The Dream Kingdom — Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

London, May 1908. It is the height of Edwardian England, and Jessie Compton has travelled down from Morland Place, the Yorkshire home and ancient seat of the Morland family, to enjoy the delights of the Season. She has one chance to catch the eye of the man who has already captured her heart -- Lord Brancaster.

Meanwhile, at Morland Place, her uncle Teddy sees his business expanding, and when the keels are laid in Belfast for the new super-liners Olympic and Titanic, he secures a lucrative contract to supply the furnishings. His private life is prospering too, and he brings home a new wife -- to the anxiety of his sister Henrietta, who knows there can't be two mistresses of the house. And in this age of opportunities, Jessie's brother Jack is involved in the most exciting challenge of all -- the embryo aviation industry.

But under the dynamic and confident surface troubles are stirring. The death of the King brings to a head the threatened constitutional crisis; trade is disrupted by rioting strikers; the suffragette struggle is growing ever more violent; and, further afield, the flexing of Russian and German might is an ominous sign of the difficulties that lie ahead ...