Novels
Work in Progress:
Kat by Moonlight
THE CAST:
Kat's Parents:
Papa (Mr Stephenson): A respectable clergyman, his only slip was to marry a witch for his first wife. What was he thinking? Oh, yes, perhaps that might have had something to do with the love spell recorded in her magic books, just beside his name and the drawing of a heart...
Step-Mama (Mrs Stephenson): If only Fate had found her an eligible and wealthy bachelor to marry! Alas, at one-and-thirty, faced with the prospect of eternal spinsterhood, she was forced to give up her dreams of the London social whirl and marry Mr Stephenson. When she found the house full of leftover magic, she knew exactly what to do: she locked away every reminder of her predecessor and forbade her step-children to ever mention their scandalously wicked mother.
Now that her step-son has run the whole family into debt with his outrageous gambling, it is time to take desperate measures, no matter what her aggravating youngest step-daughters think about it. Luckily, her oldest step-daughter is both biddable and beautiful, the perfect combination. Sir Neville Collingwood is looking for a second wife, and surely the rumors about his first wife's death couldn't possibly be true...could they?
Kat's Brother & Sisters:
Charles (one-and-twenty years of age): Belch! Closely followed by: Snore...
Elissa (twenty): Duty to the family is all that matters. She could never disobey her step-mother or allow even the slightest hint of impropriety to touch her family...the kind that would come crashing down upon all of them if Charles's shocking gambling landed him in debtor's prison. And, if the truth must really be admitted...well, being forced to marry a sinister nobleman is rather like becoming the heroine of one of those delicious Gothic novels, isn't it? It's only a pity that Sir Neville's penniless younger brother is so much more attractive and appealing...
Angeline (nineteen): Elissa may sigh all she likes about Duty, but Angeline is not about to let anyone tell her what to do. Nor will she allow Elissa's own idiocy to lead to her early demise, no matter how well-deserved that demise might be. Angeline has already found her mother's old magic books and come up with her own plan to save the family from ruin. She'll simply cast a spell to summon her true love, who's sure to be wealthy, dashing, and at least five-and-twenty.
Oh, damnation. The man who's shown up simply will not do! Still, Angeline is not about to share the magic books with anyone else--especially not her aggravating youngest sister, Kat. Kat's always trying to poke her nose into other peopleÕs business--but Angeline knows best about everything and will not allow interference in her affairs.
Our Heroine:
Kat: Fourteen years old and quite aware that she's far more competent than either of her maddeningly patronizing older sisters. If only they hadn't thwarted her plan to run away to London dressed as a boy and earn a fortune! When she makes a midnight foray into her mother's cabinet of secrets, though, she finds out something nobody expected. Her mother wasn't just a witch, she was a Guardian, a member of a secret Order with staggering magical powers--and Kat is her heir.
There's no chance of Kat choosing to join the Order that forbade her parents' marriage...but her Mama's magical mirror doesn't seem to understand that. It keeps following her everywhere she goes, even when the family travels to ominous Grantham Abbey to meet Sir Neville. And what with Sir Neville showing a dangerous interest in her untapped powers, her mother's old tutor insisting that she take up her mother's position as a Guardian, and her sister Angeline refusing to listen to her about anything, as usual...well, it's a good thing Kat kept her boy's clothing, because she may well have to use it--especially if the rumors of a highwayman are true.