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Secrets Of A Whitby Girl

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 233 pages

File Size : 33,38 MB

Release : 2011-03-03

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0748125728

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Book Description

Whitby 1901. Sarah Brook has kept diaries for most of her life. Now eighty-five and at the end of her own journey, she allows her favourite great-niece Esther to read them. But while full of Sarah's thoughts and dreams, and family stories, the diaries also hold dark family secrets about the past, which are about to be exposed. . . Whitby 1832. When their mother tragically dies, life changes dramatically for Sarah and her siblings. Arabella is ordered by their father to assume the domestic role - something she fears will destroy her hoped-for relationship with John Sharp, captain of her father's whale ship, the Sea King. Little does she know that Harriet has an idea to ensure she doesn't end up with a hard life like Arabella: she will ensnare John and marry him. Charley too has his own escape plan: determined to forge a life at sea against his father's wishes, he stows away on the Sea King. But when tragedy strikes the Sea King in the Arctic the Brook family, and those near to them, are forced to make crucial assessments about their futures. . .



The Locket

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 211 pages

File Size : 47,22 MB

Release : 2011-04-07

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0748127682

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Book Description

When Emily Thornton discovers a will linked with the murder of a sea captain in Hull in the 1860's, she is determined to discover what happened - but a vital witness is missing. So, Emily enlists the help of Thomas Laycock, a young man who has come to Hull to open his own detective agency. As the pair travel to Middlesborough and Whitby, the investigation unfolds, and their attention is brought to a locket worn by a mysterious young woman. Emily and Thomas are convinced that this is a crucial link in the case. Can they unravel the meaning behind this unusual locket? And escape the danger following them every step of the way . . .



Secrets Of The Sea

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 344 pages

File Size : 26,26 MB

Release : 2011-11-10

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 1405511923

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Book Description

In the early days of the 19th Century Whitby is a thriving port. Both the Coulson and the Campion families make a living by the sea. Sam Coulson has three sons: Martin, Ben and Eric. He has grand plans for expanding his whaling business; and as Seaton Campion has no sons, a marriage between Martin and Campion's eldest daughter, Alicia, will aid the fortunes of both families. Ben Coulson, Sam's middle son, has turned his back on whaling to follow other pursuits. However Ben is secretly working hard, waiting for the time to show his father he is not the wastrel he thinks he is. Ruth Holmes also comes from a sea-faring family. Her father is the captain of one of Sam Coulson's whaling ships. Newly returned from France, she catches the eye of Ben Coulson and he is instantly smitten. But when Martin fails to return from his last voyage their fledging relationship is put under threat. For not only does Sam blame Ruth's father for Martin's death, he sees little reason why his business plans should be thwarted by family tragedy. If Martin cannot marry Alicia then it is Ben's duty to take his brother's place, regardless of where his own affections lie



Echoes Of The Past

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 282 pages

File Size : 28,97 MB

Release : 2011-04-07

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0748127666

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Book Description

Recently widowed, Katherine Chambers takes her young son to visit her husband's family when disaster strikes. The ship they are sailing on runs into a severe storm off Robin Hood's Bay on the Yorkshire Coast. Among the bodies on the beach, a survivor is found. Identified as Katherine from the engraving on the bracelet she wears on her wrist, she has no knowledge of who she is or where she is from. Dr Bennett, the local doctor in Robin Hood's Bay, is called in but though he can treat Katherine's cuts and physical ailments, there is little he can do to heal the gaps in her memory. Determined to save Katherine from being placed in an institution, he asks his spinster sister to take care of her until her family can be traced. But jealous of her brother's interest in Katherine, Amelia Bennett takes a cruel pleasure in her predicament. Until Katherine can remember her past, her future is far from certain . . .



Portrait Of Charlotte

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 252 pages

File Size : 22,23 MB

Release : 2011-04-07

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0748127674

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Book Description

Struggling artist Richard is persuaded by his benefactor to leave his home town for the grand salons of London. He is encouraged to paint the beautiful Charlotte's portrait, and in doing so, the couple begin to fall in love. But Charlotte is married to an older man, who cares for her deeply. How can she reconcile her passion for Richard with her loyalty to her husband? In an attempt to forget her, Richard returns home to Whitby. But when unexpected events force the Lincolnshire countryside and the London art world to become entangled, Richard and Charlotte's worlds are forced to collide once more . . .



