Elizabeth Goodrich

London 1609. Genteel Englishwoman Elspet Leviston has always managed her father's lace business and expects to continue in his footsteps. So when her hot-headed cousin Zachary Deane appears from nowhere, his arrival in her life is like an earthquake.

Zachary has no love at all for Leviston's Lace, and when her father dies unexpectedly, Elspet is horrified to find her inheritance is tied to her cousin's and her house belongs to him. But by now, Zachary has gone on a Grand Tour, and he is in Spain. Determined to regain her rightful inheritance, she must leave her beloved England and go to Seville in search of him.

Zachary is in training at the sword school of the charismatic Senor Alvarez, and here, in the searing heat and dust of Spain, Elspet's real journey begins.

Tells the story of Catherine of Braganza, Charles II's Portuguese Queen set against the background of injustice and tragedy.

Politics, sex, lies, religion and misunderstanding meant that their marriage was never going to be what she hoped. A wonderful story making you feel for Catherine, but understand Charles. A really good read if you're into Restoration history, and even if you're not.

This book contains everything you need to write better A-Level and Undergraduate English essays on William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, all presented in a helpful and entertaining way to make study and revision easier. There are clear notes on the characters, themes, language techniques and critical context, plus practice questions to make sure you understand the main points. There’s also a section dedicated to writing about ‘Hamlet’ to help you improve your grades.

It’s said that behind every great man is a woman, and what man is greater than the king? For centuries, royal aunts, cousins, sisters and mothers have watched history unfold from the shadows, their battlefields the bedchamber or the birthing room, their often short lives remembered only through the lens of others. But for those who want to hear them, great stories are still there to be told: the medieval princess who was kidnapped by pirates; the duchess found guilty of procuring love potions; the queen who was imprisoned in a castle for decades.

Bringing thirty of these royal women out of the shadows, along with the footnotes of their families, this collection of bite-sized biographies will tell forgotten tales and shine much needed light into the darkened corners of women’s history - and reminds us that British history is more than just a chain of Edwards and Henrys and Georges.

Victorian adventuress and butterfly hunter, Veronica Speedwell, receives an impossible task - saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. He stands accused of the brutal murder of his mistress Artemisia, but together with her natural historian colleague Stoker, Veronica races against time to find the true murderer...

London, 1887. Veronica Speedwell intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. Then Veronica thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, and he offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker. But the Baron is murdered, and Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant.

Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t resist the allure of an exotic mystery - particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague, Stoker. Sordid details emerge from Stoker’s past, and Veronica must separate facts from fantasy to unravel a web of duplicity that threatens to cost Stoker everything…

Lured by the promise of a rare and elusive butterfly, the intrepid Veronica Speedwell is persuaded by Lord Templeton-Vane, to pose as his fiancée at a house party on a Cornish isle owned by his friend, Malcolm Romilly. But upon arriving, spectral figures, ghostly music, and mysterious threats begin to plague the partygoers, and it becomes clear that there are numerous mysteries surrounding the Romilly estate.

Autumn 1888. London is being terrorized by a notorious and elusive serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Veronica Speedwell and her colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to go undercover at Madame Aurore's high-class brothel, where a body soon turns up. Secrets are swirling around Veronica and the royal family—and it is up to Veronica to find the truth, before it is too late for all of them.

Abandoned by her father and left in the care of an uncle she has never met, eight-year-old Dorothea Ryan finds herself cast away in a big, strange house in the middle of the countryside. No one seems to want her. Her one wish is to return to her old home in London.

But as time passes and hopes of ever going back start to fade, Dorothea becomes more and more enmeshed in her new life at Clifton Park. She begins to wonder just where home really is...

Thea Osborne and her spaniel Hepzibah embark on another house-sitting commission with very few worries. The Phillips are obviously a laid back family and she arrives at idyllic Frampton Mansell with renewed enthusiasm. But she soon finds herself in the centre of the action when an apparent suicide takes place in one of the barns.

