Showing results by narrator "Alexandra Lee Smith" in All Categories

Elizabeth Bennet knows that marrying a gentleman of high birth would allow her to reclaim the social status she lost when her father died. Having been approached by men falsely proclaiming their affection for her, she embraces the opportunity to set the terms of her marriage openly and honestly. After meeting Mr. Darcy and his sister, Elizabeth is determined to give them the home and care they deserve. Believing she and Mr. Darcy have a common understanding of what their union will be like, she has high hopes for a happy future.

When Elizabeth Bennet's parents attempt to force her into a marriage of convenience for the sake of her family, she flees to make her own future. Will circumstances and their families conspire to keep Darcy and Elizabeth apart, or will they unite to take them on together?

When Netherfield Park is let at last, the village of Meryton is inveigled in romance, intrigue, and a few less-than-happy reunions. The Bingley siblings return to the home of their youth, an estate purchased just before the death of their father. The neighborhood, especially the Bennet family, is ready to welcome them back with open arms, but Mr. Bingley’s attempt to make a good impression on his community backfires so badly that it is his awkward friend Mr. Darcy who is obliged to salvage the situation in the aftermath of Mr. Bingley insulting Jane Bennet at the Assembly.

Duke Vincentino, the ruler of Vienna, fears that under his mild sovereignty, the people may have become lazy and lax. He decides to “go over cover” in the disguise of a monk and appoint his deputy, Angelo, who is a reputed paragon of virtue, as temporary ruler. On assuming power, Angelo inaugurates draconian provisions regarding sexual propriety. One of the first victims of this new regime is young Claudio, who has impregnated his lover Juliet, and is accordingly sentenced to death.

Antonio, a wealthy and popular merchant, is in financial difficulty. He approaches a Jewish money lender, Shylock, who agrees to provide 3000 ducats, with a very curious bond – a pound of the merchant’s flesh, to be levied if Antonio fails to make a timely repayment. Feeling confident that his argosies will arrive in time to cover the debt, Antonio agrees to this bizarre transaction.

The Wiccan moves ever closer to the destruction of the Society and humankind. Desperate to possess the Compendium, she looks to its creator - Perenelle Flamel.

Dora Wentworth is born out of wedlock in one of the poorest parts of Liverpool. Abandoned by her family, she is brought by God into the arms of a childless fisherman and his wife. But life is cruel, and when an accident prevents the fisherman from working, they are forced to give her up to the orphanage. As Dora grows, neglected and alone, she almost gives up on her dreams of one day having a home and a love she can call her own. Then, through the kindness of a stranger, Dora discovers that there is always hope and embarks on a path that might finally lead her to the family she has dreamed of.

Pearl Acton’s worst fears are coming true. She’ll be trapped in a loveless marriage—just like her parents—as her family seeks to quickly marry her off to the wealthy Mr. Clarence. Until an encounter with a quiet and soulful heir sparks a fragile hope that somehow Pearl might aid her family and marry for love.

The young Emissaries go in search of the islands of Palmyra, Poveglia, and Lundy as Madame seeks to rescue her daughter.

Mrs. Claudine Grant married when she was 18 and lost her husband less than six months later to the ravages of war. Her heart is too bruised for anymore foolish whims, and she's determined to never marry again.

Deserted by a selfish man, and driven to the workhouse, young Annabel and her midwife mother face a harsh and hopeless future. A critical situation for the workhouse governor then opens a door of deliverance for them both, but it seems that revenge and bitterness hound their every step.

From an early age, Penelope Fowler dreams of escaping the grip of poverty. She helps her servant mother in the Eglinton House but prays one day she will be free to decide her own destiny.... Young Master Martin Eglinton accompanies his father to Peru and is horrified to discover that his family runs a cruel empire. Seeing the brutality of the fortune he is heir to, Master Martin’s return is wracked with guilt and sickness.

Hobart Hucklebuck looked out the window. There was his 103-year-old grandfather, hanging upside down from a Tallyho tree reading a comic book. And that was just the beginning. Colonel Screevy Scuttlebutt thinks giant gophers are invading the town, Pernacious Prattfall thinks pirates left treasure in the Pennywhistle Park pond, and—hold on to your garters—is that Quoquandriak the halfling wearing a tutu? Someone is at it again, and things look bleak for the citizens of Pennywhistle! But here come Hobart Hucklebuck and his friends. Can they save the village one more time?

The Wiccan has been plotting an attack against the Society for hundreds of years and has finally discovered the secret location of their home, the Sanctuary. Tom, Zoe, Charlie, Stephen, and Alexander are torn from their ordinary lives and thrown into their predestined roles as the new generation of Emissaries within the Order of the Society, guardians who protect the world from dark supernatural forces. These young heroes rally to survive with the help of the old generation, their Custodians, and the Great Cats to save humanity from the malevolence of the Wiccan.

‘Look.’ She tilted the marionette’s body to the inquisitive flame. ‘It’s as if the Thames did the painting for me. And anyway, when people watch our shows, the dragon changes colour in their hearts. I think they mind-paint the dragon in the colours of their dreams.' Always on guard for Big Ben’s call that announces the dangerous Pea Soup fog is on its way, Wren spends her days searching the Thames foreshore for little treasures while her dad tries to earn a feeble living by performing in the Piazza of Covent Garden.

Clarissa Driscoll teaches accomplishments to the children of the gentry. But she was once the Earl of Kinsford’s equal in society, and she refuses to let him browbeat her. If Clarissa is a tad eccentric, well, the earl is a bit overbearing. These two strong wills make sparks fly.

Zoe’s petulant temperament erupts and Tom makes the decision to keep her in isolation while the other Emissaries set off in search of the final two keys of Light and Darkness on the island of Lundy. However, the Wiccan has other plans.