Mrs. Jeffries Aims to Win, page 1
WHAT WOULD SCOTLAND YARD DO WITHOUT DEAR MRS. JEFFRIES?
The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries: When a doctor is found dead in his own office, Mrs. Jeffries must scour the premises to find the prescription for murder.
Mrs. Jeffries Dusts for Clues: One case is solved and another is opened when the inspector finds a missing brooch—pinned to a dead woman’s gown.
The Ghost and Mrs. Jeffries: When the murder of Mrs. Hodges is foreseen at a spooky séance, Mrs. Jeffries must look into the past for clues.
Mrs. Jeffries Takes Stock: A businessman has been murdered—and the smart money’s on Mrs. Jeffries to catch the killer.
Mrs. Jeffries on the Ball: A festive Jubilee celebration turns into a fatal affair—and Mrs. Jeffries must find the guilty party.
Mrs. Jeffries on the Trail: Mrs. Jeffries must sniff out a flower peddler’s killer.
Mrs. Jeffries Plays the Cook: Mrs. Jeffries finds herself doing double duty: cooking for the inspector’s household and trying to cook a killer’s goose.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Missing Alibi: When Inspector Witherspoon is the main suspect in a murder, only Mrs. Jeffries can save him.
Mrs. Jeffries Stands Corrected: When a local publican is murdered and Inspector Witherspoon botches the investigation, trouble starts to brew for Mrs. Jeffries.
Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Stage: After a theater critic is murdered, Mrs. Jeffries uncovers the victim’s secret shocking past.
Mrs. Jeffries Questions the Answer: To find the disagreeable Hannah Cameron’s killer, Mrs. Jeffries must tread lightly—or it could be a matter of life and death.
Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art: A missing model and a killer have Mrs. Jeffries working double time before someone else becomes the next subject.
Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake: A dead body, two dessert plates, and a gun. Mrs. Jeffries will have to do some serious snooping around to dish up more clues.
Mrs. Jeffries Rocks the Boat: A murdered woman had recently traveled by boat from Australia. Now Mrs. Jeffries must solve the case—and it’s sink or swim.
Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot: Three attempts have been made on Annabeth Gentry’s life. Is it because her bloodhound dug up the body of a murdered thief?
Mrs. Jeffries Pinches the Post: Mrs. Jeffries and her staff must root through the sins of a ruthless man’s past to catch his killer.
Mrs. Jeffries Pleads Her Case: The inspector is determined to prove a suicide was murder, and with Mrs. Jeffries on his side, he may well succeed.
Mrs. Jeffries Sweeps the Chimney: A vicar has been found murdered, and Inspector Witherspoon’s only prayer is to seek the divinations of Mrs. Jeffries.
Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter: When love turns deadly, who better to get to the heart of the matter than Inspector Witherspoon’s indomitable companion, Mrs. Jeffries?
Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight: The yuletide murder of an elderly man is complicated by several suspects—none of whom were in the Christmas spirit.
Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict: Mrs. Jeffries and her belowstairs cohorts have their work cut out for them if they want to save an innocent man from the gallows.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans: Everyone banker Lawrence Boyd met became his enemy. It will take Mrs. Jeffries’ shrewd eye to find who killed him.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen: ’Tis the season for sleuthing when a wealthy man is murdered and Mrs. Jeffries must solve the case in time for Christmas.
Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump: A medical magnate is found floating down the river. Now Mrs. Jeffries will have to dive into the mystery.
Mrs. Jeffries in the Nick of Time: Mrs. Jeffries lends her downstairs common sense to this upstairs murder mystery.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings: Wedding bells will make this season all the more jolly. Until one humbug sings a carol of murder.
Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind: Everyone doubts an eccentric old woman who suspects she’s going to be murdered—until the prediction comes true.
Mrs. Jeffries Forges Ahead: A free-spirited bride is poisoned, and it’s up to Mrs. Jeffries to discover who wanted to make the modern young woman into a postmortem.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Mistletoe Mix-Up: There’s murder going on under the mistletoe as Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon hurry to solve the case.
Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own: When an unwelcome visitor from her past needs help, Mrs. Jeffries steps into the fray to stop a terrible miscarriage of justice.
Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide: When Mrs. Jeffries doubts a suspect’s guilt, she must turn the tide of the investigation to save an innocent man.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Merry Gentlemen: When a successful stockbroker is murdered just days before Christmas, Mrs. Jeffries won’t rest until justice is served for the holidays.
Mrs. Jeffries and the One Who Got Away: When a woman is found strangled clutching an old newspaper clipping, only Mrs. Jeffries can get to the bottom of the story.
Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize: Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries weed out a killer after a body is found in a gentlewoman’s conservatory.
Mrs. Jeffries Rights a Wrong: Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon must determine who had the motive to put a duplicitous businessman in the red.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women: As Christmas approaches, Luty, Ruth, and Mrs. Goodge turn up the heat on a murderer to stop the crime from becoming a cold case.
Mrs. Jeffries Delivers the Goods: When poison fells an arrogant businessman at a ball, Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon must catch the culprit before the misanthrope murders again.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel: When a wealthy widow is murdered right before Christmas, Mrs. Jeffries investigates what happens when money can’t buy your life.
Mrs. Jeffries Demands Justice: Nigel Nivens may be a jealous, dishonest, spoiled man but when one of his associates is killed, Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries know he isn’t capable of murder. Now they just have to prove it.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders: When a powerful woman is strangled in her own home a week before Christmas, the Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries must deliver a stocking full of coal to a crafty killer.
Berkley Prime Crime Titles by Emily Brightwell
The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries
Mrs. Jeffries Dusts for Clues
The Ghost and Mrs. Jeffries
Mrs. Jeffries Takes Stock
Mrs. Jeffries on the Ball
Mrs. Jeffries on the Trail
Mrs. Jeffries Plays the Cook
Mrs. Jeffries and the Missing Alibi
Mrs. Jeffries Stands Corrected
Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Stage
Mrs. Jeffries Questions the Answer
Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art
Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake
Mrs. Jeffries Rocks the Boat
Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot
Mrs. Jeffries Pinches the Post
Mrs. Jeffries Pleads her Case
Mrs. Jeffries Sweeps the Chimney
Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter
Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight
Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict
Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans
Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen
Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump
Mrs. Jeffries in the Nick of Time
Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings
Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind
Mrs. Jeffries Forges Ahead
Mrs. Jeffries and the Mistletoe Mix-Up
Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own
Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide
Mrs. Jeffries and the Merry Gentlemen
Mrs. Jeffries and the One Who Got Away
Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize
Mrs. Jeffries Rights a Wrong
Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women
Mrs. Jeffries Delivers the Goods
Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel
Mrs. Jeffries Demands Justice
Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders
Mrs. Jeffries Aims to Win
Anthologies
Mrs. Jeffries Learns the Trade
Mrs. Jeffries Takes a Second Look
Mrs. Jeffries Takes Tea at Three
Mrs. Jeffries Sallies Forth
Mrs. Jeffries Pleads the Fifth
Mrs. Jeffries Serves at Six
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME
Published by Berkley
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
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Copyright © 2023 by Cheryl A. Arguile
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Brightwell, Emily, author.
Title: Mrs. Jeffries aims to win / Emily Brightwell.
Description: First Edition. | New York : Berkley Prime Crime, 2023. |
Series: A Victorian Mystery ; 41
Identifiers: LCCN 2023005363 (print) | LCCN 2023005364 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593101117 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780593101124 (ebook)
Subjects: LCGFT: Detective and mystery fiction. | Novels.
Classification: LCC PS3552.R46443 M6228 2023 (print) | LCC PS3552.R46443 (ebook) | DDC 813/.54—dc23/eng/20230206
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023005363
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023005364
First Edition: August 2023
Cover illustration by Mark Fredrickson
Cover design by Steve Meditz
Interior design adapted for ebook by Estelle Malmed
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
pid_prh_6.1_144774596_c0_r0
Contents
Cover
Berkley Prime Crime Titles by Emily Brightwell
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
About the Author
_144774596_
This book is dedicated to the best people in the world: Richard, Matthew, and Amanda—with love and thanks for their unwavering love and support.
CHAPTER 1
“What’s wrong now?” Luty Belle Crookshank put her champagne glass on the table and frowned at the tall, white-haired man sitting opposite her. “You’ve been starin’ out that window for the last ten minutes. Glarin’ at the storm ain’t goin’ to make it let up any quicker.”
“That’s easy for you to say, madam,” Hatchet replied. “You’re not the one who didn’t get to compete. I’ve been practicing for weeks now and most of the Ladies’ Division had finished. I was the first in my category to shoot, and if they’d let us stay out for five more minutes, I would have had my chance.” He flicked a piece of lint off the sleeve of his jacket, picked up his tea, and took a sip.
Luty, a tiny, elderly American with snow-white hair, blue eyes, and a love of flashy clothes, shook her head. “If you’d stayed out for five more minutes, ya coulda been struck by lightning, and your outfit would have been ruined.” She was dressed in a bright red cotton skirt with a wide blue cummerbund waist and a lacy white blouse with a high collar and puffy sleeves. Gold-and-pearl earrings dangled from her ears, and a gold broach in the shape of a frog playing a harmonica was pinned over her heart.
