1. The Founding
Yorkshire, 1434. Ambitious Edward Morland arranges a marriage between his quiet son Robert and Eleanor, the spirited young ward of the Beaufort family. Eleanor resents being married to a man she regards as a mere sheep farmer and remains emotionally attached to Richard, Duke of York.…
2. The Dark Rose
Beginning in 1501, the second Morland novel follows Paul, great-grandson of Eleanor, as the family’s wealth and influence expand during the reign of Henry VIII. Paul’s devotion to an illegitimate son creates a destructive rivalry with Amyas, the lawful heir, and jealousy between the half-brothers threatens…
3. The Princeling
In 1558, Elizabeth I’s accession places the Catholic Morlands in a vulnerable position. John, heir to Morland Place, travels to the Border country to marry the daughter of the formidable cattle lord Black Will Percy. Before he can secure the alliance, he must prove himself in…
4. The Oak Apple
In 1630, the long peace of the early Stuart period begins to fracture. At Morland Place, Richard returns with a Puritan wife while his brother Kit joins Prince Rupert and the Royalist cavalry. Their father Edmund tries to preserve both the estate and family unity, but…
5. The Black Pearl
In 1659, the Protectorate is failing and the Morlands hope that the restoration of the monarchy will revive their damaged fortunes. Ralph Morland begins rebuilding an estate impoverished by civil war, while his beautiful and ambitious cousin Annunciata travels to London and enters the seductive, unstable…
6. The Long Shadow
During the prosperous years after 1670, Morland Place flourishes and Annunciata, now Countess of Chelmsford, enjoys wealth and influence close to the royal family. The stability of Charles II’s reign proves temporary, however, and the accession of James II brings rebellion, religious conflict and renewed danger…
7. The Chevalier
After the Glorious Revolution, Annunciata follows the deposed James II into exile and leaves her grandson Matt to manage Morland Place. Gentle and inexperienced, Matt is drawn into an arranged marriage with the beautiful but cruel India Neville. Her manipulation drives him between desire and despair…
8. The Maiden
Beginning in 1720, Jeremy Morland marries the cold Lady Mary to secure Hanoverian protection and preserve his inheritance. Their household is shaped by political caution, but the Jacobite rising of 1745 brings war back to the family. After Culloden, Jeremy’s daughter Jemima emerges as the person…
9. The Flood-Tide
In 1772, Allen and Jemima Morland work to restore Morland Place while the ambitions of their seven children draw the family far beyond Yorkshire. Charles pursues an heiress to Maryland and becomes caught in the American struggle for independence. Henry, an illegitimate branch of the family,…
10. The Tangled Thread
In 1788, the French Revolution traps the Morlands’ continental branch in a rapidly radicalising Paris. Henri-Marie Fitzjames Stuart tries to protect his daughter Heloise, his mistress Marie-France and their son Morland by arranging alliances with revolutionary power. Heloise is forced into a loveless marriage, while Henri-Marie’s…
11. The Emperor
Beginning in 1795, Napoleon’s rise casts a shadow over the dispersed Morlands. At Morland Place, Jemima watches her children’s marriages unravel: James and Mary Ann grow further apart, Lucy’s affair with a naval officer becomes an open scandal, and William supports a mistress he cannot marry.…
12. The Victory
In 1803, the renewed war with France places Britain under threat of invasion. Mary Ann’s contact with the missionary Father Rathbone introduces her to poverty and disease in industrial Manchester, while Lucy’s lover serves in the blockade of Brest. Her neglected husband Chetwyn finds love elsewhere,…
13. The Regency
In 1807, the continuing Napoleonic Wars unsettle the next Morland generation. Lucy, grieving for Captain Weston, is confused by an unexpected proposal, while James and Heloise’s hard-won happiness is threatened by his rebellious daughter Fanny. As heiress to Morland Place, Fanny wants control over her own…
14. The Campaigners
In 1815, Napoleon’s escape from Elba draws the Allied armies and fashionable society to Brussels. Heloise renews her acquaintance with a former suitor, Rosamund confronts her feelings for her cousin Marcus, and Sophie meets an enigmatic French major. Romance flourishes amid balls and military preparations, while…
15. The Reckoning
In 1816, Napoleon has been defeated but Britain faces inflation, unemployment, falling wages and hunger. Discharged soldiers return to a country unable to reward them, and protest spreads among communities burdened by high food prices. At Morland Place, Heloise and James try to defend the estate’s…
16. The Devil’s Horse
In 1820, steam power and industrial expansion begin to reshape England. The unconventional Africa returns from St Helena, Lucy brings her sons home from their Grand Tour, and Sophie and Jasper meet fierce opposition to plans for improving the housing of Manchester’s factory workers. In London,…
17. The Poison Tree
In 1831, agitation for parliamentary reform brings England close to revolution. Violence outside the family is matched by violence within it: Sophie’s life is shattered by a terrible crime, Rosamund discovers that achieving her desires can be as painful as denial, and Heloise’s grief after James’s…
18. The Abyss
In 1833, the railway age brings Benedict Morland back to Yorkshire as an engineer on the Leeds and Selby line. He hopes to earn enough to marry Miss Fleetham, but his return alarms his brother Nicholas, who regards him as a rival for both the inheritance…
