Ghosts and Tea

Prudence Honeysett is a wealthy, aging widow who's also quite done with the world. A hopeless curmudgeon, she withdraws from Victorian society by purchasing an old priory reputed to be haunted, convinced that her desire for peace and quiet would be perfectly met regardless. Fortune, however, has different plans for her, her hapless servants, and her trio of monstrous cats. The sudden appearance of a heartbroken nephew at her doorstep stirs the ghostly waters even more after Frederick confesses to being a medium, and before Prudence knows it, the long-dead residents of St. Grimald priory emerge from the shadows. And they all come with garbled warnings of a murdered girl and the door to the underworld on its way to being torn down. Through a collection of humorous journal entries and letters, the supernatural misadventures of Prudence and Frederick unfold-filled with sordid family drama, swoony romantic entanglements, dodgy magic wielded with cheerful ineptitude, and restless ghosts a-plenty.

The dust never really settles in a haunted priory, and Prudence Honeysett learns that valuable lesson all too quickly. An idyllic stretch of quiet passes following the disaster in the priory's garden, and normalcy hints at a return with the final stages of the priory grounds' beautification and the upgrading of the interior with newly purchased antiques and - well - "antiques". Trouble once again brews when Prudence and Frederick go on a shopping spree, and they unwittingly purchase an item that's apparently haunted by a dead letch. But ghostly warnings tend to come in riddles, and a frenzied search for the mystery item turns into yet another dip in the waters of frayed nerves, late night tipples, and terrified young servants being harassed by the image of a lascivious dead man in the mirror. In the meantime, Freddy gets whisked off to help a neighboring French gentleman whose Medieval hall is haunted by a lost servant who, literally, can't find her way around the maze of passageways and rooms. Freddy's attention is now divided, leaving Prudence to sort out priory troubles with a bit of help from an overly zealous friend. Throw in a generous dose of a young man's clumsy sexual awakening, a visiting dandy who's also a purveyor of literary smut, and a servant suddenly allowed a note-book into which he can share his energetic accounts (and marvelous art) of the madness within St. Grimald priory's walls, and readers are in for another madcap epistolary adventure over tea.

The winter months finally give way to the promise of spring. Likewise, St. Grimald Priory's residents emerge from the shadows of a dreary winter to face the world-or, in this case, Hoary Plimpton-with hope and excitement. But the living aren't the only ones determined to enjoy the shifting seasons. A new ghost encroaches on the tranquility of the priory grounds, intent on offending the cats and attacking every person who still breathes with prayers and curses. Another haunts the footpaths, seeking out a particular kind of person on whom to lavish his attentions. And poor Frederick Bisset, being the only medium around, finds himself the center of both hauntings as one ghost curses him for his nature, and the other chases after him for being young, male, and quite agreeable. No one else sees the ghosts this time, and Frederick is forced to resort to drastic measures to rid Hoary Plimpton of two unsavory specters. Prudence Honeysett has a trick up her own sleeve as well to ensure the preservation of her lovely garden and her nephew's sanity, though it's a trick that has backfired before in the worst possible way. She is determined, however, for no one, living or dead, ever crosses a Bisset.

St. Grimald priory is now free of invasive ghosts, and everyone's attention turns to entertaining Felicity Smedley, Prudence Honeysett's "witch-like" best friend. With her gentle guidance, Freddy grows even more into his gifts as a powerful medium and takes it upon himself to work on things outside priory walls. But while practice makes perfect, it also leads Freddy down an unexpected road involving a ghostly mother's plea. The encounter reopens wounds from the recent past and darkens his idyllic life under his aunt's ever-watchful and protective eye. In the meantime, Jonathan Beverly's efforts at clearing out his late uncle's maddening hoard unearths an old inkwell, one that comes with its own genie-like ghost. And not just any ghost at that - Mr. Murgatroyd is a busybody, a terrible gossip and family chronicler who's determined to annoy the staid Mr. Beverly to distraction with endless accounts of the family's history of wild living. Family drama continues in the Bisset household as well with the police force not taking to Antigonous's anti-spiritualist efforts kindly, Lucinda expanding her circle of spritualism enthusiasts, and Trevelyan adding salt to the gentleman's wounds by trotting off to woo a blasted medium. What's a respectable father to do, indeed? Why, turn to his irritable sister, her induldgent witch-like friend, and his despairing oldest son for advice, of course. The dust hasn't quite settled yet as more madcap adventures are recounted in letters and journal entries in this installment of Ghosts and Tea.