Bøker av Mary Lancaster

A defaced portrait and the death of an artist - but is anything quite what it seems? To the furious disapproval of his assistant, April, Lord Petteril insists on calling in on Lady Haggard's country house party - only to discover his hostess and her guests in uproar over a portrait of the late Sir Weston Haggard which has been deliberately damaged. While Petteril tries to trace the vandal among the well-born suspects - who include members of his own family, old friends and enemies, and even amorous widows - April encounters fresh problems and makes new friends. But when real violence erupts, their hunt for the truth turns suddenly much more urgent...

A damaged hero battles love at first sight...Even experienced soldiers have their limits of endurance. For Major Roderick Vale it was Waterloo. Sent on enforced leave of absence after attacking his fellow officers, he returns with his siblings to the family home near Blackhaven in search of peace and healing and a little passionate distraction.The last thing he needs is to fall seriously in love with Lady Helen Conway, a heady mixture of youthful fun, beauty, and astounding artistic talent. She is also the youngest sister of the Earl of Braithwaite and Roderick could not be more unsuitable company for her.Helen disagrees. He fascinates and excites her. Neither his erratic temper nor his past mistresses - nor even his waking nightmares - appal her. She is brave enough to follow her heart and fight off all who would hurt him, even while trying to achieve her own dreams to become an artist of renown.The odds are stacked against them. But when Roderick finally fights for Helen, is it from honour or love? And can she settle for one without the other?One Night in BlackhavenThe Captain's Old LoveThe Earl's Promised BrideThe Soldier's Impossible LoveThe Gambler's Last ChanceThe Poet's Stern CriticThe Rake's MistakeThe Spinster's Last Dance

Is the ghost of a Jacobite bride the clue to murder? Duke's daughter Lady Grizelda and her gorgeous revolutionary husband Dragan are not in perfect charity with each other when he goes haring off from a family reunion to help a friend. But when he calls, Griz still rushes off to join him, taking their baby son with her. At Cathlinn House and its old castle ruin, she finds jealousy, mystery, murder and a tragic ghost that no one else can see. Despite the hostility of the uncooperative family, Griz and Dragan set out to discover how a young woman died. And on All Hallows' Eve, in the haunted castle ruins, they face dangers from the living and the dead... Crime & PassionMysterious LoverLetters to a LoverDangerous LoverLost Lover (Note: This story was first published as part of the Dragonblade Publishing Anthology, A Midnight Requiem, October 2022)

A chance-meeting of soulmates? Or is everything a lie?Betrothed since birth to some stuffy earl she has never met, Lucy is torn between family duty and a longing for love and fun. Naturally, she determines to enjoy her last days of freedom - and her first Blackhaven ball - to the full. Especially when she encounters the unusual Tyler who makes her laugh and takes her on apparently pointless adventures in search of stray puppies, suspicious strangers, and an escaping highwayman.In fact, Tyler also plays a risky game to change the world and find his own personal justice. Already in love, Lucy is happy to help.And then the truth spoils everything.Or does it?One Night in BlackhavenThe Captain's Old LoveThe Earl's Promised BrideThe Soldier's Impossible LoveThe Gambler's Last ChanceThe Poet's Stern CriticThe Rake's MistakeThe Spinster's Last Dance

His dashing days are behind him - until an old flame dances back into his life.A hero of Trafalgar and many battle since, Captain Julius Vale, has retired from the Royal Navy and moved himself and all his siblings back to the family home near Blackhaven. Here, wounded and disillusioned, he seeks peace for himself, and happiness for his troubled brothers and sisters. He does not expect to encounter the woman who broke his heart ten years ago, and he certainly does not mean to make the mistake of falling for her again.Antonia, now an impoverished widow and mother, is the paid companion of eccentric spinster, Miss Talbot, who is taking a course of the Blackhaven waters. Meeting Julius again is a shock. So is the fact that he clearly blames her for their parting when it was he who sailed away without a word of goodbye. And yet after only one dance, she begins to feel alive...Amidst the tangle of anger, hurt and reigniting passion, they gradually realize the truth. But it seems that the same forces that parted them ten years ago are determined to do so again.Unless they are strong enough this time to trust in each other.One Night in BlackhavenThe Captain's Old LoveThe Earl's Promised BrideThe Soldier's Impossible LoveThe Gambler's Last ChanceThe Poet's Stern CriticThe Rake's MistakeThe Spinster's Last Dance

A missing family heirloom - and one of the family stole it. In the spring of 1812, Piers Withan is dragged from his beloved Oxford to be the new Viscount Petteril. Burdened by responsibilities he doesn't want and the remnants of a family who don't want him, he is saved from an irredeemable mistake by Ape, the small thief burgling his house. When the family heirloom known as the Petteril Necklace is found to be missing, Piers seeks out his burglar to get it back. However, their search leads them to Piers's own family - entitled, resentful and largely indebted. Only, which one of them is the thief? As he uncovers the truth, Piers begins to find his feet and his old joy in life, not least in his burgeoning friendship with Ape, whose past is a mystery of its own.

