Last Updated: 10/10/2005
Marion Chesney
THE ADVENTURESS 11/1987 ISBN:0312910614 Regency. At first, Emily Goodenough and her father, Sir George, appear to be exactly what t he servants at 67 Clarges Street are hoping for: respectable tenants to usher in a lucrative and uneventful Season. Only Rainbird, the butler, suspects that the new tenants' origins might be less than genteel, and when he realizes just where he has seen Sir George before, he vows not to get involved in the intrigues of this ex-butler and his "daughter," really a runaway chambermaid. Rainbird's resolve is tested, however, when he learns of the villainous Sir Edward Kirby's threats.
ANIMATING MARIA 2/1990 ISBN: 0312923430 Regency. Maria Kendall is stunningly beautiful, impeccably mannered, effortlessly graceful - in short, a perfect candidate for marriage. Thus all of polite London society is astonished that she is the latest charge of Amy and Effy Tribble, eccentric spinsters specializing in making matches for unmarriageable misses. But when Maria's suitors - among them the roguish and exceedingly aristocratic Duke of Berham - meet her vulgar and boorish parents, proposals of marriage invariably vanish. Now, the Tribbles face their greatest challenge - taking on, not only Maria, but the hopelessly common Kendalls as well.
THE BANISHMENT 2/1995 ISBN: 0449224198 Regency. Isabella Beverley is blessed with unparalleled beauty but, unfortunately, has been raised in the most snobbish and haughtiest of families. And when her father gambles away their fortune - including Mannerling, the exquisite family mansion - Isabella discovers there is very little sympathy for her plight. As the eldest, Isabella is chosen to court Mr. Judd, the roguish bachelor who won Mannerling. Surely no sacrifice is too great to regain Mannerling? But tempting her away from Mr. Judd is Lord Fitzpatrick, an Irish rake who fears Isabella can never love a man as she does her home - but is nonetheless determined to convince her to choose man over manse!
BEATRICE GOES TO BRIGHTON 10/1991 ISBN: 0312927940 Regency. The unsinkable Miss Pym returns to the English stagecoach in search of adventure and troubled hearts... With her delightful schemes and discerning eye, she never fails to strike a match by journey's end... Lady Beatrice Marsham is in quite a coil. No sooner is she widowed from a brutish gambling husband, than her heartless family is forcing her into another horrid marriage. Fleeing by stagecoach to the Brighton seaside, the proud beauty meets Miss Hannah Pym, who is determined to find her a proper match. The handsome and kind Lord Alistair Munro would be perfect. Unfortunately, he is convinced of the ton gossip that proclaims Lady Beatrice a cruel flirt. Miss Pym, however, is not worried. The lady's hard heart has softened much since coming to Brighton - and though Lord Alistair disapproves of the old Lady Beatrice, by Miss Pym's clever design, he is sure to fall in love with the new and improved model...
BELINDA GOES TO BATH 2/1991 ISBN: 0312926421 Regency. No sooner does Miss Pym board her next stagecoach tan she finds herself embroiled in the plight of Mill Belinda Earle, a spirited heiress banished to Bath after swearing off the marriage mart! When the coach founders near Baddell Castle, and the dashing Marquess of Frenton comes to the rescue, Miss Pym decides to give fate a hand! Although the austere bachelor disdains romance, his furtive glances toward Belinda prove to Miss Pym that her expert matchmaking will soon turn this star-crossed couple into a heavenly match.
DEBORAH GOES TO DOVER 1/1992 ISBN:0312069529 Regency. Destined for Dover, Miss Pym has her matchmaking work cut out for her when she encounters the pretty but hoydenish Lady Deborah Western! Encouraged by an unruly twin brother, the spirited, golden-haired Deborah seems set on dressing and acting the tomboy, much to the dismay of her handsome neighbor, the Earl of Ashton. To Deb, the earl is a dull stick, always lecturing on the behavior of a proper lady. But her desire to fish, hunt, and ride astride is quickly replaced with more romantic notions when the tall, green-eyed earl challenges her to a horse race and wins himself an unforgettable kiss. Miss Pym is certain the stunned girl is quite ready for more feminine pursuits, and with the help of her clever maneuverings, Lady Deborah will soon be well and truly matched - perhaps even to the earl himself!
