tags: murder, romance
⭐⭐⭐out of 5
From Goodreads
Lady Lucinda Esmond’s swine of a father was forever fleecing young bucks in London’s gaming halls—until he met Cpt. Mark Chamfrey, who, having been once cheated, would not be made a fool of again and promptly kidnapped ten-year-old Lucinda for ransom . . .
But when Chamfrey thought better of it and returned the girl, Esmond nonetheless exacted his own price: Chamfrey could redeem himself and save his skin by agreeing to marry his little victim nine years hence, just time enough for Chamfrey to inherit a title and fortune. Lucinda’s father could not have foreseen what a beauty Lucinda would become as those years passed—nor that Chamfrey, a newly made marquess, would actually come to welcome his so-called punishment . . .
Originally published under the name Marion Chesney, this twist-filled tale of Regency romance is by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series.I thought this M. C. Beaton novelette would be strictly romantic comedy set during the Regency era but somehow quickly turned into a series of murders.
Spoilers
The aging grandmamma of Lucinda has a knack for murdering people including her own son, Lucinda's father, and 2 butlers, and doing it efficiently without remorse nor fear. She tries to poison the marquess Chamfrey with arsenic laced bonbons but is unsuccessful. What a character grandmamma is! I didn't expect that in an M. C. Beaton romance book.
