A Certain State Of Marriage Series by Tania D. Shaw

The Earl’s Choice Kitty Davensea’s life is in crisis. Her older brother is missing in revolution torn France, and her stepfather has agreed her marriage to a notorious rake and gamester of his acquaintance. A plea to her mother has no other effect than to cause that much tried woman a bad case of the vapours. Since Kitty knows from bitter experience that Lady Veris is unlikely to leave her rooms, much less recover before the planned date of the wedding, she decides on drastic measures... moreThe Earl’s Choice Kitty Davensea’s life is in crisis. Her older brother is missing in revolution torn France, and her stepfather has agreed her marriage to a notorious rake and gamester of his acquaintance. A plea to her mother has no other effect than to cause that much tried woman a bad case of the vapours. Since Kitty knows from bitter experience that Lady Veris is unlikely to leave her rooms, much less recover before the planned date of the wedding, she decides on drastic measures. With no more than a bandbox and her maid, she runs to her godfather, her last hope in avoiding a future even worse than her present. The Earl of Layne has decided to escape the tedium of the London marriage mart to spend a few weeks at his estate in Cornwall. His aunt has again demanded that he marry, as is his duty, and kindly circled the most eligible ladies named on her shortlist. Considering the amount of time that was spent in compiling this list, not to mention carefully observing the virtues of each candidate, it is likely the earl’s aunt would have suffered an apoplexy if she’d seen it discarded to the fire after no more than a cursory glance, sharply raised eyebrows, and an indistinctly muttered, “Oh really, no, no, no!” So when Kitty’s godfather approaches the earl with a new candidate for his consideration, Layne decides he may as well meet the girl, as surely she can’t be any worse than his aunt’s selected ladies. And there starts an eighteenth century romp of romance and intrigue. less

The Black Sheep’s Saving Grace The storm accompanied him back to his ancestral home. A neglected and tumbled mansion of extreme proportions, swept by frigid drafts and haunted by weeping ceilings where tiles had long since given up their near vertical existence to fling themselves in dejected surrender to the cobbled courtyards below... moreThe Black Sheep’s Saving Grace The storm accompanied him back to his ancestral home. A neglected and tumbled mansion of extreme proportions, swept by frigid drafts and haunted by weeping ceilings where tiles had long since given up their near vertical existence to fling themselves in dejected surrender to the cobbled courtyards below. Rory had no clear memory of the numerous rooms, but recalled the terrible chill that had given him a lasting distaste for Northern England, before his mother had lifted him from his bed at the age of four, and stolen him away to Southern France. The greeting he received on arrival nearly thirty years later was unusual to say the least. A crazy young woman, wearing a torn gown, and brandishing a bloody knife, tearing towards him like a spectre of both faded and torrid colours; a drunken lord, bleeding profusely from his wound, and bellowing for vengeance; and an unconscious young man, dissipated beyond his years, who happened to be Rory’s only remaining paternal relation. And his response in return? Why, to throw back his head and bellow with laughter before drawing his sword and standing tall, with tawny head thrown back on wide shoulders, daring these occupants, and daring the Fates to try their luck. Because he was the Black Sheep, and would take no opposition to this much valued, and well earned title. But someone decided to save his soul, because she truly believed it was worth the effort of saving. After all, hadn’t he strode in with the storm wailing at his back, and by so doing saved her life? Grace admitted she’d not set herself an easy task, but Rory’s disturbing presence was by far preferable to the tedium of life before he’d returned, a wolf to the fold. (All books in the 'A Certain State Of Marriage' series are independent of each other, and can be read in any order). less

