Miss Morton Takes the Waters

Book 5: Miss Morton Mystery

by Catherine Lloyd

Genres: Cozy Mystery; Historical Mysteries; Mystery

Synopsis

In Victorian England, Bath is the destination to restore a lady’s health. But after accompanying Mrs. Frogerton to the spa town, a poison-pen campaign and a locked-room murder lead lady’s companion Caroline Morton into troubled waters…

On the advice of her doctor, Mrs. Frogerton has arranged a visit to Bath to take the waters and regain her health and good spirits. While she reflects on her own next steps in light of her changing circumstances, Caroline goes with her to ensure the good lady’s well-being. Daily life in Bath takes on a routine of its own, with visits to the spa interspersed with social occasions and new acquaintances, including a group of women who live on Queen Square and gather to drink tea, play cards, and gossip.

When it comes to light that some of the ladies are recipients of poison pen letters, a rejuvenated Mrs. Frogerton offers to help. Sorting through the social dynamics of the group for motive and opportunity, she talks with the ladies while Caroline questions their companions.

The situation becomes more grave when Lady Greatmere, the oldest and most unpleasant of the ladies, is discovered strangled in her own locked drawing room, a half-finished epistle on her dressing table suggesting she might be the author of the poison pen letters. As Lady Greatmere’s companion falls under the suspicion of the Bath constabulary, Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton attempt to read between the lines to force the killer to come clean . . .

Release date: August 25, 2026

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 272

Sample

London 1841

“If you are asking for my professional opinion, Miss Morton, then I would be happy to suggest that Mrs. Frogerton might benefit from a change of scenery,” Dr. Harris said rather pompously. “Whether the spa waters in Bath will have any effect on her well-being, I cannot say. Some people believe the minerals will provide a miracle cure for all ills, but I’m not one of them.”

Caroline Morton looked up at Dr. Harris, who stood in front of the fireplace of the rented Half Moon Street house with his hands clasped behind his back. His appearance had improved significantly since he’d taken up employment at the new hospital, but his hair still needed trimming. She assumed he was attempting to look dignified, but his posture indicated he was still sulking after their recent falling-out when he’d definitely not attempted to propose to her.

“Do you think she will manage such a long journey?” Caroline asked.

His brows drew together. “She’s not ill, Miss Morton. Just rather low in spirits.”

“She was attacked, sir.”

“That was months ago, and the wounds were mostly superficial. They have all healed, leaving her with hardly a scar.”

“There’s no need to be so dismissive,” Caroline said. “She is truly suffering. I can’t bear to see her in such lowness of spirits. Even the news that Dorothy is expecting her first child has failed to rouse her.”

“As I said earlier, Miss Morton, I agree with you that things are not ideal, and I am not attempting to diminish Mrs. Frogerton’s suffering one bit. Taking her to Bath is an excellent idea.”

“Then why couldn’t you just say so and leave it at that?”

“Because you asked for my professional opinion.” Dr. Harris glared at her. “It’s not my fault that you’ve decided to take every word I say and use it against me. God knows why, because I’m the one who made himself look like a complete fool. I don’t need to be constantly reminded of it.”

“I didn’t think you were foolish.”

“I beg to differ.” He met her gaze. “I attempted in my own awkward manner to ask if you might consider marrying me and was turned down flat. It’s amazing that I have the nerve to show my face here after being told I wasn’t good enough to marry an upper-class lady.”

“Our disagreement had nothing to do with my class!” Caroline said. “Your ‘proposal’ was so obscure as to be insulting, and I certainly never mentioned my current status in life, but perhaps it needs to be said. You can’t afford a wife, I’m currently employed, and I intend to complete the year for which I was paid.”

He frowned. “You have an inheritance due. You don’t need to work out your notice. Mrs. Frogerton wouldn’t insist upon it.”

“But I prefer to stick to our previous arrangement.”

“Simply to have a convenient excuse to avoid dealing with me?”

Caroline barely restrained the urge to stamp her foot. “Dr. Harris, not everything is about you. I intend to fulfill my contract because it is the right thing to do.”

