No harm done, except that it reminded some in the country neighborhood that Kate had also refused the suit of the Earl of Winterton's brother--but then surprisingly accepted a legacy from him when he died in the Peninsula. Regency Romance by Laura Matthews

    His insolence was infuriating. How dare he deem her a Long Meg with unremarkable eyes! She wouldn't go to his ball if he got on his knees and begged.But the duke was not to be bested by this brazen hoyden. No, he had a few ideas of his own....

     Two young people compete in the game of love… 1814, Bath “I promise you, she’s the most delightful creature, with a quirky sense of humour very like your own. As for the other qualities you mention – birth, breeding, experience of managing a household of consequence – she has them all, with amiability and common sense besides!” So Henrietta Melville is described to the Honourable Julian Aldwyn, who is on the look-out for a wife who will prove restful after an earlier, disastrous love-affair. But there’s much more to Miss Melville than meets the eye. Although she is a spirited and intelligent heiress, at twenty-six and still unmarried, she’s considered to be on the shelf. Julian is certain his offer will not be refused. But then comes a whirlwind month in Bath, a dastardly rake, secrets from the past ... all calculated to turn any woman’s head. Could Henrietta become the conformable wife Julian is looking for? Or will someone else catch her eye…? A CONFORMABLE WIFE is a classic historical novel by Alice Chetwynd Ley: a traditional British, post Regency romance novel set in nineteenth century England. ‘Alice Chetwynd Ley's books were my favourite regency romances. I still have every one of her books on my keeper shelf with The Beau and the Bluestocking and The Jewelled Snuffbox in pride of place’ – Historical and Regency Romance UK ‘These vintage Regency romances hover somewhere between Jane Austen and the genre as we know it today. I really enjoy them.’ - Sonya’s Stuff

    No matter to her that the arrogant gentleman was just as determined to prevent the marriage. With her green eyes flashing, Sally vowed to beat the crafty, money-grubbing snob at his own romantic game.After all, if the widow and daughters of the infamous "Hermit" did not find rich husbands, they'd soon be in the poorhouse.Though Monstuart's blighting presence was enough to cool any girl's interest, Sally secretly enjoyed their fiery confrontations. Monstuart was thoroughly insensitive, inconsiderate, incoherent, insane, and -- Sally would soon discover--quite in love with her!

    The stranger's sunstreaked hair was much too long to be fashionable. His buckskin breeches seemed woefully out of place in a London drawing room.Anne's heart began inexplicably to pound, as she asked: "You are the new Viscount Mainwaring?"The stranger broke into a laugh that seemed to shake the walls."I reckon so, Ma'am. I reckon so..."

    This outrageously impudent officer kept deplorable company in dismal surroundings beyond the boundaries of polite society. Even worse, he was shamelessly, sinfully penniless.To keep him company would ruin Lydia's already slim chances in the marriage mart. To listen to the shocking proposal he made to her would spell ruin to her good name. To run away with him in a mockery of marriage on a honeymoon journey through the wilds of England was the ultimate folly for a young lady whose family demanded she wed both wisely and well. Could Lydia say "I do" and accept the Major for better or for worse, or would she risk losing the only man who had ever captured her heart?

    The victim of a carriage accident lands in her home to recover, but does not reveal that he is the Earl of Alton. Hester learns his identity only when the whole family descends on London - and involves my lord in a variety of scrapes.

    But though in her late twenties she was still unmarried. Jilted by Captain Deverell she had never since been able to face the prospect of giving her hand to another. And now she had the reputation of a heartless, scheming flirt.The return of Captain Deverell into her life and the further heartbreaks that bar the road to happiness are the theme of Clare Darcy's latest Regency romance, the tenth in the sequence that has won her world-wide acclain as the true successor to Georgette Heyer.

    Now a governess to the delightful Heythrop family, she once again encounters her former fiancé, Lord Steyne, while in the midst of a summer-long family treasure hunt. Misunderstanding and sadness lay in the past; would the future hold more hurt—or happiness?

    A fellow redcoat comes to Ty’s aid and insists the peer ride his horse to safety. Later, horrified to learn of his rescuer's death, Ty vows to live up to the brash young soldier’s parting challenge to save someone else’s life.To repay the debt of honor, Ty offers his hand in marriage to the dead man's sister. And Delia Croft is certainly in need of help. For the retainer her cousin provides is barely enough to keep her and her dependents clothed and fed. But Delia longs for a union of love, not obligation—a union that the handsome officer may not even believe in…

    When they learned that Sir Waldo was coming, the village gentry were thrown into a flurry. The famed sportsman himself! Heir to an uncounted fortune, and a leader of London society! The local youths idolized "the Nonesuch"; the fathers disapproved; and the mothers and daughters saw him as the most eligible--and elusive--man in the kingdom.While there, he meets Tiffany Wield, a positively dazzling young heiress who is entirely selfish and possessed of a frightful temper, as well as her far more elegant companion-governess. Twenty-eight year old Ancilla Trent had put away any and all thoughts of romance when she became a governess, and at first she could only be amused at the fuss over Sir Waldo. Can Sir Waldo convince the practical Miss Trent that it is not above her station as a governess to fall in love with him?

    It was just a make-believe ceremony, and, in exchange, Delphie's ailing mother would receive an annuity for life. Delphie was in no position to refuse. She was already losing the struggle to support herself and her mother. But Delphie soon discovered that she was bound by law to the marriage and bound by love to more lies...

    His sense of responsibility has led him to install two elderly aunts in the Dower House; educate his cousin Peter Ramsay and employ him as a steward; and provide a home for poor relation Jane Hawthorne, who once served as his mother’s companion.When a letter arrives from America informing him that the death of a relative has left eighteen-year-old Susannah Ramsay not only an orphan, but heiress to a Kentucky plantation as well, Lord Ramsay considers making an offer of marriage to his American cousin to be a practical solution: besides providing for the young woman, such a match would give the Ramsays extensive holdings on two continents.Then Susannah arrives from America, and Richard suddenly finds his well-ordered life set end over end. With her wild red hair, unfashionable clothes, and frontier ways, Susannah appears to be an unlikely Lady Ramsay. Appalled at the prospect of marriage to the girl, yet determined to honor his commitment, Richard turns her over to Jane and Peter to educate her in the ways of British society. But her transformation into a lady is the least of the surprises Susannah has in store for her strait-laced British relations . . .

    So she ran away - to a charming home on the country estate of Alexander Barr, Viscount Hawkswood, the most notorious rake in London. Juliet would simply pretend to be his wife while he was away.

    But when her father, Lord Bedley, discovers that the situation in Wales is not what he thought, and that Rhys is in trade, a gulf opens for a pair who’ve come to love each other. Will a difference in class keep them apart?