Lady Emily Ashton is back in A Poisoned Season (#314), the second in Tasha Alexander's popular series set in late Victorian England. Now that Lady Emily is finally out of mourning for her husband Philip, she's staying in the Ashton town house for The Season. It's an exhausting round of endless parties, teas, balls and fetes whose object ought to be for Lady Emily to find herself an eligible new husband, according to her friends, her mother, and most especially her husband's best friend and now her ardent suitor, Colin Hargreaves.
But Lady Emily is just tasting the pleasures of being able to run her own life, and is happy to study Greek, visit the British Museum and generally enjoy life. Things seem to be going well until the number of invitations to social gatherings drops dramatically and rumors begin to circulate through society that Lady Emily's behavior is not at all what it should be. Normally this wouldn't bother Emily, but Colin Hargreaves has been busy on the Queen's business and gossip has her paired with both a pretender to the French Throne, and her childhood friend the Duke of Bainbridge. Add to the mix a cat burglar who steals only items related to Marie Antoinette and an unknown suitor who leaves her gifts and intimate notes written in Greek in her room while she is asleep, and even Lady Emily is bound to be rattled! When two murders connected to Marie Antoinette's possessions are discovered and attempts are made on Lady Emily's own life, she knows she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
A more diverting period mystery would be hard to find than a Lady Emily Ashton tale. Break out the delicate porcelain tea cups and settle in to enjoy this one!
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