• Julia has no portion so can look forward to marriage only with an impecunious curate. Life as a governess or companion beckons.
• When her sister Fanny, with her husband Sir Frederick and their daughters, go to Vienna to visit his grandmother, she seizes the chance to go as governess to her nieces. In Vienna the Congress which is to settle the fate of Europe after the Napoleonic wars is gathering.
• There she meets the attractive Sir Carey Fitzhugh who has left his young fiancée, Angelica, behind in England. He is planning to return for a spring wedding but becoming concerned at Angelica's infrequent letters.
• When Fanny sets off for home with some friends Julia and her maid follow in another, slower coach. But there is an accident to Julia's coach in Bavaria. She loses all her belongings and is penniless, a long way from home. How will she resolve her problem and who will help?

• Abigail Barton is determined and outspoken. Her parents died when she was a baby. They had eloped to Gretna and been disowned, so, not knowing any grandparents, she has been brought up in Bath by Lady Jordan and does not in the least wish to go to London for the Season. She has no desire to marry. Her Trustee, the enigmatic Mr Wood, insists, and agrees she may take her dog Rusty.
• She is to be sponsored by Lady Padmore who is bringing out her own daughter Caroline, and is determined to marry her to a distant cousin Julian despite both parties' lack of enthusiasm.
• Julian, Earl of Keighley, the despair of mothers and their marriageable daughters, is intrigued by Abby's lack of conventionality. Lady Padmore has her to thank when Julian, after his initial refusal, agrees to lend his house for the ball she gives for Abby and Caroline. Then Abby's childhood friend Hartley arrives in London, Caroline's brother Dudley sells out from the army, other men begin to make Abby offers. She realizes she must accept someone, but who?

• Sylvie Delamare is incredulous when Sir George, her crusty, reclusive, great-uncle sends her £20, saying it is half of what is left of her inheritance, due to her when she is twenty-one. Her parents were wealthy, and Sylvie, furious, determines to go to Norfolk and confront him.
• Meanwhile her friend Celia invites Sylvie to London where her aunt, Lady Carstairs, is to present her.
• Aubrey Fortescue, young, romantic and impressionable, falls in love with Sylvie, which annoys his older cousin. Sir Randal determines to foil any offer as Aubrey is too young for marriage. He is suspicious of Sylvie, whose father was French, after seeing her with a Frenchman.
• M. Dupont is suspected of inciting rebellion and spying for Napoleon. While following Dupont, who could be passing messages through smugglers, Sir Randal meets Sylvie in Norwich on her way to see Sir George. He offers her a lift and becomes embroiled in her affairs.

• Is the baby Caterina, Countess of Rasen, brought back from Portugal hers and her dead husband's?
• The new Earl, Nicholas, is attracted to her but suspicious.
• Catarina, in order to protect her young sister Joanna, cannot reveal the truth.
• And then Cousin Matthew insists that the baby is his and Joanna's, that their marriage was legitimate.
• Nicholas will have to prove him a liar.

• The last person Sir Denzil Trewyn expects to find on a small Cornish island where he is cast up after his boat founders, is an enchanting girl who calmly tells him she is mad and has lived there all her life, seeing no one but her governess and two servants.
• Doubting this, he names her Miranda and determines to rescue her and take her to his sister in London.

• Yasmin is suspended between two worlds, the gypsies with whom she lived as a child and that of her Aunt Georgina in an English village.
• But when Georgina dies Yasmin chooses to join the gypsy tribe, where her grandmother explains her origins.
• Three men vie for her affections: her cousin Leon, strong and respected, Pedro, the wild dashing Romany, and Sir Edward Curtis, far above her touch.

• Dermot, Earl of Heronforth, reluctantly accepts the obligation of his dead brother to bear-lead young Bobby Blain around Town.
• But Bobby turns out to be Roberta, not at all what he expected. Bobby, already courted by two suitors at home, needs to be in London to attempt to clear her father's name of cheating at cards.
• Her discoveries lead to a kidnapping and a daring pursuit.

