A Very Messy Business In Belgravia
*** OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2021 - HONORABLE MENTION ***
The year is 1907, and Amalthea Huntley, Countess of Claremont, is bored.
Recently widowed at a young age, she finds very little to entertain her in Edwardian London, until an unusual turn of events at a society party plants the seed of an idea.
Lady detective? Why not? It would only be a hobby after all. Lending her considerable powers of observation to some of her closer acquaintances to help resolve their more sensitive issues. After all, what could be so difficult? An instance of minor household theft here, a brief indiscretion there. And it would serve to pass the time. Yes, she resolved. With some careful thought, she was sure she could pull it off, and it would certainly liven things up.
Little did Amalthea know that she had bitten off far more than she could chew, when she suddenly finds herself embroiled in a dangerous murder investigation, her only ally being an attractive but rather disagreeable private investigator with a secretive past and a strong dislike for opinionated women.
Still, if she wasn't careful, she could find that the biggest threat to her latest diversion was not the case at all, but rather an unexpected something, or someone, a little closer to home.
This story is dedicated to Dickie, who acted as my consultant in all things historical.
Highest Rankings:
#1 historicalmystery (March 2021)
#1 crimeromance (March 2021)
