Cover

TITLES BY RHYS BOWEN

Royal Spyness Mysteries

MASKED BALL AT BROXLEY MANOR

(enovella)

HER ROYAL SPYNESS

A ROYAL PAIN

ROYAL FLUSH

ROYAL BLOOD

NAUGHTY IN NICE

THE TWELVE CLUES OF CHRISTMAS

HEIRS AND GRACES

QUEEN OF HEARTS

MALICE AT THE PALACE

CROWNED AND DANGEROUS

ON HER MAJESTY’S FRIGHTFULLY SECRET SERVICE

FOUR FUNERALS AND MAYBE A WEDDING

LOVE AND DEATH AMONG THE CHEETAHS

THE LAST MRS. SUMMERS

Constable Evans Mysteries

EVANS ABOVE

EVAN HELP US

EVANLY CHOIRS

EVAN AND ELLE

EVAN CAN WAIT

EVANS TO BETSY

EVAN ONLY KNOWS

EVAN’S GATE

EVAN BLESSED

Anthologies

A ROYAL THREESOME

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my Cornish kin, the Vyvyans,

with whom I stay every summer in a manor house very like Trengilly.

It’s one of my favorite parts of the world,

and they will recognize several of the names and references in the book.

I also want to thank my wonderful agents,

Meg Ruley and Christina Hogrebe,

and the entire team at Jane Rotrosen,

as well as Michelle Vega and the whole team at Berkley.

Working with you is always such a joy.

And lastly, as always, a sincere thank-you to my husband, John,

who is my first reader, editor, driver, porter and all around companion.

We have had many Cornish adventures together,

including driving along those lanes.

Foreword

I first discovered Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca during my teens. It was the first book that really grabbed me on an emotional level, probably the first book I could not put down. So this book is my homage to Rebecca. Those familiar with the book will see the references to the original. If you haven’t read Rebecca yet, I suggest you do so. It’s slightly dated now but great reading.

And I’d just like to say a couple of words about one of the themes in the book: that of men taking for granted that women are fair game, that they are there to be sexually abused. This is an uncomfortable theme, but in those days some property owners still looked upon servants as their property. And the fondling and groping of young women and girls was still overlooked and tolerated in some families.

Young women and girls had to look out for one another, but of course we know now that it shouldn’t have been that way; the onus shouldn’t have been on them to protect themselves from sexual abuse. You’ll find one particular character to be repugnant. I apologize in advance!

Chapter 1

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1935

EYNSLEIGH, SUSSEX