Private Ends

September, 1717—Hester Kean and Gideon, Viscount St. Mars, aka the highwayman Blue Satan, have married at last. The only thing between them and a new life in France is the English Channel; but crossing in the midst of international hostilities is not easy.

While Gideon searches for a ship to smuggle them across, Hester is called to St. James's Palace to discover who tried to murder King George's Lord Chamberlain. The King knows of her success in solving mysteries and wants someone whose discretion he can trust to reveal the culprit.

The assignment is overwhelming. The Lord Chamberlain alone has a staff of over six hundred men, and courtiers from every political faction move through the Palace every day. The number of suspects has no bounds; but no one may refuse a request from the King. Besides, if Hester succeeds, maybe she can persuade the King to acknowledge her husband's innocence.

She is no sooner installed in the Palace, however, than she learns that her real task is of far greater importance than solving a murder attempt. The outcome of her investigation may decide the fate of the realm.

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