“And let’s not forget that you have an extremely eligible suitor waiting in the wings to sweep you away,” Dr. Harris said.

“If you’re speaking of Inspector Ross, he is busy dealing with the ramifications of his brother’s death. I’m fairly certain he has no time to be throwing out proposals to anyone.”

“But you’ll wait until he does, won’t you?”

“That is none of your business!” Caroline locked gazes with the doctor. “What offends me, sir, is the complete withdrawal of your friendship.”

“What nonsense is this?” Dr. Harris demanded.

“It isn’t nonsense to me.” Caroline raised her chin. “I thought we were friends. I didn’t realize that explaining why neither of us are in a position to marry would offend you so deeply that you’d stop being my friend and make assumptions about my other relationships.”

Dr. Harris opened his mouth and then abruptly closed it again. An uncomfortable minute ticked by, marked by the clock on the mantelpiece.

Finally, he stirred. “Caroline …”

“If you are going to say something horrible, will you please stop? I don’t think I can deal with you for much longer today.”

“I admit I am finding it difficult to see you as a friend when I hoped for so much more,” he said carefully. “But I had no intention of deliberately hurting you.”

“Thank you.”

“And I hope that when things settle down, we can still be friends.” His gaze held hers for a moment. “I, too, have learned to value our relationship.”

“Things will settle down when Mrs. Frogerton is restored to good health.” Caroline stood up. “I can assure you that I have no other thoughts in my mind except that.”

“Good,” he said. “For Mrs. Frogerton’s sake, I mean,” he added hastily. “But if you do rush off and marry Ross, you will let me know, won’t you?”

“As I said—”

He spoke over her. “You aren’t making any decisions until Mrs. Frogerton is her old self again. I can recommend a couple of physicians in Bath who aren’t complete quacks, if you’d like?”

“Thank you, that would be most welcome.”

“I’ll find their addresses and send them to you,” Dr. Harris promised. “Now, I have to go. We have a very busy day on the ward, and I’m not supposed to see private clients when I’m working.”

“Thank you for coming.” Caroline walked with him to the front door. “I’ll let you know when all the arrangements have been made for our removal to Bath. I need to find accommodation, decide how we’ll travel, and—”

He took her hand. “You’ll manage. You always do.”

“I appreciate your confidence in me.”

He laughed and brought her fingers to his lips. “Goodbye, my dear friend. I won’t bother you by coming around unless you absolutely need me.”

He turned to pick up his hat, opened the front door, and with a last cheery wave went out into the sunshine.

Caroline watched him walk down the street, her feelings in some disarray. At least they’d managed to return to a civil discourse after the last uncomfortable months. She’d missed sparring with him.

She shut the door and slowly walked up the stairs to her employer’s bedroom. Mrs. Frogerton sat in her chair by the window, her dogs around her, her gaze on the garden. It was still something of a shock to see her so quiet and still when she normally bristled with energy.

Caroline went to sit opposite her. “Wasn’t it nice to see Dr. Harris, ma’am?”

Mrs. Frogerton put down her book and looked at her over the top of her glasses. “Indeed, it was, but we both know that he came to observe me in his professional capacity, and not just as a valued friend.”

“I confess that I did ask him to offer an opinion about your current health,” Caroline admitted. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“After being poked and prodded by half the medical men in London, one more doesn’t make much of a difference.” Mrs. Frogerton drew her shawl more tightly around herself. “And we both know that they all say the same thing—my wounds have healed, and everything else wrong with me is merely female hysterics.”

“Dr. Harris certainly didn’t say that,” Caroline said.

“Then what did he say?”

“That a change of scenery might prove beneficial in lifting your spirits,” Caroline said. “He thought the healing waters in Bath was an excellent notion.”

Mrs. Frogerton looked back out of the window. “I might as well go to Bath. Samuel assures me that he doesn’t need my help with the businesses, and Dottie, well, now she’s a titled lady, and expecting ‘the heir,’ she doesn’t have a second to spare for me.”

“I’m sure that both of your children are simply concerned for your health, ma’am, and don’t wish you to be bothered by anything untoward.”

