Rachel Brimble

Christmas sees Pennington’s at its most glorious, thronged with shoppers, its grand staircase and balcony adorned with holly, mistletoe, tinsel and lights. It should be the happiest time, but dramas are simmering beneath the surface.

As the weather turns cold, and the war rages on, Veronica Campbell finds herself loving her job as a home front nurse more than ever.

1910, Bath, England – Hardworking and whip smart, Elizabeth Pennington is the rightful heir of Bath’s premier department store, Pennington’s. But her father, Edward Pennington, believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire. He is resolute a man will succeed him.

1911, Bath, England – Passionate suffrage campaigner Esther Stanbury has been banished from her home for her views. So ever since, she’s worked as a window dresser in Pennington's Department Store, where she’s proud to have a job and to earn her own money.

Freda knows the work she does on the home front is vital. Especially when bombs begin raining down on her beloved city of Bath and she and her friends find themselves feeling the effects of war like never before.

As war rages and brave soldiers returning home from the frontline need nurses more than ever, fiercely proud redhead Sylvia Roberts is determined to help in any way she can. In spite of her mother’s belief she isn’t good enough, Sylvia believes that becoming a home front nurse is her calling.

Seamstress Rose Watson cannot believe her good fortune when she’s plucked from obscurity to work for Lady Christina, the Countess of Bath. When she arrives at the royal residence of Henlow House, a sense of destiny whispers through her.

Manchester industrialist William Rose was a poor lad who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, but in order to achieve his greatest ambitions he must become the epitome of Victorian respectability: a family man....

Bath, 1852. As a girl, Nancy Bloom longed to be part of Bath's Theatre Royal. When a man promised her parents he could find a role for Nancy in the theatre, they believed him. His lie and betrayal led to her ruin....

1851. After her husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then, her husband is found dead....

Bath, 1912. When Miss Pennington sends Amelia Wakefield to study the department stores of New York, she couldn't be more excited. Meeting Amelia on board the Titanic, Samuel can't help wondering what painful history has made the beauty so reserved....

At the mention of an arranged marriage, Elizabeth Caughley feels her life is over at the age of three and 20 - so she hatches an escape plan. She will reinvent herself as a housemaid....

Julia Kershaw is leaving town. She desperately needs an escape from her mother's grief over the loss of Julia's brother - shot and killed by an overzealous cop. But when she becomes the sole witness to the murder of a man she's known all her life, she can't go until the killer is found....

In a desperate bid to escape the bitter reality of her children accepting her ex-husband’s new, younger fiancée, Lisa Cavendish travels from the UK to accompany her friend to a high school reunion. The last thing she expects is to fall in love with the school soccer coach....

A compelling tale of female empowerment in Bath's leading department store. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise....