Solving Sophronia (The Blue Orchid Society, #1)

by Jennifer Moore

  “Will Miss Propriety find a home at a different newspaper?” Jonathan asked.

  “I think, unfortunately, she has written her last column.”

  “A pity. Sergeant Lester will be devastated to be deprived of his society news.” They crossed to the other side of the road, away from the heavier traffic. “What will you do now?”

  Sophie moved closer to him as they walked past a crowded cart. “I thought I might start my own newspaper—one that works with the police. Mimi has offered the funding, and I—I am considering it.”

  She sounded nervous and excited, and Jonathan was pleased that she wasn’t giving up on her dream. “If anyone can do it, Lady Sophronia Bremerton can.”

  “And perhaps we will work together on another case.”

  “Out of the question. I will not even consider it for a moment.” Jonathan shook his head, moving her between two stopped hackneys.

  “I thought we were a good team, Detective Graham,” she protested. “But perhaps next time you will let me wear the disguise.”

  “There will not be a next time.” He spoke in a firm voice but had the distinct impression that she would somehow talk him into it.

  “Well . . .” She stepped away from a noisy fish vendor waving a herring. “Either way, I do think we should work closely together in the future.”

  “My lady, you are not a detective. What will it take for you to realize how dangerous this work—”

  She let out a sigh. “Jonathan?”

  He turned, wondering what had made her stop, and was not prepared in the slightest when she grasped his face, rose up on her toes, and kissed him.

  He recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around her, careful not to press against her injured side, and kissing her in return. Sophie’s lips were warm and her body soft against his.

  “We should work closely together,” she whispered as the crowd jostled around them like a stream flowing around a rock.

  He smiled against her lips. His last bit of resistance fell away, and he kissed her again. His heart was filled with promise and hope. Jonathan knew he was no longer alone. He had a family; he was cared for. Sophie loved him, and he could trust her with his heart.

  Epilogue

  Two months later

  “To Sophie.” Elizabeth raised her champagne flute.

  “Hear, hear!” Vivian said.

  “Yes, to Sophie,” Dahlia said.

  Hazel smiled, raising her flute as well.

  Sophie grinned. “To the Illustrated Police News.” She clinked her own flute against each of her friends’ and took a sip. The bubbles blended with the excitement bursting inside as Sophie looked around the newspaper office.

  Stacks of fresh paper sat on the reporters’ desks, ready to be filled with delicious stories, beginning first thing tomorrow morning. The engravers’ workspace was set at the front of the office with big windows and equipment handpicked by Mr. Potts, her chief illustration engraver. A desk in the far corner surrounded by filing drawers would be occupied by Mrs. Ingram, giving the paper the advantage of her quality researching skills.

  Sophie’s own desk, around which her friends were gathered, was in the back corner, where she could watch over everything, separated by a wall from the presses. The smell of machines and oil and ink and paper made her giddy.

  “To think you did all this yourself,” Dahlia said. “We are all so impressed, Sophie.”

  “We are indeed,” Hazel said. “It is wonderful.”

  “I did have help,” Sophie said. “All of this was funded by Mimi. And Vivian helped choose and supervised the assembly of the presses. And of course my connection with the police department . . .” She could feel the blush spreading over her cheeks.

  “Connection,” Mimi said, entering the room. “Is that what you young people call it nowadays?”

  “You most certainly could have established a news office without a man,” Elizabeth said, handing Mimi a glass. “But Inspector Graham isn’t so bad. He does at least admire your mind and encourages you to reach your potential. In that he is miles ahead of most of his gender.” She gave a sigh with an impertinent smile. “If you must be engaged, I suppose you could do worse.”

  “I believe there are other attributes he also admires about Sophronia,” Mimi said. She winked. “And she about him. Or that is the impression I get from all the stolen kisses.”

  “Oh, stop it,” Sophie said, blushing. She gave her grandmother a teasing swat. She wished all of her family were as delighted about the engagement as Mimi, but her parents were at least tolerant of the alliance. Jonathan had saved their family members from murder, after all. And it did help that her father had been fully reinstated into the hunting club. “Now, tell me, Elizabeth, how goes your search for a school?”

  “The proposal still requires government sanction,” she said. “And now it is all even more complicated with Everleigh’s trial and the property disputes. I may have to look elsewhere.” She frowned.

