Lady Emily is happily married to handsome Colin
Hargreave, living quietly with their twin sons, Henry and
Richard. Colin is a trusted agent to the Crown and
personal favorite of Queen Victoria. Occasionally he is
called by the Queen to handle delicate matters that might
threaten the Empire. Emily is content with her boys, dogs, and
husband, plus she has met the Queen.
A Christmas telegram is received from Jeremy Sheffield,
Duke of Bainbridge. He announces his engagement to Miss Amity Wells, an
American Heiress. To Emily the news is unexpected and unbelievable. She has
been friends with Jeremy since they were three
years old, living on adjacent estates. Inseparable as
children, they remain close. A confirmed bachelor, living a
life of debauchery with total freedom, is what he always
talks about. Lady Emily is stunned.
Social climbers and very wealthy parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Wells, are delighted their daughter has "caught" a Duke.
They will host a two week extravaganza engagement party in
the south of France. This will impress society, family and
friends and the sky is the limit. Lady Emily and Colin
will be coming to the French Riviera to join the festivities
and celebrate the betrothed.
The Hotel Britannia, the most fashionable place to stay in
Cannes, is gorgeous. Each guest has a suite and after settling in, Emily and
Colin go downstairs to meet the others. Jeremy was beaming and the men all
liked his fiancé, Amity. Not so the women. His brother Jack kept
telling the story about how he introduced them and in a
short time Jeremy forgot about his feelings about marriage. Jack says Amity is
perfect. That is not the word Emily would use to describe Amity. She has odd
feelings around her. What is she missing?
Chauncey Neville, a Harrow school chum of Jeremy, is found
dead of an apparent suicide by poisoning. Emily is not
convinced and doubts the coroners verdict. Could it be
murder? A dancer hired to work at the bachelor's dinner is found murdered the
next morning. Strange occurrences involving Jeremy and Emily are happening.
Emily is locked in the cell in prison that held the man in the iron mask. Jeremy
almost fell off a high cliff while admiring the view
from on high. Someone wants to kill one or both of them. Why? Who?
Tasha Alexander creates a daring sleuth in Lady Emily. The
Victorian era comes alive from beautiful descriptions of
locale and customs. Add a touch of mystery, a cup of tea,
and you have a great read by a great author. I loved it.
Emily and husband Colin have come to the French Riviera
for
what should be a joyous occasion - the engagement party
of
her lifelong friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, and Amity
Wells, an American heiress. But the merrymaking is cut
short
with the shocking death of one of the party in an
apparent
suicide. Not convinced by the coroner's verdict, Emily
must
employ all of her investigative skills to discover the
truth
and avert another tragedy.