"Georgie lands in the lap of luxury until a Duke is found dead."
Reviewed by Leanne Davis
Posted August 11, 2013
Mystery Cozy
Being an impoverished aristocrat won't keep clothes on ones
back or food in her stomach. Lady Georianna Rannoch has a
temporary job typing her mother's memoirs until her mother
returns to her current lover. She can't stay with her
granddad in his small house and she can't return to the
ancestral pile.
In despair, she writes a letter to Queen Mary for help.
Georgie is called on to stay with the current Duke of
Eynsford. Since he refuses to marry, his mother is
bringing her young grandson from Australia to be groomed to
take over his new role as the heir to a dukedom. Georgie's
help is needed to bring him up to snuff.
Georgie has a luxurious abode, all the food she could want
and Darcy was selected to bring the new heir home. All
seems well until the Duke is discovered dead in a stream by
Georgie and his architect. With the knife owned by Jack
sticking out of his chest, Georgie will be called on to
discover the real killer as the local police bumble about
with their investigation.
With the interesting secondary characters involved, this
investigation will turn into quite a romp. Queenie,
Georgie's maid, will wreak her havoc on Georgie's wardrobe.
The Dowager Duchess has two sisters living with her who can
be counted on to entertain the residents with highly
improper stories. The Duke's niece and nephew are causing
havoc with their chemistry experiments and their
eavesdropping. Throw in the fact that Jack is not happy
with being made to conform to society's rule, and Georgie
has a lot to deal with.
Ms. Bowen has written an entertaining story in HEIRS AND
GRACES. Since the reader is never quite sure what Georgie
will learn next, this book is hard to put down. The real
surprise was the identity of the killer or killers. An
engrossing tale with some excellent twists and turns, don't
miss out on the latest her Royal Spyness series.
SUMMARY
As thirty–fifth in line for the throne, Lady
Georgiana Rannoch may not be the most sophisticated young
woman, but she knows her table manners. It's forks on the
left, knives on the right—not in His Majesty's
back?
Here I am thinking the education I received at my posh
Swiss
finishing school would never come in handy. And while it
hasn't landed me a job, or a husband, it has convinced
Her
Majesty the Queen and the Dowager Duchess to enlist my
help.
I have been entrusted with grooming Jack
Altringham—the Duke's newly discovered heir fresh
from
the Outback of Australia—for high society.
The upside is I am to live in luxury at one of England's
most gorgeous stately homes. But upon arrival at
Kingsdowne
Place, my dearest Darcy has been sent to fetch Jack,
leaving
me stuck in a manor full of miscreants?none of whom are
too
pleased with the discovery of my new ward.
And no sooner has the lad been retrieved than the Duke
announces he wants to choose his own heir. With the house
in
a hubbub over the news, Jack's hunting knife somehow
finds
its way into the Duke's back. Eyes fall, backs turn, and
fingers point to the young heir. As if the rascal wasn't
enough of a handful, now he's suspected of murder. Jack
may
be wild, but I'd bet the crown jewels it wasn't he who
killed the Duke?
ExcerptLady Hortense's sitting room was a small square and
rather cluttered space, made smaller by the circle of
chairs
around a table, and by the heavy brocade drapes, closed
at
both windows. On the table was a solitary candle in a
tall
candlestick, a pencil and pad, and a Ouija board.
"Everyone take a seat around the table,"
Charlotte said. I pulled up a chair between Irene and
Jack.
Charlotte lit the candle and had one of the Starlings
turn off the electric light. How different faces looked
in
the flickering flame. Those heavy drapes now seemed to
hang
ominously close. I began to wish I hadn't come.
"All hold hands on the table," Charlotte
commanded.
Irene's hand was icy cold. Jack's was
reassuring.
"Isn't this exciting?" I heard one of the starlings
whisper. "Feel my hand. It's all a quiver."
"Spirits from the other side, we call upon
you,"
Charlotte began in such a dramatic voice that I had to
suppress the need to giggle. I wished Belinda had been
present so that we could have kicked each other beneath
the
tablecloth, or that Darcy had been sitting across the
table
to give me a reassuring wink. "Come to our aid, dear
spirits. Lady Hortense, are you present among us?"
A long silence followed only punctuated by the
sound of a grandfather clock, ticking away solemnly
somewhere outside in a hallway.
"Are you with us, Lady Hortense? Will you be
our
guide?"
The candle flickered and I felt a cold draft
pass
over me. I glanced over my shoulder. The door and the
curtains were still closed. I thought I detected the
faintest of voices whispering "Yessss."
"She's here," Charlotte said excitedly. "I
knew
she'd come. Lady Hortense, we'd first like you to find
John
Altringham for us. You remember your great great grandson
who died so bravely in the war? His son is here with us
now.
Do you see him? He'd like to hear his father's voice."
Again we waited what seemed like an eternity.
Then Irene said, "Listen. Someone is laughing."
We strained to hear and it sounded indeed like
distant laughter, very far away.
"It's Ceddy, having a good laugh at our
expense,"
Julian whispered.
"That's not Ceddy's laugh," Adrian said.
"That's Johnnie," Charlotte said. "Don't you
remember how he loved to laugh, Irene?"
"Yes," Irene whispered. "Johnnie loved to
laugh."
"Is that you, John?" Charlotte said. "Can you
show yourself to us? Can you say something to your son?"
Again we waited but the laugh faded into
silence.
"It's no use. He's choosing not to speak to us,"
Charlotte
said. "I can feel he's here. Maybe what he has to say to
Jack is private and he doesn't wish us to overhear."
"We could try the Ouija board," Virginia suggested.
"Perhaps he is a voiceless spirit. They are sometimes."
"We could," Charlotte picked up the planchette. "Jack
put
your hand on this with me. And Irene. You are both
Johnnie's
relatives. He'll feel comfortable communicating with
you."
Jack gave me a questioning glance before placing his
finger on the little disk..Slowly it started to move
across
the table. B.... U... G.... G... E... R." We repeated the
letters as the planchette went to them. "O.... F... F.."
"He said ‘bugger off'" Jack said delightedly.
"That definitely sounds like Johnnie," Irene said.
"Always was rude."
"Anything else you'd like to say, John?" Charlotte
asked.
But the planchette did not move again.":Apparently
not.":She
looked around the room. "Let us move along then. The
problem
of Marcel. Spirits from the other side we need your help.
Tell us what will happen. Tell us what we should do to
stop
a stranger from taking over Kingsdowne."
She looked at us as she pushed the Ouija board
into the middle of the table. "Place one finger each on
the
planchette," she said. We did as she commanded.
"We await you, oh spirits," she said. Slowly
the
planchette began to move.
"D," we said in unison.
It shot across the board. "E," we chimed.
"A."
Suddenly there was a great gust of wind. The
curtains billowed out. The candle was blown out and we
were
plunged into darkness. Irene and Virginia rose to their
feet
with a cry of fright. I think the Starlings screamed as
well. My own heart was hammering in my chest.
"Death," Charlotte whispered. "It was going to spell
out
death."
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