Unintended Consequences Unintended Consequences begins in dark despair, before romance and passion lift the story into a romp across eighteenth century Europe. In the dark of midwinter, as a blizzard iced and chilled the countryside, Maxim, the new Marquis of Sarlenne raged against Fate, and vowed revenge on the lord who had seduced, and then abandoned his young half-sister... moreUnintended Consequences Unintended Consequences begins in dark despair, before romance and passion lift the story into a romp across eighteenth century Europe. In the dark of midwinter, as a blizzard iced and chilled the countryside, Maxim, the new Marquis of Sarlenne raged against Fate, and vowed revenge on the lord who had seduced, and then abandoned his young half-sister. As he lay weeping amongst the blood of her death bed, the babe uttered a weak cry, lifting Maxim’s wet face so he could better see the life that had caused Louisa’s death. He felt he would hate this child, with its father’s blood pumping through the tiny body. But when Maxim wiped an arm across his eyes, and stared down at the scrap of humanity left so carelessly in a bundle of woollen shawls on the bare bedroom floor, a memory drifted unbidden into his mind. Carefully lifting the child, he saw not her, but Louisa, as she had been seventeen years before. Just a mewling, fair-haired babe, left to cry alone as their mother gave up her battle for life, and the entire household wept in their shared grief. And the empty chasm in his chest, which Louisa’s death had created, filled just a little with aching love for her child. But the need for revenge didn’t fade. The Duke of Danseere has many vices, and is careless of his sins. He has become impatient for his marriage to the beautiful Lady Jessica Verone, who, although affianced to him from the cradle, has continually managed to delay the planned joining of their fine families for three seasons. But no longer. The wedding date is now set for just a few weeks time, to coincide with the last days of the season, and the waiting is almost at an end. When Maxim arrives during a grand ball to celebrate the coming wedding, he has only one thought in mind. And that is to avenge his sister’s abuse and subsequent death by way of a duel. But when he sees his enemy’s affianced bride for the first time his plan undertakes a dramatic change. Why not serve up the same dish for the duke, rather than force a public quarrel on him, as had been his intent? Steal this cold beauty away on the eve of their wedding, and use her as the duke had used Louisa, until he bored of the girl, and sent her back, damaged goods, to her fiancé. All books in this series can be read independently of each other. less

The Viscount’s Travelling Companion The Viscount’s Travelling Companion is set within the turbulent times of the French Revolution. As a young English lord hides in France during the spring and summer of 1793, waiting for an opportunity to return across the channel, his most challenging task becomes the protection of the companion he wouldn’t desert... moreThe Viscount’s Travelling Companion The Viscount’s Travelling Companion is set within the turbulent times of the French Revolution. As a young English lord hides in France during the spring and summer of 1793, waiting for an opportunity to return across the channel, his most challenging task becomes the protection of the companion he wouldn’t desert. And the friends he became separated from, when he once again chose Celeste’s safety over his own, experience their own adventures during those months. Whilst back in England, their families refuse to give up hope. On 21st day of January, in 1793, Louis XVI of France was executed. There followed months of unrest on the streets of Paris, where no person of noble birth was safe, and many were arrested before they could flee. Some were placed under house arrest until a decision was made to move them to more secure imprisonment until their trials, and some were hauled off in the night to face a swifter end. The young Marquis of Jarville had stayed in Paris in the hope the Queen and her young son would be allowed to leave the country. His father had been a great ambassador, and he sought to follow in his sire’s footsteps, brokering a deal with the new politicians. If his father were still alive, he would have told him the uselessness of such a task, and advised his son to flee while he still could. But Arnaud was stubborn, and more than a little in love with his beautiful Queen, despite her many flaws. On the day he finally accepted all his efforts were in vain, and thought to pack and leave for his estates in Southern France, the mob arrived at his door. And from there he thought his fate was sealed. But Arnaud hadn’t considered the recklessness of his English friends, or the strength of their bond. While every Englishman of sense had already fled France, three young gentlemen entered it, along with a Frenchman, who had been a lifelong servant to one of the company. Together, they planned and achieved Arnaud’s escape, and headed towards the coast, and a certain smugglers’ bay. And all would have gone so well; the sea returning them to English soil within a week of the successful escapade, if they’d not decided to save a small group of refugees also heading for the coast. For the Comte de Tresourie and his party were being hunted far and wide across the region, and the larger group was so much harder to move on without notice. Hidden in amongst them, dressed as a young lad, was the Comte’s daughter, Celeste. And when the point came that the friends could escape, but leave Celeste behind, the Viscount Davensea was forced to make a choice that could lead to all their deaths. Although set during traumatic times of change and great danger, this is a Romantic Romp, which can be read as a standalone, or following on from ‘The Earl’s Choice’, and ‘Unintended Consequences’. less

