A Brit of Trouble: Brit of Trouble, #1

By Ruby Blaylock

A fresh start in a new country is all that Addie wanted, but finding a dead body on her first day in a foreign land may change everything.

 

Addison Porter has just been through the worst breakup in the history of breakups. So she decides that the only thing for a dead relationship is a new start in a completely different country. Addie packs her bags and heads to Little Wittling, England, the charming childhood home of her British father. Her plan: start fresh in a new country and have an amazing life. Not in her plan: find a dead body on the doorstep of her new home.

 

She'd hoped to figure out what she truly wanted from life, but instead, Addie finds herself trying to solve multiple murders and clear her family's name. The village of Little Wittling is full of dark secrets that no one wants to share with an outsider, not even one as friendly and likable as Addie. Can she find a way to get the locals to open up to her and share their secrets before it's too late, or will Addie become the killer's next victim?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JB Woods
• Release date: May 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201887537

Ruby Blaylock

Ruby Blaylock grew up in a small, southern town surrounded by colorful characters and lots of food. She loves a good helping of gossip and great food, not necessarily in that order. She is a country girl at heart and can often be found sitting on the back porch, sipping sweet tea and watching her fat hound dogs chase bugs. If she's not reading a book, she's writing one, or reading one to her kids, who can always help her think up new ways to kill off annoying characters.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Addison Porter tried her best not to look desperate as she waited at the baggage claim area of Gatwick Airport. Her efforts clearly weren’t working. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass that covered a glossy poster advertising an airline that looked barely familiar. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and she wasn’t talking about the airline poster.

Raccoon rings around her eyes where her mascara had failed her miserably made her look slightly crazed and sleep-deprived. Her chestnut brown hair had escaped its ponytail holder in several places and now stuck out like wayward, frizzy tentacles around her head. Her purse hung from one shoulder, her carry-on duffel bag from the other. It held precious little, far less than she’d need for her first night in a new country, but for the moment, it was all she had in the world.

Her eyes scanned the revolving belt that should have carried her luggage. She’d been waiting for nearly half an hour, more than enough time for her bags to have reached her, but she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the paisley print cases she’d carefully packed over the last few days. Everything she owned was in those bags. Well, everything she owned that would fit in a suitcase. Everything else was in a storage unit back in Atlanta, tucked safely away until Addison could figure out what the heck she was gonna do with her sorry excuse for a life.

England was a new start. She tried to remind herself this every time thoughts of her ex crept back into her head, but like a catchy pop song, the sound of his voice kept creeping back into her brain.

Robbie Thacker had been a terrible boyfriend, but he’d been her boyfriend for over three long years and he’d broken her heart in a typical good old boy way. He’d cheated on her with a younger, perkier girl who worked with him at his car dealership. Addison would have laughed at how cliche the whole thing had been if it had happened to anyone else. Shoot, she probably would have laughed about it happening to her if Robbie hadn’t got the other girl pregnant.

They’d been talking about marriage for months. But babies, Robbie had told her, just weren’t something he was ready for. And she’d happily agreed, mostly because Robbie wasn’t mature enough to be a father. But she’d always sort of hoped that he’d settle down enough to mature into that sort of role. And he’d let her down spectacularly.

And because the Universe had one heck of a sick sense of humor, the same day that Robbie and his new girlfriend announced their engagement, Addison got let go from her job at a coffee shop. Without so much as a warning signal, Addie’s life had pretty much imploded, sending her into a tailspin of self-pity and buckets of Ben and Jerry’s chased down with Dr. Pepper and cold pizza.

Standing at the baggage claim, she reminded herself for the hundredth time that this was an adventure. She, Addie Porter, wasn’t going to let a broken heart and the loss of a job that she really hadn’t enjoyed bring her down. Instead, she was going to leap out into the unknown and grab hold of her new life, courtesy of her birthright. Her father was a British citizen, and so was she. Despite feeling very much out of place in the bustling airport, Addie reminded herself that she belonged here just as much as anyone else.

Addie checked her watch again. Forty minutes had passed now. She shifted her purse higher onto her shoulder and clutched at her carry-on bag, which she realized with some horror might just be the only things she had left in the world, at least on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Fighting the urge to cry, she took a deep breath.

A smartly dressed man with a name tag walked past her towards a desk that was lined with brochures featuring tourist attractions.

Excuse me, Addie called out, grabbing at his sleeve in desperation. The man looked startled, but his expression quickly softened.

Are you waiting for your luggage? He frowned at the empty conveyor belt. Which flight? His accent wasn’t a familiar one. He didn’t sound like Addie’s father, who’d grown up in a small village outside of London. This man’s accent was trillier and more singsong. Irish, maybe?

