Chemsworth Hall Series by Kate Archer

“The whole scheme hangs on you, my love. ”. So begins Lady Mulholland’s directive to Henry Granger, her one and only son. He is to bring suitable gentlemen home from Oxford and he is to make all haste. There are seven daughters to be married—Violet, Rose, Daisy, Marigold, Lily and the twins, Poppy and Pansy—an undertaking that will span a decade. Lady Mulholland, however, is not faint of heart... more“The whole scheme hangs on you, my love. ”. So begins Lady Mulholland’s directive to Henry Granger, her one and only son. He is to bring suitable gentlemen home from Oxford and he is to make all haste. There are seven daughters to be married—Violet, Rose, Daisy, Marigold, Lily and the twins, Poppy and Pansy—an undertaking that will span a decade. Lady Mulholland, however, is not faint of heart. She devised her plan on a long ago evening when she happened to look down her dining table and note precisely how many daughters were to be had. She is confident of its success, as she is confident in all of her plans. Whether her daughters will cooperate is another matter entirely. Violet, her eldest daughter, is a scholar. She is shrewd enough to guess at her mother’s schemes and bold enough to thwart them. Lord Smythesdon, invited to the house under false pretenses, considers himself a leading intellectual. He also considers that particular quality to be a man’s purview. As he says, there is no fact ruined faster than hearing a female spout off about it. As Violet is in the habit of spouting off quite a lot, there could not be a more ill-omened beginning. Smuckers, the fearless butler, is determined to do his bit for his mistress. He will rally the below stairs staff and enact some schemes of his own. Despite his outward bravado, he secretly fears that, in this particular instance, Lady Mulholland shall be defeated. This disturbs his peace for, as he well knows, if Lady Mulholland is not happy, nobody in the house is happy. Chemsworth Hall follows the fortunes of the Granger family in all their delightful eccentricity. Let the games begin. .. Kate Archer is the author of 30+ regency romances, including The Dukes' Pact six book series, A Series of Worthy Young Ladies six book series, A Very Fine Muddle six book series, A Series of Senseless Complications seven book series and The League of Meddling Butlers six book series. less

Book 2 of the series, Chemsworth Hall. “The whole scheme hangs on you, my love. ”. So began Lady Mulholland’s directive to Henry Granger, her one and only son. He is to bring suitable gentlemen home from Oxford and he is to make all haste. There are still six daughters left to be married—Rose, Daisy, Marigold, Lily and the twins, Poppy and Pansy—an undertaking that will span a decade. Lady Mulholland, however, is not faint of heart... moreBook 2 of the series, Chemsworth Hall. “The whole scheme hangs on you, my love. ”. So began Lady Mulholland’s directive to Henry Granger, her one and only son. He is to bring suitable gentlemen home from Oxford and he is to make all haste. There are still six daughters left to be married—Rose, Daisy, Marigold, Lily and the twins, Poppy and Pansy—an undertaking that will span a decade. Lady Mulholland, however, is not faint of heart. She devised her plan on a long ago evening when she happened to look down her dining table and note precisely how many daughters were to be had. She is confident of its success, as she is confident in all of her plans. Whether her daughters will cooperate is another matter entirely. While her sister Violet is now happily married to Lord Smythesdon, Rose Granger may be more of a challenge. She considers herself bold and not constrained by society's opinions. If she deems a person horrible, she may very well say it aloud. More than once. Naturally, she expects no less from any gentleman worthy of her notice. HE is to be prepared to violently throw down his napkin at the slightest provocation. Edwin Hamilton is in the habit of rushing off in bold action. In fact, he is renowned at Oxford for leading a rabble to get his friend reinstated. He is also renowned at home for the same, as his father had to pay for the resulting property damage. He also happens to owe Smythesdon a hundred pounds from cards, and is happy to visit Chemsworth to clear the debt. Who better for Rose Granger? When a scheme dreamed up by Poppy and Pansy Granger goes awry, the house is thrown topsy-turvy. Chemsworth Hall's intrepid butler, Smuckers, will do his best to stand with the house and help Lady Mulholland gain her aim. However, it will be up to Rose to discover the truth, and discover what is really in her heart. In the spirit of Nancy Mitford, Chemsworth Hall follows the fortunes of the Granger family in all their delightful eccentricity. less

