THE STORY SO FAR: The 1860s, England. Pamela Carrington-Jones has travelled to Reedham Hall with Edgar Reedham to solve the mystery of who is attempting to kill his uncle, Lord Reedham. Under the guise of being Edgar’s fiancée, she meets his cousins, Cedric and Ivy, and his other uncle, Harry. Shortly afterwards, Cedric is killed in a shooting ‘accident’. Next day she meets Lord Reedham, an abrasive man, but who harbours some secret sorrow. While walking with him, Pamela nearly falls into a mantrap, and saves Lord Reedham from the same fate using her parasol. That night, at dinner, Pamela reveals she’s the adopted ward of Lady Eleanor Dalrymple, writer, explorer and millionairess, though they’re currently estranged. Consumed with jealousy, Ivy Reedham leaves the table, but seconds later, a horrified maid bursts into the dining room announcing that Ivy has collapsed – perhaps poisoned by the food they have all just eaten.
Pamela leapt up to rush out of the dining room but, slowed by her gown, she was overtaken by Edgar and Lord Reedham. If only, she too could have worn trousers to dinner. Scandalous – though she had done it before.
Out in the hallway, Ivy was sprawled at the foot of the staircase. Pamela pushed past the men standing over her, sank to her knees and set about loosening Ivy’s bodice.
‘Well, is she… alive?’ asked Edgar.
‘Yes. Her breathing’s erratic but she’s still with us.’
As Pamela spoke, Ivy’s eyes fluttered open and she gestured weakly to one side where a
