Lady Georgiana Rannock is now married, and the couple is known simply as Darcy and Georgie O’Mara, in this splendidly British 1930s crime story. For once the Foreign Office allows Darcy to spend Christmas at home in the Her Royal Spyness story, GOD REST YE, ROYAL GENTLEMEN.
Summoned by royal relatives to a house party in a run-down large country house near the Sandringham estate, where the royal family resides at this time of year, the couple arrives by car. They have brought gifts of food, Georgie’s mother, brother, and his family, and not enough maids to go around. What could possibly go wrong? One or two narrow escapes raise suspicions and when a guest dies unexpectedly, Georgie fears this may be murder.
Darcy’s Aunt Ermintrude is a former lady-in-waiting to the Queen and is trusted to host David, Prince of Wales, to dinner. Mrs. Simpson, the mistress of the man who was to become Edward VIII, is also in residence, quite near enough to Sandringham for illicit visits. The Press of the day has been instructed to say nothing about this already divorced American woman who is about to leave her second husband for David. Having read the preceding books, I do think a little too much is constantly made of Wallis Simpson’s unsuitability – she must have had some redeeming points. But general attitudes among the upper crust are nicely tempered by Georgie’s friendship with her maid and regard for the other staff. Wallis is actually the more shocking because she is a woman with agency and acts outside of her married status, something few women did at the time.
I love the peeps at the two young Princesses, riding ponies and playing in the snow. The Norfolk countryside lends itself to horses and dogs, and Georgie starts to accumulate both. Also, hearty meals are required due to cold days and outdoor activities. This is a good-humored series, with comedy often supplied by the below-stairs staff, in contrast to the formal manners required when speaking to Her Majesty.
If you’ve read and enjoyed earlier stories by Rhys Bowen, you won’t need to have caught up to date. The fine escapade GOD REST YE, ROYAL GENTLEMEN can stand alone, though newcomers might find too many characters to settle easily into crime solving. Have fun!
Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home. She suggests to her dashing husband, Darcy, that they have a little house party, but when Darcy receives a letter from his aunt Ermintrude, there is an abrupt change in plans. She has moved to a house on the edge of the Sandringham estate, near the royal family, and wants to invite Darcy and his new bride for Christmas. Aunt Ermintrude hints that the queen would like Georgie nearby. Georgie had not known that Aunt Ermintrude was a former lady-in-waiting and close confidante of her royal highness. The letter is therefore almost a royal request, so Georgie, Darcy, and their Christmas guests: Mummy, Grandad, Fig, and Binky all head to Sandringham.Georgie soon learns that the notorious Mrs. Simpson, mistress to the Prince of Wales, will also be in attendance. It is now crystal clear to Georgie that the Queen expects her to do a bit of spying. There is tension in the air from the get-go, and when Georgie pays a visit to the queen, she learns that there is more to her request than just some simple eavesdropping. There have been a couple of strange accidents at the estate recently. Two gentlemen of the royal household have died in mysterious circumstances and another has been shot by mistake during a hunt. Georgie begins to suspect that a member of the royal family is the real target but her investigation will put her new husband and love of her life, Darcy, in the crosshairs of a killer.
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