To the Regency beau monde, Honoria Talbot Atwood is the essence of elegance. To Julien Mallinson, she is "my poisonous cousin Honoria." To Mélanie Rannoch, she is the woman everyone expected Mélanie's husband Malcolm to marry.

Even a spy is not immune from jealousy. From the start of her marriage, Mélanie heard dowagers gossiping behind their fans that Honoria would have been the perfect wife for Malcolm, instead of the "foreign adventuress." In her worst moments, Mélanie can't help but wonder if Malcolm might have been happier with Honoria.

But now the Rannochs discover that Honoria, recently widowed and still bitter over losing Malcolm, is in league with their greatest enemy. Worse, she has obtained the plans for a dangerous weapon. The Rannochs and fellow master spy Julien Mallinson break into Honoria's Mayfair house to steal the plans only to be confronted by Honoria who tells them someone else has already made off with them. Suddenly Mélanie and Malcolm are reluctant allies with the woman Malcolm almost married. Half London seems to be after the documents—foreign embassies, the home office, the foreign office, revolutionaries, arms dealers. And not least, Malcolm's former spymaster who happens to also be Honoria's uncle. Danger lurks round every corner. But the greatest danger may be the unvoiced secrets that still haunt the Rannochs' marriage…

A twisty, atmospheric mystery featuring married Regency spies, Mélanie and Malcolm Rannoch, perfect for readers of Deanna Raybourn, C.S. Harris, and Andrea Penrose.



Tracy Grant studied British history at Stanford University and received the Firestone Award for Excellence in Research for her honors thesis on shifting conceptions of honor in late-fifteenth-century England. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her young daughter and three cats. In addition to writing, Tracy works for the Merola Opera Program, a professional training program for opera singers, pianists, and stage directors. Her real life heroine is her daughter Mélanie, who is very cooperative about Mummy's writing time. She is currently at work on her next book chronicling the adventures of Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch.