All eyes are on Lady Tamina Braithwaite as she dazzles the cream of London society at a masked ball. Dressed as a bird of paradise, even the sumptuous silks of her costume cannot detract from the glow that love has given her. In love for the first time with a handsome young politician, it would appear that they are a couple destined for great things. But is she the only one who is pretending to be something other than she is? Underneath Tamina’s frothy exterior there is an intelligent young woman who values truth and loyalty above all else. A …

The handsome and debonair Marquis of Raventhorpe is known throughout the Beau Monde as something of a ladies’ man, until he falls under the spell of society beauty Lady Sarah Chessington. When he arrives at the Earl of Chessington-Crewe’s house to propose, he realises that Lady Sarah wants him only for his wealth and position, so he leaves in a fury, vowing he will never marry. By the wayside, he encounters and exquisite beauty, different from any woman he has ever met. In fact, she looks like an angel who has just fallen from heaven by mistake. She is the …

Lord Waincliffe breaks his horse’s bridle while riding one day and calls at the nearest house for help so he can ride home safely. It belongs to Terence Stourton, a professor of literature. He meets the professor’s daughter, Rosetta, who repairs the bridle for him Not only does he think Rosetta is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, but feels there is something unusual about her. Only when he returns home does he realise that she bears an extraordinary resemblance to his sister, Dolina. Lord Waincliffe and his brother, Henry, are finding it very difficult to afford their …

Sylvia, daughter of the Duke of Belham, is bored with the various young men she meets at Lady Lambourne's masked ball. She escapes their attentions and makes her way into the cool, moonlit garden, where she encounters a masked stranger. The following morning, Sylvia's father reveals that he has amassed such debts from gambling that the family can no longer maintain their high profile London life. They must return to Castle Belham and Sylvia realises that she will never see her mystery stranger again. At Castle Belham, Count Von Brauer enters their lives. In time, the duke loses a vast …

Arliva Ashdown is not only the most beautiful girl in London society but the richest, after inheriting her father’s huge fortune. At a ball she is giving, she overhears a couple and is horrified to learn that although they are very much in love with each other, the man says the only chance he has to fix his crumbling estate is to marry Arliva. She overhears another conversation between the Countess of Sturton and her unpleasant son, Simon. The countess insists that her son propose to Arliva, as they too need money to upkeep Sturton Castle. Arliva decides to hide …

Protected by loving parents, young, beautiful, and happy, Lady Ravina Ashley has the world at her feet. Unused to harsh words, she is taken aback when a stranger at a ball in London takes her to task for her behaviour toward a clumsy suitor. But Ravina hopes that one day she will fall madly passionately in love and refuses to think of marriage to anyone until then. With her parents away in the Balkans, Ravina leaves London to stay with her cousin, Dulcie, at the Ashley estate in Dorset. She is travelling with Sir Michael Moore, who has begged a …