Sherry > Recent Status Updates

In 1795 the marriage would have been voidable, but it would not have been blocked from happening.

They are talking about Louis and Christa's mother marring, but it was against the law for Louis to marry his brother's widow. This is 1795.

Charles is alive and back with his mother who also survived. Louis loves Christa's mother and tells her so. They find that Christa is with Suzanne.

Christa removes shrapnel from his side and pulls him back from brink. The love and he asks her to marry him. She flees.

The groom rode back to notify the family. Belle wasn't well enough to go, and Sybil refused. Christa traveled in a blizzard to where he is on an island home only accessible at low tide. He is unconscious and running a fever. The doctor briefly came and bandaged Alex's side.

At Belle's ball, a title-seeking woman trapped Alex into an engagement. He knows she's not the one for him, but is stuck and tries to avoid Sybil. They spent a wonderful Christmas at the country home where they had their summer. It was spoiled when Sybil arrived. Alex was called north on business. When returning, he dove into the water to rescue his valet and bashed his wounded side.

After the family returned to London, Anabelle was taken in by the rogue she had met previously. She thought herself in love, but he just wanted to be paid-off by the family. Alex went after her and forced the rogue to show his true colors. This has dealt a major blow to Belle's confidence.

All 4 grew and changed that summer. With the men learning to dance, Bell & John learning to sail. All 3 siblings have a bit of trouble telling right from left on the fly. It is worse with Alex.

Christa could not find work as governess so begged for job as lady's maid. Was tossed out when husband attacked her and fell onto Alex. She became his sister's maid. Christa is friend, and mother figure to Annabell. Christa and Alex are drawn to each other but know it's impossible.

Christa escaped France but lost mother and half brother at the same time. Uncle who took over earldom wanted to marry her and told her that her father had transferred no money for her. She fled to cousin in London. She gave her savings so cousin could buy dress shop.

Prologue in Normandy, France 1794

The letter was from Nicholas's grandmother to Iris's grandfather when she was dying. It showed the last duke was their child. That affair was why Grandfather duke had ruined him and forced him out of England. It also means the uncle Fredrick was related to Iris and left her stuff in his will. Cousin Philip pushed the old duke off balcony and tried to kill Nicholas working with Felicity, Walter's wife.

Iris took the letter that had been in the box with the book. Something about it caused her to take the letter and break off the relationship with Nicholas.

The box with the book was hidden in the sofa that Minerva had been sitting on during the attic inventory. The partner in the Mill was running a second business at night in violation of the partnership agreement. He was in the area when the old duke died and may be behind the current murder attempts.

3 murder attempts against Nicholas and Iris together and now tainted lemon tarts meant only for the two. His uncle may die as a result of the poisoning. They were thrown to the pigs, are they ill?

She told him her grandfather was accused of stealing a rare book after the prospective buyer said he returned it. It's the book she's looking for in his library. They kiss and grope a lot but keep getting interrupted.

Iris found valuable Italian book hidden deep in a cabinet. Uncle Felix appears and is debt ridden wastrel like his son Philip.

Iris is a sexualy confident woman and seemingly permiscuous. She refuses to be any man's mistress, but takes lovers as she chooses. They were making out in her garden when the cat acted defender against an armed intruder.

Iris and her new friend go to a book auction together. Nicholas shows up, presumably to find her and he draws too much attention to her. When she was leaving, N rescues her from being mowed down by a wild carriage.

Iris not Ivy

The manuscript is a collection of colorful paintings on velum depicting the sounds. Walter spent money he expected to inherit from not finding Ivy in Paris on his wife's wardrobe and such.

They are both immediately physically attracted to each other. Her family home is in Florence, Italy. She travels the continent seeking out rare books. Comes to England about once a year. Uncle had promised to find a rare book that grandfather duke had purchased.

Nicholas wants to reopen the investigation into who killed the duke. Ivy has appeared at the townhome hoping for an audience with the duke. She knew his grandfather (bad interactions) and the previous duke. She sells books for a living.

No new progress on who actually killed the duke. R had the worst reputation since she worked as a maid in a brothel for a year and a half before starting her hat shop. Kevin was OK with it.

They both were in love with each other. Kevin came back and apologized to R and told her he loved her before he asked if she would come back. R paid back the money that Walter received from his expected share of Kevin's company if it was turned back to the estate. She set it up as a loan due immediately if his wife says anything more about seeing Kevin in town when the duke died.

Kevin's pride and need to do everything himself and keep things secret kept coming back to haunt him. He wouldn't even listen to a possible manufacturer since he was likely the previous competitor when buying the gauge. She talked to the man and Kevin blew up when she told him about it and insulted her horribly. She left and went back to Richmond and tried to give him her half.

Rosamond was driven by this hope of a reconciliation with Charles, her lover from 5 years ago. She found him in Paris and went to see him only to discover that he lied about love and a possible future for them. She was devastated, but opened up to Kevin and cried on his shoulder. That was the start of their affair.

Rosamund is the daughter of a tenant farmer. She met the duke once and he gave her 10 pounds that she used to set up her millinery shop in Richmond. She has a younger sister, Lily, who is 14. R has arranged a school for her. R has basic reading, writing, and math skills. Her word choices indicate her education level. Kevin tried to get her to sign over control of the partnership to him.

Murderer was not identified. Death officially an accident. The duke knew who Minerva was because he walked at night near her home at the time. Her dead husband was killed by Beth because he was beating her son and tried to beat her. Chase and Minerva agree to marry. They also didn't identify the woman in the garden the day he died.

Minerva is a poor widow who changed her name after being accused of her husband's murder 5 years previously. Chase was knocked in the head after breaking into Minerva's house. He was trying to investigate her as a suspect in the duke's death, his uncle. She was bequeathed money and half of a partnership in the duke's will. She doesn't know who he was. She investigates death as a start to her new business.