19. The Hidden Shore
In 1843, Charlotte Meldon believes herself destitute after her father’s death until a lawyer reveals that she belongs to the Morland family and is a wealthy countess in her own right. Launched into the London Season beside her vivacious cousin Fanny, Charlotte is expected to secure…
20. The Winter Journey
In 1851, Morland Place is recovering under Benjamin’s careful management, and Charlotte, now Duchess of Southport, prepares to open a modern hospital for the poor. Cavendish’s engagement to the beautiful but impractical Miss Phipps alarms his family, yet the wedding proceeds as the Morlands enjoy a…
21. The Outcast
Benedict Morland’s settled life is overturned when an old enemy’s final request makes him guardian of the orphaned Lennox Mynott. His decision to accept the boy bewilders his wife Sibella and creates hostility at Morland Place. Seeking distance from the dispute, Benedict takes Lennox to America…
22. The Mirage
In the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, George Morland becomes master of Morland Place and begins an ambitious programme of improvement. His sister Henrietta marries the scholarly Reverend Fortescue in the hope of leading a useful life, while their cousin Lady Venetia Fleetwood resolves to study…
23. The Cause
Lady Venetia Fleetwood is expected to marry ‘Beauty’ Winchmore, but she ends the engagement when he insists that marriage must end her medical studies. Her refusal scandalises society, and after her father’s death she is left with a small allowance and exclusion from her family. She…
24. The Homecoming
Widowhood releases Henrietta from her unhappy marriage and allows her to marry Jerome Compton, although his divorce means the couple must live away from Yorkshire society. In London, Henrietta and her daughter Lizzie thrive among artists, scientists and unconventional friends. She renews her relationship with Lady…
25. The Question
At the end of the nineteenth century, Morland fortunes improve as Henrietta and Jerome find a true home at Morland Place and Teddy invests his profits in restoring the estate. The younger generation grows up amid confidence in empire, industry and social progress, yet the South…
26. The Dream Kingdom
In 1908, Jessie and Violet enter London society believing the Edwardian world to be a secure kingdom of wealth, elegance and opportunity. The Morlands expand their businesses, arrange marriages and watch the next generation begin careers. Motor cars, telephones, radio experiments and aviation appear to confirm…
27. The Restless Sea
England in 1912 retains its Edwardian confidence, but strikes, protests and political violence reveal deep social divisions. Jessie and Violet, once childhood friends, adjust to marriage and motherhood in very different social worlds. Jack responds to romantic disappointment by designing aircraft and training pilots, while Anne,…
28. The White Road
In August 1914, Britain enters the First World War amid patriotic excitement and expectations of a short campaign. Bertie, a reservist, is among the first sent to France; Jack joins the Royal Flying Corps; and Ned volunteers for a newly raised Pals battalion. At home, the…
29. The Burning Roses
By 1915, the first enthusiasm for war has faded into determination and anxiety. Ned is sent to the Western Front ahead of his battalion, and Jessie becomes an auxiliary nurse, discovering that hospital work is harder and more intimate than her charitable experience suggested. Helen and…
30. The Measure of Days
In 1916, the Morlands are fully absorbed into the war. Jessie’s husband Ned is reported missing on the Western Front, and his father begins a desperate search for news. Frustrated by the limits of auxiliary nursing, Jessie goes to London to work in a military hospital,…
31. The Foreign Field
In 1917, the Allies prepare another major offensive while Germany answers with unrestricted submarine warfare, air raids on London and withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line. The Morlands serve as soldiers, nurses and civilians, their lives stretched between the Western Front and a home front increasingly affected…
32. The Fallen Kings
In 1918, Germany transfers troops from the east and launches a massive offensive before American strength can be fully deployed. Bertie struggles to bring his battered battalion through the retreat, Jack is reported shot down, and Jessie carries Bertie’s child while anticipating her family’s judgment. At…
33. The Dancing Years
In 1919, the Armistice has ended the fighting but not the grief, unemployment and shortages left by war. Teddy travels to France to see where Ned died and is changed by what he finds. Polly, mourning Erich Kuppel, goes to New York in search of a…
34. The Winding Road
In 1925, Polly Morland is a celebrated beauty in Jazz Age New York when the powerful and secretive Ren Alexander proposes marriage. Her cousin Lennie, involved in radio, television and talking pictures, investigates Ren’s past and risks catastrophe. In Britain, the General Strike draws Emma back…
35. The Phoenix
In 1931, Polly returns to Morland Place and prevents its immediate financial collapse, but her determination to modernise the estate meets resistance from men unwilling to accept her authority. Jack seeks a new start in York for the sake of his family. In London, Robert, left…
36. The Gathering Storm
England, 1936. Edward VIII’s accession is followed almost immediately by a constitutional crisis. Kit and Emma become reluctant witnesses to the king’s private conflict, while Polly is left isolated at Morland Place when James is summoned abroad. Her voyage to New York on the Queen Mary…