THE DECEPTION 12/1995 ISBN:0449225593 Regency. It was an unfair decision--to be forced to choose between her home and her heart... When one of her sisters is attacked by Harry Devers, the lecherous son of Mannerling's present owner, Abigail Beverley puts her obsession with reclaiming the mansion on hold. And then Abigail meets the dashing and extremely eligible Lord Burfield, fresh back from the army and in full-time pursuit of a bride. Yet unexpected circumstances force the insufferable Harry Devers to recuperate from a riding accident in the Beverley home, where Abigail's twin sister Rachel nurses him back to health - and into betrothal. Stirred from its brief slumber, Abigail's fury returns, alive and kicking. So when Rachel begins to have doubts about marrying Harry, Abigail devises a daring plan to win back Mannerling once and for all. But perhaps Abigail would be better off concentrating on Lord Burfield, lest he be snapped up by Prudence Makepeace!
THE DREADFUL DEBUTANTE 1/1995 ISBN:0449222616 Regency. Arranging a season for an unruly miss who descended to drawing rooms by sliding down banisters was a challenge at best -- especially since the hoydenish Mira had a sister of incomparable grace and beauty. Mira wasn't daunted at all by the ton and its ridiculous marriage mart. Her heart belonged to Lord Charles, who had been the object of her dreams since she was a child. Alas, Charles had eyes only for her ever-perfect sister, Drusilla. At the sidelines, the Marquess of Grantley was enjoying Mira's jealous antics -- although pushing her sister into the fountains had practically ruined her social cachet. It was up to him to restore her to respectability and make her an eligible bride once again. Yet when he succeeded, the lovelorn marquess began to wish he had left well enough alone....
EMILY GOES TO EXETER 11/1990 ISBN:0312925824 Regency. An unexpected inheritance lets the delightful Miss Hannah Pym take to the roads of England. With her kind heart and irresistible charm, she could change the course of young love forever. A dead employer's legacy of five thousand pounds allows spinster Hannah Pym to resigning housekeeping and find adventure traveling the English countryside by stagecoach. But adventure soon finds Miss Pym in the form of Miss Emily Freemantle, a spoiled violet-eyed beauty fleeing an arranged marriage to a 'rake' she's never met. When the girl's darkly handsome betrothed boards their stage, Miss Pym is certain Emily was rash to bolt from this aristocratic catch! As soon as the travelers repair to an inn, Miss Pym begins her matchmaking. And although Lord Ranger Harley complains he'll not marry an ungrateful minx, Miss Pym suspects once she's marshaled the couple into sharing intimate household chores, all romantic knots will be untangled.
ENLIGHTENING DELILAH 7/1989 ISBN:0312921578 Regency. The School for Manners, finds the Tribble sisters, Amy and Effie, once again entangled in the machinations of the marriage mart. The formidable but lovable spinsters, who earn their livings by sponsoring young girls and finding them husbands, take on the case of Delilah, a beautiful, mindlessly flirtatious country heiress. What puzzles everyone is why such a beauty is unmarried at 23, and why she is ensconced in the London school of the zany Tribbles. The answer is found in the handsome person of Sir Charles Digby, returned from the Napoleonic Wars and startled to learn he is the cause of Delilah's single state, but eager to remedy it.
FINESSING CLARISSA 10/1989 ISBN:0312922833 Regency. Amy and Effy Tribble are matchmakers extraordinaire, but when Clarissa Vevian is sent to their School for Manners, the redoubtable Tribbles fear they have met their match. How can they possibly polish this potentially lovely, very tall girl? Yet it is not Clarissa's extravagant height that dissuades courtship so much as her awkward demeanor. For at her approach, tea tables totter, stemware shatters, lamps and bellcords are wont to perish - and prospective suitors take to their heels, for safety's sake! Enter the dashing Earl of Greystone. The gallant bachelor is intrigued by this unconventional miss. Of course, his interest is merely brotherly, but the Tribbles are certain the new Clarissa will change that. And a kiss in the dark inspires Clarissa to agree.
