There is never a dull moment at the boutique where Milly Perks works, with Belle, her absent-minded boss, around.
Show-jumping story told from the point of view of the horse, Nutmeg. In the sequel Nutmeg at the Olympic Games, Nutmeg makes it to the Montreal Olympics, but has problems with competing, including a jealous horse tampering with his feed and being unjustly expelled from the team.
Another sequel appeared in Judy with a different artist, Nutmeg and Fritz. Nutmeg now an Olympic gold medal winning horse, could not get on with his overbearing German cousin, Fritz. Nutmeg kept trying to outsmart Fritz, usually without success. Now a newcomer, Skewie, had arrived at the stables and Nutmeg was showing what he could do.
(Nutmeg and Fritz, Judy 1989)
Complete story. In 1815 Brussels, the Duke of Wellington’s officers are entertaining the ladies. Serena Malvern is not allowed to dance because she is considered too young, so she is merely watching and notices her sister Sybilla is taking a fancy to one of the officers, Lieutenant Pelham.
Red roses are tossed at the Highlander fighters’ dance. Serena objects because the scarlet petals look like blood to her. Her misgivings are dismissed as the soldiers think Napoleon is finished. Serena is not so sure about this. And her premonition proves right when news arrives that Napoleon has returned. Pelham is killed in action at the Battle of Waterloo the next day. Serena keeps a scarlet petal that fell from Pelham’s uniform to remember him by.
In The Glamour World of Victoria Jones – a mysterious veiled woman, Miss Trent, had offered to help schoolgirl Victoria and her widowed mother by giving them jobs in her dress shop as models. Victoria returns in sequels:
Victoria Jones – and the Queen of Diamonds
Victoria Jones and her friend Anna are searching for Victoria’s mother, who has disappeared on a modelling tour of Europe. They are being aided in their quest by Madame Carnez, who says she had organised the tour. The mystery deepens when diving gear that Madame Carnez loaned them yields diamonds hidden in the spear gun. After seeing Madame Carnez’s reaction to this, Victoria thinks she is concealing something.
Victoria Jones – and the Dragon Girl
Victoria and her mother now owning a gown salon, hire a Chinese girl Suzi as a model. Victoria begins to suspect her of thievery but is then surprised to find out Suzi is working for the police.
Victoria Jones and the Golden Dresses
Victoria buys up golden material in Greece and makes six dresses from them. Then Secret Service informs her that a secret code is interwoven into the fabric, which she received by mistake, and the dresses need to be recovered before enemy agents get to them.
Victoria Jones and the Black Cat Boutique
A rival boutique, the Black Cat Boutique, opens up. Its owner, “Black Mary” MacRae, makes direct threats to put Victoria out of business after Victoria offends her, and there’s a story that she’s a witch.
Kate Williams is about to be adopted by Lord and Lady Lester when she is badly burned in fire caused by nasty Emily West. When she recovers, she discovers that Emily is posing as her to be adopted in her place. Kate goes into the household as a scullery maid to expose Emily, but is impeded by the loss of her voice from the fire and being illiterate. She is overcoming the latter by learning to write, but Emily keeps sabotaging her efforts to prove her identity, and eventually gets her thrown into prison.
Scheming maidservant Hetty Brown tricks the Honourable Harriet Mannering into trading places with her. Harriet strives to prove her identity agains the increasingly nasty tricks from Hetty to stop her, and and in the meantime Harriet is discovering how hard the life of a servant can be.
Complete stories from the Flower Story Series. Including:
The Lady of the Daisies
Flower: Daisy
The Queen of Belrovia is a harsh ruler and banishes a girl called Delza for making a daisy chain, which the Queen deems a form of idleness. A witch punishes the Queen with a curse that causes nothing but daisies to grow in summer, but even this does not move the Queen to change her mind about Delza. But then the daisies come in useful when enemies invade. They mistake the daisies for snow in summer and retreat, fearing the land is bewitched. The Queen finally relents and gives Delza the title of Lady of the Daisies.
Five Flowers for Fleur
Flower: Dandelion. The pansy, rose, orchid (imitation) and unknown tropical flower (possibly stinking corpse lily) that gives off a terrible stench when it opens also feature.
Four princes claim the hand of Princess Fleur. To decide her groom, she tells them to bring a flower they think is worthy of her and she will cherish. All four fail the test because their choices reflect how unsuitable they are. But then there is a surprise fifth gift of flowers for Fleur, from Hugo-of-the-Great-City. Not realising she is a princess, he offers her a bouquet of dandelions, which he says matches her hair. Fleur realises that it is not so much the flower but the thought behind it and comes to cherish the “humble dandelion as a symbol of love and compassion, and virtues of a true and noble prince and worthy lord for his princess.” Hugo and Fleur are married, much to the consternation of the four failed princes.
The Legend of the Water Lily
Flower: Water lily
In ancient China, Lily-Blossom and her family are devoted to gardening. Lily’s brother Lin is called up for war. Lily is distraught as she has no idea if Lin will return. She consults a fortune-teller, who says that if her brother will live, she will receive a sign. The sign will be a strange lily, unlike any other, that will bloom in the garden Lin made for her. As time goes by, there is no sign of the strange lily, and the family begins to doubt it will appear. Lily keeps weeping by the pool Lin constructed in the garden. But then she is surprised when something starts growing in the pool. It is the water lily, and it is the strange lily in question. Lily’s parents say the lily is an enchanted flower that grew from the tears Lily shed into the pool. Lin returns a year later and gets married beside a pool full of water lilies.
The Happiness Plant
Flower: unknown, but is dubbed “the Happiness Plant”
In the year 1900, Maggy Mayce becomes intrigued by the devotion Miss Bird gives to her plant, although she does not know its proper name. They strike a friendship, with Maggy calling in on her way to work to see Mrs Bird and her plant. But then Miss Bird’s nephew takes her away and Maggy has no address to follow up. Miss Bird has left Maggy the plant, which Maggy cherishes by the window, as Miss Bird had done. Then Maggy loses her job and cannot find another. She is just about at the end of the line when Miss Bird arrives. She had tracked Maggy down through the plant. Realising Maggy’s plight, Miss Bird offers her a job as a companion, and Maggy is happy to accept. She dubs the unknown plant “the Happiness Plant”.
Polly Parker has her own Prince Charming, Prince Frederick (Fred), who has had a spell cast on him by a wizard.
Abigail Hazard and her bounty hunter friend Mr Brig go after the Nugget Brothers, who have robbed and wounded Mr Hazard.
Humour strip with ghosts at a health farm.
Other Appearances: