Scandalous Goings On, Shock Respectable Whitechapel Residents!

Dear Mr. S. Clemens,

I have been a long-time reader of your wonderful column, but I have seldom seen you mention the scandalous events that occur among the inhabitants of East London. It is therefore that I write to report about the shocking case of “The Undertaker’s Daughter.”

Reginald Harkness, Proprietor, Undertaker, and Director of Funeral Services of Harkness and Sons is known as a quiet, respectable, and sober man. A widower who has always been the soul of sympathy and discretion has been much admired for both his skill in undertaking and his fortitude in raising his headstrong daughter, Charlotte.

Residents of the respectable regions of Whitechapel have long imagined that Charlotte Harkness, a spinster already in her middle-twenties, would be a pawn between reputable undertakers, much like a princess forging an alliance between kingdoms. Any day, the vicar of St. Clementia’s was expected to read out the banns proclaiming a betrothal between Charlotte Harkness of Harkness and Sons and one of the many sons that haunt the establishments of Gideon and Danvers or Parsons and Parsons.

Imagine the congregation’s utter shock and titillation when it was discovered that Miss Harkness (who already causes tongues to wag with her insistence on helping her father with his accounts and her constant reading of embalming manuals) already had a suitor! Was it a respectable Whitechapel lad? No! It was one Dr. James Everly, a well-to-do physician studying at the Royal College of Surgeons, and a not-too-distant cousin of minor aristocracy! Not only does Dr. Everly have a pretty penny to his name, but he also comes from the perfumed streets of Windsor Gardens!

Whatever caused Charlotte Harkness to court so far above her station? You had best sit down, Mr. Clemens. Dr. Everly met Miss Harkness while investigating the mysterious death of his sister, Lavinia. Courting over corpses? Whilst in mourning? The shame!

Now, some say that this courtship is a clever ruse. Charlotte Harkness and Dr. Everly seem to think there is something odd about the manner of Lavinia Everly’s death. Neighbors and trusted members of the community have seen them traipsing all over London—without a chaperone!

Is Charlotte Harkness ruining herself while playing detective? Is young Dr. Everly sincere in his affections? Only time will tell. However, I suspect that all of this will come to a sticky end.

Anonymously Yours,

A Concerned Congregant of St. Clementia’s

About The Undertaker’s Daughter:  Charlotte Harkness thinks there is a quiet grace and dignity among the dead. Well, as long as they’re not feeling chatty.

Charlotte Harkness has (quite cheerfully) accepted that she’ll never find love. An undertaker’s daughter who reads embalming manuals and hears the dearly departed? It’s enough to make any Victorian patriarch despair.

When Lavinia Everly’s corpse arrives at Harkness and Sons, Charlotte is tormented by the girl’s final memories, her death at the hands of the mysterious “Jack.” Charlotte knows she must find the killer before madness consumes her.

Dr. James Everly shuns society’s rules to find out who killed his little sister.  When he joins forces with the undertaker’s daughter, he never expected his new ally to be so quick-witted and beautiful.

James and Charlotte agree to pose as a courting couple to continue their investigations. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan.

As danger mounts, Charlotte and James race to stop “Jack”  before he can strike again. Will they succeed, or become the next victims on his list?

Available Now:  https://books2read.com/theundertakersdaughter

Excerpt:  “I do now. Intimately,” James chuckled bitterly.

“Some people,” she paused, knowing she had to tread carefully, “think that simply because they haven’t seen a thing, it can’t be so.”

“Exactly, but you have seen it!” He seized upon this point eagerly.

Not so much a matter of seeing, but of hearing, she thought woefully. “I’d like to tell you something. You must promise to hear me out. I’d like you to believe me, as I believe you.”

Puzzled, he nodded.

“I can help you. I may have the lead that you need, something even the police don’t know.”

“What? You do? How?” James leaned forward and grasped her hand, so grateful that he forgot all sense of propriety.

“The man who did this to your sister? His name is Jack, and Lavinia knew him well, well enough to have seen him before that night, anyway.”

“But… but this is incredible. My Lord, the name of the murderer! Oh, Miss Harkness, I cannot thank you enough. Tell me, how did you find this out?”

“I heard it, Dr. Everly. From beyond the grave. Lavinia’s spirit allowed me to hear her final moments.”

About M. Culler:  Author Bio:  Bestselling author M. Culler can’t stick to just one genre. She writes fantasy, mystery, and all flavors of romance. M.Culler lives in historic Chester County, Pennsylvania, where potentially haunted battlegrounds and 18th century buildings serve as neverending inspiration. M.Culler lives for her two brilliant children (mini-bookworms), her gorgeous husband, her endlessly entertaining students, and her wonderful community. If she’s not hunched over a laptop, you’ll find her baking up a storm in the kitchen, playing board games, or watching Brit Coms.  Soli Deo Gloria.

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