Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Social standing is everything in Regency England—and no one knows better than Miss Caroline Morton, a lady’s companion from a disgraced line. But when she has a chance to claim what’s rightfully hers, the one obstacle in her way is a dangerous murder mystery . . .
Miss Caroline has doubts when she receives an urgent invitation from a London law firm to discuss her late father’s estate. After all, the dishonored Earl of Morton died without a pound sterling to pass on to his two daughters. But while immersing herself in helping Mrs. Frogerton’s capricious daughter navigate the high social season, Caroline meets with a cagey lawyer, Mr. Smith, who shares life-altering news—the earl composed a second will, leaving behind an undisclosed fortune.
Mrs. Frogerton, however, is thoroughly unimpressed with the firm’s conduct and suspicious of their true motives. Her instinct proves right when the two ladies find the office ransacked, staff in turmoil, and Mr. Smith missing. The full weight of the situation doesn’t sink in until Mr. Smith dies following a brutal attack on the street—discovered with an empty envelope bearing Caroline’s name in his pocket.
With a connection forming between two deaths at the firm, Caroline can’t imagine why anyone would kill twice over the contents of a will. Further complicating matters is the amorous Mr. DeBloom—who claims his mother goaded the earl into making bad investments and promises to link Caroline to her inheritance—and the disappearance of Susan, her younger sister. As Caroline unwittingly becomes the center of both a criminal case and a sordid love triangle, she must tread with caution while seeking the truth . . . because someone is waiting to reduce her to nothing more than a signature on a dotted line.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lloyd's genteel third historical mystery for down-at-the-heels aristocrat Miss Caroline Morton (after Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld), sees her uncovering dangerous family secrets. In 1838 London, Miss Morton receives a letter from Mr. Smith, a lawyer with the firm that represented her father, the late Earl of Morton, informing her that a new will has been uncovered that might alter her prospects. The following day, Mr. Smith is fatally assaulted, and authorities find in his pocket an empty envelope addressed to Miss Morton. Once again, Miss Morton's energetic and forthright employer, Mrs. Frogerton, spearheads their investigation into the matter. While the two look into Mr. Smith's murder, as well as a second death at the same law firm, Miss Morton keeps a bevy of suitors on the hook—including the son of her father's former associate—and inquires about her younger sister Susan's disappearance from school. Lloyd gives the plot's multiple mysteries satisfying-enough resolutions, but the real pleasure is in her beautifully realized Regency setting and empowered heroines. Series fans will enjoy themselves.