A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina

At 26 Beatrice is on the shelf. She herself considers herself to be dowdy, dull and not much of a conversationalist. She has been taken under her aunt and uncle at the age of five, and though kind she has been made to feel that she is an inconvenience and something they just had to do for the sake of propriety and family connections. Coming to a country house where two young ladies are vying for the attentions of the young men being part of the party, leaves Beatrice unaffected until she stumbles upon the murdered body of Mr Otley in the library and surprise the Duke of Kesgrave also present. Persuaded by the Duke to keep silent on what has happened and that he will sort things out, and more for the sake of what she will give as an argument of her position of being in the library with the Duke at two am, Beatrice keeps silent but she too is of a curious nature and is not willing to be a silent participant in what she sees as a cover up. The elements of detection, romance, a good dollop of adultery, financial misappropriation are all elements in this 1816 setting. What was even nicer was the blossoming of Beatrice from the shy quiet spinster that she was until now to be the lady she became. Entertaining reading and a free download from Amazon