Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, are preparing for a wedding, but it may not be the happy occasion everyone hopes for . . .
Since the Great War, the Renshaw family fortune has suffered. Now Julia Renshaw is under pressure to marry for money—and has settled for Gilbert Townsend, a viscount and wealthy industrialist. He is decades older than Julia, and it’s clear to her sister, Phoebe—and to Eva, who has been like a surrogate mother—that this is no love match. Nevertheless, the wedding takes place—and in a hurry.
At the reception aboard the groom’s yacht, there appears to be tension between Gil and several guests. The bride is also less than pleased to discover her honeymoon will be more crowded than expected—with Gil’s pretty secretary, among others, coming along. Worse, that very night, Julia is injured during a hot-tempered outburst on her new husband’s part . . .
The next morning, Gil’s body is found in the water—and Phoebe and Eva must discover who pushed him over—before the Renshaws’ social standing is irreparably stained by Julia’s arrest for his murder . . .
“Maxwell, who always puts an interesting spin on her country-house mysteries set between the great wars, delivers once again in this tale of love, hate, revenge, and country houses in peril.” —
Kirkus Reviews