Brambridge Series by Pearl Darling

Sometimes hiding is the best way of being found… Miss Agatha Beauregard has a theory about men. In fact she has a theory about almost everything. Rescued from the dreary confines of Hope Sands by the powerful Lord Henry Anglethorpe, and launched onto the ton as his sister’s companion, Agatha is determined to make use of her new found freedom by letting loose her scientific tendencies. But Henry makes it clear he does not want the attention Agatha’s scandalous activities bring... moreSometimes hiding is the best way of being found… Miss Agatha Beauregard has a theory about men. In fact she has a theory about almost everything. Rescued from the dreary confines of Hope Sands by the powerful Lord Henry Anglethorpe, and launched onto the ton as his sister’s companion, Agatha is determined to make use of her new found freedom by letting loose her scientific tendencies. But Henry makes it clear he does not want the attention Agatha’s scandalous activities bring. As spymaster for the British government, he has been charged with tracking down the latest foreign agent to infiltrate London. However when the War Office also command him to take a bride, he finds he has only one lady in mind. As Agatha hides from the results that her latest experiments have brought, Henry pursues her from one scandalous event to another. But before he can pounce, it becomes explosively clear that his future bride’s affections are engaged elsewhere, and she may not be all she claimed to be… less

Some star-crossed love is worth waiting for… Miss Harriet Beauregard never wanted to be a teacher, but fate dictated otherwise. Despite trying to direct her pupils in Romeo and Juliet, she is very much aware that a) life is dull, and b) love as expounded by Shakespeare does not seem to exist. But then the man whom she has thought about every day for two years, her knight on his black charger, comes back to Brambridge... moreSome star-crossed love is worth waiting for… Miss Harriet Beauregard never wanted to be a teacher, but fate dictated otherwise. Despite trying to direct her pupils in Romeo and Juliet, she is very much aware that a) life is dull, and b) love as expounded by Shakespeare does not seem to exist. But then the man whom she has thought about every day for two years, her knight on his black charger, comes back to Brambridge. Only the newly returned Lord James Stanton doesn’t treat Harriet like a princess. He has just one desire: to thumb his nose at his father’s ghost and paint the Brambridge Manor study mustard yellow. Instead he finds that as usual his father has had the last laugh. Someone or something is desperately trying to stop him inheriting the estate, whilst his anonymous superior at the War Office wants him to undertake one last mission to find out who is killing riding officers in Brambridge. It’s almost laughable that James keeps getting distracted by Harriet, the village’s dramatic school mistress, for she was the last person seen near where the first riding officer was killed… less

The greater the defeat, the sweeter the ultimate victory… Miss Melissa Sumner had only ever wanted to be an apothecary, someone who helps people. Instead, a mysterious entity called the Viper is menacing Melissa for money and the intimidating Earl Hades Harding, a man whom she danced with just once at her only ton outing, imprisons her in his house. For Hades, catching the Viper for the War Office and holding them in his home was easy enough... moreThe greater the defeat, the sweeter the ultimate victory… Miss Melissa Sumner had only ever wanted to be an apothecary, someone who helps people. Instead, a mysterious entity called the Viper is menacing Melissa for money and the intimidating Earl Hades Harding, a man whom she danced with just once at her only ton outing, imprisons her in his house. For Hades, catching the Viper for the War Office and holding them in his home was easy enough. But infuriatingly, the alluring individual begins to take over his decidedly male domain. She makes friends with the kitchen staff, rearranges the furniture and, worse, outside the bodies still pile up. As Hades’ potent proximity continues to unsettle Melissa, she knows that she must escape his house, and in so doing offer Hades what every man has wanted from her. But Hades has other ideas. Determined not to be defeated by anyone, he must work out just who exactly the Viper is, whilst playing for the ultimate victory of them all, the ownership of his heart... less

Some bonds are made to be broken… Leader of the ton and secret investigator, Lady Victoria Colchester has almost always lived life by the rules – the rules of her deceased husband. But to her horror, none are of any use when she is besieged by the deliciously heated advances of Bill Standish, a jumped up blacksmith who persists in calling her his little cream doughnut. Victoria, though, is the ideal woman for Bill. He always thought he knew who he was until he inherited Brambridge Manor... moreSome bonds are made to be broken… Leader of the ton and secret investigator, Lady Victoria Colchester has almost always lived life by the rules – the rules of her deceased husband. But to her horror, none are of any use when she is besieged by the deliciously heated advances of Bill Standish, a jumped up blacksmith who persists in calling her his little cream doughnut. Victoria, though, is the ideal woman for Bill. He always thought he knew who he was until he inherited Brambridge Manor. Caught between trying to find Pedro Moreno, the successor to the Viper’s secrets, and running his new estate, marrying the icily beautiful and indolent Victoria seems the best way to give him his rightful place in society. But Bill’s campaign is derailed when Victoria turns the tables and unwittingly stokes the fires of passion between them. As Victoria’s latest investigation collides with Bill’s mission the strength of their attraction escalates as both face breaking the bonds that hold their lives apart… less