The Long Way Home

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 280 pages

File Size : 14,95 MB

Release : 2011-11-10

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 140551194X

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Book Description

Lydia Middleton faces a bright future, secure in the knowledge that her childhood sweetheart, David Drayton, will one day be her husband. Their parents heartily approve of a match between Whitby's foremost ship-owning families. But then Mr Middleton loses his fortune and later his life, and the Draytons reconsider. Lydia's uncle repossesses the family home and she is forced to leave Whitby. Her brother Luke finds a job in the new town of Middlesbrough and Lydia decides to accompany him and make her own way in life. But she vows that when her fortunes have changed she will return to her beloved home and exact a fitting revenge on her uncle. Driven by this desire, Lydia prospers but risks losing the most precious thing of all: the love of David, who has stayed faithful to her throughout their enforced separation. Vengeance or the path of true love - which will Lydia choose?



The Road Beneath Me

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 237 pages

File Size : 22,99 MB

Release : 2012-02-02

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0748121188

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Book Description

When Kate Swan's overbearing father demands that she obey him by marrying a man she despises, she refuses and is cast out of her comfortable home in Whitby. Fortunately, a kindly local widow is looking for a lady companion and, for the moment, Kate's future is assured. Meanwhile in Shetland, Malcolm McFadden, heir to the Garstan Estate, disagrees with his father's plan to clear the crofters from his land and turn it over to sheep. The fate of one crofter's daughter in particular greatly troubles him, and he proposes to defy convention by marrying Rowena Murray, but she hesitates, and Malcolm leaves Shetland on his own. When he and Kate meet, they are instantly attracted to one other, but while Kate fulfills one last obligation to her generous employer Mrs Jordan - accompanying her on a Lakeland tour - Malcolm receives the news he has long dreaded. The Highland Clearances have begun, and old loyalties draw Malcolm back to Shetland where he vanishes without trace. Will Kate's love and determination win through, enabling her to discover what has become of Malcolm? Or will his old ties to Rowena, his first love, prove too strong, and cause Kate to regret the road she has travelled?



Time & Tide

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 301 pages

File Size : 50,47 MB

Release : 2011-11-10

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 1405511915

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Book Description

The death of her mother in 1813, brings added responsibility to seventeen-year-old Anna Mason. A self-confident girl, she has to shed her girlhood sooner than she would have expected as she assumes many of her mother's tasks in running the household of Hawkshead Manor. Julian Kirby, a family friend, is entranced by Anna but she doesn't feel she is able to return his affections while her father remains so devastated by his wife's death. However, whilst Anna's father, John Mason, is an outwardly respectable merchant operating out of Whitby, he is also the brains behind a leading smuggling operation in the district. And with his focus elsewhere, his business - legitimate and otherwise - is at risk; a fact which may have serious repercussions on the Mason family and Anna's future when she stumbles on the truth...



Secrets of the Sideshows

Author : Joe Nickell

Publisher : University Press of Kentucky

Page : 426 pages

File Size : 14,91 MB

Release : 2005-09-09

Category : Performing Arts

ISBN : 0813171792

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Book Description

The carnival sideshows of the past have left behind a fascinating legacy of mystery and intrigue. The secrets behind such daring feats as fire-eating and sword swallowing and bizarre exhibitions of human oddities as "Alligator Boys" and "Gorilla Girls" still remain, only grudgingly if ever given up by performers and carnival professionals. Working alongside the performers, Joe Nickell blows the lid off these mysteries of the midway. The author reveals the structure of the shows, specific methods behind the performances, and the showmen's tactics for recruiting performers and attracting crowds. He also traces the history of such spectacles, from ancient Egyptian magic and street fairs to the golden age of P.T. Barnum's sideshows. With revealing insight into the personal lives of the men and women billed as freaks, Nickell unfolds the captivating story of the midway show.



Tread Softly, Alice

Author : Jessica Blair

Publisher : Piatkus

Page : 313 pages

File Size : 39,99 MB

Release : 2016-02-04

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0349407339

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Book Description

At the age of eighteen, Alice Ware is pretty, charming and impetuous. Back home in Yorkshire at the start of a new century, she is determined to seize any fresh opportunities and experiences that come her way. The arrival of a new neighbour, the elegant and scandalous Mrs Emma Cheevey, leads to visits from her two highly eligible soldier sons. Alice is instantly drawn to Matthew, the younger brother - and then Captain Steven Cheevey arrives home from South Africa, where he was part of the British expeditionary force at the Relief of Mafeking. Alice's choice is made, her future secure . . . until a reckless decision throws the lives of three people into turmoil. Reluctant to return home, she seeks refuge in the one place where she knows she will find peace, perhaps for ever. It will take a visit from the man who loves her to persuade Alice to reconsider and dare to live again.