The secret of the lost pearls

Summary: Rosaline Thorne may not have a grand fourtune of her own, but she possesses virtures almost as prized by the haut ton: discretion, and a web of connections that enable her to discover just about anything about anyone. Known as a "most useful woman," Rosalind helps society ladies in need--for a modest fee, of course__and her client roster is steadily increasing. Mrs. Gerald Douglas, nee Bethany Hodgeson, presents Rosalind with a particulary delicate predicament. A valuable pearl necklace has gone missing, and Bethany's husband believes the theif is Nora, Bethany's disgraced sister. Nora made a scandalous elopment at age sixteen and returned three years later, telling the family that her husband was dead. But as Rosalind begins her investigations, under cover of helping the daughters of the house prepare for their first London Season, she realizes that the family harbors even more secrets than scandals. The intrigue swirling around the Douglases includs fraud, forgery, blackmail, and soon, murder. And it will fall to Rosalind, aided by charming Bow Streetofficer Adam Harkness, to untangle the shocking truth and discover who is a theif and who is a killer.

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