The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing: A totally addictive cozy mystery (The Widows’ Detective Club Book 2) by Amanda Ashby

Author:Amanda Ashby [Ashby, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2025-03-10T00:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

Wednesday, 19th March

‘I remember when it happened. But it was almost thirty years ago.’ Hen pulled out her knitting as they sat around one of the small study tables.

Most of the library-goers had left to spread the gossip, while Cleo and Andrea had raced home to finish their entries and make sure they included some of the stitchwork Juliana Melville was apparently so famous for.

‘It’s a long time to hold a grudge.’ Tuppence picked up one of the old newspapers Ginny had retrieved from the makeshift stacks behind the library. The room had been damaged in a fire and was still being repaired, but an interim shipping container had been set up for some of the collection.

‘Revenge is a dish best served chilly.’ JM looked up from her laptop. ‘I have been researching Juliana Melville on the internet. She is a fifty-five-year-old textile artist and designer who had a London studio for many years and has exhibited widely. She calls herself “an out and out… stabber”.’

‘A stabber? That’s practically a written confession.’ Tuppence jumped to her feet, sending several newspapers fluttering to the ground.

Hen’s eyes widened in alarm and she shook her head. ‘It’s not what you think. She’s referring to an embroidery technique where you stab the needle through the fabric. There are two schools of thought. Stabbing and sewing.’

‘Oh. What a nuisance.’ Tuppence sank back into the chair.

‘Sorry… but it is still a good lead. I only wish I remembered more of the details,’ Hen said.

‘What do you remember?’ JM pushed her laptop to one side and picked up a newspaper from 1998. A shower of dust mites danced in the air, and Tuppence sneezed.

Ginny sighed and put aside the paper she’d been studying. They’d tried online searches, but the internet seemed so overloaded with modern scandals that there was no room for a village affair that happened thirty years ago. Was it suffering from the AI version of burnout and overwhelm? Or was it just because their internet skills were average at best?

‘Let’s see. There was a big fuss at the time. Harlow accused her of cheating and disqualified her. After that she refused to enter again. It was a shame because she was incredibly talented. She moved to London a couple of years later and – as JM mentioned – made a name for herself,’ Hen said.

‘What about the affair? Did they really have one?’

‘I believe so. She was married but refused to leave her husband. Harlow was furious and it ended abruptly. He wasn’t a man who liked playing second fiddle. Then came the fete and her disqualification.’

Ginny pressed her lips together. ‘What about Juliana’s husband? Is he still around? I wonder if we could talk to him?’

‘I’m afraid not. They moved to London to save the marriage, but it didn’t work. And she came back five years ago, with a fat divorce settlement and the body of a thirty-year-old. I hear she goes to the gym every morning. As for the husband, I think he lives in California.

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