THE FOLLY 8/1996 ISBN:0449287750 Regency. The pampered world of the six Beverley sisters came crashing down when their father gambled away the family's exquisite estate, Mannerling. Each sister secretly dreamed of marrying some new owner of their old home and getting it back. Three have wed, happily choosing love over Mannerling. Like her sisters, Rachel, too, wishes to regain Mannerling. Now a new and most eligible bachelor has taken up residence: the handsome Charles Blackwood. But a bad first impression, a calculating Incomparable, and other intrigue stand between them--along with an undeniable passion. . .
THE HOMECOMING 12/1997 ISBN:0449287777 Regency. Lizzie is the sixth and youngest daughter of the late Sir Beverely, the patriarch who gambled away their beloved estate, Mannerling. Each of Lizzie's sisters had been entrusted by their ambitious mother to cast lures for the various owners of their former home. Instead, each one happily married for love. Now it's Lizzie's turn to save Mannerling. Yet the new owner, the Duke of Severnshire, is far too arrogant for Lizzie's heart. And while the duke has no intentions toward the saucy chit, her curt dismissal of him is perplexing--for no woman has ever refused him! Now, as his lavish house party to select a bride becomes a whirlwind of mismatches and scandal, lovely Lizzie is turning the duke's own thoughts away from a suitable marriage--to the wonders of falling in love!
THE INTRIGUE 8/1995 ISBN:0449224201 Regency. Mannerling, the splendid family estate gambled away by Sir Beverly, remains the passionate desire of his daughters. The mantle of family savior now falls to daughter Jessica. How fortunate that the new owner of Mannerling has a marriageable son. How unfortunate that Harry is a lecher, a drunkard, and a wastrel.
LADY MARGERY'S INTRIGUE 6/1980 ISBN: 0449216594 Regency. The petite Lady Margery at age twenty-three has graced the rows of wallflowers for many a Season. Except for Charles, the Marquess of Edgecombe, the only man who ever danced with her, Lady Margery has nothing to do with men; what's more, she does not even like Charles. Bored beyond words, she firmly decides this to be the end of it and returns to the comfort of her only love, Chelmswood, her home. But comfort she does not find. For her once-handsome, middle-aged father has taken himself a dim-witted brat of nineteen as his bride.
THE LOVES OF LORD GRANTON 2/1997 ISBN: 0449222608 Regency. As the youngest of four unmarried vicar's daughters, Frederica feared her destiny was to die of tedium in the sleepy village of Barton Sub Edge. Her looks deemed "unfortunate," her willful notions damned as "difficult," she never dreamt the arrival of a rake would challenge her fate in the most surprising way.For Frederica and the worldly gentleman from the city, Lord Granton, had something in common: boredom. And thus a secret friendship was formed. Frederica lived vicariously through his tales of adventure while he found a delightful respite from the simpering females thrown his way. But when had their summer idyll turned to love? When had a country miss become a breathtaking lady? Worse, what the devil was a certified rogue who was much too old for her going to do about it?
MARRYING HARRIET 7/1990 ISBN: 0312924208 Regency. Amy and Effy Tribble try to put Lord Charles Marsham and Miss Harriet Brown together as much as possible to push them towards love and marriage. Once again the Tribbles would be praised for their wonderfully successful matchmaking. But Harriet isn't at all concerned for her own success in marriage: she's trying to find suitable husbands for the Tribbles instead! Harriet and Lord Charles join forces to accomplish this feat, but soon find themselves falling in love...
