Showing results by author "Rachel Brimble" in All Categories

1943: Becoming a Home Front nurse, meant Kathy Scott was finally able to escape the violence of her childhood. At long last, her life has taken a turn for the better. Particularly because, for the very first time, she's made some wonderful friends–fellow nurses Sylvia, Freda and Veronica. Kathy's known for not being short of a word or two. So nobody's more surprised than her when she finds herself tongue-tied around Freda's handsome brother, James – who's home from war with an unexplained injury.

It is 1910. Elizabeth Pennington should be the rightful heir of Bath’s premier department store through her enterprising schemes and dogged hard work. Her father, Edward Pennington believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire and is resolute a man will succeed him. Determined to break from her father’s iron-clad hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting the store, Elizabeth forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious and charismatic master glove-maker Joseph Carter. 

As war rages and brave soldiers returning home from the frontline need nurses more than ever, fiercely proud redhead Sylvia Roberts is determined to help in any way she can. In spite of her mother’s belief she isn’t good enough, Sylvia believes that becoming a home front nurse is her calling. Together with the two friends she makes on her first day in the job – Freda and Veronica – she knows she can help save lives. And, as the devastation of war shows no signs of ceasing, their work becomes ever more vital.

1911, Bath, England – Passionate suffrage campaigner Esther Stanbury has been banished from her home for her views. So ever since, she’s worked as a window dresser in Pennington's Department Store, where she’s proud to have a job and to earn her own money. She has hopes and dreams of helping secure women the vote, and not just by seeking to convince her friends at Pennington’s, Elizabeth, Cornelia and Amelia to join her cause.

Freda knows the work she does on the home front is vital. Especially when bombs begin raining down on her beloved city of Bath and she and her friends find themselves feeling the effects of war like never before. Years of being told to be a ‘good girl’ by her mother, Freda has always done what’s been expected of her. But, even though she’s proud of her work nursing soldiers and victims of war, she can’t help but wonder if there’s more for her in life. And her secret desire to become a journalist feels increasingly like a calling she can’t resist.

As the weather turns cold, and the war rages on, Veronica Campbell finds herself loving her job as a home front nurse more than ever. She’s spending time with her beloved best friends Sylvia and Freda, as well as assisting on life-saving operations with her fellow nurse Betty Wilson, and feeling valued and happy. But at home, she wishes things were different. Because even cosied up by the fireside of her lovely little house, there’s a man who lives on her street.

Amelia Wakefield loves working at Pennington's, Bath's finest department store. So when Pennington's owner sets her a task to set sail on the Titanic and study the department stores of New York, Amelia couldn't be more excited – or determined! Meeting Amelia on board the Titanic, Samuel Murphy can't help wonder what painful history has made the beauty so reserved. Meanwhile, in Bath, Ruby Taylor has always kept her Pennington co-workers at a distance.

1851, England. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath she knew nothing about the only things she has left of him. Knowing the debt collectors will arrive any moment, Louisa must leave everything she knows behind, and move to Bath. But left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has little choice but to return to her old way of life.

Christmas sees Pennington’s at its most glorious, thronged with shoppers, its grand staircase and balcony adorned with holly, mistletoe, tinsel and lights. It should be the happiest time, but dramas are simmering beneath the surface. For shop girl Cornelia Culford, a divorce hearing looms, where she could lose custody of her young sons to her overbearing and unfaithful husband. For Stephen Gower, being head of security at Pennington's is the perfect refuge from a tragic past at Scotland Yard.

1853, Bath. Industrialist William Rose was a poor lad from the slums who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, but in order to achieve his greatest ambitions he must become the epitome of Victorian respectability: a family man. Though she was once born to great wealth and privilege, she's hardly got the reputation he's looking for, but she's determined to invest her hard-earned fortune in Mr. Rose's mills and forge a new life as an entirely proper businesswoman.

1910, Bath, England – Hardworking and whip smart, Elizabeth Pennington is the rightful heir of Bath’s premier department store, Pennington’s. But her father, Edward Pennington, believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire. He is resolute a man will succeed him. Determined to break from her father's hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting Pennington’s, Elizabeth makes two lifelong friends in Esther and Cornelia – who both work in the store.

Manchester industrialist William Rose was a poor lad who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, but in order to achieve his greatest ambitions he must become the epitome of Victorian respectability: a family man. But the only woman who's caught his eye is Octavia Marshall, one of the notorious ladies of Carson Street. Though once born to great wealth and privilege, she's hardly respectable, but she's determined to forge a new life as an entirely proper businesswoman.

Bath, 1852. As a girl, Nancy Bloom longed to be part of Bath's Theatre Royal. When a man promised her parents he could find a role for Nancy in the theatre, they believed him. His lie and betrayal led to her ruin. Francis Carlyle is a theatre manager, an ambitious man always looking for the next big thing to take the country by storm. A self-made man, Francis is now rich, successful and in need of a new female star. Never in a million years did he think he'd find her standing on a table in one of Bath's bawdiest pubs.

Seamstress Rose Watson cannot believe her good fortune when she’s plucked from obscurity to work for Lady Christina, the Countess of Bath. When she arrives at the royal residence of Henlow House, a sense of destiny whispers through her. But once she meets saddler Henry Ward, her dreams are met with challenge of every kind. Rose’s new connection to Henry could cause her to lose her position at Henlow House, which would destroy her.

Bath, 1852. As a girl, Nancy Bloom would go to Bath's Theatre Royal, sit on the hard wooden benches and stare in awe at the actresses playing men as much as the women dressed in finery. His lie and betrayal led to her ruin. Francis Carlyle is a theatre manager, a man with big dreams, who has finally shed the skin of his secret past as a foundling and is now rich, successful and in need of a new female star. Nancy vowed never to trust a man again. Francis will do anything to make her his star. As they engage in a battle of wits and wills, can either survive with their hearts intact?

Bath, 1911. Passionate suffrage campaigner Esther Stanbury works as a window dresser in Pennington's Department Store. She has hopes for women's progression and will do anything to help secure the vote. Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame and resentment. When Esther and Lawrence meet, their mutual understanding of life's challenges unites them. Can they overcome their pasts?