A Murder at the Royal Opera: A Victorian Historical Mystery (Rosalynd and Steele Mysteries)

A blade in the dark. A death in the third act. A royal secret that could shake the throne. London. 1889. When the Duke of Steele invites Lady Rosalynd to share his box at the Royal Opera House for a performance of Rigoletto, neither expects the evening to end in blood. But as the doomed Gilda breathes her last onstage, a killer slips into the adjacent box—and Sir Edmund Hale, one of London's most ruthless industrialists, falls to a stiletto blade. Both Rosalynd and Steele witness the shadowy figure flee, yet can do nothing to stop the crime. Steele expects to hand the matter to Scotland Yard and be done with it. But a summons to Windsor Palace changes everything. The victim's widow had been conducting an indiscreet affair with the Prince of Wales, and Queen Victoria will not see her son's name dragged through scandal—or worse, suspicion of murder. Steele and Rosalynd are commanded to find the killer quietly, before speculation can reach the press. But the Queen's summons comes with an unexpected complication. Victoria has heard the whispers about Steele and Rosalynd's unconventional partnership, and she does not approve.