The Florence Collection: Four Mysteries by Daphne Coleridge

Author:Daphne Coleridge
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, cozy mystery, traditional british, english mystery, claresby
Publisher: Daphne Coleridge
Published: 2013-05-12T00:00:00+00:00

The Diamond Brooch Mystery

Florence Latimer – daughter of Laura Latimer, née Mortimer, the Lady of Claresby Manor – was used to living in a house full of family history. After all, her ancestors had inhabited Claresby Manor since before 1066. Sadly most of the family heirlooms had been sold when the Mortimers had fallen on hard times, but Laura had done a lot to refurbish the manor since discovering hidden treasure in the grounds a few years before Florence’s birth. Other than being a home full of historical interest and an assortment of ancestral portraits, Claresby Manor was also a very good setting for a birthday party. In this instance it was Florence’s fifteenth birthday and she was planning on a relatively small group of her friends coming over for her father, Rupert’s, homemade pizzas and perhaps a couple of films. What she wasn’t expecting was the equally homemade equivalent of a Murder Mystery Party – although with no actual murder but plenty of mystery.

“I miss all the games of hide-and-seek we used to play when I had my birthday as a child,” said Florence as she watched her mother put the finishing touches on a chocolate cake. “This is the perfect house for that.”

“Except for when Ned hid on your fifth birthday and we spent the whole afternoon trying to find him. He had put himself under the bed in the dowager’s room and fallen asleep!”

“He’s still just as likely to do something like that tonight,” admitted Florence, putting out a finger to sample a bit of the icing off her cake.

“You’re as bad as your father,” scolded Laura. “He was eating the chocolate buttons as fast as I could put them on the cake and I had to send him out to sweep the drive just to keep him out of the way.”

“It’s because you make the best cakes in the world,” said Florence, who knew exactly how to keep her mother sweet.

“What time are your friends arriving?” asked Laura.

“At about six. We’ll mostly just eat and chat and then I can pull out a few films and see what everyone wants to watch. It usually takes about half the evening for us to agree on anything.”

“We could have had a big affair with entertainers or a band or whatever,” said her mother.

“No – you know I like to keep things simple,” replied Florence with a smile. “I’ve got presents, cake and friends; that should be perfect. We usually make a bit of a ceremony about unwrapping presents. That’s why I have left them all until this evening. Well, obviously I’ve already had yours because you are paying for my fencing lessons, but there is something from Aunt Veronica and Uncle Keith, and something from Fred and Emerald.”

“Ah, that’s your father coming back in,” said Laura, removing the birthday cake from the table and putting it under a cover. “It sounds like he’s got someone with him – I wonder who it could be?” Her question was quickly

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