Being the 7th Jane Austen Mystery, by Stephanie Barron. Jane, Cassandra and Mrs. Austen have settled into their new home in Castle Square, Southampton. It is October 1808 and much has happened since we last read of Jane: Frank and Mary have moved to Portsmouth and no longer live in the apartments at Castle Square; Jane’s beloved sister, Elizabeth, wife to Edward (Neddie) has died as a result of the birth of child number 11; and the Dowager Duchess of Wilborough, Lord Harold’s mother has also passed. Jane, although an aging spinster, has much to fill her time and heart.
To add to her worries, Lord Harold, always the Gentleman Rogue, reappears after 2 years (yeah!). The passage of time has not dampened the suppressed affection between the two. The subtle hints and insinuations Jane and Lord Harold pass back and forth elicit sighs and a desire to hear the two speak forthrightly with each other (regarding their feelings, of course!). But alas, propriety and social boundaries continue to bar the would-be couple from declaring “l’amour.” More importantly, the effect, should the two submit, would be disastrous to their partnership. A marital alliance would alter Jane’s social duties and quite possibly the rapport Jane and Lord Harold (and the reader) enjoy now. So, it is better for things to remain as they are.
The war with Buonaparte continues as does Lord Harold’s service to his country. He is back in England for his mother’s funeral. Enroute to London, he stops in Southampton to keep an eye on a possible traitor to the Crown, one Mrs. Sophia Challoner. The Gentleman Rogue had fallen to her charms in Oporto, Portugal. He believes to have witnessed in her actions, a treasonous motive. Sophia left Oporto, and settled herself at Netley Lodge, her late husband’s home. Upon his undercover arrival to Southampton, Lord Harold enlists Jane to spy on Mrs. Challoner as he is known to her. He fears Mrs. Challoner may inflict serious harm to the British cause in the war against Buonaparte. Needless to say, Jane accepts. What a diversion for a dowdy spinster such as Jane!
Lord Harold has brought along with him a new valet acquired while gallivanting around the Iberian Peninsula (okay, not just gallivanting, but reports that head back to England surely imply as much!). Orlando is a man whom Lord Harold felt was wrongly sentenced to hang by the French government of Oporto. He was accused of stealing bread. Orlando serves Lord Harold out of gratitude for the saving of his life and appears to be more than ably suited to the task of serving L.H. as more than just a man-servant.
Events begin to explode soon after the arrival of Lord Harold and Sophia Challoner, literally. A 74 (a third rate ship carrying 74 guns) under construction at the dockyard is set afire. It was nearly complete after 3 years of building. The shipwright is soon discovered with his throat slit. The investigation begins. Is there a link between Mrs. Challoner and her associates’ suspicious behavior? Or is there another behind the dastardly deed?
This is my favorite installment in the Jane Austen Mysteries thus far. Jane and Lord Harold’s understanding between each other deepens. Very mysterious and peculiarly behaving characters and enigmatic events keep the pages turning. The culprit is exposed in the end with very tragic results. I am not generally one to re-read a book, but this may be one.
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