“I won’t get a look-in with that grandchild, you know. He’ll be taught to despise his mother’s family,” Mrs. Frogerton said.

“It might be a little girl, ma’am, and I’m certain she’d be delighted to know her grandmother. Despite my father attempting to prevent the relationship, Susan and I were very fond of my mother’s mother.”

Mrs. Frogerton didn’t reply, her gaze distant.

“Do you wish to go to Bath, then, ma’am?” Caroline asked.

“Yes, why not. It’s better than sitting here feeling sorry for myself and waking up in the middle of the night screaming because I’ve dreamt that I’ve been stabbed again.”

Caroline made a mental note to speak to Mrs. Frogerton’s solicitor about the possibility of finding another house if her employer wished to return to London after a season in Bath. It hadn’t occurred to her that after the events of the previous year, Mrs. Frogerton might no longer feel safe in her own home.

If Mrs. Frogerton wished to move, Half Moon Street was only rented on a quarterly basis, so getting out of the lease shouldn’t be too costly. Caroline wasn’t even sure her employer wanted to remain in London when Dorothy wouldn’t be attending the Season, and Samuel was immersed in his work up north.

Caroline decided not to worry about things in the future and to concentrate on the steps necessary to remove Mrs. Frogerton, her dogs, the maid, and herself to Bath. She’d been given the names of some excellent letting agents in Bath and intended to spend the rest of the day writing letters inquiring as to accommodation available, the duration of the rental period, and the cost. Luckily, through her many business interests, her employer was a wealthy woman who could afford the best money could buy.

“Would you care to come and sit in the drawing room, ma’am?” Caroline asked. “I have several letters to write to secure our accommodation in Bath and will be busy at my desk for hours.”

“I’d rather go back to bed.” Mrs. Frogerton cast a longing look over at her already made bed. “But Dr. Harris told me I needed to move about more.”

“He is an excellent physician,” Caroline reminded her as she offered her arm to Mrs. Frogerton and helped her stand. “Albeit an annoying one.”

“Is he still at odds with you?” Mrs. Frogerton asked as they made their slow way along the corridor.

“Not at all. In truth, he wished me well,” Caroline said. “Perhaps he’s finally realized we would not suit.”

“I doubt that,” Mrs. Frogerton murmured. “He is one of the stubbornest men I have ever encountered. I suspect he believes your removal to Bath will help you come to your senses and abandon Inspector Ross in favor of him.”

Caroline made an inelegant noise as she opened the door into the drawing room and ushered her employer inside. A fire was burning in the grate and sunlight streamed through the large windows facing the street. “I’ve already told him that all my attention is reserved for you.”

“Which is why he still has hope.” Mrs. Frogerton slowly sat down and gathered her shawl around her. She looked down at her dogs, who resettled themselves at her feet. “Don’t forget to mention that we need access to a back garden or at least a safe place to walk the dogs.”

“It’s already on my list of requirements,” Caroline said. “Would you care to look the list over and see if I have missed anything? I’m just going to ring the bell and ask for some tea.”

“I’m sure you’ve thought of everything,” Mrs. Frogerton said.

Keen to maintain her employer’s interest, Caroline handed her the list. “I’d still appreciate your opinion, ma’am. I don’t want to make arrangements that don’t coincide with your wishes.”

“As you wish.” Mrs. Frogerton took the list and put on her reading glasses.

It was the most animated Caroline had seen Mrs. Frogerton for weeks, which gave her great hope for the future.

“Are you intending on taking all the staff from this house?” Mrs. Frogerton looked up.

“I don’t think they will be needed, ma’am. Most of the rented houses in Bath share a kitchen where meals are prepared by the staff who live there and who cater to their guests.”

“Hmm … It’s not the same as being catered to by your own staff,” Mrs. Frogerton murmured. “But I think we can manage with just one maid between us.”

The tea arrived and Caroline set about pouring her employer a cup.

“I know that Bath isn’t exactly the height of fashion these days, but I believe that might be a blessing.” Caroline added two lumps of sugar to the fragrant tea and passed it to Mrs. Frogerton. “We’ll be able to enjoy its entertainments without the fear of being crushed by a mob.”

