Giles Fairhaven, Viscount Kincade, does not believe his life can get much worse after his purse is stolen at an inn before he has paid his bill and then he is set upon by three ruffians in the inn yard before he can leave. But it does grow worse when a little slip of a lady clad only in a flannel nightgown and wielding a large black man's umbrella comes to his rescue and puts his assailants to rout and then--after he has left--pays his reckoning at the inn plus the money he lost the evening before in a card game with a fellow guest plus what he owed the barmaid with whom he spent the night. The ensuing gossip is almost too much humiliation for Giles to bear. Yet when he finds and confronts Daisy Morrison in London, far from being cowed by his displeasure, she declares with sunny good nature that if he insists upon repaying the slight favour she was able to do for him, then he can recommend a lady sponsor to her so that she may find a husband for her younger sister among the gentlemen of the ton. Inexplicably, Giles finds himself agreeing. His troubles are only just beginning.

Blathers and Duff first appeared in Oliver Twist when they were called upon to investigate a burglary. After that, Charles Dickens forgot about them. Now they are back. Tales of the Black Lion is a novel in stories, all featuring the two private investigators. Blathers and Duff center their activities at the Black Lion Inn. Their capers involve missing jewelry, political intrigue, cryptic messages, criminal gangs, white slavery, and murder, murder, murder, murder. The detectives and others, including Charles Dickens and one of his associates, work together to solve the mysteries surrounding these issues, beginning with a bloody murder that remains unsolved until the final tale in the book. Along the way we meet characters from all levels of British society in the days of Robert Peel and the changeover from Bow Street Runners to Bobbies and London ’s Metropolitan Police.

Henry Birks (30 November 1840 - 16 April 1928) was a Canadian businessman and founder of Henry Birks and Sons, a chain of high-end Canadian jewellery stores.He was born to English immigrants from Yorkshire, England. His parents moved to Canada in 1832. Son of John Birks, a pharmacist, and Ann Marie, he did his schooling in commercial studies at the High School of Montreal. In 1857, Birks was hired as a clerk at Savage and Lyman in Montreal, reputed to be the finest jeweller and watchmaker in the Province of Canada at that time. Although Birks eventually became a partner in the firm in 1868, the company's later financial difficulties encouraged Birks to leave in 1877 With an investment of C$3000, Birks opened his own small jewellery shop in 1879 on Saint Jacques Street in the heart of Montreal's financial and commercial district. In 1893, Birks went into partnership with his three sons (William, John and Gerald), and the name of the firm became Henry Birks and Sons.

A young girl who has lost her father finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious woman who is not quite what she seems in this atmospheric and unputdownable novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic series turned into popular Lifetime movies. Left on a train platform in an unfamiliar village, little Saffron Faith Anders is certain her father will return shortly, just like he promised. She holds out hope even as the hours pass and the station grows dark. When a strange old woman with a large umbrella approaches and inquiries about her situation, Saffron doesn’t immediately trust the imposing do-gooder, but with the chances of her father returning growing ever slimmer, she agrees to rest at the old woman’s house. Her stay was supposed to be for a few minutes, hours at most, but soon, Saffron soon realizes she has been confined to a house of dark secrets and is now at the mercy of the enigmatic Umbrella Lady. One minute grandmotherly and the next wickedly cruel, she shears Saffron’s hair, burns all the clothes she had in her suitcase, and pretends that the photo of a young girl hanging on her bedroom wall is no one in particular. When strange letters arrive from Saffron’s father, claiming that he will send for her shortly, hope returns to her young heart. But Saffron soon discovers that those who claim to love you will often hurt you the most....

The mysterious author of Dreams of a Stranger advises: reader beware. Unconstrained by interpretation or explanation, the lucid dreams and nightmares catalogued herein are hectic, morbid, and disturbing. From a mind overcome by night terrors, each dated entry is a challenge. Do you dare escape into such an estranging dreamscape of darkness and light?

This landmark study of Zengbu, a Cantonese community, is the first comprehensive analysis of a rural Chinese society by foreign anthropologists since the Revolution in 1949. Jack and Sulamith Potter examine the revolutionary experiences of Zengbu's peasant villagers and document the rapid changeover from Maoist to post-Maoist China. In particular, they seek to explain the persistence of the deep structure of Chinese culture through thirty years of revolutionary praxis. The authors assess the continuities and changes in rural China, moving from the traditional social organization and cultural life of the pre-revolutionary period through the series of large-scale efforts to implement planned social change which characterized Maoism - land reform, collectivization, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. They examine in detail late Maoist society in 1979-80 and go on to describe and analyse the extraordinary changes of the post-Mao years, during which Zengbu was decollectivized, and traditional customs and religious practices reappeared.

Clean Regency Romance Journey through Regency-era London as the Norrington family navigates love, duty, and societal expectations. Each book unveils a new romance, from Lady Charlotte's unexpected love story to the Duchess's second chance at happiness. Amidst grand balls and country estates, the Norringtons confront their desires, secrets, and the pursuit of true love, all while upholding their noble legacy. This series is a captivating blend of romance, intrigue, and the timeless quest for happiness in high society. Join Daisy's Newsletter and stay up-to-date with sales and new releases at www.daisylandishromance.com

The First Lady of Underfashions is a nonfiction saga-like memoir written by Christina Erteszek and including excerpts from her parents' (Jan and Olga) unpublished memoirs. It is a complex, layered, and nuanced story that bridges the violence of war, the innovation of thought, the singularity of religion, the quest for identity, and the intrigues and intricacies of family life. Jan and Olga escape from World War II Europe and arrive in the US with just a few dollars. They turn their paltry savings into a multi-million-dollar fashion business. Olga becomes a leading patent holder of female lingerie, a trendsetter in the industry, and is widely known for her innovative business tactics. But as this husband-and-wife team think of retiring, they decide to merge with another fashion company, which proves to be a fatal move when a loophole in the agreement allows for a hostile takeover. This is also a story of a daughter's need to find herself. Along her path to self-discovery, she discovers her parents have many secrets, some of which will never be revealed.