Delta. I just flew in from Atlanta and I’ve waited here for nearly forty-five minutes. I need to catch a train and I can’t seem to find my luggage. She choked back the desperation she was beginning to feel. My name is Addison Porter. Here’s my passport and my ticket information. She shoved the documents towards him, but he only smiled back at her.

I’m going to need to go check on the computer, I’m afraid. I don’t memorize all the flight information. He smiled brightly, as though he were talking to a small child.

Addie blushed. Oh, yes, of course.

Please follow me, Miss Porter. He turned and continued on his way to the desk, leaving Addie to scurry after him.

It took the man, whose name tag she could now read as Harry, several minutes to figure out what had happened to her luggage.

Oh, there’s the problem. Were you meant to be in New York?

Addie shook her head, confused. No, why?

Well, it looks like your luggage might have been put on a flight to New York. It happens sometimes, he added casually. We’ll just have it diverted back here for you, if you want.

Yes, of course I want that! Her voice rose a little, and the southern accent she tried so hard to hide started to peek through.

Oh, I just love your accent, Harry admitted. I love lots of accents, but the American southern accent is just too dear.

Addie felt a blush creep into her cheeks. Was…was this guy flirting with her? She smiled a little more broadly and smoothed her hair back behind one ear. Oh?

My boyfriend and I want to go to America on holiday, but we’ve never gotten round to actually picking a place to visit. Harry smiled brightly as he typed something into the computer. Addie cringed inwardly. He most definitely wasn’t flirting with her.

Will I need to come back here to collect my bags? How long will it take?

We can have them delivered to wherever you’re staying, if you like. And I wouldn’t think it would take more than a few days to get them. Maybe a week at most. He smiled a big, encouraging smile that Addie suspected was something he’d been taught to do to de-escalate stressful customer interactions. It sounded like something she’d been trained to do when answering calls from angry customers when their medical claims had been denied.

I guess that’ll be alright. She fumbled around inside her purse for the slip of paper with her new temporary address written on it. Here’s where I’ll be staying.

Harry took the paper and smiled even more broadly when he read the address. I know this place! It’s a lovely little village. My boyfriend has family there, he added, as if it would explain why the village of Little Wittling was so lovely. It’s not exactly a tourist attraction, though. How on Earth did you wind up heading there?

Family, she replied with only a little hesitation. My great aunts live there. My father was raised there, but he lives in America with my mother now.

Of course! I suppose the British passport should have given that away, eh? He chuckled to himself as he typed in the address. How long are ya staying?

Addison sighed. I don’t know. I’m sort of between jobs at the moment. And I just got out of a bad relationship. And I need a fresh start, you know? She shook her head. I thought maybe now was as good a time as ever to get to know my Dad’s family a little better. His aunts practically raised him and they’ve been asking when I’d come and see their little village, so I thought maybe I’d stay for a couple of months and clear my head. Who knows…I might like it. I might just stay for longer.

Harry gave her the piece of paper with her aunts’ address on it and a freshly printed sheet with information about her missing luggage. You should get an email to let you know when your bags are on the way. Hopefully it won’t be too long. Do you have transportation sorted?

I guess catching a train will be a lot easier with just these, Addie replied in way of an answer, hoisting her carry-on and purse a little higher on her shoulders.

That’s the spirit, Harry replied cheerfully. Best of luck, Miss Porter!

Addie managed to return his smile. Thanks, Harry. I think I’m going to need it, she added silently.

Luckily, it wasn’t very difficult to find the train station. It was actually located inside the airport. Addie was so relieved that there was a direct train to Cambridge, which her father assured her was only a short taxi drive away from his aunts’ house, that she didn’t mind paying what seemed like a very large amount of money for her one-way ticket. And just a short while later, she was on her way to what she hoped would be a brand new start.

She found a seat on the train, carefully tucked her bags beside her, and tried to ignore the leering man a few rows ahead of her on the train. She had picked up a sandwich and a bottle of water at the airport and consumed them enthusiastically. She was starving after the paltry airline meal and she looked forward to getting to her great aunts’ house and having a nice long shower. She wanted to change her clothes, but then she realized that she’d only packed a pair of pajamas, a baggy t-shirt, and some comfy leggings in her carry-on bag. Oh, well. At least she had packed clean undies and her toothbrush. She guessed she’d worry about the rest of it when she arrived at Little Wittling.

Her father had advised her to carry a raincoat, and as the clear sky began to cloud over, she was glad that she’d listened to him. She watched out the window as the train rolled through busy cityscapes and past green fields. She was surprised at how quickly the scenery changed, from urban to rural, then back to urban again. And she watched nervously as the train passed through station after station. It stopped at some, letting people on and others off. She’d used the MARTA system back home in Atlanta a few times, but mostly she’d driven her own car around town. It had been an older model, but it had been reliable. Looking out at the narrow streets she could see through the grimy train windows, she didn’t think she’d like to try and drive her old car here. Everything seemed so close, so small, that she felt a little claustrophobic suddenly.

