by Tessa Arlen
* * *
For more information on these and other wonderful Edwardian characters please visit my blog, Redoubtable Edwardians: www.tessaarlen.com/redoubtable-edwardian.
Acknowledgments
It has been a perfectly thrilling experience to write the second volume in the Lady Montfort series and I have much to be grateful for. My greatest thanks as always go to my husband. His steadfast belief that I will be successful in everything I do—if I just knuckle down and do it—and his wonderful sense of humor only added to the fun of this past year. And here I am again thanking those who have been so generous with their support and time in that interesting period known as the “writing process.”
Thank you to my daughters, family, and friends for graciously putting up with all the vagaries of a late-blooming novelist with kind patience. Your generosity is always much appreciated—as is your telling me where to get off when my insecurity looms too large.
Kevan Lyon, my agent and advocate in this still very-new-to-me world of publishing, never ceases to impress me with her patience, her commitment, and her wisdom.
To the team at Thomas Dunne and Minotaur: Thank you all for whipping me into shape! We none of us complete our books successfully without the help of our publishers and their talented staff. My thanks especially to my editor, Anne Brewer, for her keen observations and thoughtful guidance; to assistant editors, Emma Stein and Jennifer Letwack, for their huge, hard work to keep me on track; to David Rotstein, who gave me yet another stunning cover; and to Shailyn Tavella, my publicist, for her creative ideas and her delightful enthusiasm. Also: to Toni Kirkpatrick, who gave me my start at Thomas Dunne Books, and for her kindness and generosity.
And last of all to all my readers who told me on Facebook and Goodreads how much they enjoyed my debut: thank you. I hope you enjoy Clementine and Edith Jackson’s new adventure as much as I have enjoyed writing it!
ALSO BY TESSA ARLEN
Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman
About the Author
TESSA ARLEN is the author of Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman. She is the daughter of a British diplomat and had lived in or visited her parents in Singapore, Berlin, the Persian Gulf, Beijing, Delhi, and Warsaw by the time she was sixteen. She came to the United States in 1980 and worked as an HR recruiter for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 Olympic Games, where she interviewed her future husband for a job. She lives with her family on an island in the Puget Sound. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
St. Martin’s Press ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Characters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Also by Tessa Arlen
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A THOMAS DUNNE BOOK FOR MINOTAUR BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
DEATH SITS DOWN TO DINNER. Copyright © 2016 by Tessa Arlen. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover photographs: building © Bildarchiv Monheim GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo; staircase © Maxim Petrichuk / Shutterstock; lamppost © Alastair Wallace / Shutterstock; woman © Raisa Kanareva / Shutterstock
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Arlen, Tessa, author.
Title: Death sits down to dinner: a mystery / Tessa Arlen.
Description: First edition. | New York: Minotaur Books, 2016. | A Thomas Dunne book.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015043804 | ISBN 9781250052506 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781466854284 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Countesses—Fiction. | Upper class—England—London— Fiction. | Murder—Investigation—Fiction. | Great Britain—History— Edward VII, 1901–1910—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical. | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Traditional British. | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction. | Historical fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3601.R5445 D44 2016 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043804
Our books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: March 2016