Jane Austen Mysteries 10 Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron

PRAISE FOR STEPHANIE BARRON'S
BEING A JANE AUSTEN MYSTERY SERIES

Jane and the Barque of Frailty

"Barron does an admirable job not only with the [Jane Austen] mysteries, but also in mimicking Austen's style."

--
The Tampa Tribune

"Satisfying right to the last revelation ... Like Regency great Georgette Heyer, the author excels at both period detail and modern verve. Aping Austen's cool, precise and very famous voice is a hard trick to pull off, but Barron manages it with aplomb."

--
Publishers Weekly

"Charming, literate and unequaled in its dissection of Regency-era social injustices."

--
Kirkus Reviews

Jane and His Lordship's Legacy

"Considered by some as the best of the 'neo-Austens,' Barron gets high marks for authenticity and wit."

--
Booklist

Jane and the Ghosts of Netley

"The latest installment in Stephanie Barron's charming series ... [is] a first-rate historical mystery. Barron writes a lively adventure that puts warm flesh on historical bones. The nice thing is she does so in a literary style that would not put Jane Austen's nose out of joint."

--
The New York Times Book Review

"With elements of an espionage thriller and a Regency romance, [this] is a book Barron fans have been awaiting. The suspense is superb.... Barron brings historical mysteries to a new level."

--
Romantic Times Bookclub

"A wonderfully intricate plot full of espionage and intrigue ... The Austen voice, both humorous and fanciful, with shades of
Northanger Abbey
, rings true as always. Once again Barron shows why she leads the pack of neo-Jane Austens."

--
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House

"There's plenty to enjoy in the crime-solving side of Jane.... [She] is as worthy a detective as Columbo."

--
USA Today

"A carefully written, thoroughly researched novel ... An enjoyable, authentic portrayal of this classic author, a strong setting and a thoroughly enjoyable plot will convert new readers to the series as well as satisfy longtime fans."

--
The Mystery Reader

"The mores and manners of Jane Austen's 19th-century world are brought skillfully to life in
Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House
. A skillfully told tale with a surprise ending."

--
Romantic Times Magazine

Jane and the Stillroom Maid

"Barron does a wonderful job of evoking the great British estates and the woes of spinsters living in that era ... often echoing the rhythms of the Austen novels with uncanny ease."

--
Entertainment Weekly

"This work bears all the wonderful trademarks of the earlier titles, including period detail, measured but often sardonic wit, and authenticity."

--
Library Journal

Jane and the Genius of the Place

"This is perhaps the best 'Jane' yet. The plot moves smoothly and quickly to its denouement. Barron's mysteries also educate the reader, in a painless fashion, about the political, social and cultural concerns of Austen's time. Jane [is] a subtle but determined sleuth."

--
Chicago Tribune

"Barron tells the tale in Jane's leisurely voice, skillfully re-creating the tone and temper of the time without a hint of an anachronism."

--
The Plain Dealer

THE JANE AUSTEN MYSTERIES BY STEPHANIE BARRON

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor

Jane and the Man of the Cloth

Jane and the Wandering Eye

Jane and the Genius of the Place

Jane and the Stillroom Maid

Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House

Jane and the Ghosts of Netley

Jane and His Lordship's Legacy

Jane and the Barque of Frailty

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron

a cognizant original v5 release november 11 2010

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

A Bantam Books Trade Paperback Original

Copyright (c) 2010 by Stephanie Barron

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Bantam Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

B
ANTAM
B
OOKS
and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barron, Stephanie.
Jane and the madness of Lord Byron: being a
Jane Austen mystery / by Stephanie Barron.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-553-90780-3
1. Austen, Jane, 1775-1817--Fiction. 2. Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron,
1788-1824--Fiction. 3. Women novelists--Fiction. 4. Poets--Fiction. 5. Upper
class--England--Fiction. 6. Brighton (England)--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3563.A8357J338 2010
813'.54--dc22 2010010513

www.bantamdell.com

v3.1

In Memory of Bupsh
1918-2010

Pictures of perfection as you know
make me sick & wicked.

--J
ANE
A
USTEN
in a letter to her niece,
Fanny Knight, 23 March 1817

Contents

Cover

Other Books by this Author

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter One - Summons from London

Chapter Two - An Interval for Reflection

Chapter Three - An Incident on the Road

Chapter Four - Pleasures of a Prince

Chapter Five - A Patron of Donaldson's

Chapter Six - Encounter at the Camp

Chapter Seven - The Regent's Reception

Chapter Eight - The Girl in Boy's Clothing

Chapter Nine - A Remedy for Drowning

Chapter Ten - Friends in High Places

Chapter Eleven - Cut Dead

Chapter Twelve - Canvassing a Murder

Chapter Thirteen - The Passions of Lord Byron

Chapter Fourteen - A Call to Justice

Chapter Fifteen - Evidence of an Undergroom

Chapter Sixteen - Conflicting Testimony

Chapter Seventeen - The Poet

Chapter Eighteen - The Rivals

Chapter Nineteen - Incident on the Downs

Chapter Twenty - The Green-Eyed Monster

Chapter Twenty-One - Mrs. Silchester's Confidence

Chapter Twenty-Two - A Passion for Publick Houses

Chapter Twenty-Three - Where the Tunnel Led

Chapter Twenty-Four - Ode to a Drowned Girl

Chapter Twenty-Five - Dancing Partners

Chapter Twenty-Six - Damning Testimony

Chapter Twenty-Seven - A Matter of Questions

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Sentry Duty

Chapter Twenty-Nine - The Viscount's Tale

Chapter Thirty - The Giaour

Chapter Thirty-One - Poetic Justice

Chapter Thirty-Two - The Corsair

A Few Questions for Stephanie Barron

About the Author