7799 20260113123322.0 SCART-2026-0052 Trust, Otto High-precision Photometry and HERMES Spectroscopy of Four Bright Stars Near M44 2026 We present the first homogeneous photometric and spectroscopic study of four bright field stars (HD 73135, BD +19◦ 2045, BD +19◦ 2046, and TYC 1395-855-1) that lie close to the variable HD 73045. These were monitored, but never fully analysed, by the Nainital–Cape Survey. Johnson-BV CCD time series from four 0.4–1.3 m telescopes show all four stars to be constant at the ≲ 0.12 mag level. Space-based K2 Campaigns 5 and 18 reveal low-amplitude variability only in HD 73135 and BD +19◦ 2045, and we additionally analyse TESS photometry from Sectors 45 and/or 72. HD 73135 shows a persistent 1.4–1.6 d doublet consistent with rotational modulation, although an orbital (ellipsoidal) interpretation cannot be excluded without time-series radial velocities; in TESS the dominant low-frequency power shifts to longer timescales (P ≃ 3–4.5 d), inconsistent with the vsini-R constraint, and we therefore adopt the K2 timescale. BD +19◦ 2045 exhibits a 0.08–0.40 d−1 γ-Doradus g-mode spectrum also detected in TESS Sector 72. BD +19◦ 2046 and TYC 1395-855-1 are non-variable or only marginally variable in K2 but show coherent low-frequency signals in TESS, which we conservatively classify as uncertain. In addition, high-resolution HERMES spectra confirm HD 73135’s Am nature (kA7 hF1 mF2) and show Sr–Ba overabundances of ∼ +1 dex. BD +19◦ 2045 is a chemically normal F8 V star, while BD +19◦ 2046 and TYC 1395-855-1 are K1–K2 sub-giants. Using spectroscopic constraints, we performed the first-step towards precise characterisation of these stars, yielding the masses, radii, and ages. These stars are located just 6◦ from the planned PLATO North-Ecliptic Ridge field, hence furnish benchmark targets for forthcoming asteroseismic and exoplanet surveys. NO Stars: chemically peculiar Stars: rotation Stars: starspots Stars: general Joshi, Santosh Nsamba, Benard Aol, Sharon Vermeulen, Owen Ssembatya, Ronald De Cat, Peter Lampens, Patricia Barnes, Sydney A. Goswami, Partha P. Dileep, Athul Ghosh, Surath C. Kumar, Pramod S. Jurua, Edward Sarkar, Mrinmoy Bedi, Sarabjeet S. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2026 peter.decat@ksb-orb.be submitted to REFERD