A scandalous death, p.1
A SCANDALOUS DEATH, page 1
THE MAID AND THE MANSION:
A SCANDALOUS DEATH
(The Maid and the Mansion Cozy Mystery—Book Two)
FIONA GRACE
Fiona Grace
Fiona Grace is author of the LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books; of the TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY series, comprising seven books; of the DUBIOUS WITCH COZY MYSTERY series, comprising three books; of the BEACHFRONT BAKERY COZY MYSTERY series, comprising six books; of the CATS AND DOGS COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books; of the ELIZA MONTAGU COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the ENDLESS HARBOR ROMANTIC COMEDY series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the INN AT DUNE ISLAND ROMANTIC COMEDY series, comprising five books (and counting); of the INN BY THE SEA ROMANTIC COMEDY series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the MAID AND THE MANSION COZY MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting).
MURDER IN THE MANOR (A Lacey Doyle Cozy Mystery—Book 1), AGED FOR MURDER (A Tuscan Vineyard Cozy Mystery—Book 1), SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF MURDER (A Dubious Witch Cozy Mystery—Book 1), BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A KILLER CUPCAKE (A Beachfront Bakery Cozy Mystery—Book 1), and A VILLA IN SICILY: OLIVE OIL AND MURDER (A Cats and Dogs Cozy Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Kobo!
Fiona would love to hear from you, so please visit www.fionagraceauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.
Copyright © 2024 by Fiona Grace. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally.
BOOKS BY FIONA GRACE
THE MAID AND THE MANSION COZY MYSTERY
A MYSTERIOUS MURDER (Book #1)
A SCANDALOUS DEATH (Book #2)
A MISSING GUEST (Book #3)
AN UNSOLVABLE CRIME (Book #4)
AN IMPOSSIBLE HEIST (Book #5)
INN BY THE SEA ROMANTIC COMEDY
A NEW LOVE (Book #1)
A NEW CHANCE (Book #2)
A NEW HOME (Book #3)
A NEW LIFE (Book #4)
A NEW ME (Book #5)
THE INN AT DUNE ISLAND ROMANTIC COMEDY
A CHANCE LOVE (Book #1)
A CHANCE FALL (Book #2)
A CHANCE ROMANCE (Book #3)
A CHANCE CHRISTMAS (Book #4)
A CHANCE ENGAGEMENT (Book #5)
ENDLESS HARBOR ROMANTIC COMEDY
ALWAYS, WITH YOU (Book #1)
ALWAYS, FOREVER (Book #2)
ALWAYS, PLUS ONE (Book #3)
ALWAYS, TOGETHER (Book #4)
ALWAYS, LIKE THIS (Book #5)
ALWAYS, FATED (Book #6)
ALWAYS, FOR LOVE (Book #7)
ALWAYS, JUST US (Book #8)
ALWAYS, IN LOVE (Book #9)
ELIZA MONTAGU COZY MYSTERY
MURDER AT THE HEDGEROW (Book #1)
A DALLOP OF DEATH (Book #2)
CALAMITY AT THE BALL (Book #3)
A SPEAKEASY DEMISE (Book #4)
A FLAPPER FATALITY (Book #5)
BUMPED BY A DAME (Book #6)
A DOLL’S DEBACLE (Book #7)
A FELLA’S RUIN (Book #8)
A GAL’S OFFING (Book #9)
LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY
MURDER IN THE MANOR (Book#1)
DEATH AND A DOG (Book #2)
CRIME IN THE CAFE (Book #3)
VEXED ON A VISIT (Book #4)
KILLED WITH A KISS (Book #5)
PERISHED BY A PAINTING (Book #6)
SILENCED BY A SPELL (Book #7)
FRAMED BY A FORGERY (Book #8)
CATASTROPHE IN A CLOISTER (Book #9)
TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY
AGED FOR MURDER (Book #1)
AGED FOR DEATH (Book #2)
AGED FOR MAYHEM (Book #3)
AGED FOR SEDUCTION (Book #4)
AGED FOR VENGEANCE (Book #5)
AGED FOR ACRIMONY (Book #6)
AGED FOR MALICE (Book #7)
DUBIOUS WITCH COZY MYSTERY
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF MURDER (Book #1)
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF CRIME (Book #2)
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF DEATH (Book #3)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY COZY MYSTERY
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A KILLER CUPCAKE (Book #1)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A MURDEROUS MACARON (Book #2)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A PERILOUS CAKE POP (Book #3)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A DEADLY DANISH (Book #4)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A TREACHEROUS TART (Book #5)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A CALAMITOUS COOKIE (Book #6)
CATS AND DOGS COZY MYSTERY
A VILLA IN SICILY: OLIVE OIL AND MURDER (Book #1)
A VILLA IN SICILY: FIGS AND A CADAVER (Book #2)
A VILLA IN SICILY: VINO AND DEATH (Book #3)
A VILLA IN SICILY: CAPERS AND CALAMITY (Book #4)
A VILLA IN SICILY: ORANGE GROVES AND VENGEANCE (Book #5)
A VILLA IN SICILY: CANNOLI AND A CASUALTY (Book #6)
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER ONE
“Mary!” The querulous voice resounded down the corridor from the grand bedroom suite beyond. “Is that you? I called you up because I need you here immediately! I have a catastrophe on my hands!”
