Bridgethorpe Brides Books

Stephen Lumley returns from battle wounded and jaded, only to find his home life had been changed forever. Drowning his sorrows in liquor, he mistakenly blurts out his impassioned proposal to his sweetheart, Jane. Lady Jane Marwick fears she has wasted her love on the wrong man, and allows her mother to convince her to plan another London Season to find a husband. The only certainty in Stephen’s life is his need for Jane’s love. Now Stephen only has a few months to convince himself and Jane he is worthy of her, before she’s off to London to find a man who is.

David’s plan for revenge didn’t involve courtship or heartbreak. Stubborn. Hard-headed. Single-minded. The qualities that make David Lumley a successful horse breeder are put to work befriending Lady Joanna Hurst with less than noble intentions. He’s tenacious in his pursuit of the answers he seeks. Lady Joanna falls fast and hard for the handsome, witty and charming Mr. Lumley after her brother’s ultimatum to find a husband by the end of the Season. He is everything she imagined a husband could be, and more. Blissfully unaware of the conflict between their fathers, she believes he’ll declare his love soon. Then she overhears a conversation between Mr. Lumley and her brother, and all of Mr. Lumley’s tenacity will be needed if he’s to win back her heart.

(Originally released in A Gentlemen’s Pact) Lord Northcotte is not in the holiday spirit when he joins his sister’s family shortly after the brutal death of a friend. Discovering a matchmaking scheme is afoot, he tells them he will never marry Lady Miriam or any other woman. Now if only his heart would listen. Lady Miriam’s mother accused her of chasing Lord Mystery after a noble act by a handsome gentleman six years ago became the measure of all other men. Now he’s staying at the home where she’d hoped to escape a summons from her grandfather, the Duke of Danby. Terrified Northcotte will recognize her and reveal the contents of the scandalous letter she wrote him years ago, she can’t decide which is the bigger threat: the duke armed with a special license, or Lord Mystery, who carries a secret she’d never live down.

Laurence Pierce never wanted a wife or children. He preferred his freedom and his bachelor’s rooms in London. Then his cousin, Lord Oakhurst, dies, making Laurence guardian of a three-year-old girl. He knows nothing about children, and even less about girls. In desperation, he turns to the only lady friend he’s never seduced and begs for help. Lady Hannah Lumley knows Laurence for exactly what he is, since he’s been her brother’s closest friend for as long as she can remember. He’s the last man she could imagine as a father, and the very last man her brother would consider letting her marry. Yet one little kiss leaves her unable to think of anything but the new Baron Oakhurst. Now her Season has taken a twist she never expected. How can the nice young lords and gentlemen in London ever compare to this impetuous rakehell?

What’s a gentleman to do when the local Widows’ League insists on a marriage over a simple misunderstanding? How does he honor his family name without damaging that of a vicar’s daughter? For Neil Harrow, the journey to obtain a matched pair of horses for his new curricle has taken a wrong turn. While his uncle is not insisting Neil marry Rebecca Cookson, in his heart he knows it’s the thing to do. Rebecca wants nothing to do with the popinjay who came to her aid, no matter how the situation appeared. The meddling old widows are a formidable opponent, but Rebecca will do everything in her power to avoid such an ill-suited match. As charming Mr. Harrow might be, Rebecca is determined to only marry a man she can love with all her heart.

When Hugh Lumley and Amelia Young first met, she was less than impressed. He has loved her from afar ever since, even after she married another man. Now widowed, Amelia is told by her father to find a husband one wealthy enough to pay for seasons for Amelia’s two younger sisters. It’s too late for Hughto be her first love, but he hopes to be her last. His position as a clerk to his barrister uncle means he doesn’t stand a chance. He’s no longer the meek man willing to stand by and let Amelia fall for someone else. He will find a way to convince Amelia and her father that he’s the only man for her.

Adam Lumley, Viscount Knightwick, desperately wants the breed one of his mares to a stallion owned by the Earl of Huntfield. Huntfield sees no reason to improve the stock of his competition and repeatedly turns down whatever sum Knightwick offers.After giving up hope his wallflower daughter will ever find a husband, Lord Huntfield settles on a deal: if Knightwick can turn Lady Susan into a diamond of the Season, Knightwick can breed his mare as he wishes.Lady Susan Yarwood truly enjoys London assemblies. Where else can she find so many potential sponsors for the school she wishes to establish for the poor children in Huntfield? With her father threatening this will be her final London Season, she must work quickly to secure the funding she needs. The last thing she needs is the interference of the handsome, flirtatious Lord Knightwick who continually draws her away from the matrons she seeks donations from. She will succeed in founding her school, no matter who stands in her way.

She’s secretly one of the top horse racers in the area, when she’s not riding sidesaddle. Lady Madeleine Lumley can’t bear to part with her brother’s prized stallion, but he must sell it in order to re-establish the family stud after the tragic loss of most of their horses. She convinces her brother to challenge another breeder to a winner-take-all wager in a special race. No one knows that horse better than Madeleine does, and following the rules is not her strong suit, so she schemes to secretly jockey the horse in that race. Then the Duke of Noblegreen gets in the way and ruins her one chance of keeping the stallion. He needs a foundation stallion for his line of racehorses. Noblegreen’s fed up with Polite Society, and if he didn’t fear for Madeleine’s safety, he’d love to see if she could win. But if she does, the horse won’t be on the market and he needs it to establish his horse farm in Virginia. As he gets to know her, his admiration for Madeleine turns into something more, and she is falling in love with him, too. Yet loving him means moving to Virginia and leaving her family behind, a thought she can’t bear, but life without Noblegreen would be bleak. How can she choose between the two?

Certain she has met every man suitable for marriage to the daughter of an earl, Lady Patience Lumley decides to meet the unsuitable ones. She’s not desperate for love and she’s only twenty-two, so why not relax and enjoy her Season in London? Crispin Woodhouse doesn’t take insult when his good friend asks him to behave like a dullard when he meets the man’s sister to convince her she’d be bored married to a man in trade. But when Lady Patience repeatedly interferes with his investigation, he fears she’ll end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. **THIS BOOK WAS ORIGINALLY INCLUDED IN THE BLAME IT ON THE NIGHT ANTHOLOGY**