MILADY IN LOVE 6/1987 ISBN:0449209326 Regency. Poor Lord Anselm, the dashing bachelor was plagued with female wards. Just when he'd fobbed off the last brat, another appeared to take her place!...She's a saucy miss with a mind of her own, and marry her off he must!
THE MISER OF MAYFAIR 4/1986 ISBN: 0312906897 Regency. Truth be told it was a matter of economy that drove the staff at Number 67 to become masters of matchmaking. But that is a well-guarded secret...and it all begins when the mysterious Miss Fiona and her frumpy Scottish uncle take the lease for the Season...Miss Fiona is more beautiful than any titled lady in the ton. But her dazzling loveliness is, alas, her only fortune. It is enough to tempt a nobleman-but surely not to marriage! And poor Fiona has already fallen in love, far above her station, with the haughty Earl of Harrington. Is heartbreak or ruin to be her fate? There is one slim hope: the servants contrive a daring plan of deception to make a snobbish Earl lose his heart to an orphan lass.
MISS DAVENPORT'S CHRISTMAS 11/1993 ISBN: 0449221733 Regency. The Davenport sisters were alone, without even a dour-faced maid to supervise their strict puritanical devotions. Then the elder, flame-haired Gillian, boldly decided it was high time they let their hair down. So, with the help of a kindly relation, the two daring misses exchanged their somber attire for modish gowns and hairstyles that would surely give their parents apoplexy! But the best was yet to come: plum pudding, eggnog, carols, and a most breathtaking tree. The Davenport sisters reveled I the rituals of Christmas - and in the selection of handsome gentlemen who decorated the festivities! But when Gillian was caught under the mistletoe by Lord Ranger Marden, she discovered things her mother had never dreamed of telling her...
MISS FIONA'S FANCY 7/1987 ISBN: 0451149939 Regency. It was a challenge that Miss Penelope Yarwood, Euphemia Perkins, and Letitia Helmsdale all smugly informed her that the Marquess of Cleveden was at once the most-eligible and the most elusive catch in the London marriage mart. Society's most dazzling beauties had failed to win him, and a newcomer like Fiona had not a ghost of a chance to make him look at her twice. That was all that fiery-tempered Fiona had to hear, and she bet-far more wealth than she possessed- that she would snare the maddening marquess before the seasons end. Now Fiona faced the risk of losing a wager she could not pay-and the even greater danger of losing her heart...
THE PAPER PRINCESS 12/1987 ISBN: 0449213412 Regency. London was aflutter to have in its midst the exquisite Princess Felicity of Brasnia. What scandal would ensue should the ton discover that the bejeweled heir to a royal throne was in truth Miss Felicity Channing of Cornwall, fleeing the match arranged by her wicked stepfather! But how long could Felicity carry off this lively masquerade? Especially since the dark, raffish eyes of Lord Arthur Bessamy seemed to look straight through her disguise - and set her spirited heart to pounding...
THE PAPER PRINCESS-THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN 9/1994 ISBN: 0449223078 Regency. The Perfect Gentleman - From the top of his faultlessly groomed head to the tips of his fashionable shoes, Lord Andrew Childe was every inch the perfect gentleman. Alas, Andrew's arrogant composure was soon shattered by the impertinent Penelope Mortimer, an achingly lovely country miss with a decided knack for ruffling his lordship's feathers. Her nose for trouble seemed to land Lord Andrew into the most awkward situations...and love quickly became the most precarious of them all! The Paper Princess - London was aflutter to have in its midst the exquisite Princess Felicity of Brasnia. What scandal would ensue should the ton discover that the bejeweled heir to a royal throne was in truth Miss Felicity Channing of Cornwall, fleeing the match arranged by her wicked stepfather! But how long could Felicity carry off this lively masquerade? Especially since the dark, raffish eyes of Lord Arthur Bessamy seemed to look straight through her disguise - and set her spirited heart to pounding...