“I hear it’s quite like Harrogate,” Mrs. Frogerton said. “I went there with Septimus when he suffered from gout and made some interesting acquaintances while he was busy with his various treatments.”

“I’m sure Bath will provide the same amusements,” Caro line promised. “I have a distant cousin who lives there, and I intend to write to her and see if she wishes to recognize our relationship.”

“Why would she not?” Mrs. Frogerton asked.

“Because after my father’s suicide, the Morton side of the family weren’t considered good society anymore. In truth, after my mother’s death, most of her relatives chose not to associate with us.”

“How cruel,” Mrs. Frogerton said. “And you wonder why I worry about Dottie.”

“Dorothy is very fond of you, ma’am. I’m sure she’ll want her mother’s presence when the baby is born. I doubt her mother-in-law is the maternal type.”

“From what Dottie told me, I think she cares more for her horses and her dogs than family,” Mrs. Frogerton said. “She barely spent more than half an hour a day with her children when they were young, and I’ll wager she’ll tell Dottie to do the same.”

“I think Dorothy will make her own decisions about her children, ma’am. She has a strong will.”

Mrs. Frogerton smiled. “Now, that’s the truth. She was never one to hide her thoughts or feelings from anyone.”

Having dealt with Dorothy at her most intractable, Caroline could only agree. “If Dorothy needs you while you are situated in Bath, it will be easy to go to her. There are locomotives that run all the way to London now from a station in Bath.”

Mrs. Frogerton set down her teacup. “We are not traveling by train, are we?”

“No, ma’am. I thought you’d prefer a private carriage.”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” Mrs. Frogerton said. “I find traveling by train far too fast. And the soot! I had to wear a veil to protect my face, and my dress was covered in black spots.”

Caroline poured them both more tea, picked up her cup, and walked over to the desk situated between the two front windows.

“Do you have everything you need, ma’am?” Caroline asked.

“Yes, indeed.” Mrs. Frogerton handed back the list and retrieved a novel tucked between the cushion and the side of her chair. “I’m reading Persuasion, that book you recommended to me by Miss Jane Austen. Some of it takes place in Bath.”

“That’s correct,” Caroline said. “It is one of my favorites.”

She settled in her chair, opened her writing chest, and took out the list she’d written on the previous day of all the people she needed to contact before they could leave for Bath. She sharpened her quill, opened her inkwell, and began composing her first letter. By the time she’d written it, there was a gentle snoring sound coming from behind her. She turned her head to find Mrs. Frogerton taking a discreet nap with the book abandoned in one hand.

Caroline glanced at the clock. It was at least half an hour until luncheon. She let Mrs. Frogerton sleep on undisturbed and copied the letter three more times for the various letting agents in Bath. It had been very pleasant to see Mrs. Frogerton’s interest in the arrangements, which added to Caroline’s burgeoning hope that a few weeks away from London would help to restore her employer’s equilibrium.

As to her own affairs … Caroline sighed as she blotted her paper to remove the excess ink. Leaving London and both her suitors would be something of a relief as well. There was also the question of her recently discovered inheritance from her father—something she hadn’t expected and still wasn’t sure would actually materialize. She’d learned at an early age not to trust anything to do with her father’s finances. Her solicitor had assured her that the paperwork was being completed and that soon she and her sister, Susan, would be in receipt of enough money to keep them for the rest of their lives.

It still seemed unlikely, and after the disaster caused by her father’s death and her own rejection by society, an inheritance seemed almost too dangerous to contemplate. She now knew that money wouldn’t necessarily make her return to society’s good graces a given. For all her wealth and affability, Mrs. Frogerton had never fully been accepted, although she had made friends who valued her for herself. Even her daughter’s marriage to a peer of the realm hadn’t altered matters. And, in truth, Caroline wasn’t even sure she wished to regain her position in a society that had cruelly ignored her plight and blamed her for her father’s misfortunes.

