A Death Most Dastardly

By Jaris Ash

Baron Randolf Bukeligh has been found by the butler in the library with a hook in his mouth and hands tied with fishing line. The baron, struggling to keep the estate going, had held a house-party in order to try and get things back on track. Being murdered hadn’t been part of the plan!
Inspector Baker, new to Whitby CID, is called in to work with local Sergeant Davies in order to discover who the culprit is. They are aided by a group of students who have just completed their degrees and had been hoping for a quiet holiday exploring the Yorkshire countryside.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: May 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781398455443

Jaris Ash

Jaris Ash has held various office-based jobs in the past, but she has always had a passion for writing and a love for dogs. Eventually, she decided to combine her two interests, writing from a dog’s perspective for her local training club newsletter, and creating a series of stories for use in Animal Assisted Therapy sessions. All of the characters in her stories are inspired by her real-life dogs, who have made the recent years extremely interesting, even though they have driven her a bit bonkers at times. With trips round Europe – all the way across to Tunnel Harry in Poland on one occasion – as well as agility Have-A-Go events at local schools, fairs and fetes, it’s safe to say that things are never dull in her household.

Book preview

A Death Most Dastardly

Jaris Ash

Austin Macauley Publishers

A Death Most Dastardly

About the Author

Dedication

Copyright Information ©

Acknowledgement

Bukeligh Manor Map

Character List

Bukeligh Family Tree

Chapter One: Day One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three: Day Two

Chapter Four: Day Three

Chapter Five

Chapter Six: Day Four

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight: Day Five

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten: Day Six

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen: Day Seven

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen: Day Eight

Chapter Sixteen: Day Nine

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen: Day Ten

Chapter Nineteen: Day Twelve

The Barkery

Orangery Café Menu

Bukeligh Manor Brochure

Press Release

About the Author

Jaris has worked at a few different occupations over the years, the past ten as Office Manager for a publishing company. She has also done some travelling with her dogs on road trips across Europe. Together they have also taken part in many Have-A-Go agility sessions with the training club’s display team which mostly included running around a field and then eating cake. She has used these experiences to produce several children’s books, usually writing as a dog. This is her first foray into the world of writing for adults, inspired by a family holiday in Whitby.

Jaris now lives on a farm in Wales which hosts animal-based therapeutic interventions.

Dedication

For Viv

Copyright Information ©

Jaris Ash 2022

The right of Jaris Ash to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398455436 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398455443 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2022

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

Many thanks go to Emma Lockley for her editing skills, and my long-suffering family, as well as dog-walking friends, who have all been mithered into pre-reading the book and have put up with me pestering them with Does it make sense? at each meeting.

Bukeligh Manor Map

Dower House

Woodland and Deer park

Self-Catering Cottages

Events Barn

Otter’s Pockets Gatehouse

Bukeligh Mansor Orangery Tearoom and Barkery

Stables Livery and Manage /Area

Character List

Baron Randolf Bukeligh (deceased)

Lady Margaret Bukeligh – Baroness

Tristram Bukeligh – Son

Thomas Holroyd – Footman

Higgins – Butler

Robson – Estate Steward

Molly Simpkins – Cook

Hester Ashmore – Her Ladyship’s Maid

Sarah Cresswell – Housekeeper

Sergeant Davies – Local Police Officer

St John Castleford – House Guest

Simon and Charlotte Westerleigh – House Guests

Peter Baker – Detective Inspector

Agnes and Harold Blewitt-Smythe – House Guests

Jeanie and Gypsy tribe

Lionel Grassington – Pathologist

Guy Bartholomew

James Camberwell

Mark Armstrong

Stephanie Camberwell

Anne Hamilton

Bukeligh Family Tree

Col. James Randolf Bukeligh (1st Baron)

(1817–1902)

Randolf Robert Bukeligh (2nd Baron)

(1860–1935)

Robert St John Bukeligh (3rd Baron)

(1905–1944)

Edward James Tristram Bukeligh (4th Baron)

(1941–2015)

Randolf Rupert Bukeligh (5th Baron)

(1971–2020) m. Margaret Beaufort

Tristram Robert Randolf Bukeligh (6th Baron)

(1998–?)

