by VL McBeath
“My, how lovely,” Connie said. “Did she accept?”
“She did; the last I heard, they were busy planning when to go.”
Connie sighed. “I don’t suppose we’ll get our trip into town now. It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow and then we’re travelling back to Moreton the day after Boxing Day, which will be Saturday.”
Eliza put her napkin on the table. “We could still go today. I don’t think I’m up to shopping and going to the theatre but if we delay going home until Sunday we could go back into London on Saturday.” She turned to Archie. “What do you think? Would Dr Wark mind if you’re a day late getting back?”
“I don’t suppose so. We’re usually quiet at the weekend.”
“Splendid! That’s settled then. Why don’t we go shopping today and go to the theatre on Saturday? In fact, why don’t the four of us go?”
“Ooh, that sounds wonderful.” Connie clapped her hands under her chin. “It’s always nice to be escorted.”
“What do you think?” Mr Bell asked Archie.
“What, about chaperoning two women around a shop?” Archie shuddered. “No, thank you! Besides, aren’t we expecting Henry sometime today? Someone should be here to welcome him.”
Eliza flicked her napkin at his arm. “Stop making excuses. Henry won’t be here until later this afternoon and after the events of the last few days it will do us good to remember the Christmas spirit. If you get bored, you can always retire to a coffee shop and give us some peace and quiet.”
Archie sighed in exasperation. “We’ll be giving you peace and quiet? More likely it’s the other way around. It’s a good job there are some decent places around there.”
A smirk crossed Eliza’s lips. “So you’ll come?”
Connie giggled as she looked at Archie. “You’re just like Mr Bell used to be. Even when she was a young girl, Eliza could wrap him around her little finger.”
Archie gave Mr Bell a crooked smile. “So, you’re the one I’ve got to blame.”
“Absolutely not. You’ve no one to blame but yourself.”
“In that case, neither have you.” Archie smirked as he pushed himself up from the table. “I suppose I’d better ask the stable boy to harness up the carriage while we’re getting ready. At least it’s stopped raining.”
“This is going to be so much fun.” Connie dabbed a napkin against her lips and stood up. “Let me go and freshen up. Don’t go without me.”
“As if we would. I still need to sort myself out, anyway.” Eliza was about to stand up when there was a knock on the front door. “Oh no. I hope this isn’t Sergeant Dixon with more questions. I thought we’d gone through everything yesterday afternoon…”
A moment later a young man with dark brown hair and a full smile popped his head around the door. “Still at the breakfast table at this time!”
“Henry!” Eliza jumped up to plant a kiss on her son’s cheek before he could duck out of the way. “What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you until tonight.”
“And miss out on a murder investigation! Did you hear that someone around here’s been stabbed? It was in the late edition of yesterday’s paper.”
Mr Bell laughed as he shook his grandson’s hand. “What do you think? Are there any murders in London nowadays that your mother doesn’t know about?”
“As if that’s my fault.” Eliza put a hand on her son’s shoulder. “But you needn’t worry. I’m pleased to report that the culprit’s in prison and we’re going into London for a day out.”
“You mean you don’t need any help?”
“Not unless you want to be a porter. Connie and I have a rendezvous at Cranford’s department store and we may need some assistance.”
“Oh.” The smile dropped from Henry’s face.
“Don’t be like that, you should be pleased the killer’s behind bars and we can enjoy Christmas. Now, if you want all the details, you’d better keep your coat on. We’ll tell you about it on the way.”
I hope you enjoyed the book.
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Thank You!
The next book in the series is
A Scottish Fling
Eliza, Connie and Henry join Archie as he visits his family in Scotland … but murder isn’t far away.
You can preorder your copy HERE.
Alternatively, you can find all the books in the series by searching for VL McBeath in the Amazon store
Books in the
Eliza Thomson Investigates series include:
A Deadly Tonic (A Novella)
Murder in Moreton
Death of an Honourable Gent
Dying for a Garden Party
For details of future books, special offers, and a glimpse behind the scenes, sign up for the Eliza Thomson Investigates newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/ETI_SignUp
Author’s Note and Acknowledgements
It didn’t occur to me when I was planning this book quite how difficult it would be to write a Christmas story in the middle of summer! Not that British summers are anything to get excited about, but I did sit on the patio with my laptop on a number of occasions and it felt decidedly strange.
The other thing I hadn’t thought through properly was having Rosamund as the murder victim. Those of you who’ve read previous books will know that I tend to kill off nasty characters, but I’d had a few comments from readers and so I thought, ‘why don’t I surprise people and kill off someone nice!’
While there may be some merit in doing that, to do it in a Christmas book was probably not one of my better decisions - at least not while I was writing it! Fortunately, from early feedback, I think it worked quite well, but it’s a lesson I’ll take on board for future books.
As always, I’d like to thank my family, friends and advanced review team for reading various drafts of the book and giving me feedback. Particular thanks must go to Erin Janes for helping with some of the details around the murder scene. If there are any inaccuracies in the text, they are because of my creative license to make the facts fit the story, rather than any inaccuracies on her part!
Finally, thank you for reading.
I hope to see you for the next book!
Also by VL McBeath
The Ambition & Destiny Series
Based on a true story of one family’s trials, tribulations and triumphs as they seek their fortune in Victorian-era England.
Short Story Prequel: Condemned by Fate
(available as a FREE download when you get Part 1)
Part 1: Hooks & Eyes
Part 2: Less Than Equals
Part 3: When Time Runs Out
Part 4: Only One Winner
Part 5: Different World
For further details, search
VL McBeath on the Amazon store.