A Counterfeit Suitor

Darcie Wilde

• Publisher: Kensington Books
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781496720887
• eBook ISBN:
  9781496720948
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Crime & Mystery Literature
• Index: Literature

“Wilde's heroine is not only a useful woman but a highly entertaining one.” 
 —Kirkus Reviews on And Dangerous to Know

Among the ton of Regency London, one breath of scandal can be disastrous. Enter Rosalind Thorne, a young woman adept at helping ladies of quality navigate the most delicate problems—in this charming mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen . . .

It is every mama’s dearest wish that her daughter marries well. But how to ensure that a seemingly earnest suitor is not merely a fortune hunter? Rosalind is involved in just such a case, discreetly investigating a client’s prospective son-in-law, when she is drawn into another predicament shockingly close to home.

Rosalind’s estranged father, Sir Reginald Thorne—a drunkard and forger—has fallen into the hands of the vicious scoundrel Russell Fullerton. Angered by her interference in his blackmail schemes, Fullerton intends to unleash Sir Reginald on society and ruin Rosalind. Before Rosalind’s enemy can act, Sir Reginald is found murdered—and Fullerton is arrested for the crime. He protests his innocence, and Rosalind reluctantly agrees to uncover the truth, suspecting that this mystery may be linked to her other, ongoing cases.

Aided by her sister, Charlotte, and sundry friends and associates—including handsome Bow Street Runner Adam Harkness—Rosalind sets to work. But with political espionage and Napoleon loyalists in the mix, there may be more sinister motives, and far higher stakes, than she ever imagined . . .
 

Table of contents

• Also by
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright Page
• PROLOGUE
• CHAPTER 1 - An Unexpected Caller
• CHAPTER 2 - The Past Made All Too Present
• CHAPTER 3 - A Change of Circumstance
• CHAPTER 4 - Urgent Correspondence
• CHAPTER 5 - A Mother’s Fear
• CHAPTER 6 - The Best-Laid Plans
• CHAPTER 7 - The Scene
• CHAPTER 8
• CHAPTER 9
• CHAPTER 10 - The Complications of Family Connections
• CHAPTER 11 - Some Polite Breakfast Table Conversation
• CHAPTER 12 - The Scope of the Problem
• CHAPTER 13 - Domestic Complications
• CHAPTER 14 - Threats and Promises
• CHAPTER 15 - Missed
• CHAPTER 16 - Yet One More Blow
• CHAPTER 17 - A Few Trifling Questions
• CHAPTER 18 - A Sense of Obligation
• CHAPTER 19 - A Thorough Examination
• CHAPTER 20 - An Unexpected Encounter
• CHAPTER 21 - An Unseemly Offer
• CHAPTER 22 - A Meditation on the Uneasy Nature of Courtship
• CHAPTER 23 - A Cold and Final Message
• CHAPTER 24 - When the World Turns Upside Down
• CHAPTER 25 - An Unexpected Caller
• CHAPTER 26 - The Stage Has Been Set
• CHAPTER 27 - The Haunts of Men About Town
• CHAPTER 28 - Relative Positions
• CHAPTER 29 - To Venture into the Depths
• CHAPTER 30 - A Confidential Proposal
• CHAPTER 31 - The Awful Breadth of Possibility
• CHAPTER 32 - The Advantages of Knowing Where to Look
• CHAPTER 33 - In the House of Misfortune
• CHAPTER 34 - An Unscheduled Visit
• CHAPTER 35 - The Consequences of Personal Problems
• CHAPTER 36 - Removed from the Scene
• CHAPTER 37 - Secrets Between Sisters
• CHAPTER 38 - Accusations
• CHAPTER 39 - All the Hidden Meanings
• CHAPTER 40 - Returns and Recriminations
• CHAPTER 41 - A Chance Encounter
• CHAPTER 42 - Last-Minute Details
• CHAPTER 43 - The Importance of Orderly Recordkeeping
• CHAPTER 44 - A Meeting of Like-Minded Fellows
• CHAPTER 45 - Masquerade
• CHAPTER 46 - A Real Risk of Discovery
• CHAPTER 47 - Familial Affections
• CHAPTER 48 - Revelations over Breakfast
• CHAPTER 49 - Conclusions over Coffee Cups
• CHAPTER 50 - The Last Throw
• CHAPTER 51 - Lowering Clouds
• CHAPTER 52 - Execution
• CHAPTER 53 - Laid at Last to Rest
• AUTHOR’S NOTE