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Series:<\/span> <\/b>The Charlotte Richmond Mysteries Book 1<\/p>\n Genre: <\/b><\/span>Historical cosy mystery<\/p>\n Release Date:<\/span> <\/b>This edition Feb 2018 First Ed:2008<\/p>\n Publisher:<\/span> <\/b>Williams & Whiting Publishing<\/p>\n Outwardly a grieving young Victorian widow, Charlotte Richmond is concealing some scandalous secrets when she arrives at Finchbourne Manor to start a new life with her husband’s family. The wealthy Richmonds must never discover that her husband’s recent death in the Indian Mutiny came as a great relief. Nor must they hear about the rumors circulating in the army regarding his scandalous behavior. His death has also been the subject of speculation and Charlotte must take care not to spill any secrets. Above all she must make certain that nobody in her new life hears of her own adventurous upbringing in Australia. When the past catches up with Charlotte, she begins to fear for her own life.<\/p>\n Extract: MURDER \u00a0 MOST \u00a0 WELCOME<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n LATE SPRING 1858 – in the South of England<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Chapter 1<\/b><\/p>\n As she laid out the body, Charlotte Richmond made two surprising discoveries.<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 The first of these led her to suspect that the man on the bed had been murdered.\u00a0 By whom, she had not the slightest notion. To whom she was profoundly grateful.<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 The second discovery confirmed what she had known all along, that the deceased – late and far from lamented – had not possessed the habits of a gentleman.<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 As this was the second time in less than a year that he had apparently been murdered Charlotte felt she might be forgiven for not falling into a paroxysm of grief; indeed, strong hysterics might, she considered, be a more appropriate reaction.<\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Hysterics not being in her nature she merely veiled his face decently with a linen cloth and wondered what to do with the object she had so surprisingly encountered. \u2018Well, well,\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n well,\u2019 she murmured. ‘Here you are, dead again, I see. I wonder what is to become of me now?’<\/i><\/p>\n A few short weeks previously, Charlotte, who was waiting with some trepidation in the entrance hall at Finchbourne Manor and trying to overcome her anxiety by observing the<\/p>\n ancient, dark oak of the panelling, the extreme chill of the flagstone floor, and the picturesquely leaded windows that let in so little light, had overheard her mother-in-law express a similar sentiment.<\/p>\n ‘Oh, that dreadful<\/i> Mutiny, what will <\/i>become of that unfortunate child, poor, dear Charlotte?’ she had enquired, allowing an artistic sob to colour her voice.<\/p>\n ‘Well, Mama,’ answered a prosaic female voice. ‘I understand that Charlotte is even now on her way home from India to Finchbourne. If you recollect it was your own suggestion, when we heard of dear Frampton’s sad death, that she should make her home here with us. And after all there is no reason to believe that Charlotte is a child; remember, dearest Frampton was thirty-seven and his letters made no mention that his bride was much younger than he was himself.\u2019<\/p>\n ‘Oh do hush, Agnes dear!’<\/p>\n In spite of the nervous tension that had her sitting ramrod straight on an uncomfortable oak settle, blackened by age, Charlotte listened, with wry amusement, to this conversation. Shifting very slightly in her seat she felt a twinge of guilt as she recollected how differently Frampton Richmond\u2019s \u2018sad\u2019 death had been viewed by her military acquaintances in India.<\/p>\n I must say nothing, she thought, shaking her head.\u00a0 I have seen the damage caused by a stray shell fired into the midst of the market place, who am I to lob a shell of my own and destroy their illusions about their lost hero – and for what? \u00a0 Rumour? \u00a0 Speculation?<\/p>\n No, not I, my part is to play the grieving widow and ingratiate myself into their home and into their affections, to make a settled home for myself at last.\u00a0 Besides, she reminded herself, I dare not raise any spectres from the past, what if they found out about me?<\/p>\n http:\/\/amzn.to\/2HDLVlZ<\/a><\/p>\n Check out the other books in the series…<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n https:\/\/goo.gl\/333Mj4<\/a><\/p>\n Nicola Slade has been a Brown Owl, an antiques dealer, and once lived in Cairo for a year. Her published novels include a romantic comedy, Scuba Dancing<\/i>, three Victorian mysteries featuring a young widow, The Charlotte Richmond Mysteries,<\/i> and three contemporary mysteries featuring recently-retired headmistress, Harriet Quigley, and her clergyman cousin, the Reverend Sam Hathaway. The Harriet Quigley Mysteries<\/i>. Her eighth novel, a mystery romance, The House at Ladywell,<\/i> was published in late 2017.<\/p>\n Nicola\u2019s family is now grown up and she and her husband live near Winchester.<\/p>\n Facebook:<\/span><\/strong> https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nicolasladeuk\/<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Twitter: @nicolasladeuk<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Goodreads Author Page:<\/span> <\/b>https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/17100459.Nicola_Slade<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Blog: <\/b><\/span>www.nicolaslade.wordpress.com<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n An ecopy of THE HOUSE AT LADYWELL (open internationally)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\nBuy link to Murder Most Welcome<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nABOUT NICOLA SLADE<\/span><\/h2>\n
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