Showing results by publisher "Catherine Gayle" in Historical

The choice between adhering to a long-held pact and finally accepting love could prove Lady Tabitha Shelton's unhinging. She is plump, plain, pleasant... and thoroughly unappealing to any of the men of the ton - apart from fortune hunters. A self-appointed wallflower, she has every intention of remaining one. Tabitha made a vow of spinsterhood with her cousins when they were girls, and she refuses to go back on her word.

The first three full novels in Catherine Gayle's Lord Rotheby's Influence series....

After selling his major's commission in the Dragoons, Lord Roman Sullivan wants nothing more than a calm, sedate life in the country where he's agreed to act as steward over his father's estate. Society is no place for a man who can't sleep without fear of attacking an innocent in the night, after all. But upon his arrival, madness lands in his path in the form of a secret-keeping pixie of a lady, a precocious boy, a lady in the throes of dementia, and a band of rabidly loyal servants, who combine to capture both his attention and what's left of his heart in one fell swoop.

Miss Jane Matthews feels completely out of place amongst the finery of the ton. She's the daughter of a country vicar, for goodness sake, and nearly a spinster to boot. Frankly, she would prefer to stay that way. How can a lady of Quality start up her own modiste shop, after all? But when her distant cousin-the Dowager Duchess of Somerton, of all people-offers to sponsor her for a Season in London, she agrees, but only so she can take the opportunity to search for a storefront for her business.

The blasted man will not stop following her. Well, he isn't following her…not exactly. They are just always thrown together, and he is everything she wants but cannot have. It is downright infuriating - especially when he kisses her. Lady Grace Abernathy has been ravished and left pregnant (and thoroughly unsuitable for any honorable gentleman). This would not be such a gargantuan problem if Lord Alexander Hardwicke would simply stay away from her as she asked.

The Duke of Danby is matchmaking again. No matter what his overbearing duke of a grandfather wants, Thomas Goddard has no intention of marrying a high-born lady. He's the son of Danby's by-blow, for heaven's sake, and no gentleman! When yet another letter-complete with yet another marriage license-arrives, Thomas does as any reasonable man would do. He rips the thing to shreds, tosses it over the cliffs, and curses Danby's name. Regrettably, his shouted curse startles the very lady his grandfather intends for him to marry.

Just before Christmas, Grandmama dies after revealing the identity of Abby's grandfather - the Duke of Danby, no less. Now the entire family will travel to Yorkshire to confront Danby, hoping to gain a dowry for Abby. But then Wesley reemerges, sparking a hope Abby thought long destroyed. Shall the prodigal son's sole inheritance be an unsightly gash? Wesley Cavendish aspires to the political realm, despite his father's near-murderous opposition...not to mention his opposition to Abby Goddard.

Over the years, Gabriel Devalle has more than earned his reputation as one of "those devilish Devalles." No one is more surprised than Gabe, therefore, when a debutante tosses herself into his path, only to have her gown "accidentally" ripped by her mischievous and alluring sister, all in the name of causing a scandal. Or was it to prevent a scandal? Either way, the gown-ripping sister has certainly drawn his notice.

As the Earl of Fordingham, Tristan Cavendish has lived by the code his father beat into him for so long he's driven everyone in his life away, including his brother. Now he is alone. Loneliness dictates he must change, so he sets out to make amends with his only sibling. Alas, his brother seems none too inclined to hear him out, and a woman who must be a vision from Fordingham's dreams walks into his path. Now, more than ever before, he knows he must change his ways or risk driving her away as well…but how?

Lord Falkland bets Lord Jefferson Blount two hundred fifty pounds that Lord Haworth will ensure the ruination of Lady Georgianna Bexley-Smythe by 15 May unless the Marquess of Stalbridge returns to Town and settles his debts before that date. Cedric Loring, the Earl of Montague, has been an honorary member of the Bexley-Smythe family for years. He's always had a special, if sometimes strained, bond with Georgie. But when her name ends up in the betting book at White's before she's even made her debut, he knows no one can protect her quite like he can.

When Aurora Hyatt loses her journal in Hyde Park, her ruin is a foregone conclusion. After all, if anyone discovers her writings, they'll find scandalous fantasies involving the newest rake in town alongside entirely-too-candid thoughts about her typical dreary suitors. Aurora will either be forced into a loveless marriage with the first nodcock to make an offer, or she'll be assigned a permanent position on the shelf. Oh, dear good Lord. What catastrophe will God smite down upon her next?

Charming and Just a Bit Disarming is a collection of three novellas. Each of these novellas was previously featured in other anthologies.

During a minutes-long span three years ago, their lives were forever changed when Lady Morgan Cardiff nearly drowned. Returning to the disastrous scene for the first time, Emma Hathaway is older, wiser and ready to move on. With her parents quickly aging, she needs a husband. Alas, she is an awkward, bookish girl with no dowry to recommend her, and she is far from being an Incomparable or an heiress who might rouse a gentleman's interest.