“On my way, my lady!” Politely, Mary Adams called back as she hurried up the wide spiral staircase, in a voice that she hoped was loud enough to be heard by Lady Middlefield, but not loud enough to be construed as rude.
She’d been in her small upstairs bedroom, about to start her day’s work, when the buzzer had summoned her to Lady Middlefield’s suite, and she’d quickly pulled on her shoes and rushed to help.
Even though ‘hurry’ meant exactly that, she stopped for a moment at the top of the stairs to tug her apron straight, brush a speck of dust off her dark blue dress, and make sure that no unruly locks of butter blond hair were peeking out of her lacy white cap.
A month of working at Middlefield Manor had taught her that the widowed matriarch who oversaw the entire estate, was somewhat persnickety.
Maybe ‘focused on detail’ would be a kinder word to use, Mary decided, as she hurried into the opulent bedroom. She’d always been a person who believed in making allowances for the elderly. As her mum had always reminded her, growing older was a privilege denied to many, but it often meant putting up with a lot more aches, pains, and general irritation with life.
She guessed that was true, even for an immensely wealthy woman approaching her seventy-fifth birthday, whose husband had passed away a few years ago, and whose word was law, across the entire estate.
Now, what was this catastrophe?
After a month’s work experience as a housemaid in the stately home of Middlefield Manor, Mary was guessing it might be that the lady had mislaid another piece of her jewelry – perhaps one of her diamond earrings, and was looking for the first available person to hunt for it.
Last week, a missing necklace had resulted in her entire suite being turned upside down – and with the necklace still not found, Mary was wondering if the elderly lady herself had absentmindedly hidden it away somewhere.
Lady Middlefield’s bedroom was on the mansion’s second floor, with a view over the rose gardens. Now, going into winter, they were nothing more than neatly pruned stubs, but she was sure that in summertime, they would be a glorious kaleidoscope of color.
Rain was spattering the window as she headed across the expanse of royal blue carpet and over to the small card table where a tea tray had been placed. From the rows of playing cards that were laid out, Lady Middlefield appeared to have been busy with a game of patience – but was now tapping the table with a distinct lack of patience, waiting for Mary to approach.
With her cloud of well-styled gray hair, her sharp nose, and her piercing voice, Lady Middlefield seemed to pick up on every little detail when it came to her servants, and how they did their jobs.
Plus – unusually
Working in a factory, as Mary had done up until a month ago when all the men had begun returning from the war, was actually less demanding than this.
At least there was only one place for a bolt to go – in its rightful spot on the engine.
But when it came to Lady Middlefield’s possessions, there were at least three places for everything to go, and they depended on the weather, the schedule for the day, as well as the lady’s mood.
She might want her pearl gray velvet gloves to be put away in the glove drawer in her dressing room. Or else, she might want them to be placed on her dressing table ready for her to wear – but sometimes, having them on the card table seemed to be her preference. But again, she might have identified an invisible smudge or dirty mark on one of the gloves which meant that even the sight of them offended her eyes, and the gloves were to be instantly sent down the laundry chute.
It was all very peculiar, and Mary had to admit, she hadn’t yet gotten the hang of it.
“Good morning, my lady,” she said politely.
“I’ve spilled my tea!” Lady Middlefield said, with a fractious note to her voice. “Clean it up, would you, Mary?”
So that was the catastrophe? Well, everyone had different definitions of the word.
Now, where was the spilled tea? It must be that tiny dot of liquid there, between the three of hearts and the queen of spades. The cup itself, a fine china item with pink roses around the outside, was set neatly down in its saucer.
“If you’ll excuse me?” She rummaged in her cleaning bucket and produced a cloth, with which she dabbed at the minuscule mark.
“It has probably ruined the polished surface!” the lady lamented. “You’ll need to come back and shine it later on. Maybe this afternoon.”
“I’ll do that, my lady,” Mary promised, making a mental note to fit in this chore between her usual Tuesday job of cleaning the parlor, and today’s special task of stripping down and cleaning the guest bedrooms. There was a small birthday celebration for Lady Middlefield at the manor house tonight, and guests were arriving later.
“Just be sure that I am in this room when you do the work,” the lady said sharply. “Or else, my assistant must be here. I still haven’t found out what happened to that missing ornamental elephant that disappeared in October!”
