Family secrets and English country life in the early 1800s intertwine in this stately Austen-inspired tale of etiquette and thwarted love from British author Smith (Tangled Destiny
). Charlotte Grayson, her sister and their widowed mother must vacate Westbury Hall, which they've been renting, after the owner, Sir Benjamin Westbury, and his dashing great-nephew, Hugo, demand that the Graysons leave the house earlier than expected. When a violent thunderstorm reveals a skeleton hidden behind the library paneling, Charlotte decides to investigate the identity of the victim and discover how the body got buried in the house. Along the way, she's deeply perplexed to find her initial loathing of the handsome Hugo turning to a kinder emotion. Fans of the era will enjoy the social fetes, marriage obsessions and lush descriptions of food and clothing, but crime buffs may be disappointed by the mystery element's secondary role. (Jan.)
