A Final Rest Read online

  Catherine’s eyes went wide. “Let’s hope not. There has been more than enough of that lately.”

  I laughed and then crossed the room. She extended both of her hands to me, pulling me close as though we were dear friends. Which, we were.

  “Catherine,” I said, looking up at her with a knowing smile, eyebrows raised.

  She smiled. “Your heart was broken, Rose. You didn’t say so outright, but I could tell. Achilles Prideaux broke your heart, and I thought he deserved a second chance.”

  “You invited him?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

  “You were heartbroken,” Catherine repeated with emphasis, as if that was reason enough for any action she had decided to take. “I wanted to do whatever I could to ensure you were as happy as I am.”

  “Did you know he would come?” I asked.

  Catherine shook her head. “I simply extended the invitation. Achilles showed up because he wanted to. And because he is smart,” she said, nudging me in the hip. “Now, stop talking to me and go talk to him.”

  “He wants me to meet him in the churchyard,” I said, my stomach turning with nerves. “It seemed important.”

  “Go, go,” Catherine urged, grabbing my shoulders and turning me towards the doors. “Skip the wedding if you have to. Just go see what he wants.”

  “I would never skip your wedding,” I assured her.

  “But I would not blame you if you did,” she said. “He is a very handsome man.”

  I gasped playfully. “You are soon to be a married woman, Miss Beckingham.”

  “Soon,” she said with a wicked smile. Then, she gave me one final push through the door and closed it behind me before I could argue.

  I stood frozen on the other side of the door for a moment. Even just a few days before, my future had been an unknown. I didn’t know if I would have the Beckinghams in my life anymore. I didn’t know if I would have anyone I could depend upon or anyone who cared about me. And now, just a few days later, I was surrounded by people who accepted and loved me, and I was about to add one more to their number in the form of a very handsome French detective. I had solved a great many mysteries over the previous year, but the greatest of all was my own future. It was a case I would never have been able to crack. The only way to know what would happen was to live it.

  So, I took one step and then another, growing more confident with each footfall against the stone floor. Whatever Achilles proposed, I would accept. I had left him behind once, and I had no intention of doing it again.

  Want more history and mystery? Try “A Simple Country Murder,” Book 1 of the Helen Lightholder Murder Mysteries.”

  Murder. Spies. Treason. Shadowy secrets lurk beneath the surface of an idyllic country village...

  When Helen Lightholder’s world is shattered by the death of her husband during the London Blitz, she escapes to the countryside, hoping to leave the war behind her. But managing an inherited property in a quaint Gloucestershire village turns out to be more perilous than she expects.

  Cozy little Brookminster isn’t the peaceful haven Helen dreamed of, and it isn’t long before she discovers that, even here, dark threats and dangerous secrets await. As family duty compels her to meddle in a police investigation into the suspicious death of a relative, she finds herself at odds with the local inspector.

  Can Helen bring justice to her little corner of the country, while war rages on in the greater world outside? Or will her investigation make her the next target of a fiendish killer who has everything to lose?

  About the Author

  Blythe Baker is the lead writer behind several popular historical and paranormal mystery serieses. When Blythe isn't buried under clues, suspects, and motives, she's acting as chauffeur to her children and head groomer to her household of beloved pets. She enjoys walking her dog, lounging in her backyard hammock, and fiddling with graphic design. She also likes binge-watching mystery shows on TV.

  To learn more about Blythe, visit her website and sign up for her newsletter: www.blythebaker.com