The Marquis of Elvington, heartbroken to discover the woman he intended to marry has deceived him, decides to leave England and put as many miles as possible between them. Handsome, intelligent, and a great favourite at the Court of King William IV and Queen Adelaide, the marquis is used to the admiration of women and respect of men, so the duplicity of his intended wife strikes him a cruel blow. However, a thick fog makes it impossible for his yacht to leave Dover Harbour, so he is forced to remain on British soil another night. Anger swiftly chasing his sadness, …

When the Duke of Barningforde was told by his second son, Alastair, that he had married an actress in Paris without his approval, he exiled Alastair from England with only a very small allowance. His wife, Grace, actually came from a good Scottish family and was not an actress, but had a fine soprano voice and sang with a famous French orchestra. But the Duke would not listen and Alastair and Grace never again set foot in their homeland. They were blessed with a daughter, Kayla, who was well educated, thanks to Grace’s efforts after Alastair’s untimely death. Then Grace …

While staying at Lady Merrill’s French Riviera villa, flame-haired American heiress Nevada van Arden passes her time by casually breaking the hearts of her many ardent suitors, particularly that of young David, Lord Merrill. When his uncle, intrepid explorer and diplomat Tyrone Strome, overhears her cruel humiliation of his lovelorn nephew, he resolves to teach this vixen a lesson and save David from his misery. Tyrone abducts Nevada, spiriting her away in his luxury yacht to Morocco. There the reluctant voyager, swaddled in native clothing, is terrified by the perils of the Sahara and its nomadic tribesmen. As they flee …

After the death of the kindly old Earl of Yardecombe, Oscar, the brash and pleasure-seeking new earl seems to care little for the people of the parish, let alone for the plight of young Dorina Stanfield, her widowed father, and their impoverished family at the rundown vicarage. Dorina’s opinion of this raffish gentleman is lower still when she hears of lewd goings-on with his flamboyant friends at the manor. Confronting his lordship, Dorina is stunned to find him chastened by her accusations. Everything changes when Dorina overhears the earl’s wicked heir’s satanic incantations, summoning the devil to murder his lordship.

The beautiful Elissa Valentine has no idea what lies in store for her after the death of her beloved Papa, who was a talented artist. She travels to Yorkshire to start a new life at Fellbrook Towers as a companion to her fearsome grandmother, Lady Hartwell. She soon discovers that the luxurious lifestyle at The Towers is under threat from the wild gambling of her handsome and impetuous cousin, Falcon. When Elissa saves the day by predicting the winning horse in a big race, Falcon showers her with gifts and proposes marriage. But she cannot accept his offer because the …

London socialite and friend of King George IV, the Duke of Strathnarn enjoys his London life, so he is resentful when he inherits from his hated father the title and responsibilities of chieftain of the Clan McNarn. Arriving bitterly angry in the highland fiefdom he fled as a youth, he’s faced with a terrible dilemma. To free his young nephew and heir from the clutches of his clan’s mortal enemies, the Kilcraigs, he must marry Clola, the daughter of their fearsome chieftain. He complies with bad grace, but refuses even to look his young bride in the face, so certain …

Simona Bell, the lovely daughter of Lord Belgrave, has been invited by her friend, Karoline von Honentaal to stay with her family in Berlin. Simona finds that Karoline’s father, the baron, owns an amazing collection of art. Alone for a moment, she finds her way into the Baron’s private sanctuary, where she admires an unusual sedan chair. Hearing voices and frightened she might be discovered, she slips into the chair and closes the door. The baron and another man enter the room and Simona overhears them discussing an Englishman called Watson, who has been working on a new naval gun …

At the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Prince Charles with 13,000 troops, both English and Scottish, is heavily defeated by Oliver Cromwell and flees to France. Clive More escapes the battlefield to a friendly house and is saved from Cromwell’s men by the nanny of 9-year-old Alissa. After the prince is restored to the throne as King Charles II in 1660, Alissa, her father the Earl of Dalwaynnie, her stepmother, and her stepsister Nancy, move to London. The king, grateful for the earl’s support, gives them apartments at the Royal Palace of Whitehall. Clive More, who is now the Marquis …

Valda lives a life of luxury with her mother and stepfather in a beautiful château in France. Educated in Paris and enjoying all that French society can offer, Valda’s English roots seem a very distant memory. That is until the day her stepfather declares that in true French style he is planning an arranged marriage for her. Horrified at the thought of marrying a complete stranger, she knows it is impossible for her to go along with her stepfather’s wishes, no matter how angry he will be. Much as she loves him, she has inherited her late father’s lively intelligent …

Lady Lolita Vernon, daughter of the late Earl of Walcott and Vernon, has run away. Her stepfather, Ralph Piran, is forcing her to accept the attentions and perhaps an offer of marriage from his business partner, Murdock Tanner, who is very rich, but old and repulsive. While she is trying to cover her tracks in London, she bumps into a small boy, Simon, who is weeping because he has been beaten cruelly by his stepmother. Because it seems a strange coincidence and because Lolita is desperately sorry for the small boy, she listens to his story and agrees to take …

The handsome and very rich Marquis of Harlington has just ended yet another unsatisfactory love affair that has left him feeling bored with women and resigned to the fact that true love simply does not exist amongst the upper class echelons of Londont. Casting around for a speedy escape route, he is offered the perfect exit when the prime minister asks him to travel to Egypt and report on the Suez Canal, which is currently under construction. Delighted, the marquis visits his neighbour, Lord Durham, and is horrified to overhear him threatening to beat his daughter Delisia unless she agrees …

Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli asks Lord Kenington to travel to India to find out if reports about the Russian menace are really true. The liberal opposition in Parliament is sceptical and certain that Disraeli is manufacturing the scare asserting that the prime objective of the Russians in invading Asia is to wrest India from the British. On the train to India, to Lord Kenington’s surprise, a beautiful young girl asks if she can be seen speaking to him. Aisha explains that, owing to various mishaps, she is travelling alone and unchaperoned and is being pursued by Arthur Watkins, a man …