An original short story taken from the anthology Motives for Murder, by members of The Detection Club
International bestselling author Andrew Taylor weaves a story of intrigue as a young girl starts to realise that people are not always who they seem, and sometimes they have darker intentions in mind . . .
When tax inspector Mr Lovesey rents a room from 'Auntie' Ag, domestic servant Margaret Rose begins to suspect that there's more to Mr Lovesey than meets the eye. When 'Auntie' Ag and Mr Lovesey appear to be in cahoots, Margaret Rose is drawn into a web of intrigue that will change her life forever.
A bestselling crime writer, Andrew Taylor has also worked as a boatbuilder, wages clerk, librarian, labourer and publisher's reader. He has written many prize-winning crime novels and thrillers, including the William Dougal crime series, the Lydmouth crime series, the ground-breaking Roth Trilogy - which was televised as ITV's Fallen Angel - and several standalone historical crime novels.
His many awards include the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2009 for sustained excellence in crime writing, an Edgar Scroll from the Mystery Writers of America, and the Crime Writers' Association Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, which he has won twice - most recently for his bestselling Richard & Judy Book Club novel, The American Boy, which was also selected for The Times Top Ten Crime Novels of the Decade. Bleeding Heart Square won Sweden's Martin Beck Award, the Golden Crowbar.
Andrew Taylor is also the crime fiction reviewer of the Spectator. He lives with his wife in the Forest of Dean, on the borders of England and Wales. To find out more, visit Andrew's website, www.andrew-taylor.co.uk, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewjrtaylor