Showing results for "The Privilege" in Historical Fiction

Having finally discovered the truth of her birthright, Julia Elliston is determined to outwit Chance Macy at his own game. Holding a secret he'd kill to keep, however, is proving more difficult than she imagined. Just when Julia thinks she's managed to untangle herself from Macy's clutches, he changes tactics with a risky ploy. As the scandal of the century breaks loose, drawing rooms all over London whisper what so far newspapers have not dared to print: Macy's lost bride is none other than Lord Pierson's daughter.

The year is 1838, and seventeen-year-old Julia Elliston's position has never been more fragile. Orphaned and unmarried in a time when women are legal property of their fathers, husbands, and guardians, she finds herself at the mercy of an anonymous guardian who plans to establish her as a servant in far-off Scotland. With two months to devise a better plan, Julia's first choice - to marry her childhood sweetheart - is denied. Then, a titled dowager offers to introduce Julia into society, opening a realm of possibilities.

In Victorian society, where even a whisper of scandal can ruin a life, Julia Elliston much watch her step. London is said to be the glittering jewel of society, a world unto itself, but to Julia Elliston, it is a city of shadows. Now under the protection of Lord Pierson, she is caught up in his desperate plan and thrust into the public eye as his rightful heir. She’s the toast of London, a celebrated curiosity, but with the entire city clamoring for more news of the Emerald Heiress, Julia quickly finds it difficult to maintain the illusion.

Thomas Baldwin finds himself married to a woman he can't stand, while head-over-heels in love with another woman he can't have. Talk about bad planning. He feels like a kite, buffeted by circumstances which blow him not only through personal crises, but also through some of the most significant events in Pittsburgh during the late 1800s, including the railroad riots of 1877, the creation of the Homestead Steel Works, the assassination of President Garfield, and the Johnstown Flood.