A Series of Worthy Young Ladies Series by Kate Archer

A Courageous Lady and a Confounded LordSix highly placed matrons mourn their lack of daughters until they devise a scheme to launch eligible girls in need of assistance, and so The Society of Sponsoring Ladies is born.Lady Arabella Berestock has lived in the ramshackle Cornwall house for as long as she can remember. She is the ward of Lord Skeffington, who does not do much to provide, nor does she tolerate him. If there is any comfort to be had, it is the companionship of Mrs. Weston... moreA Courageous Lady and a Confounded LordSix highly placed matrons mourn their lack of daughters until they devise a scheme to launch eligible girls in need of assistance, and so The Society of Sponsoring Ladies is born.Lady Arabella Berestock has lived in the ramshackle Cornwall house for as long as she can remember. She is the ward of Lord Skeffington, who does not do much to provide, nor does she tolerate him. If there is any comfort to be had, it is the companionship of Mrs. Weston. That good lady has allowed Arabella to pursue her passion for rescuing animals and the house has become a menagerie. Out of the blue, a cousin, Lady Redfield, has stepped forward and will bring her to Town for a proper season.Lord Peregrine Hadleigh, Marquess of Blackwood and heir to the Duke of Stanbury has found his life going rather well. He’s finally got his own house in Town and he’s put his mother off talk of marriage with the idea that he waits for an old family friend to make her debut, which he certainly does not. His house happens to be next door to Lady Redfield, one of his mother’s cabal of matrons. That may not be ideal but out of all of them, she is the least likely to cause problems. At least, he had imagined so before he and his coachman are delivered a bracing lecture regarding the treatment of his horses from a pert little miss just now staying with the lady. Lady Arabella has a lot of opinions, but she is rather pretty.As the season unfolds, so too does her guardian’s plot to force Arabella to marry a mysterious old man and threats of sending her back to Cornwall. As those difficulties present themselves, two neighboring butlers confound their houses, a squirrel makes an unfortunate appearance, a Welch Main is set to commence, a beast of a dog misbehaves, a secret society is founded, and a beloved horse must be got back. If Arabella is to fix anything at all, she may have to use a weapon she has kept secret for years. less

A Regal Lady and a Resourceful Gentleman The Duchess of Stanbury is the last of the matrons of The Society of Sponsoring Ladies to take on the mantle and launch her own girl. She knew that would be the case, as she is very particular. Finally, she has found her girl—Lady Isabel’s family has a long and winding history, going all the way back to the Plantagenets. Her rarified blood is precisely what the duchess has sought, and this lady will marry at the highest echelons of society... moreA Regal Lady and a Resourceful Gentleman The Duchess of Stanbury is the last of the matrons of The Society of Sponsoring Ladies to take on the mantle and launch her own girl. She knew that would be the case, as she is very particular. Finally, she has found her girl—Lady Isabel’s family has a long and winding history, going all the way back to the Plantagenets. Her rarified blood is precisely what the duchess has sought, and this lady will marry at the highest echelons of society. The duchess has her eye on Lord Lymington as, after all, he is to be a duke.Isabel Beaufort, daughter of the Earl of Somerdon, may live in a grand house, but there is nothing grand left inside it and even the dining table shows the pinch. The Earl, being disinclined to exert any sort of effort at all, has allowed the estate to fall to ruin. Isabel has taken her education into her own hands, practices the pianoforte on an instrument forever out of tune and has studied a book on how things are to be done properly. She has one goal in life—marry into a family that will provide her with the security she has never known. She had not any idea how she would get there until she receives news that the Duchess of Stanbury will show her the way.Harry Vance is well-liked by the ton, and why shouldn’t he be? He is handsome, engaging, a wit, and will inherit a barony. Being well-liked, though, does not equal undiluted approval. Mr. Vance is the grandson of a tradesman, and that history is not quite distant enough to be washed clean. Especially for the likes of the Duchess of Stanbury.There is an instant attraction between Isabel and Harry, but he does not have what her soul longs for—a long history in the ton, coming along with the sort of deep family connections that have so often come to the rescue of her father.Isabel is determined to resist her feelings and follow the sensible plan she has set out for herself. Harry is determined to upend her plan and have the lady he has so long looked for.As the gentleman follows his heart and the lady battles her own, the matrons of the society set tongues wagging, as they always manage to do. less