Part of Series
THE STEEPWOOD SCANDAL: — A young woman disappears. — A husband is suspected of murder. — Stirring times for all the neighborhood—When the debauched Marquis of Sywell won Steepwood Abbey years ago at cards, it led to the death of the then Earl of Yardley. Now he's caused scandal again by marrying a girl out of his class—and young enough to be his granddaughter! After being married only a short time, the Marchioness has disappeared, leaving no trace of her whereabouts. There is every expectation that yet more scandals will emerge, though no one yet knows just how shocking they will be. The four villages surrounding the Steepwood Abbey estate are in turmoil, not only with the dire goings-on at the Abbey, but also with their own affairs. Each story in The Steepwood Scandal follows the mystery behind the disappearance of the young woman, and the individual romances of lovers connected in some way with the intrigue.
Author
An avid reader from an early age, Elizabeth Bailey grew up in colonial Africa under unconventional parentage and with theatre in the blood. Back in England, she trod the boards until discovering her true métier as a writer in her thirties, when she fulfilled an early addiction to Georgette Heyer by launching into historical romance. Eight years and eight books later, Elizabeth joined the Harlequin Mills & Boon stable, fuelling her writing with a secondary career teaching and directing drama, and writing plays into the bargain. With 18 historicals published, Elizabeth turned to other genres, producing two titles (Fly the Wild Echoes and For One More Tomorrow) in the cross-genre literary/paranormal field as well as a suspense novella (Silence of a Stranger). She has several short stories available too and a guide for writers on editing. Continuing her foray into other genres, but returning to her favourite historical period, Elizabeth turned to mystery. She placed her female sleuth in the late Georgian world of intrigue, elegance, aristocrats and rogues, where privilege rubbed shoulders with the harsh realities of making ends meet. While Ottilia moves in the upper echelon of Society, she is thoroughly at ease in the lower, which allows Elizabeth to cross boundaries with impunity. These novels are now published with Sapere Books and the list continues to grow. Sapere also publish her Brides by Chance Regency Adventures, a series dedicated to the countless women who could not ordinarily hope for romance and marriage: poor relations, dowerless females, those who did not "take", orphans. In a word, the classic Cinderella heroine. Now retired from teaching, Elizabeth concentrates on writing and promotion, with a sideline in running an assessment critique service for writers.
