The Gilt Cage

NOTE: The Gilt Cage was previously published as A Marchioness Below Stairs. This second edition contains new material and has been extensively rewritten and lengthened.


Trapped by snow, scandal, and a reformed rake, Isabel must navigate Society -- and her own heart.

Amid the hush of falling snow and the hint of hidden treachery, how much must a lady risk to claim her freedom?

Widowed and heartbroken, Isabel, Marchioness of Axbridge, flees Bath upon learning that her former love is soon to be married. Hoping for respite, she accepts her cousin's invitation to Chernock Hall.

But instead of finding sanctuary, Isabel stumbles into a domestic crisis of majestic proportions. Influenza cripples the household while a fierce blizzard traps an unwelcome assortment of relations and guests inside. Political convictions soon threaten the veneer of polite society, and Isabel, an earnest abolitionist, finds herself increasingly at odds with Marcus Bateman, whose easy manners and incorrigible good humour sit ill with his apparent willingness to overlook the company he keeps.

Though Marcus's lightheartedness provokes Isabel's disapproval, his rare moments of seriousness hint at depths she cannot easily dismiss. As tempers flare and loyalties fracture, Isabel must decide which danger she fears defying Society's expectations -- or allowing herself to fall in love again.


Hero: Marcus Bateman
Heroine: Isabel, Marchioness of Axbridge

A traditional Regency tale of wit, conscience, and unexpected regard.


300 Pages, Kindle Edition