From suspects to lovers...In the midst of a thick London fog, underworld chief, Joshua Jarman is found murdered in the bedroom of a poor seamstress.Lord James Andover, icily vengeful after three years in Newgate Prison, should be the prime suspect, but amateur sleuths Lady Grizelda and Dragan Tizsa, don't believe he did it. Neither does Elizabeth, the reclusive seamstress, who has her own dreadful past with the dead man.Uniting to discover the truth, the four search for stolen diamonds, face dangerous criminals, and investigate the likeliest suspects from the east end docks to the mansions of Mayfair. Until they begin to close in on both the murderer and the conspiracy that led to James's wrongful conviction.In the process, Elizabeth and Lord James fight a powerful attraction that neither want but find they cannot live without.But even with the whole truth revealed, in the real world, can a marquis's rehabilitated son find happiness with a banker's ruined daughter?Crime & PassionMysterious LoverLetters to a LoverDangerous LoverLost Lover

A determined earl, a penniless lady, and far too many ghosts... Justina is a debutante's poor relation, forbidden to disgrace the family by any insane talk of ghosts. When they are invited to Hillfoot Tower in Scotland, it seems her cousin Anne is destined to become a countess. However, it is not Anne but Justina who has captured the Earl of Ochil's interest. For he has a unique problem with the many ghosts who haunt his ancient castle. He needs Justina's gifts - and, it seems, her heart. (Note: This story was first published as part of the USA Today Bestselling Boxed set Upon a Midnight Dreary, October 2021)

Abandoned by all, save a cold-hearted rake...Sophia, once betrothed to Major Giles Butler, who shot the Duke of Cuttyngham in a duel, has become the companion of the widowed duchess. In theory, at least. But when the duchess also abandons Sophia at Cuttyngs, her past catches up with her in the shape of her bullying cousins. Sophia finds herself indebted to the late duke's second, the haughty Earl of Frostbrook, whom she remembers only too well from a previous shocking, and secretly pleasurable, encounter.Frostbrook, pursued by every matchmaking mama and hounded by his own mother to accept a bride of her choosing, decides to play a trick on them all by producing his own pretend engagement to the beautiful but prickly Sophia. Their charade at his mother's country house party sets off a string of unforeseen events such as falling in love, and a dangerous abduction.Frostbrook pursues Sophia across the sea and as far as Brussels, where Wellington's troops are amassing to face Bonaparte's army.Here, among the scandal-loving British visitors, he and Sophia must unite to overcome their pasts and find a chance of happiness.The DuelEntangledCapturedDesertedBeloved

Awakening life and love...On the sudden death of her oppressive father in a duel, the cool and distant Lady Hera Severne finds herself floundering in her new freedom, and instantly attracted to sardonic doctor, Justin Rivers. Determined to change her life, she travels incognito to Lincolnshire, to take up a post as companion to Lady Astley and learn about life.But nothing is as she imagined it. Her cover is useless against Dr Rivers, whose family lives in the nearby village. Lady Astley appears to have little need of a companion. Rather she wants a carer for her husband's strange but amiable adult ward. Noises in the night, mystery, suspicion, and locked doors eventually force her to flee with Justin's help - and her charge.Inevitable scandal follows them to Brussels, where Justin's duty lies. But Justin, tortured by past failures and growing passion for the unworldly Hera, knows he cannot offer marriage to one so immeasurably above him in rank and fortune.But can he resist Hera, who has other ideas and the courage to follow them through?The DuelEntangledCapturedDesertedBeloved

A deadly quarrel, an impossible loveOn his way to rejoin Wellington's gathering army near Brussels, Major Giles Butler fights a duel with the opinionated Duke of Cuttyngham. It was never meant to be a killing affair, and yet the duke lies dead at his feet. Determined to contribute to the final victory over Napoleon before standing trial, Butler bolts for the coast. En route, he unwittingly aids the lovely young Duchess of Cuttyngham to escape her gilded cage.Desperate to live a useful life, Rosamund has left her husband's cold and stifling house with the intention of becoming a village herbalist. She no longer believes in love or romance, especially not for herself, and yet by the time she learns of her husband's death - and the identity of his killer - she is already falling in love.Hopelessly entangled with each other, family machinations, officers of the law, and an unusual pair of eloping young lovers - to say nothing of Bonaparte's threat to the peace of Europe - Giles and Rosamund finally arrive in Brussels. But can they defy scandal and the law to be together?After all, how can a widow love the duellist who shot her husband?The DuelEntangledCapturedDesertedBeloved

