Showing results by narrator "Joanna Stephens" in All Categories

Felicia Oakes is the illegitimate daughter of…well, someone or other. A pirate, perhaps, or a spy, or a royal prince…who knows? Her vivid imagination conjures a myriad possibilities, all more exciting than her position as governess to two motherless children. But when their father is drowned aboard the Brig Minerva, Felicia must take them to their new guardian in the North of England, where her life is about to be turned upside down.

Hope has no wish to marry, but it’s almost five years since her father died, and the final peculiar clause of his will is about to come into effect: If Hope’s brothers can’t be found, then the whole estate will be bequeathed to the church, and Hope must move to the Dower House with her mother. There’s just one way out: Her cousin Hugo can inherit Allamont Hall, but only if he marries Hope. Can she bear to give up the chance of finding a man who loves her, even if it means saving her home?

Will Fletcher is the eldest son and heir to the family fortune, and although his father is reluctant to relinquish his roots in trade, Will is more than happy to become a gentleman.

Miss Fanny Winterton has only one wish in her romantic heart: to surrender to overwhelming love. She will accept nothing less than to be struck by the thunderbolt of everlasting passion. Real life isn’t quite so obliging, however. So, while she waits for the fires of love to ignite, she is content to ply her needle as a lowly seamstress for her noble patroness. The honorable Ferdinand Makenham has no wish at all to marry, until one glimpse of Fanny’s sweet expression convinces him that he has found the love of his life.

The sinking of the Brig Minerva results in many deaths, while for others, the future is suddenly brighter. But it’s not always easy to leave the past behind.... Evie Parfitt is almost 30, penniless, and with no prospect of ever marrying. She has her hands full helping turn a jewel merchant’s willful heiress into a lady able to move in good society. When the sinking of the Minerva leaves her charge an orphan and she selects a notorious rake as her guardian, Evie is determined to protect both of them from his attentions.

Mr Bertram Atherton has one foot in the Ancient World, emerging from his library only to eat and sleep. But when the chaplain of his uncle, the Earl of Rennington, is brutally murdered, it is revealed that he was never ordained and so the earl’s marriage was invalid, and his children rendered illegitimate. Bertram’s father is now the heir to the earldom, and Bertram after him. It’s a horrifying change of circumstances for a man only interested in intellectual pursuits.

An out-of-work governess tries to start a school in the village. Deborah Hollingsworth, grand-daughter of a baron, has come down in the world, reduced to acting as unpaid governess for her relations. When even that option closes, what is she to do? She has a secret plan, but until she can achieve her heart’s desire, she’ll start a modest village school to make ends meet, and bring a little happiness to the local children. What she doesn’t expect is to find a lonely young man even more in need of a little happiness.

Thirty-year-old widow Louisa Middlehope is determined to escape from her late husband’s family and live life for herself for the first time. The tiny village of Great Maeswood offers her the peace and quiet her heart craves, and perhaps, it might provide a little entertainment, too. But the house she has leased has been empty for a quarter of a century and who knows what secrets it holds?

Dulcie’s sharp tongue has got her into trouble many times and set her at odds even with her own sisters, but when she falls out with a neighbor, he challenges her to swap places with his ailing sister - she will go to Allamont Hall to recover in luxury, while Dulcie must manage the chores of a small cottage. As she learns to milk the goat and cook meat without burning it, she also learns a great deal about humility and honesty - and about love.

Cameron Saxby is contented in his life as a bank clerk in Edinburgh, knowing that if he works hard, he has a good career in front of him. But fate has a different plan for him—as heir to the late Lord Saxby. Inheriting the title drags Cameron away from his unassuming Scottish roots and drops him into the wealthy estate of Maeswood Hall, surrounded by deferential villagers and the resentful family of the late baron, a man who left such a trail of misery in his wake that someone murdered him.

A destitute man comes looking for help from his cousin, and uncovers some mysteries. Phyllida Beasley is 40 years old, a mousy spinster who devotes her life to caring for her brother, and doing good works in the parish. She’s in a rut, but too timid to set herself free from her domineering friends and her own sense of duty. When a newcomer to the village draws her into his schemes, he challenges her to take a new direction. Can she summon the courage to step out of the shadows, when it means facing up to her terrible secret?

Malcolm Gage walked out of his brother’s life 16 years ago when they both wanted to marry the same woman. Malcolm lost that battle, and he’s never forgiven his brother for it, preferring to live in poverty as a schoolmaster, rather than swallow his pride and go home. But now an unusual condition in a will pushes him back into the family fold. If he can teach his nephew well enough to admit him to the Society of Gentleman Linguists, he will inherit a fortune and will never be poor again. The only catch - he has to stay under his brother’s roof for three months.

Lord Montague Marford is looking forward to a quiet life as clergyman of a rural parish where he can hope to do some good. But sometimes his compassionate nature gets him into trouble, and when a bedraggled young woman turns up on the doorstep to call in a long-forgotten debt, Monty’s sense of honour compels him to offer to marry her. But he soon begins to wonder if he’s made a huge mistake.

Angie Fletcher is the lively, mischievous daughter of the family. All she wants in her life is music and dancing, plenty of pretty new bonnets, and perhaps just the occasional trick played on her tolerant family. She’s been unusually well-behaved during the season in London, in dread of the least transgression curtailing all those glorious balls.

Lord Randolph Litherholm has spent a year coming to terms with the death of his twin brother Gervase, the 7th Duke of Falconbury. Now it’s time to set aside his mourning and accept his role as the 8th Duke of Falconbury. It’s not the management of the vast Litherholm wealth that bothers him, for he’s been running the estate for years. No, his reluctance is all due to the marriage that was arranged for his brother, and the expectation that Ran will take on his brother’s bride as well as his title.

The most beloved fairy tales of Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, narrated by the very best of British stage and screen talent. Perfect for bedtime, the long car journey or rainy afternoons at home, let Andersen delight and enchant children (and adults) of all ages with characters that stand the test of time.

Caroline Milburn and her younger sisters live in two cramped rooms, struggling to survive by their skills in lace making and weaving. When their previously unknown grandfather drowns on the Brig Minerva and bequeaths them a cottage in the country, their lives seem set to improve. But where will the daughters of a linen draper fit into rural life, now that they are better off? How will Caroline find husbands for her younger sisters? Why have purses of money been buried in the garden? And why are the neighbours so interested in them?

Amy is a shy, timid soul, browbeaten by her domineering father until she's terrified to do or say anything without his approval. When he dies suddenly, his will leaves large dowries for his six daughters, but only if they marry in the proper order, the eldest first. Amy must now find herself a husband, and soon, so her younger sisters can marry in their turn. There are several possible suitors, but will any of them come up to scratch? And how will Amy choose without her father to guide her?

Connie’s older sisters have managed to find husbands, but now it’s her turn, and she is not sure she wants to marry at all. Having only just escaped her late father’s restrictive regime, she’s reluctant to surrender her freedom to another man just yet. If only she could find one who would fall so adoringly in love that he would do anything for her.

Belle is the plain one of the six Allamont sisters, happy with her books. When their father dies suddenly, his will leaves large dowries for his six daughters, but only if they marry in the proper order, the eldest first. With Amy betrothed, now Belle must find a husband.