An elderly man with a flat cap and a newspaper gave her a nod as he glanced her way. Then he returned his attention to his paper. She wished that she’d thought to bring a book or a magazine or anything to pass the time, but she supposed that she’d remember that in the future. Instead, she resigned herself to staring out the window, watching the scenery change as the train rolled along towards her destination.

Finally, after what felt like forever but was really only about two hours, the train pulled into the Cambridge station. Addie clutched her bags and stepped out onto the platform. She wanted to take a moment and take in her very first moments on British soil, well, apart from those she’d spent at the airport, but the rush of people around her forced her to find a quieter spot. She followed the signs to the station’s main lobby, then made her way outside.

The view took her breath away. She most definitely wasn’t in the USA anymore. Despite a drizzle of rain and an overcast sky, Cambridge was just so beautiful. It was so…European. Cobblestones and quaint buildings blended seamlessly with more modern architecture. The streets bustled with cars, buses, and bikes, which seemed to Addie to have a death wish. Some of the bikes darted recklessly in and out of traffic, while others seemed to follow a more civilized route.

Parked just outside the station was a row of cars with signs on the side. Addie approached one and asked its driver how much it would cost to take her to Little Wittling. She was pleasantly surprised to hear that it was substantially cheaper than her train ticket had been, and ten minutes later, the car deposited her outside a charming cottage in what she hoped was going to be a happy new home for her, at least for the next few months.

Chapter 2

The joy of finally having reached her great aunts’ house was cut short by the fact that the front door was firmly locked. Taped to the window was a message from the elderly ladies. It informed Addie that they’d ‘popped to the shops,’ whatever that meant, and they would be back ‘shortly.’ She hoped that this meant they’d be back soon because she realized with some horror that she needed to use the bathroom very badly.

The cab had already pulled away from the small cottage, leaving Addie all alone outside the quaint home. She tried to distract herself from her predicament by studying the home’s exterior. It had a small stoop for a porch, just big enough to stand on. Below it, three smooth stone steps invited her to sit, but the thought of her bottom perched on the cold stone only made her want to pee even more.

She sat her bags down and looked at the rest of the building. It was two stories tall and had a wooden shingled roof. Addie marveled at how much it looked like something out of a fairy tale, only smaller than she’d imagined. There was a fence that blocked her view of the side of the house, and she guessed it led to the backyard.

She tried to peer over the fence, but it was too tall. There was a gate, but it seemed to be locked from the inside. She gave the gate a nudge, and it wiggled somewhat, but it didn’t open. Finally, she returned to the stoop to wait.

She glanced down the street, which seemed fairly quiet for the middle of the day. She’d seen a busy main road when the cab had brought her to the house, but she wasn’t sure exactly which direction that had been. The edges of her mind felt a little blurred with jet lag, and Addie hoped that she didn’t fall asleep waiting for her aunts to arrive.

It felt like she’d been waiting forever. It was, according to her useless cellphone (she had canceled her American service before she came over and her father assured her that she’d be able to just buy a new SIM card for it in the UK), only about ten minutes since the cab had pulled away. Addie toyed with the idea of walking into the village and finding a public toilet, but she didn’t want to wander too far. She had no idea if she’d be able to find her way back again. Besides, her aunts had claimed they wouldn’t be long. Surely a grown woman could hold her bladder long enough for two elderly women to grab some groceries, right?

At some point, while she was waiting, the air went from being heavy and moist to being filled with actual rain droplets. It started as a gentle drizzle at first, but it was soon clear that the weather was taking a turn for the less-than-hospitable. Addie pulled her light jacket around herself and squeezed against the front door of the cottage, but it didn’t offer enough protection. She glanced desperately around, hoping to see somewhere she might go to wait out the rain, but her aunts’ cottage seemed solitary on the quiet street. There were a few other houses, but she wasn’t about to go knocking on a stranger’s door just because of a little old rain.

A movement over the fence caught her eye. Standing up on her tiptoes, Addie could just make out the shape of a closed parasol whipping in the rainy breeze somewhere on the other side of the fence. If she could just get into the backyard, she reckoned, she could open the parasol and at least stay dry until the great aunts came home.

Addie wanted to get a better look at the parasol to confirm her suspicions. She wished the stupid gate was unlocked, but since it wasn’t she wasn’t above scaling the privacy fence. It wasn’t too tall, maybe five feet, so if she could find something to stand on, she could just scramble over and wait out the rain under the protection of the parasol. Addie was taller than the fence, but only by half a foot or so. She’d definitely need something to give her enough height to make it over.

She noticed a heavy stone planter sitting beside the steps leading up to the front door of the house. It was sturdy and