From the fires of war, a new hero rises.Fifty years after Earl Malcolm MacHeth made peace with the King of Scots, the embers of rebellion remain half-hidden in Ross, ready to be ignited by ambition and resentment.From childhood, Affrica MacHeth has adored Ferchar, the son of a local priest. Complicated and clever, fun-loving and ambitious, Ferchar secretly becomes the center of her world, and a rare bond forms between them.But a path to happiness seems impossible. Family, war and rebellion get in the way. And when the last MacHeth rising against the King of Scots is led by her cousin, it is Ferchar, relentlessly loyal to the king, who leads the army against him.Ferchar would die to protect Affrica, but is love or ambition behind his offer of marriage? And when it matters most, can Affrica really choose Ferchar over her family?Last Flame of AlbaBook1: Rebellion's FireBook 2: A Constant BlazeBook 3: Burning Embers

When a storm blows off the North Sea and slams into the village of Fenwick on Sea, the villagers prepare for the inevitable: shipwreck, flood, land slips, and stranded travelers. The Queen''s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel. One storm, eight authors, eight heartwarming novellas.An Improbable Hero: Mary LancasterWhen Letty''s ship founders in a violent storm, she forges a rare bond with her rescuer.Simon is a troubled man on a final, deadly mission-until Letty makes him question everything. Hiding in plain sight among the refugees at The Queen''s Barque, Simon is more than capable of protecting them both. But when the floods recede, can either of them say goodbye?Lord Stanton''s Shocking Seaside Honeymoon: Cerise DeLandJosephine is so young. In love with life. His accountant in his work for Whitehall. Her father''s heir to his trading company-and his espionage network.Lord Stanton cannot resist marrying her. Far from home, amid a horrific storm, Stanton discovers that his new bride loves him dearly.The Tender Flood: Caroline WarfieldZach knows Patience is far above his touch. But he has been enchanted by her since she raced out of the storm and into the Queen''s Barque with a wagon full of small boys, puppies, and a bag of books. When the two of them make their way across the flooded marsh in search of a missing boy, attraction deepens. She risks scandal; he risks his heart.Before I Found You: Sherry Ewing Miranda has only one goal in life: to find a rich husband who can change her status from Miss to My Lady.Jasper has no plans to become infatuated during a chance encounter.Their connection is hard to dismiss, despite Miranda''s quest for a title at all cost. What if the cost includes love?The Comtesse of Midnight: Alina K. FieldMalcolm rescues a French lady smuggler from the surf during a devastating storm, and takes shelter with her. As the stormy night drags on, he suspects his companion knows the woman who holds the secret to his identity. When she admits who she is, she dashes all his hopes- and promises him new ones.Wait for Me: Rue AllynEnemies by nature- Esmeralda and Brandon have met and fought before.When a fierce storm creates a chance encounter and forced proximity, Brandon learns the pirate is a woman of serious honor. Esmeralda discovers the naval captain is more than a uniform stuffed with rules. Both love the sea with boundless passion, but can they love each other?A Dream Come True: Jude KnightVicar to a remote parish, Barnaby Somerville stretches his tiny stipend to adopt his orphaned niece and nephew and his time to offer medical care as well as spiritual. A wife is a dream he cannot afford.But the storm sweeps into his life a surprising temptation. God knows, he will forever be richer for having known Theodosia Conroy, even if he must let her go.A Kiss by the Sea: Grace BurrowesThaddeus Pennrith finds a way to recover from multiple griefs when he accepts the blacksmith''s post at Fenwick on Sea. Village life gives him a sense of belonging that Polite Society never could, though he must resume his aristocratic responsibilities soon. Along comes Lady Sarah Weatherby, refugee from an engagement gone badly awry, and Thaddeus is faced with both a compelling reason to reveal his titled antecedents, and a longing to keep them forever hidden.... 

Abandoned to the Prodigal is book 2 in the bestselling Season of Scandal series is now available! Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!Who knew that love could be fun?Ruined and abandoned by her betrothed, Lady Juliet has no choice but to take the stagecoach home to her family in Yorkshire. Fortunately, she is protected on the journey by a handsome and amusing self-styled "wastrel".Daniel Stewart - together with his enormous, unruly mongrel dog - is reluctantly answering a summons to his grandfather''s deathbed. But instead of the prodigal''s traditional fatted calf, he is presented with the miserly baron''s temper and a parcel of resentful relatives. Juliet faces recrimination and isolation in her own home.It isn''t surprising that Dan and Juliet seek solace in secret meetings to cheer each other up. Neither expects to fall in love.But is the unconventional Dan the solution to Juliet''s problems? Or just an added complication? For her powerful father seeks to rehabilitate her reputation through marriage, either to her faithless ex-betrothed or to the man who caused her ruin in the first place.Season of ScandalBook 1 - Pursued by the RakeBook 2 - Abandoned to the ProdigalBook 3 - Married to the RogueBook 4 - Unmasked by her Lover