Thursday, 16 October 2025
God Rest Ye Royal Gentlemen, By Rhys Bowen
This is one of the more recent books in the Royal Spyness mysteries, featuring upper class girl Georgiana Rannoch, a relative of the Royal Family... and her husband Darcy OMara.
Georgie's mother is a former actress who has been married several times and her maternal Grandfather is a retired policeman. But on her father's side, she is a cousin to the King. It is 1935 and the King, George V, is in very poor health. Georgie wonders what will happen when his son David inherits, as he is still in love with Mrs Simpson.
It is her first Christmas after her marriage and she and Darcy plan to spend it quietly in the house given to her by her mother's ex husband. But Fate intervenes. She is asked by Darcy's elderly aunt, Lady Aysgarth to visit her - she has been widowed and has recently gone to live in a house on the Sandringham estate, as she used to be a lady in waiting to the queen, Mary.
She and Darcy have invited a few people to share their Christmas, including her mother, Claire, and her brother and sister in law, Binky and Hilda (known as Fig) and their 2 children.
Georgie's grandfather decides not to go, as he is awkward with upper class people, so he stays in her new home, where he will enjoy himself more.
When they get to Lady Aysgarth's house, Wymondham, she welcomes them and they meet her other guests. She is an eccentric lady who fancies herself as an artist. She had an unhappy marriage, and lived for years in isolation in Yorkshire; she and her husband had no children and then he died.
They learn that David, the king's eldest son was away skiing with Mrs Simpson, and that he has grudgingly come home because his mother is worried about the state of the Kings health.
The holiday starts well but the King is clearly very ill, and the queen wants him to enjoy himself at Sandringham, as he may not have much longer. Then incidents start to happen and Georgie learns that someone was killed at a shoot the previous Christmas. People are now being injured or killed and it is looking like the attacks are directed at the Prince of Wales. Darcy takes it seriously and wonders if it is a terrorist attack on the future king or something more personal.
Then evidence begins to point to his Aunt Ermintrude, their hostess and his mother's sister. Darcy adored his mother who died young and he can't quite make himself believe that his aunt could kill anyone or make an attack on the heir to the throne. Georgie wonders if it could be Lady Aygarth's companion, who is a mousy shy little woman.. but she and Darcy go out to the lake which is frozen and find that Ermintrude has come after them and she admits that she was the one who killed people, in her attempts to kill the Prince and Mrs Simpson. She had a horrible unfaithful husband and she is out to get other selfish unfaithful men and to stop the scandal of the Prince marrying his divorced mistress. Darcy, attempting to take her in, falls into the lake and she says she will finish him off. Georgie manages to rescue her husband but cannot save Ermintrude. However she thinks that perhaps it is for the best, as she had become completely unhinged and was facing either life in an institution or hanging.
Georgie speaks to Queen Mary, who tells her that she was worried about Ermintrude who had an unhappy life and it clearly drove her mad. She agrees to try and find a job for her companion and says that she is giving the Wymondham house to her youngest son George, so the servants can be kept on. Georgie returns home with Darcy. She has been married now for several months and has been a bit worried that she has no sign of a baby yet. Then she feels ill, calls a doctor and finds out she is pregnant. They are very happy... then news comes that the King has died. So David is now the King. They wonder what the future will bring.
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