Dearest readers,
It’s a glorious midsummer bank holiday, and the Daniels are out in force — Jane and Kennedy with two-year-old Morgan, alongside their newly married friends Arthur and Dannie — for a festival full of folk dancing, vintage merchants, and the most hotly anticipated charity auction in London’s antiques calendar.
The prize lot: an 1812 silver tea set, commissioned by a Duke, cursed by rumour, and apparently irresistible to thieves.
When the set vanishes from its locked display case mid-auction, in front of hundreds of witnesses and no security footage, it becomes clear this wasn’t a crime of opportunity. It was meticulously planned by professionals — professionals who may have been hiding in plain sight all along, running an event planning company that’s suspiciously profitable for a business with terrible reviews.
But as Jane, Kennedy, and Arthur work to untangle the scheme, a more unsettling thread emerges. Detective Lovett — Arthur’s abrasive colleague — keeps steering the investigation in the wrong direction. And a warning Jane received months ago from a jewel thief she helped bring to justice is suddenly impossible to ignore.
With Kennedy pregnant and Dannie proving herself a natural investigator, the team must move fast — because whoever stole the tea set isn’t finished, and the person they should be watching might be wearing a badge.
A fizzing cozy mystery with family at its heart and a conspiracy you won’t see coming.
Happy reading!
Daisy
👉Have you read it? I’d love a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Bookbub,
“Mama, Mummy, look!” Morgan Daniels said eagerly, pointing toward a large tube man dancing next to a bouncy castle. “It’s pretty!”
Jane Daniels smiled at her son, his hand tiny in hers. He was getting close to two years old and she was surprised at how quickly he started talking in complete sentences. The sweetest thing was when he sat in Kennedy’s lap, watching her do her work. He always had the most intense, studying expression on his face.
He was already better at using a computer than Jane was herself. But it worked out since he also joined her in the kitchen with baking. He was better at making cookies than Jane’s wife, Kennedy. They were both happy that he enjoyed ‘working’ with them.
Today, though, they were out of the house for a midsummer festival that landed on a bank holiday. Jane was out with her family and their good friends, newlyweds Detective Arthur and Doctor Dannie Gottfried. They were enjoying the day together while talking about the joint party that Jane was planning.
Arthur and Dannie had married in an intimate backyard ceremony, but they were excited for the larger ceremony that would overlap with Jane and Kennedy’s announcement of Kennedy’s pregnancy. Jane loved to arrange this sort of thing. Kennedy was currently three months pregnant, and only Arthur and Dannie knew about it.
Right now, they were trying to keep it to themselves. Ever the sharp-witted detective, Arthur had figured it out.
“Maybe we should have a tube man at the party,” Dannie said thoughtfully. “They’re fun to look at. Just dancing all over the place.”
Jane tapped her chin. “I’m sure we can fit it into the rest of the theme.”
Dannie laughed and bumped shoulders. “I was kidding. I don’t think it will fit with the sunflowers and chiffon curtains.”’
“It’ll fit if we make it fit,” Jane said firmly.
“How about we put the planning aside for a bit?” Kennedy suggested. She picked up Morgan as he bounced, trying to see over the crowd. He clapped and cooed over the tube man. “It’s a beautiful, sunny day. We’ve been planning all week. Let’s have a day where we just spend time with each other?”
She smiled indulgently at Jane. Jane kissed her cheek swiftly. “Of course. We can just have a good day together.”
Dannie sighed. “Oh, I suppose you’re right. We have been talking about this a lot lately, haven’t we?”
Arthur laughed. “I’ve enjoyed it. But Kennedy’s right. We can soak up the atmosphere and see if anything sparks a new interest. We don’t want it to get too big, though.”
Jane nodded, understanding their reasons for wanting to tone things down. The festival was beautiful. Colorful decorations were everywhere and people leisurely strolled through the wide park. Two aisles of merchants were set up, selling everything from handmade jewelry to hot cross buns. Kennedy’s eyes lit up when she caught sight of a display of 3D-printed armor.
In the middle of the park was a large tent with dozens of chairs set up underneath it. Jane couldn’t tell what it was for just yet. There were also a few areas with crowds gathered in large circles while people did traditional dances inside. They were dressed up in various types of costumes, everything from Medieval fantasy to the roaring 20s flapper dresses.
“Arthur, let’s go look at the dances,” Dannie suggested, looping her arm through his.
Kennedy glanced at the 3D-printing merchant.
“We’ll meet you over at the food truck in an hour for lunch,” Jane said, pointing.
The two couples split up. Morgan was initially upset about leaving the dancing tube man, but once he started to see everything in the market, he was quickly enthralled.
As they were exploring the market, Jane bumped into someone. She stepped back, already apologizing. To her surprise, the scowling face she found herself staring into was none other than Detective Lovett, one of Arthur’s colleagues.
“Oh, hello,” she said.
Lovett’s gaze slipped over her to Kennedy and Morgan, who were both engrossed in the vendor’s wares. She nodded, or at least appeared to do so, and then moved off without a word. Jane shrugged. Lovett had never liked the Daniels. And there was that concerning warning that Jane had received about her…
From a thief, though. How could she really suspect a detective in the police force at the word of a thief that said detective nearly arrested?
Jane shook the thoughts from her head. It had been six months since the events in Bath had led her up against Calix Edwards, the Frostbite bandit. Life had been so busy since then she hadn’t had the time to bring it up with Arthur. She ought to do that soon.
She was quickly distracted at the moment, though, as she was drawn to a vendor selling hand-crafted metalworks. Most especially, the giant, teacup-shaped birdbath at the front. Morgan giggled as he tried to climb into it and Jane had to quickly pick him up.
“No, no,” she told him. “We don’t touch things without permission.”
