Whispers at Painswick Court
1821 Gloucestershire. While visiting a friend, Anne Loveday, daughter of a surgeon-apothecary, is asked to care for the ailing Lady Celia of Painswick Court until a nurse can be found. Anne hesitates. Lady Celia prohibited the engagement of her nephew to Anne’s sister several years before. Convinced by the charming Dr. Finch and his mentor, Anne agrees to care for the cantankerous elderly woman. When the nephew comes to live at the manor, Anne discovers her sister got lucky; he is a rogue who has seduced and lied to many women, including Lady Celia’s new maid. This nephew needs money, and Lady Celia won’t help him. Also at the manor are Lady Celia’s middle-aged daughter, who never married because her mother rejected her suitors, and another nephew, mysteriously relieved of his military service and now without an income.
When shellfish makes it into Lady Celia’s beef broth, it seems like an accident. When many bees, which she’s also allergic to, crawl out of a vase, it seems less like an accident, and when an “accidental” over-dose of digitalis fails to kill Lady Celia, Anne worries that someone is trying to murder her patient. Suspects abound.
Klassen has written another enjoyable mystery and Christian romance. Anne is an intelligent, modest, and charming protagonist. The story moves along at a good pace, and there are fun references and parallels to Austen’s Northanger Abbey, making this a very light gothic romance. The Christian aspects are well integrated and realistic, especially given the time period. Other historical aspects, such as the mild acceptance of an unmarried mother are less realistic but reflect a refreshing Christian forgiveness. Recommended for those looking for a light romance-mystery.
