Marian Ware's future seems settled. For two years she's been engaged to a naval lieutenant, now due home within weeks. But before she weds, Marian accepts her cousins' invitation to join them in town for the social season. Lady Formsby has generously arranged for Marian to study with the masters at the Royal Academy. As a dedicated painter, Marian can be relied upon to provide steady, sensible company to her impulsive younger cousin Katie, who has been relishing her debut. All of London is thrilled with Napoleon's abdication and the celebratory visits of foreign princes. Yet Lord Sidley's return from the war has created an equal sensation. The earl's looks, charm, and dashing reputation intrigue both cousins. Katie vows to marry Sidley, and indeed, as the last of his family, he must choose a bride. But there is another reason for the widespread fascination with Lord Sidley's Season. And Marian soon discovers how easily plans, and hearts, can be overturned.

A routine visit to the estate of Sir Eustace Lawrence quickly draws Charles Cabot into Lawrence family tensions: middle daughter Margaret has an obsessive stalker in the powerful, sadistic earl of Sutcliffe, but in spite of Meg's determined coolness, both she and Charles feel stirred by romance, and Charles, dressed in his aristocratic finery and flanked by his high-born cousins, baits Sutcliffe to show his hand.

When illness curtails his Continental tour, Myles, Lord Hayden retreats to England's bucolic lake country. He finds refuge in the home of Everett Whyte and his charming daughter, Anne. A herbalist and healer, Anne thinks of Myles is simply another patient-- or so she tells herself. When her father's trips into the countryside assume a mysteriously troubling aspect, can she trust Myles to help resolve her difficulties... or does he present one of his own?

Decades of war with France are over and Napoleon Bonaparte is safely confined on Elba. Yet Major Lord David Trent finds his homecoming far from peaceful. His father, the Duke of Braughton, is determined to see his son wed, and he has a very specific bride in mind: his neighbor's daughter. David cannot recall that the neighbor even has a daughter, much less one he might find appealing! And after years spent fighting on the Peninsula, he is in no mood to be ordered to court anyone. Wilhelmina Caswell has always been in love with Lord David, as her family is well aware. Her preference, and the designs of both their fathers, would seem to make the match inevitable. But as the spring of 1815 advances along with an emboldened Bonaparte, a looming battle threatens thousands of lives and one growing love at Waterloo.

This play takes readers back and forth between the 19th and 20th centuries. Set in a large country house in Derbyshire, a cast of characters from each century play out their respective dramas.

On a splendid August afternoon Susanna Osbourne is introduced to the most handsome man she has ever seen . . . and instantly feels the icy chill of recognition. Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, is utterly charming—and seemingly unaware that they have met before. With his knowing smile and seductive gaze, Peter acts the rake; but he stirs something in Susanna she has never felt before, a yearning that both frightens and dazzles her. Instantly she knows: this brash nobleman poses a threat to her heart . . . and to the secrets she guards so desperately. From the moment they meet, Peter is drawn to Susanna’s independence, dazzled by her sharp wit—he simply must have her. But the more he pursues, the more Susanna withdraws . . . until a sensual game of thrust-and-parry culminates in a glorious afternoon of passion. Now more determined than ever to keep her by his side, Peter begins to suspect that a tragic history still haunts Susanna. And as he moves closer to the truth, Peter is certain of one thing: he will defy the mysteries of her past for a future with this exquisite creature—all Susanna must do is trust him with the most precious secret of all. . . .

Richard Marksley, home from the Peninsular War, is used to correcting the errors and excesses of his aristocratic relations. But this time his dissolute cousin Reginald, the Viscount Langsford, has truly gone too far. Posing as Richard, Reggie has compromised the reputation of a young gentlewoman and left Richard to right the situation. Richard would much rather be pursuing poets for his publication, The Tantalus. But his sense of responsibility and family honor make it impossible for him to turn his back on the situation, and he's determined to find a remedy--short of his actually marrying the girl! Hallie Ashton has limited choice. Her uncle is convinced that she has gone astray, and with Richard, not the truant Reggie. With her family pressing for a wedding, the demands of proper society threaten to steal her future and seal her fate. If she could explain the situation to Marksley herself, she might find him to be a useful ally. But that would require revealing the secret closest to her heart.