Mistletoe Kisses

A Simple Choice?

To ensure the succession of the Helford family line, it's imperative that David Melville, Viscount Helford should marry-and soon! He's determined to choose a wife of nobility and decorum as a matter of convenience-until his resolve is shaken to the core by the independent and fiery Miss Marsden.

Sophie's plain beauty, forthrightness and virtually penniless state are nothing Viscount Helford desires in a wife. But she stirs a passion in him he cannot resist. The solution seems easy, but to take her as his mistress would tarnish her good name-something he knows she can't afford to lose. But can he afford to lose her?

Playing host at his country estate, Major Anthony Lyndhurst is making his return to Society which has shunned him for four years. Rumor and speculation still surround the mysterious disappearance of his young bride.

As family, friends and servants gather, further scandal comes close on their heels. Passion and intrigue, secrets and desire, make for surprising bedfellows--both above and below stairs. It promises to be the most memorable house party of the Season!

The Fortune Hunter--Nicola Cornick

An Uncommon Abigail--Joanna Maitland

The Prodigal Bride--Elizabeth Rolls

Three dramatic stories. One whirl of a Country House Party.

The Earl of Rutherford was used to flirting with scandal. But when an act of charity placed his charge's spotless reputation in jeopardy, Marcus knew he must do the honorable thing. There was no point in pretending he was in love. So in return for Miss Marguerite Fellowes's discretion and children, the earl offered his name and protection.

Then Marcus watched as proud Meg blossomed in London society. Meg's smile was perhaps the loveliest he'd ever seen, and the glow in her eyes made him feel wildly out of control. Tantalized by her evident passion for life, the dutiful rake soon found himself consumed by far from innocent desires....

With a broken collarbone, Jack Hamilton was in no mood to have relatives arrive on his doorstep. But the Reverend Dr. Bramley and his daughter were practically penniless, so he couldn't just turn them away. They had obviously left their previous home under a cloud, with Cressida's reputation in tatters.

And then Jack learnt the true reason for their plight, and his chivalrous nature took over. Cressida was in need of a husband...but was he in need of a wife?

When Lady Mathilda Cavendish arrived at a house party hosted by her young cousin's suitor, she had only one goal in mind--to stop the proposed match. The chaperon never imagined that her cousin's betrothed would be the only man she'd ever loved--Crispin Malvern, the Duke of St. Ormond. A fate all the more cruel because one look told her that she'd never stopped loving a man who could never be hers.... Yet widowhood has given Tilda a strength she'd never possessed before. And when one night of passion unleashed her most secret longings, the unruly chaperon must decide whether to follow the dictates of decorum...or desire.

DOWNTRODDEN SERVANT OR GRACIOUS LADY?

When Max, Earl Blakehurst, meets Verity he sees a downtrodden servant. He doesn't recognize her as the daughter of a colonel under whom he used to serve, the girl he'd once helped years before. The life Verity's now living is untenable. So he proposes a shocking solution-he will set her up as his mistress.

It's only once that Verity's finally agreed, once Max is beginning to lose his heart to her, that he discovers her true identity. Max is taken aback; he would never have suggested this lady become his mistress. Now, to avoid scandal, they'll have to marry!

Did family honor really dictate that he marry the first eligible girl who could make intelligent conversation? The Earl of Darleston certainly hoped not, but there was no denying that he needed a bride. And Miss Phoebe Ffollit seemed the ideal candidate for a marriage in name only.

Or so he thought. Until his bride brought a wolfhound to their wedding and he learned that he hadn't married Phoebe--but her twin, Penelope. But when Penelope revealed the reason behind the charade, Darleston knew his "unexpected bride" deserved nothing less than his whole heart. Could he now turn a paper marriage into wedding bliss?

Six years ago, the rakish Viscount St Austell betrayed his best friend and his own sense of honor by seducing Lionel's sister, Loveday Trehearne. Now St Austell has hired Lionel as an artist and is reunited with Loveday once again. Though she is as beautiful as ever, Loveday lives in poverty...and a different sort of mystery seems to be haunting the Trehearnes, too. The scandalous viscount is determined to help Loveday despite her resistance--but his toughest challenge will be fighting the passion that still burns between them....