Joan Aiken
First comes marriage.
Then comes love.
Then things start to get really complicated.
Desperate to help her ailing mother, Delphie Carteret agrees to a sham wedding ceremony to her cousin, Gareth. Her mother will be guaranteed annuity for life, and Gareth's obligation to marry before his sick uncle passes is fulfilled. The plan is perfect.
But perfect plans usually go awry.
...Arabel Jones and her pet raven, Mortimer, find adventure wherever they go. In this silly sequel to "Arabel's Raven," when they take a cruise, Mortimer floats out to sea on a grand piano. When they go to the zoo, Mortimer tries to get even with three giraffes that stole his doughnuts. Even at home, there's an excitement when the rambunctious raven flies away with a priceless treasure that was buried at their local park--King Arthur's sword!
...