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“Emily Brightwell continues to brighten the well-being of
her fans with entertaining mysteries.”
— Midwest Book Review
“It’s murder most English all the way!”
— The Literary Times
INSPECTOR WITHERSPOON ALWAYS TRIUMPHS . . .
HOW DOES HE DO IT?
Even the Inspector himself doesn’t know—because his secret weapon is as ladylike as she is clever. She’s Mrs.
Jeffries—the determined, delightful detective who stars in
this unique Victorian mystery series. Be sure to read them
all . . .
the inspector and mrs. jeffries
mrs. jeffries dusts for clues
the ghost and mrs. jeffries
mrs. jeffries takes stock
mrs. jeffries on the ball
mrs. jeffries on the trail
mrs. jeffries plays the cook
mrs. jeffries and the missing alibi
mrs. jeffries stands corrected
mrs. jeffries takes the stage
mrs. jeffries questions the answer
mrs. jeffries reveals her art
mrs. jeffries takes the cake
mrs. jeffries rocks the boat
mrs. jeffries weeds the plot
mrs. jeffries pinches the post
mrs. jeffries pleads her case
mrs. jeffries sweeps the chimney
mrs. jeffries stalks the hunter
mrs. jeffries and the silent knight
mrs. jeffries appeals the verdict
Visit Emily Brightwell’s website at
www.emilybrightwell.com.
Also available from Prime Crime:
the first three Mrs. Jeffries mysteries in one volume
Mrs. Jeffries Learns the Trade
MRS. JEFFRIES
and the
SILENT KNIGHT
�
EMILY BRIGHTWELL
c
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
MRS. JEFFRIES AND THE SILENT KNIGHT
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2005 by Cheryl Arguile.
Interior text design by Stacy Irwin.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
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ISBN: 1-4362-7249-1
BERKLEY ® PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
The name BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the BERKLEY PRIME CRIME design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
In loving memory of Robert Eugene Lanham
C H A P T E R 1
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“It’s not my fault the cat has gone missing,” Nina Braxton
said to her sisters. “I don’t know why Father always assumes
that everything that goes amiss in this house is my responsibility. I’ve nothing to do with the wretched animal.” She put the copy of the Financial Times she’d been reading down
on the table and stood up. Nina was a woman of medium
height and frame. Her eyes were blue, her complexion pale,
her features ordinary, and there were a few strands of gray in
her light brown hair. She glanced around the small drawing
room, staring at her two sisters as they finished their morning coffee.
Lucinda Braxton, the oldest of Sir George Braxton’s three
daughters, shrugged her shoulders. “None of us have anything to do with the beast,” she said. “And personally, I don’t care if the stupid creature ever turns up. But I suspect
it’s in all our interests to make sure he does.” She glanced at
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Emily Brightwell
the third woman in the room. Charlotte Braxton, the middle sister, was reading a novel and appeared to be taking no notice of the conversation. “Father will want to know if
you’ve seen Samson,” Lucinda said, raising her voice to get
Charlotte’s attention.
Charlotte sighed and put down her book. She had more
than a few strands of gray in her dark auburn hair, and there
were fine lines around her brown eyes. She was a bit shorter
and heavier than her younger sister, but not as short or
heavy as Lucinda. “This is becoming tiresome. I’ve already
told you, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the stupid cat. Have
you asked Mrs. Merryhill or either of our houseguests?”
“Of course I’ve asked Mrs. Merryhill,” Lucinda snapped.
“She hasn’t seen him, and neither have any of the other servants. Father had them out searching this morning at the crack of dawn. I don’t care if you find this tiresome or not,
I’ll not have Raleigh disturbed over this matter because you
don’t want to get your nose out of a book long enough to
discuss it properly.”
“Have you spoken to cousin Fiona?” Nina interjected.
“Perhaps she’s seen Samson.”
Lucinda glared at her sister. The question sounded quite
reasonable, but she knew Nina was being malicious in
bringing Fiona into the conversation. “You know very well I
haven’t spoken to Fiona. I’ve no idea why she’s even here. I
certainly didn’t invite her to spend Christmas with us.”
“Father did,” Charlotte snickered, “and you really ought
to be nicer to her. You’ve barely spoken to her since she got
here.”
“If I’d had my way, she’d not be here at all,” Lucinda
cried. “I don’t know why Father insisted on inviting her this
year. It’s not as if he’s overly fond of her.”
“Father isn’t overly fond of anyone,” Charlotte said softly.
Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight
3
“Not even us.” She picked her novel up and commenced
reading again.
“Put down that book,” Lucinda ordered. “We’ve got