Hatchet glanced down at the blazer he wore over his starched white shirt. It was a deep green so dark that it almost looked black. His flat wide-brimmed matching cap was on the table next to Luty’s gloves. “I’m not certain that would have been so bad.”
He wasn’t used to the garments they were required to wear for the competition. They were undignified, but when he’d mentioned the matter to Luty, she’d merely scoffed and said that wearing something other than his usual attire of black stovepipe trousers, white shirt, cravat, and old-fashioned black frockcoat was good for him. He’d decided it was pointless to argue with the woman, since her love of fashion made it impossible for her to understand that wearing different clothing made him uncomfortable.
The two of them were sitting by the window table in the common room of the West London Archery Club. Hatchet, who was supposedly Luty’s butler, was drinking tea while Luty had opted for a glass of champagne. They’d come here so that Hatchet could compete in the annual archery contest, but owing to the sudden, vicious storm, everyone was now inside waiting and hoping for the bad weather to pass.
“I know you’re disappointed and it don’t seem fair that you had to miss your turn, but the contest ain’t over.” She glanced at the well-dressed men and women crowding around tables and milling about the huge room. She recognized a large number of people, most of whom were acquaintances rather than friends. “Archery ain’t my cup of tea, but it’s a better sport than horse racing. You can lose your shirt bettin’ on the ponies.”
“I’m not doing it just for the sport,” Hatchet pointed out. “You know my doctor insisted I get more exercise, and archery is perfect. It provides the right amount of physical activity without making one desperately hot and miserable. You know how hard I’ve practiced, madam, and it isn’t fair that my category was suddenly shoved to the end of the competition instead of at the beginning as is the normal custom.” He jerked his chin toward the rain-streaked window. “If it had gone the way it was supposed to, I’d already be finished . . .”
“And you’d have first place,” Luty teased.
“Possibly, madam, possibly,” Hatchet replied.
The two of them had more than an employer-employee relationship. They had a strong bond, and it was because of this bond that Luty had used her considerable influence to get him accepted as a member. The archery club wasn’t as class-ridden as most of London’s athletic establishments, but they didn’t encourage servants to join.
Luty knew every member of the Board and the Membership Committee, and as they wanted her to become a member, they agreed he could be one as well.
“Come on now, you know with the weather turnin’ so fast that lettin’ the young ladies shoot first was the right thing to do.” Luty picked up her champagne flute and took a sip.
“Nonsense, madam, those young women all looked quite sturdy to me, as a matter of fact—”
“Look, look,” she interrupted, “there he is.” She nodded toward a portly, balding man in gold-rimmed pince-nez eyeglasses as he stepped through the main door and into the crowded room.
“There who is?” Hatchet frowned irritably.
“Jeremy Marks, the fella I told ya about,” Luty said softly. “The one everyone hates. I told ya what I overheard in the cloakroom.”
“Refresh my memory, madam.”
“There ain’t nothin’ wrong with your memory, Hatchet. Just admit it, you weren’t listening to me,” Luty accused. “But that’s alright, I don’t listen to you half the time, either. Like I told ya earlier, I was in the cloakroom gettin’ my handkerchief and Mrs. McElhaney and another lady showed up. They stood just inside the door, which was open, and they didn’t see me. They was too busy watchin’ Jeremy Marks.”
“How do you know they were watching the man?”
“At first I didn’t, but then Alice McElhaney started talking to the other lady and she was madder than a wet hen. She kept sayin’ that Marks wasn’t supposed to be here, that he’d been banned from the club.”
“Why was he banned?”
“She didn’t say and I couldn’t exactly ask, now, could I? But she went on and on about him. Kept tellin’ the other lady what a no-good pole cat he was . . .”
“No-good pole cat?” Hatchet stared at her skeptically. “Mrs. McElhaney, an upper-class Englishwoman, used that expression?”
“Not those exact words, she used English insults, but the meanin’ was the same,” Luty shot back. “Anyways, her friend wasn’t much help to her. She told Mrs. McElhaney that since Marks and Hannah Lonsdale had announced their engagement, she was bringing him here as a guest and they couldn’t keep him out. Then Mrs. McElhaney said that she’d heard he was back but she hadn’t wanted to believe it. But just in case it was true, she had a way to fix him. Once she had a chat with Hannah Lonsdale, he’d get what he deserved.”
Hatchet crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you telling me that these two women had that kind of conversation with you standing there? That’s not very discreet.”
“I already told ya, they wasn’t lookin’ my way. They was starin’ out at the corridor and watchin’ Jeremy Marks.”
