The Seldon Park Christmas Novellas Series

It's the Christmas season and Lady Amelia St. Vincent, spinster sister of the Devil Duke of Enwright, finds herself in something of a quandary.  While attending Lord Raynecourt's annual holiday house party she has been relentlessly pursued by a veritable army of men after her hand in marriage.  Not to mention her obscenely sizeable dowry.  She is at her wit's end when the dashing Lord Fitzherbert Frost, the current Earl of Houghton, appears as if by magic and comes to her rescue, saving her from yet another fortune hunter. Now paired with Lord Frost during a rather absurd treasure hunt through the manor house, Amelia must decide if she is willing to trade one night in the earl's bed for a lifetime of ruination.  Or whether the magical power of love can melt even the frostiest of hearts before it is too late.

Lady Lucy Cavendish is in a bit of a quandary.  Her uncle, the current Earl of Wellsford has abandoned her at a coaching inn outside of London with no money and no way to contact her contracted fiancée, Archibald St. Vincent, the younger brother of the Duke of Enwright.  Except that Lucy quickly learns that not only is Archibald not coming to claim her, but that a far worse fate than abandonment awaits.  She is to be sold to a house in Covent Garden to work as a prostitute rather than marry anyone.  Desperate and alone, Lucy strikes out on her own, hoping to make her way to Fairhaven, the spring residence of the duke, and throw herself on his mercy.  Or the mercy of his staff, at least, for as it's nearly Christmas, it's doubtful that the duke would be anywhere near a home he only uses a few weeks out of the year. Adam St. Vincent, the Duke of Enwright, is furious.  His brother has concocted yet another nefarious scheme, and this time, he doesn't think he can buy his brother's way out of trouble.  Things become even more complicated when the lady in question arrives at Fairhaven where Adam is waiting for his brother.  Cold and wet, it's clear the lady is ill and needs medical attention, so Adam whisks her off to his home at Overlook Hill to recuperate.  He might be called the Devil Duke, but he's certainly no monster!  Not to mention that it's the only proper and decent thing to do.  Only things are never quite as uncomplicated as they appear and soon, it becomes clear to Adam that he must marry Lucy in order to keep her safe and out of Archibald's hands.

It's Twelfth Night and Lady Amelia Banbrook, the daughter of the esteemed Earl of Hollinworth, finds herself in a bit of quandary.  She is in love with her family's country neighbor, the perennial bachelor, Lord David Rutledge, the Earl of Weatherby.  Friends since their youth, Amelia is convinced that there is no possible way that David returns her love, no matter how much she might wish it or if he even remembers the night when her feelings for him changed. As the renowned Earl of Weatherby, David Rutledge is used to women falling at his feet.  All except for the one he most desires, of course - Lady Amelia.  The house party he has planned for Twelfth Night has done little to help his cause with Amelia, much to his chagrin. With title-grasping women chasing after him, can he find a way to seduce the woman he loves and make her understand that his love is real and not just some fleeting Christmas infatuation?  Or will fear keep them apart and drive him into the arms of another?

Lord Beaufort McCandless, the Marquess of Kingsford, has lived much of his life kept away from proper Society.  Born with mismatched eyes, Beau’s parents thought him the product of a gypsy curse and when he developed a stutter in his youth, they were certain of it.  Hidden away at his family’s ancestral home along the Suffolk coast, Beau has grown up nearly alone and convinced that he truly is the monster his family has long believed him to be.  Now, however, his parents are gone, taken by a fever, and Beau must somehow find the courage to return to the world outside of his castle walls. Beautiful but penniless, Lady Dinah Crestfield is on her way to become governess to the unruly children of a duke in the wilds of Norfolk.  The daughter of a baron, she was once pampered and celebrated for miles around until her father died in debtor’s prison over unpaid gambling debts.  She had once imagined a very different life for herself, one lived in the glittering lights of London.  Now?  She will take whatever respectable job that is offered to her, no matter how far away it is from the place she most longs to be. When her carriage overturns near the entrance to the notoriously reclusive Marquess of Kingsford’s home, Dinah is forced to either seek shelter with the so-called “cursed marquess” or freeze to death.  Can she swallow her fear long enough to spend a few nights beneath the man’s roof?  And if she does, is she brave enough to see past what others term his “unnatural” appearance to the man that lies beneath?

