Showing results by author "Kathleen Buckley" in All Categories

After her father's stroke, Portia Gillespie finds they have just enough money to live on, so where is her brother's school tuition to come from? She and Mama have no idea until Solomon, a moneylender, comes to call. In spite of the prior debt, he is willing to lend this year's tuition. But when her father recovers and arranges Portia's betrothal, how will Solomon save her from her ruthless suitor?

Can a duke be thrown into debtor's prison? If so, Emily, dependent on her cousin, the heir to her father's impoverished dukedom, wonders what will become of her? With great reluctance, she agrees to marry a man willing to pay for an aristocratic bride. Rejected by the woman he loves, Ambrose Hawkins, shipper, importer, and former pirate, settles for a female who can further his social ambitions. His marriage to Emily is prospering until a man who blames Hawkins for the failure of his own courtship is murdered.

Eight years ago, Aurelia Kennet sparked a duel and refused both offers of marriage that might have saved her reputation. Ruined, she is resigned to spinsterhood, knowing she will have to leave her family's home when her brother inherits. He has never forgiven her for the humiliation of the scandal. When at the request of its solicitor, she helps determine the true heir to a neighboring estate, one of the claimants presents a challenge to her mind - and heart.

London's cutthroat shipping trade is no place for a lady, although Olivia Cantarell has secretly acted as her father's assistant for years. Now she has inherited his company, she has no mind to give up control over it - and herself - by marrying, however flattering it is to be sought after for the first time in her life. In spite of threats and intimidation, she will fight to keep her business.

Jane Stowe frequently finds her irritable father, peevish stepmother, and half-brother Rupert a trial. Her only hope of eventual escape is her maternal uncle, Roger Markham, whose heir she is. When he dies under mysterious circumstances, Jane is the obvious suspect. Alex Gordon, family misfit, has been sent to find out if there’s anything to Markham’s suspicions about the schooner Sea Mew. With half the continent at war, and the Young Pretender recently landed in Scotland, the matter may be of critical importance.

After her guardian’s death, Anne Sinclair comes to town seeking a man with broad interests rather than broad estates. She possesses a competence and a pretty face, so why did her late guardian think it might be difficult for her to make a match? The question becomes urgent when she discovers that London can be perilous for a young lady of inquiring mind - especially when she has a hidden enemy.

Margaret is her brothers’ dependent. With her sister-in-law expecting another child and her younger brother soon to marry, Margaret will lose her home. When her former suitor offers her work as a governess, she accepts, despite misgivings. Unable to marry his first love, Alasdair abandoned his home for a disappointing military career. When his dying brother begs him to return, he agrees. He must protect his brother, the children, and the estate from his brother’s wife and her greedy family.

What can you look forward to when your only relatives call you ugly, unbalanced, and a scandal? What would you do if your only friend was threatened? Dependent on her half brother, the Earl of Lamburne, Adelaide knows. She wants to escape. Gervase Ducane, invited to Lamburne’s home to court his daughter, is torn. He needs to marry well and soon but not this spiteful chit. Should he buy a commission instead? Seek a wealthy merchant’s daughter? As a marquess’s brother, he has at least a noble connection to offer an heiress apart from his good manners.