Louisa Stanley dropped her vanity case and opened her arms to greet her. ‘Bella,’ she said. ‘I’m so glad I’m here. The coach was stifling and I had to sit opposite the same gouty reverend the whole way here.’ Bella grimaced sympathetically. ‘Oh dear,’ she said, then clasped Louisa in a bear hug. ...
The embroidery needle she’d held lay dangling over her knee by a thread. Amelia stood at the drawing-room door, her hands pressed together before her as if in prayer, a pose that was probably intended to mask the ridiculously low and inappropriate neckline of her dress. Only a tiny scrap of lace ...
I’m borne along on a tide of chatter and fantasy. All day we’ve trawled over spreadsheets and haggled percentages in both pounds and yen. I want nothing more than to slope off to my hotel room and slide back into the dream that none of this matters. But my companions are eager for cocktails and c...
Aunt Clara still sat by the fireside when she returned to the old nursery. “You’re back a little earlier than I anticipated.” “Sir Hutsby-Mede!” Viola protested, needing an outlet for all the mixed emotions she was feeling. “I can’t believe you would allow father to marry me to that man.” Her aun...