Lady Katherine Oakley, the widowed Countess of Crossbury, has decided that she needs a drastic change in her life.  Considered old and undesirable by much of Society, she has spent the last several years sitting on the edges of ballrooms.  Even her job writing for the gossip sheet, Town Tattler, as the infamous Madame C. brings her little pleasure these days.  At a loss, all Catherine can envision for her future is a life of empty, endless parties and even more empty and endless nights alone.  So when her good friend Lord Candlewood offers to make arrangements so that she might reside one last time at Hollywell, the grand castle that once belonged to her family, for the length of the Christmas season, Catherine eagerly agrees. French nobleman Julian Valette, cousin of the infamous Comte De La Croix, has grown tired of chasing his thieving cousin across England in an attempt to regain his rightful title.  Instead, he has recently taken up life as a gentleman farmer at the behest of his old friend Lord Candlewood.  While Julian occasionally longs for the sparkle of London, for the most part he is content at Hollywell, his castle by the sea and the activity the nearby village provides.  So when a strange woman arrives at his doorstep claiming to be the dowager Countess of Crossbury and insisting that the castle is, for the Christmas season any way, her home, Julian is more than a little befuddled.  And more than a little attracted. Can Julian and Catherine sort out the misunderstanding quickly or are both of them stuck with each other through Twelfth Night?  Provided they don't kill each other in the meantime, of course.

Lady Grace Rowe, the dowager Countess of Colbourne, is ready to indulge in an affair.  Still in the late blush of youth and after a loveless marriage to a man old enough to be her grandfather, she believes that is the least she deserves.  She also believes that the dowager Duchess of Winterset's "Night of a Thousand Stars" ball at Highburn Castle during the Christmas season is the place to conduct such an affair – if only she knew who she wished to conduct it with! Lord Marcel Blanchard, Count Aris, is half French, half English and not the sort of man given to brief affairs.  Lonely and searching for a place to call home, Marc isn't certain that he wants a wife, but he does know he desires something more permanent than one night in a lady's bed. When Grace and Marc meet in a shadow hallway with Highburn Castle, sparks fly between then.  She wants an affair.  He doesn't know what he wants.  The only thing they are both certain of is that they want each other.  Is there a future for them outside of the magical Christmas castle or is one night together all they will ever have?

Eight years ago, Lord Colin Thorne rescued a young woman from a convent at the direction of the Home Office – a woman who was destined to become his partner in the art of spycraft.  Now, after unexpectedly inheriting his brother's title, Colin is expected to give up his life's work with Thera and settle down, which includes announcing his engagement to a woman he barely knows on Christmas Eve. For the last six years, Teresa Barrington has done her duty to Crown and country by Colin's side and never regretted a moment of it, even when doing so cost her more than she should have been willing to give.  Now it's time for Colin to begin a new life, but this time without her by his side.  She, in turn, is about to embark upon a new life as well, when she is introduced to Society as the long-lost granddaughter of a duke. However, parting ways is something that both Colin and Thera are finding easier said than done.  Can they both somehow make peace with their proposed new futures, or will they give in to temptation and the magic of the holiday season as it winds its way around them at a Christmastide house party that is legendary for producing love matches? This 42,300-word novella, which is a companion piece to the "Tales From Seldon Park" series, is written in the modern, Regency romance style for a slightly hotter and sexier read.  It may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Much to the dismay of nearly everyone, Lady Charity Thorne and Lord Campbell St. John, Viscount Sutton, have been friends since childhood.  In fact, they are so close that they confide in each other about everything, including their families' demands that they marry.  Just not each other, of course.  That would be unseemly.   Campbell does plan to wed – eventually.  Though, by the time the annual Night of a Thousand Stars Christmastide ball at Highburn Castle arrives, Charity is facing a difficult choice – marry the man her father has selected for her or become a spinster.  Determined to know a lover's touch at least once, Charity sets out to have an affair during the house party and she wants Campbell's help to accomplish her goal.   However, an errant kiss between the two shatters what has always been the perfect friendship.  As Campbell takes on the role of Charity's temporary lover, can either of them come to terms with their changing feelings?  More importantly, will their new-found love survive beyond the house party and Highburn's magical holiday spell?   This 68,600-word novella, which is a companion piece to the "Tales From Seldon Park" series, is written in the modern, Regency romance style for a slightly hotter and sexier read.  It may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

In a secluded London library, Lord Eli Queensbury committed the ultimate sin – he kissed his best friend's sister and fell madly in love.  As a spy for the Crown, he should have known better, so he did the only thing he could.  He cut off all contact with the woman who had held his heart since childhood.  Now, however, Eli finds himself at her family's castle for Christmastide on a matter of great urgency.  He also has to hope that the woman he spurned doesn't toss him out into the snow before he can complete his mission.   One magical spring night, Lady Christi Thorne gave away her heart to her childhood friend, Eli Queensbury, who then turned around and smashed that same heart to bits.  She hopes that spending the Christmas season with her family at Highburn Castle will help her heal and move on with her life.  However, when Eli appears at her front door in the middle of a blizzard, she can't decide whether to kiss him or slam the door in his face.   As Eli attempts to win Christi's forgiveness, secrets from his past threaten to destroy any chance he has with the woman who has always held his heart.  Can Christi forgive Eli for breaking her heart?  If she does, can she also accept the truth of who he is or will this lord's Christmas wish forever be denied?   This 73,700-word novella, which is a companion piece to the "Tales From Seldon Park" series, is written in the modern, Regency romance style for a slightly hotter and sexier read.  It may not be appropriate for younger audiences.