A Most Agreeable Murder (Beatrice Steele, #1)

by Julia Seales

For Beatrice was curious by nature, and therefore noticed too much, felt too much, and wondered too much about life outside her village.

And perhaps deep down she reasoned that if she knew what evil lurked in the world, she might be prepared to face it.

“I hope all that cake you’ve been eating was worth sacrificing your entire married future and sending us all to our deaths.”

The lack of a carriage was a relief for Mr. Steele, as he found horses “too large to make sense.”

“Wait,” Mrs. Steele said, grabbing Beatrice’s arm to stop her. “He could be a murderer, or worse, a Frenchman!”

“When battles of wits are scarce, sometimes one’s best opponent is oneself,” Beatrice said with a pained smile.

Some even speculated that he was about to almost think about considering making her an offer of marriage.

“You suffer so much,” Beatrice said dryly. “Life must be a constant trial.”

Mr. Frank Fàn: Miss Steele, Miss Bolton—how do you both maintain such ravishing complexions, even in the face of such a trying evening? Miss Beatrice Steele: Perspiration.

They struggled to kiss each other despite being kept apart, their lips brushing air. Out of all the horrific sights Beatrice had seen that night, this was one of the worst.

“Let go of what everyone is supposed to be, and you shall see who they truly are. Let people be who they truly are, and they shall reach their greatest potential.”

CAROLINE’S MOIST SCONES Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cream of tartar 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ cup cold butter, in chunks ½ cup milk 1 cup chocolate chunks INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together flour, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and baking powder. Work in the butter until crumbly and then add the milk, forming a moist paste. The moistness is, of course, key. Personally, my scones are so delicious that I do not even need any add-ins or toppings, but if you are merely average at baking, I recommend disguising poor workmanship with copious chocolate chunks. Add those now. Form dough evenly into balls. Dough will be sticky. If you are a terrible baker and it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If you are Beatrice Steele and it seems too dry, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.