A Devious Lot (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 5)
Read A Devious Lot (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 5) Online
Authors: Ellery Adams,Parker Riggs
Tags: #Murder, #honeymoon, #England, #brooch, #antiques, #Romance, #mystery, #Cozy
A Devious Lot
Molly Appleby has promised her new husband that their honeymoon will be trouble-free—specifically, no sleuthing. Unfortunately, trouble seems to follow Molly wherever she goes, even to England.
After a glorious week in London, the newlyweds have escaped the city to visit Molly’s great-aunt in the quaint English village of Marlow Crossing. The setting is idyllic, as beautiful and serene as Molly could hope for, but as the talented reporter and senior staff writer for
Collector’s Weekly
knows, appearances can be deceiving. And when a local woman turns up poisoned to death, Molly’s convinced there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
Putting her honeymoon on hold, Molly agrees to help local inspector Devon Boyle with the case, especially since the sleepy village presents such a small number of suspects. But when two of them go missing and the tragic death of another woman comes to light, Molly realizes she’s up against a much more sinister criminal than she thought. Untangling a web of lies and deceit as she searches for a motive and a murderer won’t be easy, but Molly’s determined to put all of her detective skills to use to catch a killer before her trip, and her life, are brought to a sudden end.
Beyond the Page Books
are published by
Beyond the Page Publishing
Copyright © 2016 by Jennifer Stanley and Parker Riggs.
Material excerpted from
A Killer Collection
copyright © 2006, 2014 by Jennifer Stanley
Cover design and illustration by Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs
ISBN: 978-1-940846-76-7
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Contents
Excerpt from
A Killer Collection
The Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries
Books by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs
“The Great Exhibition in 1851 was the first international exhibition of manufactured products and was enormously influential on the development of many aspects of society, including art and design education, international trade and relations, and even tourism. It was organized by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, and held in a purpose-built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. Many of the objects in the Exhibition were used as the first collection for the South Kensington Museum, which opened in 1857 and later became the Victoria and Albert Museum.”
—
The Victoria and Albert Museum
“It is a wonderful place—vast, strange, new and impossible to describe. Its grandeur does not consist in one thing, but in the unique assemblage of all things. Whatever human industry has created, you find there . . .”
—
Charlotte Bronte, in a letter to a friend
“The great day dawned for the opening of the Great Exhibition, and with the promise of bright sun and soft airs, which was realized, for the day; the young green of Spring, the boats on the Serpentine, the flags round the top of the long crystal roof, were all full of life and flutter; the scene was beautiful, gorgeous, unparalleled, inspiring; it looked like Ormuz, and Bagdad, and Florence and Fairyland; the coup d’oeil was most admirable, the whole idea most thrilling, the thought all the time even exceeding the sight, and the immense, orderly, pleased masses without, were as striking as all the rest.”
—
George Howard, the Earl of Carlisle, from his journal
London, England
June 8, 1851
Lady Lillian Gilbert felt as excited as her thirteen-year-old sister, Margaret, who sat across from her in the family barouche kicking her feet against the back of the seat, irritating Edmund, their long-suffering driver and servant. The soft top was rolled down, the sun shone on their expectant faces, and when the horses turned into Hyde Park and the first glimmer of the Crystal Palace came into view, Lillian’s breath caught in her throat.
It wasn’t her first visit to the Great Exhibition. The first time she marveled at the Crystal Palace’s size and beauty was on the first of May, when the bands played, speeches were presented, and the crowds cheered as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert officially opened the event. It was a day she would always remember. She had never felt so proud of her country’s superiority, and was filled with great admiration for the nations of the world who were showcasing their achievements and artistic designs. It was a celebration of industry and ingenuity, and it was making headlines every day.
“Margaret, we are almost there,” Lillian said. She pointed at the structure as it came fully into view. “Do you see it?”
Margaret jumped out of her seat to her sister’s side, landing on her lap. Lillian laughed and held her by the waist. “Careful, dearest, or you’ll tumble out and crack your head on the road. Or worse, you’ll crease your dress. Mama would be quite displeased.”
“Who cares about my head or my dress!” Margaret’s eyes widened in awe. “Oh, Lilly, it’s magnificent!” she gasped. “Truly, is there anything else like it in the world?”
“No, and I expect we shall never see anything like it again,” Lillian said. The Crystal Palace, prefabricated and set on sixteen acres, was a feat of engineering made of iron pillars and glass walls. Lillian thought it was as vast as any cathedral she had ever seen. “Wait until you see it inside,” she said. “There are inventions and treasures from around the world, and oh so many beautiful jewels.”
“I wish Edmund would push the horses harder,” Margaret said.
“Patience, little one. We’ll be there soon enough.”
Margaret turned to her, her pretty face flushed with excitement. “From the bottom of my heart, Lilly, thank you for bringing me here today.”
“How could I not take my favorite sister to see such a glorious wonder?”
Margaret grinned. “I’m your only sister,” she said. “Todd and Riley are going to be so jealous.”
“They needn’t be,” Lillian said. “Father plans to bring them on Friday. But today is our day to explore, yes?”
“Oh, yes, indeed,” Margaret said, her eyes filled with joy as she sat beside her sister on the crowded seat cushion.
They rode the rest of the way in silence as Margaret refused to take her eyes off the Crystal Palace. It wasn’t until Edmund pulled the horses into the area reserved for private carriages at the south door that she reached over and grabbed the door latch.
“No. Wait for Edmund,” Lillian scolded.
“But Lilly . . .”
“I won’t tell you again.”
Margaret dropped her hand. She often forgot her manners. Intentionally or not, she was a headstrong girl and a challenge to their mother. Edmund got down from his seat and opened the door. Margaret almost fell as she tripped down the step to the sidewalk, startling Edmund. He glanced at Lillian, who shook her head in exasperation. She knew her mother would expect her to scold her sister for being unladylike and forgetting proper decorum, but in truth she felt a touch of sadness as she looked at Margaret. As daughters of an earl, certain behavior was expected. But I will not spoil her day, Lillian thought. Today Margaret will have her fun.
Lillian accepted Edmund’s hand and stepped down from the carriage. She was not unaware of the many eyes turning to catch a glimpse of her. Although she’d only celebrated her eighteenth birthday two months earlier, she was an elegant young woman, tall and slim like her father, polished and refined like her mother. She wore a stylish teal green day dress with wide sleeves and a bodice embroidered with pink roses. A soft white lace shawl was draped around her shoulders. From her noble stature to her fine clothing, Lady Lillian Gilbert was easily identified as a woman of birth and means.