Chapter One

Day One

Thomas, the footman, or ‘under foot man’ as Butler Higgins snappishly remarked a few moments ago, was feeling particularly peevish. His Lordship had invited a group of people to a house party for the weekend and yesterday they had all gone fishing. This morning it was his job to prepare the catch for dinner and, with their glassy eyes staring right at him, he decided that he was none too keen on eating anything that had a face. Ever. And he’d not long since finished his breakfast. He shuddered.

His job? Who decided that? The kitchen girl who normally performed such tasks was away with a fever apparently, and so he had been deemed the most appropriate person for the task. He stabbed at the fish. He hated fish. Scales, heads, eyes, innards or gizzards or whatever they were. And the smell! Seriously, he was going to have to have at least three baths before he got rid of the stench. Stab! Stab!

Higgins was just coming out of his pantry when the Between Maid ran shrieking from the library. He grabbed her as she rushed past but she was being hysterical so he couldn’t understand what she was saying. A sharp slap on her cheek brought her to her senses a little, but even then she just pointed and gasped. He called for the lady’s maid, Hester, to come and take care of the girl whilst he went to investigate. What he found made him queasy. He came out of the library then went to find the key, forbidding anyone to go near the room, texting as he left.

About half an hour later Robson, the estate steward, knocked on the pantry door. I got your message. What’s going on? I just met young Jem in the hallway. He said it was urgent and then ran off in all of a do.

Yes, it is urgent, Higgins replied. I posted him there to meet you. Come with me, and he led the way back into the library. I’ve locked the door, he added.

Robson gaped at the scene in front of him.

Quite, said Higgins. We need to inform the authorities but I wanted you here while I did so to make sure no one tries to go in to the room before they arrive. Plus I want to keep it quiet so as not to disturb the guests.

But it might have been one of them who did it. The police aren’t going to keep it quiet, that’s for sure.

No, but let’s go steady. At least until they get here.

Righto. Can we go out now? I feel proper poorly. They exited and re-locked the door behind them.

I’ll go outside and phone the local bobby, whatshisname, said Robson. You try and keep a lid on things until I get back, and off he went.

Down in the kitchens all was pandemonium. The Between Maid was still shaking and stuttering. Hester was trying to make her drink hot sweet tea. Everyone was asking questions and no work was being done whatsoever. The Cook and the Housekeeper were both wringing their hands, distracted.

Oh, thank goodness you’re here, cried Molly the Cook. What on earth is to do? I’m on my last nerve! as she bobbed her head towards the maid.

What ails the girl? Sarah, the housekeeper, asked as Higgins walked through the door.

I can’t say anything at the moment, he replied. Calm down everyone, he raised his voice. Let’s just get on with our jobs shall we and all will become apparent shortly. He disappeared into his Pantry followed by Sarah.

The Master has been murdered, he told her as soon as the door was shut and then poured himself a generous sherry. His hands were shaking. Robson has gone to call the police, he added.

Oh my giddy aunt! Sarah wrapped her arms around her body as Higgins poured her a sherry which she took in silence. They both jumped when there was a sudden sharp knock on the door. Higgins opened it to see Robson with the policeman whom he had met a little way down the road.

Sergeant Davies had been out doing his afternoon rounds when he received the call and came immediately in response. He had been a bit miffed not to have been able to put on his flashing lights and sirens but Robson had warned him of the need for secrecy.

A few minutes and a surreptitious entry into the library later. Well I never, the sergeant said as he stood between Higgins and Robson surveying the scene.

The baron was lying slumped on his desk, his hands tied behind his back with a fishing line. There was a fish hook