  “I am sorry,” Hazel said. She looked down. “Nursing school has been difficult as well, with my . . . attacks. And on top of it, Father has requested that I join him for Christmas in Spain.”

  “Oh my,” Dahlia said. “How exciting.”

  Hazel gave a small smile, looking anything but excited.

  Dahlia did not report on her progress at the steamship company, and Sophie was nervous to ask. With her father’s health failing, her friend had taken on more of the business responsibilities, and the evidence of late hours and hard work showed in dark bags beneath her eyes.

  Sophie wished more than anything that her friends could be as happy as she was. She set down her glass, held out her arms, and waved her fingers, asking for her friends and Mimi to come closer. Once they had all joined hands, she looked around the circle of women, and a rush of tears pushed at her eyes. “We can do this,” she said. “The Blue Orchid Society is comprised of extraordinary women, and we will reach our goals together.”

  “Without a man’s help,” Elizabeth said, giving a wink.

  “Unless absolutely necessary,” Vivian said in a voice so quiet that Sophie thought she might have been the only one to hear.

  “We are so delighted for you, Sophie,” Hazel said, squeezing Sophie’s hand. “Don’t let our complaining ruin this happy occasion.”

  “We are friends,” Sophie said, releasing the other ladies’ hands. “And friends have the right to complain whenever needed.” She held up her champagne glass. “To friendship, and to the Blue Orchid Society.”

  The others raised their glasses and repeated the toast.

  Sophie could not stop her grin. If someone had told her three months earlier that she’d be a member of a cherished sisterhood and have her own newspaper office and a fiancé, she’d never have believed it.

  Hazel turned to Vivian. “You haven’t yet told us about the science exhibition. How goes your entry?”

  The door opened before Vivian could answer. Sophie thought Vivian looked relieved at the interruption, and she made a note to inquire about it once they could speak alone.

  Jonathan entered the news office with Merryweather, Martha Payne, Freddy, and Detective Lester.

  Sophie’s heart tumbled over as it always did when she saw him, and she hoped the reaction never ceased. She brought the tray of drinks to greet her friends. “Martha, Freddy, I am so glad to see you.” Merryweather and Martha both took a glass, and Sophie didn’t miss the way their hands touched or the glances between the pair.

  She looked away, reminding herself to respect their privacy, although she and Jonathan often secretly speculated how long it would be before the pair of them finally married. “How goes school, Freddy?”

  “Well enough.” The boy reached for a glass, frowning when Sophie lifted the tray out of his reach.

  “Freddy is one of the brightest lads in his class.” Merr
yweather ruffled the boy’s hair and put his hand on Freddy’s shoulder, giving a proud smile. “His teacher said she’s rarely seen a child learn to read so quickly.”

  Freddy gave a pleased smile at the praise but hid it away quickly.

  Sophie smiled. “And I am happy to see you as well, Sergeant Merry-weather. Congratulations on your promotion.”

  Detective Lester stepped forward and handed Sophie a box wrapped in colored paper. It was close to the size of a gentleman’s hat, and a piece of twine wound around it, tied at the top.

  “Oh.” Sophie handed the tray to Mimi and took the box. “What

  is this?”

  Detective Lester scratched the back of his head, looking extremely uncomfortable. “Just a little somethin’.”

  “A gift,” Jonathan clarified. One side of his lips jumped like he was suppressing a smile.

  “How very thoughtful,” Mimi said, handing Detective Lester and Jonathan each a champagne flute.

  Sophie set the box on her desk and untied the twine. She pulled away the paper and lifted off the lid.

  When she looked inside, she let out a squeal, but realizing what she was seeing, she turned the sound into an excited cry. “Oh my—it is perfect!” She reached inside and pulled out a wooden platform that held a stuffed mouse sitting at a desk. The mouse wore a gown and flowery hat and held a notebook. A miniature pencil sat on the desk next to a pile of papers.

  “It’s you, my lady!” Freddy said. “If you was a mouse.”

  Sophie set the display carefully on her desk and embraced Detective Lester, kissing his scruffy cheek. “I cannot imagine a more thoughtful gift.”

  The man’s face went beet red.

