The Miford Secret 2 (Pages 7 - 90)

 SPOILERS!!!

In December 1941 Louisa and Maisie arrive at Chatsworth, the home of Deborah's in-laws. Debo has invited Louisa because she wants to make the season nice for those who she can still have close by. Nancy, her parents and Unity are also invited. Debo's husband, Andrew, is away at the front, so it is important for her to have her family with her. Pamela is not there because she is on her farm looking after Diana's children.

Apart from the Mitfords, the magnificent home houses Debo's parents-in-law, Lord and Lady Cavendish, the Dowager Duchess, Kick Kennedy, an American who Billy, Andrew's brother, wants to marry, Lord Charles and his wife, Adele Astaire and a schoolteacher, Lucie Dupont. During the war a wing of the house has been turned into a school, but now the children are away at home. 

The first night all the guests are there, and there is an additional guest, Group Captain Nesbit, who comes to show his respects, and then he is invited to stay. The captain is married, but it seems that Lucie has taken a shine on him.

While waiting for dinner to be ready, the butler, Ellis, announces that there is a woman who wants to talk to the family. To everybody's surprise they see an old woman, soaked to the skin who introduces herself as Mrs Hoole. The woman says that she has had a message from the spirit world, and what she tells them is that they need to check the vestibule. When she goes, everybody is just bewildered, and nobody knows where the vestibule is. Louisa asks Debo if she knows where the house plans are, and Lord Cavendish shows them a book with the old plans. They find the vestibule and in a cupboard, Louisa finds a fake panel behind which there is a maid headpiece with a red stain. Most of the guests think that it is just something a maid left and the stain could be just tomato. Yet, Louisa wants to know more.

The next day Louisa talks to Ellis, the butler, but he only says that he knows Mrs Hoole lives in a nearby village, but that is all. Then she talks to the cook, Mrs Airle, but the woman claims that she knows nothing about Mrs Hoole, but Louisa can tell that she is keeping secrets. That same day Nancy tells her that she has invited Mrs Hoole to hold a seance, which is not something Debo likes because this is something that won't make a good impression on her in-laws. When Mrs Hoole arrives, Louisa finds her talking to the cook, and from a comment Mrs Aile makes, Louisa knows that Mrs Hoole worked in the house, but once again the cook denies knowing anything.

Once again a new mystery which has hooked my curiosity from the first moment. This is the last book in the series and it makes me sad to say goodbye to Louisa and all the characters.