Which brought her thoughts naturally to Inspector Ross—Nicholas—who, since his older brother’s death, now held the hereditary title of the Earl of Craigmore. If she accepted a proposal, she’d become a countess and eventually a marchioness. But did she want to return to that world? Would her family history always blacken her reputation? Would her children be considered lacking because they were descended from the Morton family? She wouldn’t want that for Nicholas.

Which was why a few weeks of quiet reflection in Bath would suit her just as well as Mrs. Frogerton. Caroline stretched out her aching hand and applied herself to her correspondence. She needed to reserve the best accommodation at the coaching inns on the route to Bath, which required more letters. Then she needed to speak to the head coachman about the horses. …

With a resigned sigh she dipped her pen in the inkwell, selected a clean sheet of paper, and began to write.

Queen Square, Bath

Caroline encouraged Mrs. Frogerton to descend from the carriage and walk to the front door of their rented accommodation in Queen Square. Caroline was pleased by the house’s grand, Bath stone exterior. The door was already open, and a man was bringing their trunks through. Mrs. Frogerton paused to look over her shoulder at the square and the green space in its center.

“Perfect for the dogs.”

“There is also a garden behind our suite, ma’am,” Caroline said. “We are occupying the whole of the ground floor.”

She hoped the house on the corner of the square was as pleasant on the inside as it was on the outside. There were three storeys of guest flats above their own suite, and the basement and attics were the realms of the kitchens and staff.

She was pleased to find the drawing room, which had double doors linking it to the dining room behind, was both light and well furnished.

“This is very nice, Caroline.” Mrs. Frogerton stood at the front window and surveyed her domain. “Much bigger than Half Moon Street.”

Mrs. Frogerton’s maid Betty appeared, looking rather flustered with all three dogs. “Shall I take them down to the kitchen to be fed, ma’am?”

“Yes, please, and bring them to me when they’re done.” Mrs. Frogerton turned to Caroline. “May I see the garden?”

“Of course.” Caroline led the way to the back of the second room, where doors opened into the small walled garden beyond, and looked out. “It isn’t large, but it’s quite sufficient for our needs.”

“There are some nice flowering borders and shade from the trees,” Mrs. Frogerton said approvingly. “I shall enjoy sitting out there with my book.”

“Would you care to see the rest of the suite, ma’am? There are two large bedrooms and a box room for Betty.”

“Yes, let’s go and see how they are situated,” said Mrs. Frogerton. “Poor Betty will need a lie down after dealing with the dogs for the last part of our journey.”

The maid, the dogs, and the luggage had followed behind Mrs. Frogerton’s carriage in another vehicle, which had made the journey far more pleasurable for them, if not for Betty.

Mrs. Frogerton chose the bedroom to the rear of the property, leaving the one overlooking the square to Caroline. There was a certain amount of foot traffic and carriages passing by, but Caroline guessed it would be nothing compared to the constant noise of London.

Their trunks were placed in the appropriate rooms, and Caroline was just contemplating whether to begin unpacking or urge Mrs. Frogerton to have a nap when a woman appeared at the open door of the drawing room and tapped on the paneling.

“Miss Morton, Mrs. Frogerton? I’m Mrs. Rossiter, the housekeeper. Welcome to Queen Square.” She was a tall woman with neatly styled graying hair, a refined accent, and a reassuringly calm way about her.

“Thank you.” Caroline smiled. “The house is delightful. I believe we will settle in very quickly.”

“I’m sure you will.” Mrs. Rossiter smiled warmly at both of them as she came farther into the room. “May I offer you some tea? And, more importantly, a maid to help you unpack?”

“Yes, please,” Mrs. Frogerton said.

“And at what time will you require dinner?” Mrs. Rossiter inquired. “There is a copy of today’s menu on your dining room table if you care to state your preferences.”

“The sooner the better,” Mrs. Frogerton said. “I am quite worn out from all this traveling.”

“Then we can serve you at six.” Mrs. Rossiter gave a brisk nod and turned to the door. “If you require any assistance, my office is the first door on your left when you descend into the basement.”

“Thank you,” Caroline said.

“And I’ll send the maid up straightaway.”

Mrs. Frogerton barely waited until the housekeeper had left the room befo. . .