“Big cup,” he insisted, pointing.
“It is a big cup,” Jane agreed. She glanced at Kennedy. “It would be super cute to have a baby photoshoot in it. Can you imagine filling it up with blankets and tucking in the new baby? Or have Morgan sitting it in, holding his little sibling?”
Kennedy checked the price tag. “Hmmm. Do we have the budget for it?”
Jane tapped her chin as Morgan played with her hair. “It would take some finagling but I think we could make it work. It would make the perfect present for your cousin in Maine after we’re done with it.”
The vendor came over to them with a smile. “If you’re interested in tea sets, you should check out the auction.”
Jane perked up. “Auction?”
She loved a good auction. She often found interesting things at a bargain at them.
The vendor pointed to the large tent in the middle of the field. “Happens every year here. This year they’ve got this antique silver tea set that’s up for sale. You should check it out.”
“Thanks,” Jane said.
She and Kennedy headed over there. They met Arthur and Dannie at the tent, passing by a white-haired lady wearing a bright pink suit. Clearly, they’d heard about the auction as well. Morgan was getting restless being carried, so Jane set him down and told him he could run around so long as he stayed close by. She kept an eye on him as he wove through the chairs, carefully not disrupting any of them.
The tea set sat in a glass box at one end of the tent. The auctioneer, a tall, balding man with a face that made Jane think of a magpie, came over to greet them.
“This tea set was made in 1812, as a birthday present from the Duke of Sussex, Augustus Fredrick, for his daughter Augusta Emma d’Este. It’s said that Augusta, only eleven years old at the time, never received the gift. Instead, the tea set sat in storage until the Duke’s death, at which time it was sold off,” the auctioneer said with great relish. “It was owned by members of the peerage here and there, but it’s never been used more than once by any one person.”
Jane nodded, interested. “That’s quite strange.”
“Strange indeed,” the auctioneer said. He moved off again.
Dannie hummed. “What’s strange are those three people over there, watching us. They look pretty shifty to me.”
“I noticed them, too,” Kennedy said.
Arthur shrugged. “There are a lot of people milling around. But it might be good to go talk with them.”
Jane collected Morgan, who groaned at his fun being interrupted, and the group headed over to the three people. They were two women and one man, and they all looked so similar that they had to be related. Each one had brown hair, brown eyes, and a distinctive face shape that reminded Jane of cartoons.
“Hello, there,” Kennedy said, waving. “I’m Kennedy, this is my wife Jane and our son Morgan. And these are our friends Arthur and Dannie. Lovely day, isn’t it?”
“We’re not buying anything,” one of the women said, crossing her arms.
“We’re not selling,” Jane chirped. “Just having a lovely day. It’s not often we get this much sun, huh?”
The other two glanced at the first woman, whose nose wrinkled. “Suppose not. I’m Millie Baker. This is my sister Molly and our cousin, Manny Hopps. We were hired by the festival to organize some of these events.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Dannie said.
Funny names. On their own, they were perfectly normal, but all together it was almost as though they had been chosen specifically to make it difficult for people to remember them. Jane studied them. Her gut told her that they weren’t just here to enjoy the festival.
Morgan squirmed in her arms. “Mama, I wanna go down.”
“Okay, but stay close,” Jane said as she put him down.
Unlike before, this time Morgan didn’t listen. Instead, he immediately took off, making a beeline for the antique display. Jane turned to go after him at the same time Dannie did, and they managed to knock each other down. Arthur and Kennedy, who were going after them, tripped over the two women sprawled on the ground.
They were in a heap on the grass as Morgan got to the display. He climbed up on a chair that wasn’t there before and reached into the security box to grab the silver creamer.
“Morgan,” Jane called.
Before she could get to her feet, suddenly Lovett was there. She snatched the creamer roughly from Morgan.
“What do you think you’re doing, you stupid little brat?” she screamed.
Something roared to life in Jane’s chest. She freed herself from the tangled mess of limbs and leapt to her feet. Morgan jumped off the chair and raced toward her as Lovett continued to yell. The auctioneer rushed over to see what was going on. Jane scooped her son into her arms as he buried his face into her shoulder and started to sob.
“Keep your brat—” Lovett started.
“Don’t you dare call our child stupid,” Kennedy snarled next to Jane. “There’s no need to insult a two-year-old!”
“Maybe you should have been watching better, then,” Lovett said. “Don’t blame me because you’re bad parents!”
The auctioneer flapped his hands. “Ladies, ladies—”
“If you don’t want your kid insulted, teach him not to be an idiot,” Lovett snapped.
Arthur inserted himself between Lovett and Kennedy before either one could continue. “That is enough!”
His voice was a growl as he glared at Lovett. Her eyes widened slightly, but she snorted. “Keep them away from me, Gottfried.”
She shoved the creamer into the auctioneer’s chest and stalked off.
Jane rubbed Morgan’s back soothingly. While she understood the need to keep him from grabbing things, that had been so harsh! There was no excuse to start calling a baby names like that! Tears pricked her own eyes as a fierce anger swept through her. She wanted to pack up and leave right away, to make sure that she didn’t have to see Lovett again.
“No, no, there’s no harm done,” the auctioneer was saying to Dannie. “The case ought not have been open. I’m so sorry that your little boy got frightened.”
“Thank you,” Jane said. “And we are sorry we weren’t able to stop him.”
The auctioneer shook his head. “I know an accident when I see one. It’s alright. I promise.”
Jane nodded her thanks to him. As she continued trying to soothe Morgan, she noticed that Millie, Molly, and Manny had all disappeared. Was it just a coincidence? Why had the security box been open in the first place?
Was there something to Calix’s warning to her about Detective Lovett after all?
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