Social standing is everything in Regency England, and no one knows better than Miss Caroline Morton, the daughter of a disgraced earl, now gainfully employed as a ladys companionalong with a sideline in sleuthing. But when she has a chance to claim whats rightfully hers, the one obstacle in her way is a dangerous murder mystery . . .
Miss Caroline has doubts when she receives an urgent invitation from a London law firm to discuss her late fathers estate. After all, the dishonored Earl of Morton died without a pound sterling to pass on to his two daughters. But while immersing herself in helping Mrs. Frogertons capricious daughter navigate the high social season, Caroline meets with a cagey lawyer, Mr. Smith, who shares life-altering newsthe earl composed a second will, leaving behind an undisclosed fortune.
Mrs. Frogerton, however, is thoroughly unimpressed with the firms conduct and suspicious of their true motives. Her instinct proves right when the two ladies find the office ransacked, staff in turmoil, and Mr. Smith missing. The full weight of the situation doesnt sink in until Mr. Smith dies following a brutal attack on the streetdiscovered with an empty envelope bearing Carolines name in his pocket.
With a connection forming between two deaths at the firm, Caroline cant imagine why anyone would kill twice over the contents of a will. Further complicating matters is the amorous Mr. DeBloomwho claims his mother goaded the earl into making bad investments and promises to link Caroline to her inheritanceand the disappearance of Susan, her younger sister. As Caroline unwittingly becomes the center of both a criminal case and a sordid love triangle, she must tread with caution while seeking the truth . . . because someone is waiting to reduce her to nothing more than a signature on a dotted line.
