A New Year -- A New Series

Well, I recently went through all my blog posts to see if I could find any mention of the new series. Here is the first post. http://annegallagherwriter.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-have-new-series.html  And the only other accounting was a small blurb on this post.
http://annegallagherwriter.blogspot.com/2015/05/im-back-writing-new-series.html

So, all I can say is WOW. I thought of this idea over two years ago. Unfortunately, other creative endeavors have gotten in my way and I haven't really been able to write more than a handful of words since last May.

I'm sure you're all wondering what it's about and who's in it. Well, it's about Henry Wade, 6th Marquess of Dunbury after thirty-odd years in the Army. He made his appearance in LADY OLIVIA'S UNDOING as Lady Olivia's lost love. We find out that Henry lost a duel to Reginald Leighton to win Olivia's hand, and instead of killing him, Reginald made him leave the country. Olivia never got over him. I'll spare you the details of what happens when Henry and Olivia meet up again.

This new series begins in 1807, three years prior to THE LADY'S MASQUERADE, the first book in The Reluctant Grooms series, where we first encounter Lady Olivia.

Henry Wade, Marquess of Dunbury

Henry Wade, a Lieutenant Colonel is His Majesty's Army, has finally come home after serving King and Country for thirty-four years. What he finds at Dunbury Manor are his six nieces all of whom have lost their parents. They are of "handsome countenance, beautiful manners, well versed in etiquette and deportment, and will make some lucky swain a wonderful wife." Henry's problem is that they're all poor as church mice. Yes, Henry does have some little money, but that was his to retire on and pen his memoirs.


 Henry's best friend is Steven Carlton, the Duke of Cantin. (Robert's deceased father in THE DUKE'S

Steven Carlton, Duke of Cantin

DIVORCE.) Steven is still very much alive in the Dunbury series (for a few years anyway), and we get a glimpse into Robert's past.

King George is still on the throne and the country is in the hands of the Duke of Portland. Lots of political intrigue and drama I have yet to research. It should be interesting. The Slave Trade Act has been successful, yet Catholic Emancipation has not.

Catherine Gantry

Henry's nieces are in the charge of Lady Catherine Gantry, a mysterious forty-something woman whose late husband left her without funds, so she became a governess to the wealthy beauties on the marriage mart. She is cousin to Steven and Olivia, a member of the Spencer-Churchill clan. Olivia was the one who placed Catherine at Dunbury Manor when it became clear the Dunbury ladies needed supervision.

Lady Gantry is a bit of an enigma to Henry. When he first encounters her, he believes she is Olivia all grown up. His attraction to her is brief when he finds she is a termagant with the temper of a virago.

The ladies, on the other hand, are quite delightful, and Henry enjoys his time getting to know each of his nieces before he marries them off.



Lady Mercy Wade -- Daughter of Harold Wade, the 5th Marquess of Dunbury. Harold's wife died in childbirth along with the heir to the Marquisate, when Mercy was a child. Mercy is the eldest of the six girls and is 20 when Henry arrives home. She is the only niece Henry has ever met.

Faith

Charity

Hope

 













Lady Faith, Lady Hope, Lady Charity -- Daughters of the late Duke and Duchess of Trowbridge. Esme, the Duchess of Trowbridge was Henry's eldest sister. Her death is the reason Henry has finally come home.

Patience

Prudence

Lady Patience, and Lady Prudence -- Daughters of the Earl and Countess of March. who are presumed drowned in an accident at sea. Elspeth was Henry's second eldest sister.

Each girl has their own distinctive personality and their own idea of what love is. They are also known for wearing certain colors (which will reflect in the covers of the books).

Penny

They are friends with Penny (THE LADY'S MASQUERADE) Arabella and Arianna (THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE) Dorcas (LADY CADORET'S LONGING), Rosamund (THE EARL'S ENGAGEMENT) and Violet (THE LADY'S FATE).

Dorcas

Rosamund

Arabella

Arianna

VIolet

These are a few of the men who fall in love with the ladies. Only three have a name, and of course I'm always on the hunt for new love interests. We'll see who I come up with.

 So, there you have it. The new series -- I'm calling it THE LADIES OF DUNBURY. I'm not sure what each of the individual novels will be called. I think I've used up all the Duke's Earl's and Lady's.
I'm opting for Shakespeare or Jane Austen depending on what I can cull from the tomes of the past. I hope you'll join me as I hope to keep up with this blog better than I have been.
Anne Gallagher (c) 2016