• Mary Wyndham, living quietly and courted by the local curate, is startled when her brother arrives with pretty heiress Teresa Standish and her talkative parrot.
• Their marriage is opposed by Teresa's guardian, Sir Ingram Leigh, whom Teresa believes is trying to gain her fortune by nefarious means.
• When Sir Ingram comes to separate the lovers, Mary finds him attractive but can't quite dismiss Teresa's allegations.

• Petronella Fanshawe, thwarted by Lord Claverton from becoming governess to his sister's children, obtains another post and is able to leave her aunt and jealous cousins.
• She does not wish to go to Paris, now Napoleon is safely imprisoned on Elba, but her employer's husband, a Frenchman, unexpectedly takes them there, where she finds herself embroiled in intrigue, thrown into Lord Claverton's company.

• Harry Norville's cousin Frederick vanished in France as a child, so Harry cannot prove he is the rightful heir to Rowanlea until they discover whether Frederick is alive.
• Until they do the beautiful Elizabeth refuses to marry him. This infuriates Charlotte, Harry's adoring cousin.
• When Frederick appears in London and captures Elizabeth's attention Charlotte determines to help Harry win her.
• But the best laid plans often fail.

• 'I'll hazard my ring for this wench!'
• Masquerading as a serving girl to help her brother Julian find missing jewels, Susannah is infuriated by Lord Chalford's bet.
• Though she escapes him, when Susannah again meets Lord Chalford, she finds that he possesses some of those jewels, and that his father was present when Julian's father died in suspicious circumstances.

• Sensible, impecunious Isabella Clinton is companion to her beautiful cousin Georgiana Sharman.
• When Georgiana is sent home to Sussex Isabella believes Lord Fordington's many visits indicate he is taken with lovely Georgiana, not herself.
• She has two unwanted suitors, Georgiana's brother William and Sir Frederick Hill, a widower with a reputation as a gambler.
• And she has her hands full overseeing the antics of the younger set.

• When impulsive Prudence Lee learns that Lord Mottesford has wagered that he can bring her to heel, she determines to play along and then, when he thinks he has won, disillusion him.
• But Lord Mottesford has some serious problems of his own, which include being trapped into an engagement and suspecting that the dowager Lady Mottesford has somehow disinherited her stepdaughter.
• Regency Romance novella by Sally James; originally published by My Weekly Pocket Novels.

• When her grandfather, the Earl of Malvern, is dying and orders Kate Byford and her aunt to London after ignoring her all her life, she is highly indignant, but obeys.
• However, Kate is less willing to obey his other edict, that she marries his heir Adam Rhydd.
• When the Earl dies, leaving her a huge inheritance providing she marries Adam, Adam sends her to an academy for young ladies.
• Determined to escape Kate embroils various friends in her attempts, but Adam, as reluctant as Kate is to obey the Earl's bidding, continually foils her.

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• 
• Rosabella Traherne is wealthy, thanks to her Nabob uncle. In Harrogate she is pursued because of her money, so decides to visit Bath incognito. There she might find a man who loves her for herself. Her cousin Jane, Lady Hodder, is persuaded to accompany her and lend her countenance.
• Lord Dorney is wary of heiresses, since his brother was ruined by marriage to one. The despair of matchmaking mamas, he is attracted to Bella's spirited defence of hapless girls, children and dogs. Bath breathlessly awaits developments, until Lord Dorney discovers Bella's deception and leaves for London.
• In future, Bella will concentrate on her scheme to house orphan children in small homes. Then her enemies take a hand with fateful consequences.

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• Phoebe is delighted at the opportunity to go to Brussels as companion to Sally, rather than be an unpaid governess to her sister Jane's unruly brood.
• Her hopes are dashed when Zachary, Earl of Wrekin, taking up a diplomatic post, says she is too young and refuses to escort her. She will be unable to control the rebellious Sally who gets into more scrapes even before they leave London.
• 
• To Phoebe's relief, when she rescues Sally from a calamitous action, Zachary is persuaded to relent, though the company of Jane's overbearing husband and his unpleasant sisters on the journey is irritating to them all.
• Then Napoleon escapes from Elba and everything is in turmoil for Phoebe.