M. C. Beaton

M. C. Beaton is the pen name of bestselling novelist Marion Chesney. She was a prolific writer of historical romances and small village mysteries. Born in Scotland, the author began her writing career as a fiction buyer for a Glasgow bookstore and worked as a theater critic, newspaper reporter, and editor.

The author wrote under various names, most notably as M. C. Beaton for her Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series. She also wrote under the names Sarah Chester, Helen Crampton, Ann Fairfax, Marion Gibbons, Jennie Tremaine, and Charlotte Ward.

M.C. BEATON® is a registered trademark of M.C. Beaton Limited

Featured Books By Author

Lady Fortescue Steps Out

The impecunious Lady Fortescue, widowed and alone save for two loyal, unpaid servants, has sold off almost all of the furnishings in her large Bond Street home and faces a grim future as a member of the aristocracy too proud to seek employment or charity, yet too poor to survive on the infrequent largess of wealthy relatives oblivious to her plight. Salvation arrives in the unlikely form of old Colonel Sandhurst, an equally impoverished retired military man who falls at her feet in a hunger-induced faint one afternoon in Hyde Park. The two decide to join forces: the Colonel will share Lady Fortescue's home, and they will invite others of their station and situation to live with them and pool their resources. Thus is born what eventually becomes one of London's most popular hotels, The Poor Relation, to which the nobility flocks to enjoy the novelty of being waited upon by members of their own class.
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Lucy

She was a lady’s maid who longed to be a lady. How else could Lucy Balfour hope to win the favor of Andrew, Viscount Harvey, the toast of the town, who seemed ready to take a bride at last? There was only one way to do, and that was to command his attention. It seemed an impossible dream. Even the first step was daunting: Lucy had to become the peer of her own mistress, the coldly beautiful Lady Angela, who was also determined to claim Andrew as her own. But there was Hamish MacGregor, the wily old butler, who promised to make Lucy’s dream come true. With Lucy’s unaccountable good luck at baccarat, they could win a fortune. With his cunning, they would conquer London society as "father" and "daughter" and meet the king himself! Having served the rich, he knew how they operated and Hamish MacGregor was determined to beat them at their own game. And having met Andrew Harvey, Lucy Balfour determined she would never be a servant again.
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The Scandalous Lady Wright

The upper class of the social circle regarded Sir Benjamin Wright with utmost honor and respect. Yet Lady Emma knew her husband was, in fact, a drunken jealous brute who delighted in humiliating her both in and out of the bedroom. His murder had been a blessing, she thought - that is until the constable’s accusing finger pointed to her. But it soon became apparent that her late husband hid secrets… and enemies. When the practical Comte Saint-Juste arrived on the scene offering his services, Lady Emma was about to discover what the French dedication to l’amour really meant…
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Books By
M. C. Beaton