PENELOPE GOES TO PORTSMOUTH 7/1991 ISBN:0312927207 Regency. Upon receiving a considerable inheritance from her late employer, Miss Hannah Pym exchanged her career as a housekeeper for a life of travel on England's perilous stagecoaches, known in 1800 as "Flying Machines." With two exciting journeys behind her, the middle aged spinster has earned quite a reputation for adventure-and for helping young couples to find romance...
THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN 6/1988 ISBN: 0449213420 Regency. From the top of his faultlessly groomed head to the tips of his fashionable shoes, Lord Andrew Childe was every inch the perfect gentleman. Alas, Andrew's arrogant composure was soon shattered by the impertinent Penelope Mortimer, an achingly lovely country miss with a decided knack for ruffling his lordship's feathers. Her nose for trouble seemed to land Lord Andrew into the most awkward situations...and love quickly became the most precarious of them all!
PERFECTING FIONA 1/1989 ISBN: 0312025777 Regency. Amy and Tribble can only ponder why Miss Fiona Macleod was placed in their charge at their School for Manners. For there seems to be nothing about the young heiress that needs perfecting. She is demure, refined-and turned many a handsome head at her first Society ball, where London's ton waiting in eager attendance. But when left to her own devices, dear Fiona is an incorrigible flirt, a feisty-tempered lass determined to shock and anger her suitors with her outspoken discourse-on the most unspeakable topics! For Fiona has no intention to marry, not even when the Season's most unattainable bachelor, Lord Peter Havard, turns his rakish eyes to her. But when their heated banter turns to fiery kisses, Lord Peter might persuade her to reconsider...
PLAIN JANE 10/1986 ISBN:0312903235 Regency. With each London Season, an enchanting romance moves into the fashionable town house at #67 Clarges St. And there below the stairs, the Staff has a special mission--to arrange a match, to hatch a scheme, to bring love home..
PRETTY POLLY 10/1988 ISBN:0449213439 Regency. What a pretty pickle she'd got into--and it tasted more sour by the moment! Blessed with beauty, Mrs. Manners never bothered with the lesser skills of grammar and spelling. So, in order to entrap a second husband, namely the dashing Duke of Denbigh, she needed Miss Verity Bascombe. Surely the modest chit would be honored to write her love letters. Poor Verity! Her old schoolmate was as selfish as ever. But the lovely girl's gilded pen soon had the duke most intrigued by the poetic Mrs. Manners! But alas, what began as a tiny deception became troublesome indeed - for Verity soon found herself enamored of the handsome duke herself!
RAINBIRD'S REVENGE 5/1988 ISBN: 0312912943 Regency. John Rainbird, the shrewd and resourceful butler at 67 Clarges Street befriends Jenny, suggesting she look in the mirror a little less often. The result: a mischievous scheme that will insure Jenny's social success and determine the fate of the close-knit family of servants in this rousing finale to Chesney's highly praised series A House for the Season.
RAKE'S PROGRESS 6/1987 ISBN: 0312910363 Regency. Lord Guy Carlton, late of His Majesty's regiment and weary from the war in France, has only wine, women, and song in mind when he rents Number 67 for the Season. A notorious rake, this follows the attempts by his house servants led by the inimitable Rainbird to find a "good woman" to reform his black soul.
REFINING FELICITY 10/1988 ISBN:0312022883 Regency. The funds for their School for Manners were frightfully meager when they advertised to "Bring Out a Wild, Unruly or Undisciplined Daughter" for a London Season. Indeed, their first client, Lady Felicity was as undisciplined as she was beautiful....
THE ROMANCE 4/1997 ISBN: 0783883854 Regency. Belinda Beverley has seen four of her sisters marry for love rather than to reclaim their home, but she is certain her pragmatic nature will win out, and win Mannerling for the Beverleys. Unfortunately, this means becoming the bride of Lord Luke St. Clair, a childish fop more interested in the latest fashions than he is in marriage or Mannerling. Surely, however, that would be a small price to pay for fulfilling her destiny as a Beverley and restoring her family to the splendors of their ancestral home. If only the feminine wiles that captivated Lord St. Clair didn't cause the handsome, sophisticated Lord Gyre to keep looking at Belinda with such contempt.
THE SCANDALOUS LADY WRIGHT 8/1990 ISBN: 0449217620 Regency. Marriage to a loathsome brute was vile enough -- now she was accused of his murder! Fashionable society regarded Sir Benjamin Wright with utmost honor and respect. Yet Lady Emma knew her husband was, in fact, a drunken, jealous brute who delighted in humiliating her both in and out of the bedroom. His murder was a blessing -- until the constable's accusing finger pointed at Emma. But it soon became apparent that her late husband had secrets...and enemies. When the practical comte Saint-Juste arrived on the scene offering his services, Lady Emma was about to discover what the French dedication to l'amour really meant.
THE SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE 2/1992 ISBN: 0449219925 Regency. Lucy Bliss was told she'd make an excellent Clergyman's wife... Her mother, however, had loftier aspirations for her lovely younger sister Belinda. Belinda would marry a duke. More specifically, the Duke of Wardshire. Lucy was truly horrified. "Lucifer" Wardshire! Why, he was rumored to be as wicked as the devil, with orgies and mistresses - and worse!.. As the London Season unfolded, Lucy couldn't decide who was more abominable, her vulgar mama or the arrogant yet disconcertingly handsome duke. No matter, Lucy vowed to go to any lengths to protect her sister, even if her mission should take her into the very arms of the devilish duke himself...
THE SINS OF LADY DACEY 4/1994 ISBN:0786203021 Regency. The ton could only speculate how a pair of turtledoves would cope as the guests of the scandalous Lady Dacey. Surely she would attempt to corrupt them--an act that both Pamela Perryworth and Honoria Goodham would welcome in their rigid, joyless lives. Though Mrs. Perryworth is married--most unhappily--and the young Honoria has a cloying tendency to read scripture, the purity and loveliness of both ladies inflame the senses of two notorious rakes. Mr. Sean Delancy loses his heart at first sight of the fair Mrs. Perryworth, while the disreputable Duke of Ware is quite disturbed by the innocent Honoria, who dares to tempt his jaded heart.
SIR PHILIP'S FOLLY 11/1993 ISBN:0816174148 Regency. A group of poor but well bred people who live in Poor Relations Hotel turn to crime when they run out of funds. Sir Philip brings in another poor relation, Mrs. Budge, who is a drain on their resources because she eats all day long. It is up to the poor relations at the Poor Relation Hotel to deal with the lazy Mrs. Budge, find Arabella a husband, and trounce her terrible mother!
THE SUMMER OF DISCONTENT short story in SUMMERTIME SPLENDOR 7/1992 ISBN: 0515108774 Regency.
THE VISCOUNT'S REVENGE 11/1983 ISBN: 072784184X Regency. he handsome, arrogant Lord Charles Hawksborough desperately wanted to catch the infernally insolent thief who had held him up at pistol point on the King's highway and ridden off with his family's fabled jewels.
THE WICKED GODMOTHER 2/1987 ISBN: 0816144001 Regency. Lovely but penniless Harriet Metcalf is aghast when a nobleman's will names her guardian of his snobbish twin daughters when they come out during the next London Season! But is innocent Harriet wily enough for the intrigues of the ton-or its two most eligible bachelors, the Marquess of Huntingdon and Lord Vere? Harriet sees them as suitors for the twins, while the gentlemen see only Harriet's charms. Soon she is falling in love with one of the dashing rakes... but a cruel betrayal will be her ruin unless the Clarges Street servants can save a lady's honor when she loses her heart.
YVONNE GOES TO YORK 6/1992 ISBN: 0312078927 Regency. The shy miss Yvonne Grenier, a beautiful fugitive of the French Revolution, is quite terrified when a dangerous enemy boards her stage to York. Luckily, Miss Hannah Pym is also on board. Ever the matchmaker, Miss Pym sees the answer to Yvonne's plight in the hands and heart of another passenger...the Marquis of Ware.
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