At gloomy Gossinger Hall, where the chill of centuries calls for three sweaters, Sir Henry Gossinger has just dropped a bombshell. After hours of unexplained penance on his knees in the chapel, he has announced to his unwitting relatives that he has announced to his unwitting relatives that he has written a new will...bequeathing everything to his devoted butler, Hutchins. Not since the days of George III, when roguish Sir Rowland Gossinger was accused of stealing the queen's silver tea strainer, has such a scandal threatened the family honor. But worse is yet to come.
For Hutchins is missing, and it soon becomes apparent that the only thing the distinguished butler will inherit is a place in the cemetery. Found head down in the principle fixture of the twelfth-century privy, he may have been the victim of foul play. And what could Hutchins have meant by his dying words, "God save the Queen"?
To Flora, the deceased's sweet young granddaughter, Hutchins' death is a tragic loss. Raised by him in Gossinger Hall, she remembers her grandfather's dedication to the noble Gossingers--including Sir Henry's social climbing wife--and all the stately legends he told her over the silver polish. Only a new life in London, and the kindness of Vivian Gossinger, nephew and former heir to Sir Henry, can ease her pain.
Yet soon Gossinger Hall's history of treachery and intrigue--topped by the ongoing rift with the Royal Family regarding the long-lost tea strainer--casts its shadow over Flora. And suddenly she finds herself caught in a murderously tangled web, where even a familiar face could hide the heart of a cold-blooded killer.
For Hutchins is missing, and it soon becomes apparent that the only thing the distinguished butler will inherit is a place in the cemetery. Found head down in the principle fixture of the twelfth-century privy, he may have been the victim of foul play. And what could Hutchins have meant by his dying words, "God save the Queen"?
To Flora, the deceased's sweet young granddaughter, Hutchins' death is a tragic loss. Raised by him in Gossinger Hall, she remembers her grandfather's dedication to the noble Gossingers--including Sir Henry's social climbing wife--and all the stately legends he told her over the silver polish. Only a new life in London, and the kindness of Vivian Gossinger, nephew and former heir to Sir Henry, can ease her pain.
Yet soon Gossinger Hall's history of treachery and intrigue--topped by the ongoing rift with the Royal Family regarding the long-lost tea strainer--casts its shadow over Flora. And suddenly she finds herself caught in a murderously tangled web, where even a familiar face could hide the heart of a cold-blooded killer.
