Collection 3 (Strangers; Bad Girls, Good Women; A Woman of Our Times; All My Sins Remembered)

A collection of four stunning ebooks from the author of the runaway bestseller, THE KASHMIR SHAWL. STRANGERS: Annie and Steve are from different worlds and do not know each other exists until one morning, they become victims of a bomb blast, thrown together to fight for their lives. As they lie in the darkness, the hours slowly tick by. To ward off fear and death they talk of everything, and so a bond is created that binds them deeper than family, than friends, than lovers. With such strange intimacy, how can they get through the future without each other? BAD GIRLS, GOOD WOMEN: In London, on the brink of the Sixties, two runaways plunge into Soho nightlife. Mattie faces the hard slog of a sleazy strip-club in search of fame. But when it comes, stardom is not enough, and the love that Mattie desires seems to elude her. Julia choose marriage and Ladyhill, a beautiful Dorset manor house. But when tragedy strikes, she realises that she must risk her marriage and her child for true freedom... A WOMAN OF OUR TIMES: Harriet Peacock has everything. From shopkeeper and betrayed wife, she has made herself the City's darling, her name linked in gossip columns with film stars. She has come a long way from Simon Archer, the man who invented a brilliantly simple game of chance and skill in a prison camp forty years ago, a game that is the foundation of Harriet's business empire. But when things start going wrong, Harriet finds that in love, as in the game, the quickest way to a goal can be the riskiest... ALL MY SINS REMEMBERED: Jake, Clio and Julius and their cousin Lady Grace Stretton formed a charmed circle in those lost innocent days before the Great War, before circumstances tore them apart: Jake's wartime experiences as a doctor; Clio and Grace, flappers flitting through bohemian Fitzrovia; the music that drowned out the crash of jackboots in Berlin for Julius. But Clio remembers a different story. Desperate lies, bitter secrets; hopeless love and careless betrayal. And above all, the truth about Grace, beautiful, destructive siren at the centre of the circle. A stunning novel from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of THE KASHMIR SHAWL London 1919 The Great War is over and London lies on the brink of an uncertain future. With the misery and horror of war in the past, hope begins to emerge for the women who have waited at home, as for the first time, they have taken steps towards political, economic and personal independence. But the men who fought and survived the trenches believe the future is theirs by right, and any woman who has celebrated her freedom must now redouble her efforts to keep it. Nancy Wix is just such a woman. Born into a down-at-heel family, Nancy has always known that the visions she has seen since she was a child will set her apart from her peers. A chance encounter with a gifted medium reveals a way in which she might take hold of her future and she grasps the opportunity with a desperate intensity - for this is the age of spiritualism, and Nancy's gift will see her star rise in a time when decimated families are desperate to hold on to their dead sons. As the roaring twenties dawn, Nancy strives to break free from the rigid bonds of society and find her own place. The only thing that could hold her back is her love for an unattainable man .. From the bestselling author of the phenomenally successful The Kashmir Shawl London 1870. A terrifying place for a young, beautiful woman of limited means. But Eliza is modern before her time. Not for her the stifling if respectable conventionality of marriage, children, domestic drudgery. She longs for more. Through her work as an artist's model, she meets the magnetic and irascible Devil - a born showman whose dream is to run his own theatre company. Devil's right-hand man is the improbably-named Carlo Bonomi, an ill-tempered dwarf with an enormous talent for all things magic and illusion. Carlo and Devil clash at every opportunity and it constantly falls upon Eliza to broker an uneasy peace between them. And then there is Jasper Button. Mild-mannered, and a family man at heart, it is his gift as an artist which makes him the unlikely final member of the motley crew. Thrown together by a twist of fate, their lives are inextricably linked: the fortune of one depends on the fortune of the other. And as Eliza gets sucked into the seductive and dangerous world her strange companions inhabit, she risks not only her heart, but also her life .. A stunning novel from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of THE KASHMIR SHAWL London 1919Born into a down-at-heel family, Nancy Wix is more than her past dictates – more ambitious than the daughter of a faded showman, more original than a woman who will be confined by polite conventions. The end of the Great War has left a stricken London on the brink of an uncertain future, and with their hard-won freedoms now in doubt Nancy and her fellow suffragettes must strive all over again for the right to control their own destinies. At a time when shattered families are struggling to let go of their dead, Nancy discovers she has a gift that offers hope to the loved ones of the lost generation, and a chance encounter reveals a way in which she might use it for her own ends. As Nancy struggles to break free from the rigid bonds of society and find her place in the world, the only thing that could hold her back is her love for an unattainable man... From the bestselling author of The Kashmir Shawl. Available on ebook for the first time.Jake, Clio and Julius Hirsh and their cousin Lady Grace Stretton formed a charmed circle in those lost innocent days before the Great War - united against the world.Old now, Clio recounts their story for her biographer: Jake's wartime experiences, which moved him to work as a doctor in the London slums; Clio and Grace, flappers flitting through bohemian Fitzrovia to emerge as