Lady Katherine “Kate” Beresford is a scandalous woman who has failed to find a husband during her first London season. She does what she can to get away from her unwanted admirer, Mr. Elias Catmull, a patronizing and unbearable young man. One evening as she is out with her friend, Christine, she is attacked by a dog that starts biting at the hem of her skirt. A young man with dark hair, tanned skin, and a handsome appearance attempts to stop the dog from nipping at ladies’ skirts. He gives the young woman a handkerchief after she has been bitten before he scoops up the little creature. Despite his helpful nature, he comes across as standoffish and rude.
The Sisters of Sea View
When tragedy suddenly strikes the Summers family, they have no choice but adapt to the situation. They have lost a beloved husband and father. Now Mrs. Summers and her four daughters (Sarah, Emily, Viola, and Georgiana) face the cruel reality of penury. What are five genteel females to do?
The Strange Courtship of Kathleen O’Dwyer
Kathleen O’Dwyer is made of stronger mettle than the average woman. In 1828, she travels west to escape the unwanted advances of a widower, the father of one of her students. Most importantly, she is seeking freedom from society and its expectations of her as a woman. She remembers her brutal upbringing in the Boston slums and the sufferings her mother endured. After accepting a teaching position in Santa Fe in New Mexico Territory, she sets out from St. Louis with a cadre of strange men.
The Taming of Annabelle
Annabelle Armitage is the undeniable “belle” of her family. She is largely neglected by her selfish father, Mr. Charles Armitage, the Vicar of St. Charles and St. Jude and her invalid mother, Mrs. Armitage, who always fancies herself ill. Annabelle was featured as a minor character in the first installment in the “Six Sisters” series, Minerva. In “The Taming of Annabelle,” she is the heroine and central focus of the story. Now that her older sister, Minerva is affianced to Lord Sylvester Comfrey, our vain heroine sets her sights on him. She decides that she will seduce Lord Sylvester and steal him from her sister.
Arabella’s Assistant
Lady Arabella Warwick dreams of being more than a wife and mother, but in Victorian society, the cards are stacked against the 27-year-old spinster with a passion for Assyriology. Living in genteel poverty with an invalid mother, Arabella’s only option to improve her situation is through marriage to a wealthy young man.
Blame it on the Earl
While visiting the mythical Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, Sarah Moran happens upon a stranger by the name of Kenver Pendrennon, heir to an earldom, who is hurt and in danger. When she saves him, they end up spending a night together in a cave because of high tide.
Minerva
Minerva Armitage is the eldest daughter of the Reverend Charles Armitage, the vicar of St. Charles and St. Jude. She lives in the country with her mother, father, and seven younger siblings (five younger sisters and two younger brothers). In the Armitage household, she rules the roost. Mrs. Armitage, her invalid mother, is far too busy fancying herself unwell to manage the household.
Lady Loring’s Dilemma
Lady Delia Loring’s husband, Sir Edward, is cross with her. He sends her away to the country, to Harrogate, to take care of her invalid mother, with the expectation that she lives in quiet respectability and has no contact with her daughter. While in Harrogate, she is reunited with a lover from her first blush of youth, Lord Stephen FitzCharles. He asks if they can meet again but she rejects the notion.
The Bad Miss Bennet
What is a poor widow to do when no one else realizes her magnanimous dreams? Lydia Wickham lives at Pemberly with Elizabeth, her older sister, and her stick-in-the-mud brother-in-law, Mr. Darcy. She dreams of exciting diversions on the Continent and the endless adventures that await. Now that she has lost Mr. Wickham, her late husband, she aspires to marry a wealthy man. This in turn will furnish her with enough money and then she will no longer be a poor widow.
Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder
Lady Caroline Morton, daughter of the late Earl of Morton, has fallen upon hard times. Necessity has compelled her to seek employment as a lady’s companion to a nouveau riche widow, Mrs. Frogerton. She also helps to instruct her employer’s daughter, Dorothy, in the finer points of being a proper lady. Caroline’s disapproving aunt, Lady Eleanor Greenwood, invites her and the Frogertons to a house party in the countryside.