An Anne Perry Christmas_ Two Holiday Novels - Anne Perry [0]
A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
“That rarest of seasonal thrillers: one that exemplifies the message and spirit of the holiday… has an almost Jamesian subtlety, and with its powerful message of responsibility and redemption— ‘We need both to forgive and to be forgiven’— it conveys a moral force in keeping with the season.”
— The Wall Street Journal
“A doozy of a Christmas mystery.”
— The Dallas Morning News
“This Victorian-era Christmas offering will surprise and delight.”
— Bookpage
Praise for
A CHRISTMAS VISITOR
“Satisfyingly dark and suspenseful.”
— Entertainment Weekly
“Another heartfelt but controlled tale in which an oblique spiritual light seems to glisten on temporal surfaces.”
— The Wall Street Journal
“Perry… owns the Victorian era with her excellent mysteries.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune
BY ANNE PERRY
(published by The Random House Publishing Group)
Featuring William Monk
THE FACE OF A STRANGER
A DANGEROUS MOURNING
DEFEND AND BETRAY
A SUDDEN, FEARFUL DEATH
THE SINS OF THE WOLF
CAIN HIS BROTHER
WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE
THE SILENT CRY
A BREACH OF PROMISE
THE TWISTED ROOT
SLAVES OF OBSESSION
FUNERAL IN BLUE
DEATH OF A STRANGER
THE SHIFTING TIDE
DARK ASSASSIN
Featuring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt
THE CATER STREET HANGMAN
CALLANDER SQUARE
PARAGON WALK
RESURRECTION ROW
BLUEGATE FIELDS
RUTLAND PLACE
DEATH IN THE DEVIL’S ACRE
CARDINGTON CRESCENT
SILENCE IN HANOVER CLOSE
BETHLEHEM ROAD
HIGHGATE RISE
BELGRAVE SQUARE
FARRIERS’ LANE
THE HYDE PARK HEADSMAN
TRAITORS GATE
PENTECOST ALLEY
ASHWORTH HALL
BRUNSWICK GARDENS
BEDFORD SQUARE
HALF MOON STREET
THE WHITECHAPEL CONSPIRACY
SOUTHAMPTON ROW
SEVEN DIALS
LONG SPOON LANE
The World War I Novels
NO GRAVES AS YET
SHOULDER THE SKY
ANGELS IN THE GLOOM
The Christmas Novels
A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
A CHRISTMAS VISITOR
A CHRISTMAS GUEST
A CHRISTMAS SECRET
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A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
To all those who
contribute to the gift of friendship
PART ONE
ADY VESPASIA CUMMING-GOULD HESITATED A moment at the top of the stairs. Applecross was one of those magnificent country houses where one descended down a long curved sweep of marble into the vast hall where the assembled guests were gathered awaiting the call to dinner.
First one person, then another looked up. To wait for them all would have been ostentatious. She was dressed in oyster satin, not a shade everyone could wear, but Prince Albert himself had said that she was the most beautiful woman in Europe, with her glorious hair and exquisite bones. It was not a remark that had endeared her to the queen, the more so since it was probably true.
But this was not a royal occasion; it was a simple weekend party early in December. The London season was over with its hectic social round, and those who had country homes had returned to them to look forward to Christmas. There were rumors of possible war in the Crimea, but apart from that the middle of the century saw only greater progress and prosperity within an empire that spanned the globe.
Omegus Jones came to the foot of the stairs to meet her. He was not only the perfect host, but also a friend of some years, even though he was in his fifties and Vespasia barely past thirty. Her husband, older than she, was the one who had first made the acquaintance, but he was abroad on business at the moment. Her children were in the house in London, safe and well cared for.
“My dear Vespasia, you are quite ravishing,” Omegus said with a self-deprecating smile. “Of which you cannot fail to be aware, so please do not insult my intelligence by pretending surprise, or worse still, denial.” He was a lean man with a wry face, full of humor and an unconscious elegance as much