"I will make sure, my lady," Mary said politely.
It was a source of great intrigue to her that Lady Middlefield would not allow any of the housemaids to be in her bedroom unless she herself was present, or else, her attendant was working in the small annex room just outside the bedroom door.
Did she think somebody was going to steal something? The reference to the elephant hinted at that, but Mary had also noticed that the elderly lady was extremely protective about the small chest by the side of her four-poster bed. Once, by mistake, Mary had actually put a hand on that chest’s wide, domed lid, thinking that because of its location within the room, it contained spare linen.
The screech of, “Don’t touch that!” from Lady Middlefield, as she spun around from her card table, had nearly shattered her eardrums. Of course, ever since then, Mary had desperately wondered what was in that chest. Even now, she had to exercise a good deal of self-control to stop herself from glancing at it curiously.
She forced herself not to. It wasn’t her business to be curious, it was her business to do her housemaid’s job to the best of her ability.
After all, as a twenty-three year old from the working classes, with no close family left alive in the world, and no qualifications or money to her name, she was lucky to have this job. Especially since it was a relatively well paying one, in the countryside, with board and accommodation as part of the package. In these tough post-war times, there were a lot of people without the luxury of a job at all.
And especially after what had happened at her previous place of employment, Coldstream Lodge, Mary felt grateful to be here.
She stepped aside, deftly tweaking the cleaning cloth away, and doing her best to resume her normal state of invisibility, which she had discovered that most servants possessed automatically in the eyes of the upper classes.
But it was almost as if she and Lady Middlefield had shared a weird psychic moment there when thinking about her past.
Because, as she turned away to tidy Lady Middlefield’s shoe cupboard, she felt the grand dame’s eyes on her. But that gaze was as nothing compared to the question that followed.
“You know, Mary,” she said thoughtfully. “I heard from a guest who dropped by yesterday that there was some trouble at your previous workplace. Is that correct? Because I was never made aware of those facts when you arrived here!”
CHAPTER TWO
Mary felt her heart stop beating for a moment, and then accelerate in a volley of thuds that she was sure might be visible from under the frilly, full length apron she wore.
Of course, there had been trouble – and it had been bad. She hadn't caused it and had been totally innocent of it, but that wasn’t what the police had believed for a while.
For a day and a half that felt like the longest of her life, she’d been accused of the terrible crime of murder, and had gone to great efforts to clear her own name.
She’d never thought that the details would travel this far, especially since Middlefield Manor was well over a hundred miles away from Coldstream Lodge. It was in an entirely different county, all the way in the northeast of England’s Midlands.
After the ‘trouble’, such as it was, had been resolved, and she’d helped the police find the real killer, she and her best friend had been exchanged for another servant in a swap. These exchanges of staff happened regularly, Mary was surprised to learn, even between estate owners who didn’t know each other particularly well. Coldstream Lodge had required a second cook, Middlefield Manor had one cook too many but needed housemaids, and so the word had gone out, and a trade had been done.
That was the official story, anyway. After the ‘trouble’ was resolved, she suspected the real reason for the trade had been so that the team at Coldstream Lodge could start afresh after the murder, without her there.
Mary had been an unwanted reminder to them of that stressful time, and so they’d sent her elsewhere. Luckily, because two housemaids had been required, Hannah had come along with her.
And now, somehow, Lady Middlefield was ignoring the fact that ‘Two Reliable and Honest Maids’, had been sent – she’d seen the note that had accompanied Hannah and herself – and asking these very dangerous questions.
Better to be truthful, she decided. Telling a lie could come back to bite her. Lady Middlefield was clearly a person of vast experience thanks to her senior years, and maybe that would mean she understood the situation if Mary could explain it properly.
“Yes, there was some trouble there,” she said. “I actually played a small part in helping solve a difficult situation.”
"Did you know?" Lady Middlefield quirked a finely drawn eyebrow. “And how exactly did you do that?”
Was her voice curious? Was this just a chance to catch up with the non-local gossip? How many details should she give out?
Perhaps this was a chance for her to speak well of her skills, while avoiding any troubling details.
“I had a knack for problem solving, and was able to put together a few facts to help the police,” she said.
Instantly, Lady Middlefield’s eyebrows raised skywards.
“The police?” she echoed. “It seems you are keeping secrets from me, Mary Adams. And I do not allow secrets at Middlefield Manor!” The stern note in her voice was audible.
Oh, no! So Lady Middlefield hadn’t known the police were involved? And now this had come as a shock to her?
Dithering frantically about what to say next, as her brain raced, Mary was saved by the arrival of quick footsteps from the corridor.
It was exactly nine a.m. – the chime of the grandfather clock on the landing confirmed it – and that meant Lady Middlefield’s assistant, Howard, had arrived on duty.
