The Whispers of Ashworth
ISBN:
Categories:
File Size
Format
Language
Release Year
Author
Catherine WoodSynopsis
London, 1888. A spectral fog shrouds the gaslit streets, blurring the line between reality and the ethereal. Whispers ripple through Mayfair's opulent drawing-rooms, not of scandalous liaisons, but of Mrs. Evangeline Ashworth, a matchmaker returned from beyond the grave.
Lady Beatrice Fairchild, a debutante with a wit as sharp as her diamond tiara, scoffs at the notion. She prefers her literary salon and spirited debates to the vapid pronouncements of the ton. But the whispers persist, growing louder with each inexplicable union orchestrated by the ghostly Mrs. Ashworth. A shy poet finds himself betrothed to a boisterous heiress, a pragmatic industrialist to an ethereal spiritualist – each pairing a baffling paradox.
Then Beatrice receives news of her own unsettling betrothal to the enigmatic Lord Adrian Heath, a man whose emerald eyes hold the weight of shadowed secrets. His unnerving ability to appear as if from thin air both intrigues and unsettles her. Complicating matters further is the arrival of Joshua Barry, a brash American industrialist whose disdain for aristocratic pretense captivates Beatrice with the promise of a future unbound by tradition.
Driven to unravel the mystery, Beatrice delves into faded letters and cryptic diaries, unearthing a tapestry of betrayals and broken hearts echoing through generations. The spectral matches are not random whims, but meticulously crafted acts of retribution, each a mirror reflecting the sins of the past. And Beatrice is no mere bystander; she is a pivotal piece in Mrs. Ashworth’s grand design, a linchpin in a cosmic balancing act.
But Mrs. Ashworth's influence extends beyond matchmaking. She is manipulating the very fabric of reality, tearing spectral rifts that threaten to engulf London in a vortex of vengeful spirits. As the city descends into chaos, Beatrice must confront not only the ghost's machinations, but her own deeply held prejudices, choosing between the unsettling allure of Adrian and the vibrant future promised by Joshua. The stakes are no longer confined to social scandal; the fate of London, perhaps even the world, hangs in the balance. Amidst decaying grandeur and whispering winds, Beatrice will uncover the truth of Mrs. Ashworth's tragic past and confront her in a climactic showdown where compassion may be the only weapon strong enough to silence the whispers and save a city teetering on the brink of the abyss.