Review: Clever and appealing story!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2014
David Hounslow, the Marquess of Preston, is sitting with several of his friends remembering their friend, Lord Arrington, who has just passed away at the hand of his wife.  She had struck him in the head with a fire iron, killing him.  Philandering men, beware!  Now, his friends are toasting his life and cringing that a woman could kill a man like that and all vowing that they will never take a wife.  Ha!It's nearly Christmas and David is looking forward to spending it with his sisters, their spouses and their children at Padmore Glen, the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Lord and Lady Upton Grey.  Along with his siblings and family, other guests included the Dowager Countess of Upton Grey who lives in the dower house on the Padmore estate.  Hoping to escape any husband-seeking young ladies, David is not happy to find sisters, Lady Frederica (Freddie) Bexley-Smythe and Lady Edie Bexley-Smythe visiting as well.  They and their widowed mother are nearly destitute after their brother, Percy, took over the Stalbridge family fortune and lost most of it on gambling.When Freddie overhead David and his brother-in-law discussing an a recently discovered and unused room on the estate that has countless valuable items, her ears perked up.  She did not think she could bring herself to resort to thievery, but knowing her mother and sister needed to be cared for was quickly pushing her in that direction.  In actuality, the monies from the sale of these items had been allotted to help support Darlingshire House, (a place that David oversees) which a home for women who have happened upon unfortunate circumstances and need a place to live.Still disgusted and, frankly, rather frightened that a "mere" woman could kill a man with a fire poker, David finds himself even more leery of women.  So when, he hears a noise and investigates it one night only to catch Freddie in "the room."  Deciding not to expose her, he decides to keep a close eye on her instead.  How close an eye you might ask.  Read it and find out.I've just scratched the surface of this great story and hope you will find it as captivating as I did.  Catherine Gayle is a great author and I'm looking forward to reading more of her novels.