Speak to Me of Love

Set in England from the 1880s through World War I, this enthralling romantic saga tells the story of a remarkable woman who defies London’s aristocratic society and attempts to build a department store that will rival Selfridge’s

The plump, plain daughter of a successful shopkeeper, Beatrice Bonnington has no illusions about her looks—or her marital prospects. So when she receives a proposal from the dashing William Overton—a man she’s secretly desired for years—Beatrice can’t believe her good fortune.
 Knowing her husband will never wholly belong to her, she turns her energies to the other great passion of her life: her family’s department store. As she endures tragedy, betrayal, and the horrors of war, she builds Bonnington’s Emporium into a titan of commerce that rivals London’s Selfridge’s. But with all of her worldly success, she never stops loving William. One more challenge awaits Beatrice—the battle for her husband’s heart. 

Dorothy Eden (1912–1982) was the internationally acclaimed author of more than forty bestselling gothic, romantic suspense, and historical novels. Born in New Zealand, where she attended school and worked as a legal secretary, she moved to London in 1954 and continued to write prolifically. Eden’s novels are known for their suspenseful, spellbinding plots, finely drawn characters, authentic historical detail, and often a hint of spookiness. Her novel of pioneer life in Australia, The Vines of Yarrabee, spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list. Her gothic historical novels Ravenscroft, Darkwater, and Winterwood are considered by critics and readers alike to be classics of the genre.