Page 1 of Murder at Madame Chambon's
Prologue
On a train to London, 1880
Evelina glanced out of the train window at the dusky haze of the fading afternoon and tried to temper her excitement.The rhythmic clatter of wheels had put her maid, Mimi, to sleep, but Evelina was hurtling towards her future—at last!—with lightning speed.
Not only was she finally leaving France to return to the land of her birth, but she had all the backing needed by a young woman determined to make the most glittering marriage of the season and to secure the futureshechose for herself.
“One scarlet and blue polonaise with blue velvet swathes and bows for Lady Gilray’s ball, and the brown and green checked walking dress for her first promenade in Hyde Park…”
Mimi and she had spent hours deciding which of her vast couture wardrobe she’d wear for the events for which Lady Perry had secured an invitation for Evelina.
There’d be more to come, Evelina’s mama had written, once word had spread of Evelina’s beauty and accomplishments.
Not to mention, her dowry.
Then she’d wear the rose pink princess line polonaise with fan-shaped train to Lady Marchant’s soiree…
She had hoped to have had a ball or soiree lined up for every night of the week.At nearly twenty-one and with her beauty at its peak, Evelina didn’t want to wait too long to find a suitable husband.In fact, she was determined to do so during her first London season.A brilliant match was what she wanted, though a good one would do if it happened sooner rather than later.She wasn’t looking to fall in love.The nuns at the convent had made clearthatwas only in fairytales.
She rather thought she’d make a good political hostess in view of the education the nuns had given her, followed by her finishing school in Switzerland, complicated by her illness, which had held her back nearly two years.
But now she was in the best of health and her enthusiasm for becoming mistress of a large, impressive landholding, or similar as befitted her value, was at its zenith.
Then, for the Duchess of Kintyre’s weekend house party, she’d have to take two trunks to fit--
Evelina was just doing a mental inventory of what to pack for the penultimate event of the season four weeks hence when a bone-rattling jolt thrust her book out of her hands and sent her maid sprawling to the compartment floor.
“Mon Dieu!What’s happening?”Evelina shielded her face as metal shrieked, the luggage from overhead tumbled to the floor and passengers screamed in the surrounding compartments.
“Mimi!Mimi!Are you alright?”
A shuddering jolt propelled Evelina against the window with force, her head hitting the glass and her vision blurring.
She was vaguely aware of the commotion around her, but the urgency had dimmed and everything seemed muted and very far away.She thought she could see Mimi bobbing about in the corner, and closed her eyes, for she didn’t like the way her elegant French lady’s maid looked right now, and --
“Miss!Madam!”The voice that jerked her into consciousness made her aware of the cold water seeping through her clothing and Evelina opened her eyes to a scene of horror, overlaid by the insistent calling of a male voice whom it took her a moment to locate.
A handsome young face loomed above her.
This seemed very odd, for she was in a train carriage on her way from Dover to London and no-one was supposed to be on the roof.
But then she realized the carriage in which she and Mimi had been traveling from the docks was on its side, the plush seats torn from the wood paneling, and water was now rising from the broken window at her feet.
“Please, miss!Quickly!Take my hand!There’s not much time.”
Evelina struggled to sit up, her sodden skirts heavy and confining about her ankles as she tried to regain her balance.
She realized that the face above her belonged to a young man who was crouched by the open door of the compartment which was on its side.He’d extended his arm and, judging by the look on his face and the urgency in his voice, matters were serious and time was critical.
She managed to stand and to reach up, her hand curling around strong fingers before another violent lurch broke her grip.
With a scream, Evelina fell back against the window beneath her, and the young man’s face grew distant.
“Take my wrist.I’ve got you!”
He hadn’t, but his words were the reassurance she needed before she remembered her companion.
“Mimi?”She swung round, screaming again as she saw that the young woman’s head was at an odd angle and her eyes were open and sightless.
