This was quick read and fun delve back into this universe. Much less racism this time. However, there’s a foreword at the beginning of this one about the awfulness of sexual assault of servants by the lords of the manor that was interesting. I mean, obviously, that’s wrong and we know it’s wrong (and it was known to be wrong then too!), but the fact that the author felt the need to include this foreword when one hadn’t been provided in previous books that contained situations and actions that are known to be abhorrent today (the aforementioned racism, Nazism, etc.). I’m more curious what made that foreword be added as we don’t get any explicit mentions of this abuse and it’s only told in flashback.
Anyway, Georgie’s at loose ends when Darcy goes away and after finding no one in London to hang out with, she comes home to find her friend Belinda has returned from Paris. Belinda has inherited some property in Cornwall and they decide to go see it. It’s less than they expect and end up staying with an old childhood friend of Belinda’s. I thought we might get through this book without death, but about halfway through someone turns up dead and Belinda is the suspect. I really thought Georgie’s guess was going to be correct, even if some of the facts didn’t fit as that was my immediate thought as well. The ending is a bit dramatic and hyperbolic, but things are looking up for Belinda, so that’s good.
I’m happy to have this universe back and I look forward to dipping in once a year as long as Ms. Bowen keeps writing books.