The Countess Ashby de la Zouche does not exactly have an unblemished reputation. But Mrs. Alderman Franklyn-Green is not picky when it comes to getting rid of her tedious stepdaughter, Virginia. Get the girl to France, keep her a virgin en route, and then marry her off: Those are the instructions she gives the Countess, along with a sack of guineas and the promise of some first-class nosh. But the girl's a shrew, and that much-anticipated French feast? Poisoned, from the oysters to the cheese. The Countess and her maid Alpiew are required, yet again, to strap on their sleuthing hats.