Viscountess Mulholland is determined to see her goslings settled well but she has an abiding distaste for Town. A London season is most definitely out. Fortunately, her only and eldest son attends Oxford and is in a position to bring home eligible gentlemen. When he is pressed sufficiently. Her eldest, Violet, is already wed to Lord Smythesdon after a bit of a rocky ride, including the obligatory broken bone. Rose, the second in line, positively despised Mr... moreViscountess Mulholland is determined to see her goslings settled well but she has an abiding distaste for Town. A London season is most definitely out. Fortunately, her only and eldest son attends Oxford and is in a position to bring home eligible gentlemen. When he is pressed sufficiently. Her eldest, Violet, is already wed to Lord Smythesdon after a bit of a rocky ride, including the obligatory broken bone. Rose, the second in line, positively despised Mr. Hamilton until he threw his napkin down. Then she hopped in his carriage. Now it is Daisy’s turn and Chemsworth Hall’s intrepid butler is girding his loins. Everybody in the house is well aware of what Miss Daisy Granger seeks. He must be a tragic individual who is inclined to write gloomy and poignant poetry. Everything in this gentleman’s life will be darkness until he meets Miss Granger. She, and only she, will have the remarkable ability to cheer him. Mr. Smuckers really does not know where Henry Granger is to dig up a tragic poet who is amenable to being cheered. Tristan Blackwood, Marquess of Hemmings, eldest son of the Duke of Kenilworth, has been fawned over all his life. It is the fate of a gentleman who will be a duke, as everybody wants something from him. That insight, discovered long ago, has prompted him to spend much time writing dark verse condemning the ways of the world and, in particular, the mendaciousness of women. When it is proposed to him that he can test that theory, he is on his way to Chemsworth Hall with his friend, Mr. Wendall, in tow. One of the gentlemen will become a duke and one will become a baron with rather modest holdings. Which is which, though, and who will Daisy Granger choose? less

Lady Mulholland proceeds in all confidence with her quest to see her girls well settled. It is a rather comfortable quest, as she’s thrown the task in Henry Granger’s lap. Her son is to bring suitable gentleman home from Oxford for her daughters’ inspection. So far, he’s stumbled his way through it, despite the odd broken bone, madness in the family line, and switched identities. Now though, the highest hurdle looms ahead of him... moreLady Mulholland proceeds in all confidence with her quest to see her girls well settled. It is a rather comfortable quest, as she’s thrown the task in Henry Granger’s lap. Her son is to bring suitable gentleman home from Oxford for her daughters’ inspection. So far, he’s stumbled his way through it, despite the odd broken bone, madness in the family line, and switched identities. Now though, the highest hurdle looms ahead of him. Marigold Granger has always considered herself the odd man out amongst her sisters. She is not delicate, she has little acquaintance with the feminine arts, and she has only recently been convinced that she cannot live in her filthy riding habit. Baths, once fought off with the virility of a polecat, are now a more regular occurrence. The one thing Marigold has always excelled at is horses. She can ride anything, as evidenced by her mastery of The Turk. She is fiercely protective of that creature and will threaten bodily harm to anyone wishing to go near him. Of course, her habit of being out on her horse without a groom means nobody in her family has certain knowledge of where she goes or what she gets up to. She has not mentioned any particular person she might be in the habit of encountering. Theodore Mayberry, Viscount Winkelman, eldest son of the Earl of Farraday, has been lured to Chemsworth Hall to see a horse. The Turk is said to be an eighteen-hand Desert Norman who is unlike anything he has seen before. He cannot think of a better way to escape the studies he has not been studying. His father sent him to Oxford as he did not believe his son was accomplishing anything by riding round the Northumberland countryside all day long. He certainly would not find a bride there. At least, not a bride the Earl would approve of. James Weston is the son of a local squire. He’s been casually encountering Marigold Granger while out riding for years. Or not so casually, as he does wait around quite a bit until he spots her. They began as childhood friends, but his feelings have grown into something more. He is bound to go unrequited though, as Henry Granger has brought another one of his friends home. So far, those friends have ended up walking off with one of the viscount’s daughters. Now it’s Marigold’s turn. An evening paying homage to Henry Tudor, an elopement that involves several people rushing in different directions only for nobody to elope, a mysterious trip to Town, and unfortunate neighborly speculations seem to doom any hope of a happy ending. But on the other hand, perhaps an unusual brooch might straighten the whole thing out. less