  Mimi’s friends arrived, and while the older women and the younger fussed over Detective Lester and his creation and toured the office, Jonathan pulled Sophie away from the others.

  He took the champagne flute from her hand and set both of their glasses on a filing cabinet, then pulled her to him. He cupped her chin, lifting her face and kissing her. “I could not be prouder of what you’ve done, Sophie.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet.” She nestled against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “We haven’t even put out one paper.”

  His arms went around her. “But you will. And before long, the Illustrated Police News will be a must-have for every morning breakfast table.”

  “Right between the crumpets and butter balls,” she proclaimed.

  “And many a butler will burn his fingers ironing flat your pages.”

  Sophie laughed. She pulled back, putting her arms around his neck. “That will be the true sign of success. Here’s to marmalade stains and burned butlers.”

  He kissed her, his lips warm and tasting of peppermint. “And to my Sophie. The nosiest, loveliest, most confusing woman in all of London.”

  Sophie kissed him back until her heart felt like it would burst. The sounds of her friends and family talking and laughing surrounded her. And Jonathan—held in his arms, she felt whole and safe and endlessly loved.

  Author’s note

  Before I began this project, I spent some time considering what exactly I wanted to say. What is important enough to me that I’m willing to spend an entire series exploring it? What have I learned, or what do I want people to know or to reexamine in their own perceptions?

  Still looking for a direction, I read quite a few books and watched some movies, and after a while, I began to notice a trend that was so contrary to my own experience that I was surprised I’d never realized it before. It involves how women’s relationships with one another are portrayed in fiction, especially in romantic stories, and it’s something I’m guilty of in my own writing. Women are often represented as rivals, either to provide competition for the main character in vying for the same man’s affection or simply to give the main character someone to compare herself to. Other times, they are underdeveloped secondary characters the heroine confides in when she wants to talk about the hero.

  Neither scenario quite reflects my own experiences. From the moment I was born, my mother, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, friends, and teachers cheered for me, encouraged me, and offered advice as I grew up. And now I still find myself surrounded by strong, intelligent, supportive women in every area of my life. Women are my friends, my mentors, and my heroes. I turn to them when I’m hurting or unsure or happy, and time and again, I’ve been bolstered and comforted and inspired by my own Blue Orchid Society. The women I know are complex and interesting and filled with wisdom. And that is what I hope to represent in this series—the sisterhood that’s often overlooked in stories but so prominent in the lives of real women.

  I love the time period of this story. The industrial revolution was changing the way people worked and lived. Florence Nightingale was instructing nurses, and women were being admitted to colleges and inheriting property. Colonies were pushing back against English expansion. The suffrage movement was growing in both England and America. Women were working as detectives in the Pinkerton Agency and starting to get credit as writers and teachers.

  It feels like such an exciting time, and such a turning point in history, and I wanted my characters to be smack in the middle of it, navigating these modern developments and adjusting to a changing world.

  So this book is meant as a tribute to them—the women who came before—and to us, the women who follow in their footsteps. And to the sisterhood that has marched along throughout history, often silently and unnoticed, and shaped our world.

  About the Author

  Jennifer Moore lives with one husband and four sons, who produce heaps of laundry and laughter. She earned a BA from the University of Utah in linguistics, which she uses mostly for answering Jeopardy questions. A reader of history and romance, she loves traveling, tall ships, scented candles, and watching cake-decorating videos. When she’s not driving carpool, writing, or helping with homework, she’ll usually be found playing tennis. Learn more at authorjmoore.com and on Jennifer’s social media.

  Facebook: Author Jennifer Moore

  Instagram: jennythebrave

  OTHER BOOKS BY JENNIFER MOORE

  Regency Romance

  Becoming Lady Lockwood

  Lady Emma’s Campaign

  Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince

  Simply Anna

  Lady Helen Finds Her Song

  A Place for Miss Snow

  Miss Whitaker Opens Her Heart

  Miss Leslie’s Secret

  The War of 1812

  My Dearest Enemy

  The Shipbuilder’s Wife

  Charlotte’s Promise

  The Blue Orchid Society

  Solving Sophronia

  Stand-Alone Novellas

  “The Perfect Christmas” in Christmas Treasures

  “Let Nothing You Dismay” in Christmas Grace

  “Love and Joy Come to You” in A Christmas Courting