Welcome back for more In Her Image, a work in progress, a regency mystery story I’ve been sharing on my website.
The story so far: Lord Wade is investigating the death of a young woman. Her body is found in Grosvenor square with no identification and no immediate explanation of how she died.
If you’re new to the story, you can read the beginning here and then follow on with the sample below.
The woman shrugged. “I do not, but her situation is familiar to me. I know nothing of her killer or their motives.”
Damn. He was exactly back to where he’d begun, except—“Why do you believe she was in someone’s employ?”
The woman glanced at the body and then rubbed her arms. “Her shoes don’t match her gown’s quality.”
Damon blinked and looked at the girl again. He’d been so caught up with the manner of her position, the sightless fright in her eyes that he’d failed to notice the scuffed quality of the shoes. He moved closer to them. Short half-boots, more suited to strident walking than the party the dress implied, and well used. The left heel worn down lower than the right. He’d assumed her returning from an evenings entertainment and set upon. But often the smallest detail led him on a divergent path.
The girl did not come from money, but she might work for a well-to-do family and be wearing cast off clothes. “Thank you.”
“She’s long gone.” Andrew chuckled. “Said her peace and left you to ponder it, and ponder it you have for several long minutes.”
Damon spun about but the veiled woman and burly servant were no longer in sight. He’d been too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice that she’d taken her leave. “Damn. She might have had further insights to share.”
Andrew closed the distance between them. “Do you not even notice the living anymore? Your obsession with solving every act of villainy is robbing you of your life.”
Thanks so much for reading.