Publisher's Synopsis
Mrs Laetitia Rodd is the impoverished widow of an archdeacon, living modestly in Hampstead with her landlady Mrs Bentley. She is also a private detective of the utmost discretion. In winter 1850, her brother Frederick, a criminal barrister, introduces her to Sir James Calderstone, a wealthy and powerful industrialist who asks her to investigate the background of an "unsuitable" woman his son intends to marry - a match he is determined to prevent. In the guise of governess, Mrs Rodd travels to the family seat, Wishtide, deep within the frozen Lincolnshire countryside, where she soon discovers that the Calderstones have more to hide than most. And when a man is found dead outside a tavern, Mrs Rodd's keen eyes and astute wits are taxed as never before...
