Houses of Yorkshire

Cassandra Hale has lived her entire life in a girls' school-first as a student and then as a teacher-with no knowledge of her parents' identity. After the headmistress's death, Cassandra discovers a letter addressed to her requesting that she visit Briarton Hall in Yorkshire. Suspecting this request is a clue to her past, she leaves her position to pursue answers. Eager to escape the memories in Plymouth, widower James Warrington moves his entire family-his daughters, his sister, and his deceased wife's mother-to Briarton Hall, a stately home in Yorkshire, where he intends to revive a struggling textile mill. James faces numerous issues at the mill, but his dilemmas are nothing compared to the problems he faces at home. After foiling his sister's plans to elope, he's at a loss as to how to deal with her. Additionally, his mother-in-law struggles to control his young daughters, and he fears they may follow his sister's path. When Cassandra journeys to Briarton Hall, she is cautiously optimistic that her questions about her past will be answered, but when she arrives, she finds James at the helm, and he has no knowledge of the previous owners or who sent the letter. After assisting in a rescue of James's sister from a dangerous elopement, Cassandra assumes the position of governess to the girls, but when a suspicious murder occurs on the grounds, a mystery unfolds, and Cassandra and James find themselves pulled deeper and deeper into the secrets within the ancient home's walls. Their search for answers will test the bounds of their faith and resolve, and in the end, they must rely on each other to not only protect the children in their care but also carve their future paths.

A young widow flees the estate of her loveless marriage and reunites with the man who once broke her heart in Sarah Ladd's latest Regency romance. When Charlotte's cruel husband dies unexpectedly, her first instinct is to protect her infant son from his father's family. She takes him to Hollythorne House, the home in the Yorkshire moors she inherited from her own family. But her former brother-in-law isn't so eager to let the child, the only heir to the family's fortune, slip through his fingers. He hires guards to "protect" them, never expecting that one of the guards is a man Charlotte knew long ago, a man she has tried to forget. Anthony returned to England from the Battle of New Orleans a changed man, the scar on his face a physical sign of the wounds he carries. While he was away, he lost his only family and gained an inheritance he isn't quite ready to face. Instead, he and his best friend signed up as "thief-takers," a precursor to Scotland Yard. He never could have imagined the job taking him back home, back to the woman he left on the moors. Once they arrive at a dilapidated Hollythorne House, the dust and cobwebs show that the house has been largely ignored in the years since Charlotte's parents passed away. Lacking the number of servants she's accustomed to, Charlotte must tackle the once-unthinkable (for a lady of her station) task of cleaning up the place, but the past is never far from her mind. The threat of danger targeting her young son finally forces her to make a choice: trust the man who left her years ago or risk losing everything she holds dear.

A house party in Regency England provides the perfect opportunity for two rival antiquity brokers to scope out a potentially valuable collection while trying to keep their attraction at bay. Alicia Brannon's knowledge of antiquities is unparalleled, having learned everything she needs to know from her broker father. She longs to use that knowledge to make a future for herself, but as a woman, her options are limited... until the day a former client, who happens to be the previous mistress of Cloverton Hall, approaches Alicia about evaluating an obscure, private collection. But there is a catch: the evaluation must be conducted in secrecy to prevent the widow's nephew, the new master of Cloverton Hall, from having knowledge of it. Alicia sees this as her one and only chance to prove her worth, so she agrees to attend a house party at Cloverton Hall and conduct the evaluation covertly. The younger son of England's foremost antiquities purveyor, Lucas Avery represents the future of his family business. When he learns that the new master of Cloverton Hall intends to liquidate his deceased uncle's impressive collection, Lucas is determined to be the broker who oversees the sale. The new master of Cloverton Hall invites Lucas to a house party on the estate, during which time he will have full access to the collection. Lucas jumps at the opportunity, for if successful, he stands to make a great deal of money, as well as solidify his family's future. Alicia and Lucas both arrive at the house party under the guise of guests and quickly recognize each other as business rivals, raising their suspicions. After they conduct their individual assessments, it becomes clear to them both that some of the pieces in the collection are counterfeit. They reluctantly join forces to understand the scope of the deception. As their work brings them closer together, an undeniable bond begins to form. Then when one of the most famous pieces in the collection is broken during the house party, everyone is a suspect. Both Alicia and Lucas must decide how much they are willing to risk not only their professional reputations but also their hearts. A house party in Regency England provides the perfect opportunity for two rival antiquity brokers to scope out a potentially valuable collection while trying to keep their attraction at bay.