July, 1809: With the advent of summer, inimitable novelist and occasional sleuth Jane Austen is beginning to emerge from her grief over her lost love, Lord Harold Trowbridge. She has moved with her mother and sister to a cottage in Chawton, Hampshire, and has even begun to revise one of her first manuscripts.But no sooner are her belongings unpacked than a strangled corpse is discovered in the cellar. Which of her neighbors had cause to murder shiftless Henry French? And what connection does his death have to the legend of the stolen Chawton Emeralds? As Jane sorts through the personal papers Lord Trowbridge bequeathed to her in his will, she can't keep her mind off the mystery. And lurking just out of sight is someone who will stop at nothing to secure a fortune--including disposing of a most inconvenient new neighbor. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.