literary lion and pioneering Member of Parliament respectively; the music that drowned for Julius the crash of jackboots in thirties Berlin.But for herself, Clio remembers a different story. Desperate lies and bitter secrets, hopeless love and careless betrayal, jealous loyalties more like fetters. And above all, the truth about Grace, beautiful, destructive siren at the centre of the circle. Bron: Flaptekst, uitgeversinformatie From the bestselling author of The Kashmir Shawl. Available on ebook for the first time. Jake, Clio and Julius Hirsh and their cousin Lady Grace Stretton formed a charmed circle in those lost innocent days before the Great War – united against the world. Old now, Clio recounts their story for her biographer: Jake's wartime experiences, which moved him to work as a doctor in the London slums; Clio and Grace, flappers flitting through bohemian Fitzrovia to emerge as literary lion and pioneering Member of Parliament respectively; the music that drowned for Julius the crash of jackboots in thirties Berlin. But for herself, Clio remembers a different story. Desperate lies and bitter secrets, hopeless love and careless betrayal, jealous loyalties more like fetters. And above all, the truth about Grace, beautiful, destructive siren at the centre of the circle. From the bestselling author of the phenomenally successful The Kashmir Shawl London 1885As a turbulent and change-filled century draws to a close, there has never been a better time to alter your fortune. But for a beautiful young woman of limited means, Eliza's choices appear to lie between the stifling domesticity of marriage or a downwards spiral to the streets – no matter how determined she is to forge her own path. One night at a run-down theatre, she meets the charismatic Devil Wix – showman, master of illusion, fickle friend. Drawn into his circle, Eliza becomes the catalyst of change for his colleagues – a dwarf, an eccentric engineer, and an artist – as well as Devil himself. And as Eliza embarks on a dangerous adventure, she must decide which path to choose, and how far she should go when she holds all their lives in her hands. Sometimes the victims of tragedy are the ones who surviveFrom the bestselling author of The Kashmir Shawl Annie and Steve are from different worlds. She is a wife and mother, he is a wealthy executive with a stream of broken relationships in his wake. They do not know each other exists until one morning, on a shopping expedition, they becomes victims of a bomb blast, thrown together in the debris to fight for their lives. As they lie in the darkness and the rubble, the hours slowly tick by. To ward off fear and death they talk: of everything they have to live for, of their disappointments, loves, failures and their hopes. And so a bond is created that binds them deeper than family, than friends, than lovers. With such strange intimacy, such strange trust, how can they get through the future without each other? "For fans of The Tea-Planter's Wife and Victoria Hislop comes a gripping story of doomed love and secrets in 1940s Kashmir. Within one exotic land lie the secrets of a lifetime ... In 1938, young bride Nerys Watkins accompanies her missionary husband on a posting to India. Up in Srinagar, the British live on beautiful wooden houseboats and dance and gossip as if there is no war. But when the men are sent away to fight Nerys is caught up in a dangerous friendship. Years later, when Mair Ellis clears out her father's house, she finds an antique shawl with a lock of child's hair wrapped up in its folds. Tracing her grandparents' roots back to Kashmir, Mair uncovers a story of great love and great sacrifice."-- Provided by publisher From the bestselling author of The Kashmir Shawl. Available on ebook for the first time. Harriet Peacock has everything. What more could she possibly want? She has come a long way. From small shopkeeper and betrayed wife, she has made herself the City's darling, her name linked in gossip columns with film star Caspar Jensen. She has come a long way from Simon Archer, the man who invented a brilliantly simple game of chance and skill in a prison camp forty years ago, a game that is the foundation of Harriet's business empire. She has come a long way from her family, friends and former lovers. But when things start going wrong, Harriet finds that in love, as in the game, the quickest way to a goal can be the riskiest... "From the bestselling author of The Kashmir Shawl In London, on the brink of the Sixties, two runaways plunge into the whirl of Soho nightlife. Mattie faces the hard slog of repertory companies and a sleazy strip-club in search of fame as an actress. But, when it comes, stardom is not enough, and the love that Mattie desires seems to elude her. Julia choose marriage and Ladyhill, a beautiful Dorset manor house. Then, after the tragedy, she realises that to achieve true independence she will have to risk her marriage and her child. Though each has to make her own choices, their friendship - despite the guilt and betrayal - endures over three turbulent decades."-- Provided by publisher "Harriet Peacock has everything. What more could she possibly want? She has come a long way. From small shopkeeper and betrayed wife, she has made herself the City's darling, her name linked in gossip columns with film star Caspar Jensen. She has come a long way from Simon Archer, the man who invented a brilliantly simple game of chance and skill in a prison camp forty years ago, a game that is the foundation of Harriet's business empire. She has come a long way from her family, friends and former lovers. But when things start going wrong, Harriet finds that in love, as in the game, the quickest way to a goal can be the riskiest."--Publishers description This title tells the full story of the Kashmir shawl. The shawls are classified by stylistic period and an illustrated guide is included to show the chronological development of designs, which will help the collector to date their own shawls