Evern Dark sins and misery have surrounded Evern for several generations, and the dowager duchess is consumed by an obsession to end the true line, and regain her old home. Once so sure of succeeding in her goal after years of patient manipulations and spiteful games, her plans are thwarted when her grandson brings home a bride... moreEvern Dark sins and misery have surrounded Evern for several generations, and the dowager duchess is consumed by an obsession to end the true line, and regain her old home. Once so sure of succeeding in her goal after years of patient manipulations and spiteful games, her plans are thwarted when her grandson brings home a bride. Vincent, the Sixth Duke of Evern is known to be a coldly dispassionate man, whose past, so it is whispered, is littered with nothing but sordid scandals and secret sins. His brooding presence puts fear into the hearts of many gentlemen, and guilty excitement within the breasts of a number of ladies of his acquaintance. But his chilling gaze considers his peers with unbiased boredom and disinterest. As his grandmother most eloquently phrases it, ‘Vincent is a soul quite lost, and very happy to remain in just such a state.’ A chance encounter with a young lady escaping from her cousin’s care opens up a new avenue, and stirs awake a side to the duke that has slumbered for many years. Whether he offered marriage out of a sense of honour, or just as a passing whim, no one is sure. But most of Society seem to agree that such a bargain could never have been solicited by kindness, or any tender emotion for that matter, and pity the beautiful young lady now held within his power. But Melita formed her own quite unbiased opinion of her saviour right from their first meeting. Although very young, and with the innocent appearance of an angel, she has witnessed more of the darker side to human nature, and indeed of the world in her short and disjointed life than many much older society ladies would ever be aware exists. She considers herself to have been rescued at the eleventh hour, and is determined to repay her new husband by doing all in her power to make him content in their marriage. For what she sees behind his mask is the lost and damaged boy who was so brutally neglected by his warring parents many years before, and not the frozen hearted lord most of his acquaintance are used to avoiding whenever possible. Melita’s cousin, Lord Brecan, is also haunted by the past, and makes a solitary figure riding across the heathlands of Hampshire, dwelling on the reputation he gained whilst still a young man, and doing nothing to stop it becoming ever blacker. His obsession torments him, as do his ghosts, and he neither knows nor seeks an escape. But when he follows his cousin to London, Brecan is offered an alternative from a most surprising quarter, and finds another world can exist between a woman and a man when he surrenders to Kate’s plan. Once returned to Evern, the new duchess settles down to married life, surrounded by her friends, and content within her husband’s regard. But the Fates haven’t finished their game with her life, or with Evern, and the storm clouds are gathering, just as the dowager waits for the opportunity to turn her final card. And Melita unknowingly delivers the ace into her twisted rival’s hand just a year after her marriage, leaving no player safe in the Final Act. ‘Evern’ is an Eighteenth century romance, with shades of dark and light throughout. less

The Spirit Stone Used and discarded by the man she’d been promised to, and betrayed by her family, Estelle’s life is forfeited when she is thrown towards the arms of Death. But Fate intervened, using Sir Gabriel Horsham as the tool to lift the near-lifeless woman from the cold waters, and take her back to Avaley, his ancestral home... moreThe Spirit Stone Used and discarded by the man she’d been promised to, and betrayed by her family, Estelle’s life is forfeited when she is thrown towards the arms of Death. But Fate intervened, using Sir Gabriel Horsham as the tool to lift the near-lifeless woman from the cold waters, and take her back to Avaley, his ancestral home. Once secure in the ancient manor house, Estelle awaits the birth of her unwanted child, and her twenty-first birthday, when she will gain the means to achieve an independent future. But even this knowledge can’t lift the dark depression threatening to overwhelm her, and only the connection she now feels towards her host has the power to tear Estelle away from thoughts of Death. Sir Gabriel’s life has had its share of tragedy, for he has witnessed the deaths of his parents and his siblings, and lost the lady he was betrothed to when he returned home from war as a young man with the unsightly addition of a scarred visage. Since that time he’s chosen to live a mainly lonely existence on his country estate, which borders the wild Yorkshire moors. But right from the first, Estelle awoke his protective instincts, and the more time Sir Gabriel spends with his lovely guest, the less he’s able to face the thought of a future without her. In desperation he offers Estelle a marriage of convenience, never dreaming she could ever come to feel more than friendship and affection for him. Sara has lived to regret her foolish decisions and actions fifteen years before, and despite her acknowledged beauty, she can find no real worth in herself in the eyes of men. Her husband treats her with placid tolerance at the best, and seemingly cold indifference at the worst, and Sara has played too long this game to know how to end it. But her return to Yorkshire stirs up more than memories of her youth, finally opening her eyes to the bitterest of truths, and forcing decisions that could make or break her future. And Sara isn’t the only one to return to Yorkshire that year, awakening the chill mists and dark spirits of the moors. For some things were left unfinished before, but now will be brought to a close around the Spirit Stone. ‘The Spirit Stone’ is an Eighteenth century romance with shades of darkness. less

