In the tradition of Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey, By the Sea is a four-book series that sweeps from the Gilded Age through the Gatsby Era’s Roaring Twenties and then on to the Great Depression, culminating nearly a century later in Newport, Rhode Island, wealthy and alluring “City by the Sea.” Set against a backdrop of mansions, the glorious America’s Cup Yacht Races, and new money, the series traces the passions and adventures of three families from three different classes.

Book One: Tess. From the wild decadence of late nineteenth-century Newport comes the tale of Tess Moran, a beautiful Irish housemaid in one of the grand summer “cottages,” who makes a dark bargain with a man of commanding wealth — and falls in love in the bargain.

(Author’s note: This book now includes a new last chapter to Tess’s story. If you bought the initial version with 16 chapters, you can find the new Chapter 17 on my website at antoinettestockenberg.com)