Daisy's chum, the Honourable Phillip Petrie, is totally smitten with Miss Gloria Arbuckle, daughter of a millionaire Yank. But before the enthusiastic suitor can pop the question, his beloved is abducted by kidnappers. As a distraught Mr Arbuckle begins assembling the ransom, Phillip enlists Daisy to help him recover his missing sweetheart.

The Handfasted Wife is the story of the Norman Conquest from the perspective of Edith (Elditha) Swanneck, Harold's common-law wife. She is set aside for a political marriage when Harold becomes king in 1066. Determined to protect her children's destinies and control her economic future, she is taken to William's camp when her estate is sacked on the eve of the Battle of Hastings. She later identifies Harold's body on the battlefield and her youngest son becomes a Norman hostage.

Elditha avoids an arranged marriage with a Breton knight by which her son might or might not be given into his care. She makes her own choice and sets out through strife-torn England to seek help from her sons in Dublin. However, events again overtake her...

HOPE HALL thrums with activity under the summer sun. Sea Cadets march in the yard and happy chatter issues from English as a Foreign Language classes while the weekly Food Bank reaches out to those in need.

Kath is determined to honour the origins of Hope Hall, which was founded in memory of those lost during the two world wars. It's all hands on deck as the centenary celebrations continue, but Kath's efforts set her on a collision course with Celia Ainsworth, a descendant of the family that donated the land.

Added to this, a mysterious homeless man proves tricky for Sheelagh to identify, and a handsome stranger looks set to lead Kath a merry dance…

Summer 1881: the streets of Limehouse are thick with opium... and menace. At eighteen Kitty Peck is determined to do things differently to her fearsome grandmother, and she now realises that the past casts a long and treacherous shadow. Haunted by a terrible secret and stalked by a criminal cabal intent on humiliation and destruction, Kitty must fight for the future of everyone she cares for... Book 3 of the 'Kitty Peck Mysteries'.

For Lady Julia Grey, her husband's sudden death at a dinner party is extremely inconvenient. However, things take a turn for the worse when inscrutable private investigator Nicholas Brisbane reveals that the death was not due to natural causes. Drawn away from her comfortable, conventional life, Julia is exposed to threatening notes, secret societies and gypsy curses, not to mention Nicholas' charismatic unpredictability.

England, 1887. Returning home to Sussex after a jaunt in Italy, Lady Julia Grey’s eccentric family and friends have gathered to keep Christmas in Bellmont Abbey. Lady Julia is soon immersed in mystery when one of the guests at her father's estate is murdered and a member of her family confesses to the crime.

Devastated by her fall in society, Lady Julia travels to Grimsgrave Manor on the Yorkshire moors. She becomes immersed in a mystery involving her lover, a Gypsy witch and a long-buried legacy of malevolence and evil. It’s not long before her desire for answers leads her into danger unlike any other that she has experienced – and from which, this time, there may be no escape.

After eight months in the Mediterranean, Lady Julia Grey and her husband are ready to put their investigative talents to work once more. At the urging of Julia's family, they hurry to India to aid an old friend, the newly widowed Jane Cavendish. Jane is consumed with discovering the truth about her husband's death. Was he murdered for his estate? And if he was, could Jane and her unborn child be next?

While setting up housekeeping in London, newlyweds Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane agree to help Julia's brother expose the exclusive Ghost Club, a dark place where reputations and trust are destroyed, but find their own relationship in danger when their investigation makes the headlines.

The King of England has ordered his Mistress of the Art of Death, Adelia Aguilar, to accompany 10-year-old Princess Joanna on her journey to marry the King of Sicily. But one traveller has been watching Adelia all too closely. He wants Adelia dead ...but he wants her to suffer first.

Hillmaston School has chosen The Mikado for their next school performance and, in recognition of her generous offer to finance the production, their meek and self-effacing arithmetic mistress is offered a key role. But when she disappears mid-way through the opening night performance and is later found dead, unconventional psychoanalyst and sleuth Mrs Bradley is called in to investigate. To her surprise she soon discovers that the hapless teacher had quite a number of enemies - all with a motive for murder...

Jane Grey was Queen of England for nine days. She was put on the throne ahead of the king’s half-sister Mary, who quickly claimed her crown and locked Jane in the Tower. When Jane refused to betray her Protestant faith, Mary sent her to the executioner’s block. There Jane turned her father’s greedy, failed grab for power into her own brave and tragic martyrdom.

It is January 1957 and Helen's husband Jack returns from National Service. Happy to be reunited, they resume their life together. But Helen is shattered when Jack tells her that a brief fling with a sergeant's widow has left the woman pregnant, forcing her to make a courageous decision...  Book 3 of series.

After giving his heart last year only to have it given away the very next day, Jake Knightley is opting out of Christmas! But then a beautiful new arrival upsets all his carefully laid plans. Emma Danes will do anything to help make the clock house a success, even working closely with the tempting Mr Knightley. Now, as snow starts to fall and romance starts to bloom, Emma and Jake may just find themselves repeating Whispers Wood history beneath the mistletoe...

At fifteen, Mavreen falls in love with the Vicomte Gerard de Valle. But believing him lost to her she enters a loveless marriage arranged by her father. When her husband dies Mavreen goes in search of the man she loves across the snowy battlefields of Russia.  Book 1 of series.

Pippi Longstocking is nine years old and lives all by herself with a horse, a monkey, a suitcase full of gold, and no grown-ups to tell her what to do. In these three stories, Pippi performs at the circus, is reunited with her long-lost father, and takes her friends Tommy and Annika on a trip to the Canny Canny Islands. Everything's fun with Pippi around!

This lavishly illustrated gift book treasury of 366 animal poems - one for every day of the year - ranges from unforgettable classics to contemporary works from around the world, including poetry in translation. The spectacular range of poems for children includes work by Roger McGough, William Blake, Dick King-Smith, Ted Hughes, Grace Nichols, Lewis Carroll, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson. Britta Teckentrup's breathtaking illustrations bring together all the richness and wonder of the animal kingdom, making this poetry anthology a perfect gift that will be treasured by generations

Anthony and Carole are hoping a week in a lovely Greek hotel will help them mend the cracks in their marriage. However when the flight doesn’t go according to plan, they are each forced to face up to the very things they have been avoiding for so long. Quick Reads.

Katherine, a suburban girl, is introduced to bohemian, academic life when she meets the eccentric Goldman family. She falls for their odious son Roger - despite his parents' warnings - and sure enough, first love quickly leads to heartbreak and sends her fleeing to Rome. Then ten years later, she returns to find love where she least expected it.

The year is 1199, and King Richard the Lionheart is dead, leaving his brother John to inherit both his French and English lands. Young Isabelle of Angouleme is told that she is to be married to King John in a complex and treacherous plot to gain the English succession. But when Isabelle takes matters into her own hands, passions will rage and dynastic fortunes will rise and fall.

The dramatic tale of that most intriguing of Renaissance women, Lucrezia Borgia. Incest, poison and betrayal are the three wedding presents in store for the Borgia bride.

After the death of her mother, London photographer Joy receives an unexpected inheritance: a huge sum of money, her grandfather's diary and a unique brass artefact from the ancient kingdom of Benin. Joy's search for the origins of the artifact takes us on a journey through time, and uncovers some dark family secrets.

As they set off on the road to fame and fortune, the Avery sisters join a cast of extraordinary and unforgettable characters. Taking us behind the curtain and into their lives, the sisters reveal how the art of vaudeville – in all its variety, madness, melodrama, hilarity and sorrow – echoes the art of life itself.

President Tyler Forrester was undeniably one of the more popular modern US leaders. On the eve of his funeral, his living quarters are burgled by an assailant who blows himself up and a man who contacted Tyler before his death is found dead. It falls to his widow, Elizabeth, to discover the truth.

In the hushed aftermath of a total eclipse, Laura witnesses a brutal attack. She and her boyfriend Kit call the police and while Laura knows she was right to speak out, she also knows that you can never see the whole picture, something is always hidden... something she never could have guessed.