The Silver Thaw

When Rauwerd van Kempler proposed to Tilly, he made it clear their marriage would be a convenient arrangement, one which brought him a wife who would run his home and partner him on social occasions. And Tilly would have the security of a roof over her head and a man who could be depended upon not to make passionate love to her. But suddenly Tilly wasn’t so sure that was all she wanted from him....

After the hurly-burly of the big London hospital where she had been working, Judith found it a very pleasant change to be offered a private job looking after a charming patient, Lady Cresswell, in the Lake District. Her patient gave her no trouble at all - which was more than could be said for her patient’s son, the disagreeable Professor Charles Cresswell. He seemed to have taken a dislike to Judith on sight - a dislike which, it must be confessed, Judith returned with interest. And now he was turning up to spoil their pleasant holiday in Portugal as well!

Sarah Dunn had worked with Hugo van Elven for a long time, and she was astounded when he suddenly proposed to her. Both of them were still smarting from previous unhappy love affairs, which was why Sarah decided to accept; surely neither of them would wish to get emotionally involved again for a very long time. But she had not considered what would happen if her feelings for Hugo underwent a change while his remained the same....

Was love out of the question? Charity thought she had it all - marriage to respected consultant Tyco van der Brons and being a mother to his two children. So why did her heart yearn for his love, too? She had known from the start that theirs was a marriage of convenience - so it would be foolish to wish for anything more...wouldn’t it?

A marriage to secure true love. Having fallen in love with Sarah at first sight, Litrik ter Breukel vowed to go slowly because of her youth and innocence. But perhaps he simply needed to propose!

It deeply irritated Leonora that she was always being caught in awkward situations with the village's new doctor, James Galbraith - especially since she was engaged to Tony. But James proved a sturdy support as she did her best to keep her parents' decrepit but much loved manor house running smoothly. There was little point in admitting her growing feelings for James, since he showed so little sign of caring for her....

Staff nurse Samantha Fielding had one golden rule: never get involved. The attractive Giles ter Ossel made it difficult to keep. Samantha was determined not to let her feelings for Giles affect the way she treated the girl she thought was his fiancée. So, she agreed to return to Holland to nurse Antonia through her recovery. Samantha’s calm and professional exterior hid a breaking heart. Meanwhile, Giles was determined to be happily married - to the right girl.

Tiny Paul van Eysink was a very special case to Nurse Hannah Lang, and she had become very fond of his young parents, Corinna and Paul. When they invited her to go back with them to Holland until the baby was completely recovered, Hannah was only too happy to oblige. The problem was Corinna's unbending uncle, Doctor Valentijn van Bertes! He could find no fault with Hannah's nursing skills - but she was only too aware that she meant little to him as a person. Why should she? He had a very lovely fiancée in Nerissa…

Everyone in her family had agreed that Mary Pagett would one day make some man a perfect wife. The problem was that the only man Mary had even thought about marrying was eminent heart specialist Roel van Rakesma. But it had been clear from the start that his only interest was in curing frail hearts, not broken ones!

She was not going to exchange one dull life for another! Far from being brokenhearted when her long-standing and rather dull engagement to Tony came to an end, Prudence welcomed it as an opportunity to break out of her comfortable shell, to make a new and exciting life for herself. So the job that Benedict van Vinke offered - acting as his secretary and looking after his little daughter - had come just at the right time. It would also give Prudence a chance to visit Holland. But would she have such an exciting life, after all, if she accepted Benedict’s cold-blooded proposal?

Dictatorial, overbearing and downright rude! Dr Valentine Seymour might be an excellent paediatrician, but however good he was with his small patients he needed to develop more of a bedside manner with adults. Daisy disliked him from the first time they met and he certainly didn’t improve on further acquaintance. But somehow fate decided that she had a lot to thank him for – her new job among other things. Had she perhaps misjudged him after all?

When Matilda's father retires through ill health, the family's new life in Much Winterlow is forced into reduced circumstances. To make ends meet, Matilda applies to be Dr. Henry Lovell's receptionist. She does her best to ignore the strong attraction she feels for him - dreaming of white weddings and a happy marriage is not for her, and, after all, Henry is engaged to Lucilla.

How could she fall asleep during his lecture? It wasn't the best way for Nurse Lucy Prendergast to attract the attention of distinguished consultant Fraam der Linssen, especially when the attractive Dutch doctor kept appearing in her life - at the hospital, at her home and in Holland when she went on holiday. If only he were equally aware of her! But it wasn't likely, for far prettier girls were obviously his for the asking

What a maddening, impossible man Constantijn van Lindemann was! Wherever Augusta went there he was: inviting her out, paying her compliments, sending her enormous bouquets of tulips, even kissing her on occasion. Augusta had to admit she enjoyed it, especially the kisses. But until she could discover how important a part the glamorous Susan played in his life, how could she possibly take Constantijn seriously?

For Olivia Harding, the offer of employment at a small private school came as something of a godsend. With no qualifications, she hadn’t expected to find a job so easily, let alone one that still brought her into contact with the eminent surgeon Haso van der Eisler. Of course, his frequent visits to the school had more to do with his small goddaughter, Nel. That Haso should marry the child’s glamorous mother seemed obvious to all but Olivia’s stubborn heart.