The Italian Connection Evern is revisited in this late Eighteenth Century romantic romp, which also brings back on to the stage the Marquis of Sarlenne and his beautiful wife, Lady Jessica. Lord and Lady Sarlenne finally decide to return to England after spending several years at their Italian property. In tow they have their three children, and a young lady requiring their escort to safely reach her guardian’s care... moreThe Italian Connection Evern is revisited in this late Eighteenth Century romantic romp, which also brings back on to the stage the Marquis of Sarlenne and his beautiful wife, Lady Jessica. Lord and Lady Sarlenne finally decide to return to England after spending several years at their Italian property. In tow they have their three children, and a young lady requiring their escort to safely reach her guardian’s care. The French revolution has made travelling across Europe more hazardous during the past few years, and so Isabella was unable to journey to England immediately following her father’s death the previous year. But having befriended Lady Jessica, she gratefully accepts a passage on Maxim’s yacht for the journey. No one is more surprised than her guardian, Lord Torisseur, when he receives first a letter informing him of his estranged half-brother’s death and his subsequent guardianship of his Italian niece; and then the arrival of his lively ward. For a more unsuitable guardian would be hard to find. And Lady Jessica, quickly realising this, decides to accept the offered hospitality of the Duke and Duchess of Evern, so relieving Torisseur of personally having to manage the affairs of his pretty niece, at least for the time being. The usual routines of Evern, and of the neighbourhood are thrown into chaos by Isabella’s arrival on the scene that summer, with every young gentleman in the district wooing the twenty-year-old heiress. But her heart is won by a most unlikely candidate, who, to be fair, initially wasn’t even considering, let alone trying to win her hand. For Sir Benedict, fast approaching his thirty-eighth year is well aware that what he needs is a mature and steady wife, who will have nothing more than his comfort and his wishes in the forefront of her mind. And not all is tranquil in the Earl of Brecan’s household. For the earl and his wife have reached an impasse in a most important difference of opinion. Just which of them is the most stubborn on this marital subject would be hard to tell. But Lady Kate, with her subtle plays and stately beauty is determined she will be the victor no matter how devious and manipulative a game she has to resort to. In fact, in this Eighteenth Century romp there are times when the adults quite out do the children’s antics. ‘The Italian Connection’ is an Eighteenth Century romp, with tongue in cheek humour, amid romance and passion. less

When Cerise marries the lord she has been betrothed to since birth, she has no hopeful daydreams of romance, or wishes for an adult future any better than the harsh reality of her childhood. Which proves to be just as well, since her new husband, on first lifting the heavy veil and viewing her petrified expression demonstrates his furious distain by leaving her standing alone in the chapel... moreWhen Cerise marries the lord she has been betrothed to since birth, she has no hopeful daydreams of romance, or wishes for an adult future any better than the harsh reality of her childhood. Which proves to be just as well, since her new husband, on first lifting the heavy veil and viewing her petrified expression demonstrates his furious distain by leaving her standing alone in the chapel. Over the following weeks she rarely sees Simon, and at first is grateful for his total lack of interest, and prays nightly that he continues to visit his mistress’ bed, rather than come to hers. For the Fifth Earl of Sommers, and lord of Crescent Court terrifies his bride with his brooding moods almost as much as her drunken and embittered father’s violence always has. But by the time spring finally comes to settle her earthy breath upon England, Cerise’s fear is beginning to fade away, along with the harsh winter, allowing her to experience trust and love for the very first time. And as the earl stays ever more at his country estate, it seems a thaw has also begun within his shadowed soul, bringing a new acceptance of his forced marriage. Even the betrayal of his friend, Lord Erran, is bearable when Cerise is close by, and when grief brings Simon to his knees, and back home to his bride, their future can truly begin to unfold. Olivia, the Duchess of Easterly, doesn’t bear well the hurt caused by the earl’s loss of interest in her. In an attempt to strike back at her former lover she decides on a play without fully considering the consequences. Those consequences threaten her very existence when her husband witnesses the seeming commencement of a new affair with his hated cousin. For Lord Erran, it was a twisted sense of responsibility, interlinked with a compulsion to shame his cousin, which resulted in him stealing Olivia away, right from beneath the duke’s nose. Theirs is a story of deep friendship, rather than passion, as the couple travel from Paris to Rome, leaving drifting waves of gossip and rumour behind them. But such notoriety has a way of tarnishing all it touches, and threatens Olivia’s sudden chance of future happiness. While back in England, the Secret Sin still lies threateningly over Crescent Court. This is an unashamedly passionate love story less