Ophelia is the oldest of the Rackham children and the death of her father means that money is short in the Rackham household. To pay for her 3 younger brothers' schooling Ophelia applies for a teaching post at Swanley Court School for impoverished young ladies. At Swanley Court Ophelia quickly becomes the confidant of school baby Lucy, whose father is presumed dead. When Lucy's father, Luke, turns up, very much alive, Lucy needs a governess. Luke, smitten by Ophelia's charms, asks her to join his household. Ophelia, drawn as closely to Luke as to Lucy, agrees. But Luke's wicked cousin James...

Felicia's newly discovered grandfather invites her to stay at his baronial hall to meet the scions of local families at a house party. The party is interrupted by an uninvited guest, Dean Ivo Pole, a fanatic cleric looking to root out heresy . After upsetting most of the guests, Pole has the discourtesy to be murdered on Sir Godfrey's own property; suspicion falls on the guests and indeed on Sir Godfrey's own household. Felicia and Robin must find out who brutally murdered Dean Pole, to lift suspicion from the innocent, including the local Lollards...

Renaissance artist, Roberto Robertini, and his young apprentice Felicia, are forced to leave Florence in a hurry. They think themselves lucky to find passage on a ship bound for England, unintentionally becoming passengers number 12 - and unlucky 13. The passage is made unpleasant by one of their fellow passengers, who poisons the trip with sneers, slights, innuendo and insult to all the other passengers. What with this unpleasant fellow traveller, and pirates too, the trip could not get much worse. Then more trouble falls: murder by rat poison of the poisonous Edward Marsh. The two artists...

This is a braided novel, made up of ten linked short stories that vary in length. Robin and Felicia are spending time with Felicia's grandfather, Sir Godfrey, and discover that peaceful country life can be anything but peaceful. They solve a selection of crimes, before travelling through Beccles and Lowestoft, stopping at Ipswich, on their way to the King's Court.

Following a botched abduction in which he was wounded, Evelyn, Marquis Finchbury finds himself embroiled with the determined young runaway Imogen. Short of money but loath to get attached to a chamberpot heiress, Finchbury spurns the idea of courting Imogen. Instead he hands her over to his mother's protection. As Imogen turns her hand to sorting out Lady Enid's problems and rescuing Finchbury's illegitimate children from a murderous gypsy and a vituperative gentlewoman, Finchbury finds himself drawn to Imogen against his will. His protestations that he is no good for Imogen fall on...

Jane and Caleb are hired to work outside London; by the rules of Bow Street 'when a gentleman writes, the gentleman pays'. At stake is the whole livelihood of Sir Colin, a man from whose custody were stolen a number of jewels belonging to other people, and Lloyd's of London won't pay the insurance. The thief's accomplices have been arrested but they refuse to talk, or reveal his identity, and Jane and Caleb must undertake a masquerade to take their place in Sir Colin's household. Jane's and Caleb's primary task is to find the jewels. Their secondary task to uncover the thief, and lift...

Felicia and Robin are at Richmond Palace for Robin's investiture as a knight for services to the crown. While awaiting the king's pleasure, Felicia and Robin mix with the artists in residence waiting to paint their patrons in honour of their investiture. Among the assembled artists are a couple of old friends, and Felicia enlists their aid when investigating some abuses of one of the apprentices. Felicia and Robin are rudely awakened by one of Wolsey's agents, to investigate when one of the artists is murdered in his chamber. Felicia and Robin must try to find a motive, and sift through those...

Unwilling to be married to a man three times her age, whom she has met only once, Dinah Caldecott appeals to her cousin Imogen for help. Dinah's father, Sir Swithin, is a bully, who cares nothing for anything but his own wishes. Imogen suggests advertising for a husband, and eloping with him, and in desperation, Dinah agrees. Answering the advertisement, initially for a lark, Val Braidwood finds himself taken with Dinah, and promises to carry her off to Scotland on his yacht. Meanwhild, to put Dinah's brutal father off the scent of the eloping pair, Dinah's young cousins set out to pull the...