be told. Sent to spy on his aunt is Lord Jeremy Pickering, intrigued by Catherine and soon trailing behind the Club as it starts out for Bath. Nobody goes to Bath these days, proclaim Lavinia's friends, it's so slow; something the club, and in particular Lady Lavinia, will soon rectify.

Lord Worth had killed a man, or so the world thought, and had to make a run for it. Now Worth is in hiding, while trying to flush out who framed him. And what safer place than behind the mask of an actor in the pantomime? Persey McCall is not best pleased. Knowing it takes years to perfect one's stage craft, she wonders if her stepfather has taken leave of his senses hiring the noble lord. When the company is invited to direct amateur theatricals at a house party, the situation becomes even more complicated. Particularly after Lady Lavinia Pickering lends a hand to the proceedings.

Sir Jervis Brougham had decided he was dying and invited all his family for Christmas. There was his ward, Anne Welbourne, his daughters, Audrey and Judith, alongside Audrey's stepsons, Lord and Captain Hunt, and Judith's daughter Regina, together with her fiancé, Lord Elliot. All tried to make it a festive season with skating parties and slides, mistletoe and waltzing, but under the surface darker feelings fermented as new love battled with old, sibling rivalry and animosity came to the surface and, to top it all, a valuable diamond necklace went missing. The one person to really enjoyed the house party was Sir Jervis, who proved remarkably spry for a man on his deathbed.

When Frederica Kendal jokingly told her closest friends that she intended to set her cap for the new Lord Thorpe, little did she know that it would turn into a wager, not at all suitable behavior for a vicar's granddaughter. Meeting the reclusive Lord Thorpe was her first problem, staying out of his arms was her second, and third, and forth. But the situation really got out of hand when Lord Thorpe told a dedicated fortune hunter that the poor Miss Kendal was a great heiress.

When Claudia Wentworth discovers her sixteen year old niece has run off with Thornton's brother, there's nothing for it but to enlist his lordship in a mad dash after the eloping couple. With Thornton fast asleep on her shoulder, Claudia drives his carriage through the night, just to find the young people at daggers drawn and more than ready to be rescued. All would end well, except for the vicar's gossipy wife, who's threatening to undo all their reputations.