#Review - City of Betrayal by Victoria Thompson #Mystery #Historical

Series: A Counterfeit Lady # 7
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: December 5, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery / Historical

Elizabeth Bates's latest con just might change the course of history in an all-new Counterfeit Lady Novel from USA Today bestselling author Victoria Thompson.

A year has passed since Elizabeth Bates ran her last con. Life has been simpler, although not nearly as exciting, but she has thrown herself into working to get the 19th Amendment ratified by thirty-six states to become the law of the land. Since every other Southern state has already rejected the amendment, it seems unlikely Tennessee will be an exception . . . but it's their only hope, so the suffragists descend on Tennessee for the final battle.

Elizabeth’s ability to interact with difficult men and to persuasively explain all the advantages of allowing women to vote—all skills she perfected as a grifter—have made her a valuable member of the team. But she would never have expected the lengths to which some would go to keep the vote out of women's hands. She'll need to devise the perfect con or the suffragists' life's work could all be for nothing. 

City of Betrayal, by Victoria Thompson, is the 7th installment in the authors Counterfeit Lady series. A year has passed since Elizabeth Miles Bates ran her last con. Life has been simpler, although not nearly as exciting, but she has thrown herself into working to get the 19th Amendment ratified by thirty-six states to become the law of the land. 35 States have ratified, 8 have rejected it including every  Southern state. 

 

It seems unlikely Tennessee will be an exception but it's their only hope, so the suffragists descend on Tennessee for the final battle. Elizabeth’s ability to interact with difficult men and to persuasively explain all the advantages of allowing women to vote—all skills she perfected as a grifter—have made her a valuable member of the team. But she would never have expected the lengths to which some would go to keep the vote out of women's hands. She'll need to devise the perfect con or the suffragists' life's work could all be for nothing. 

 

Elizabeth isn't alone. She has her husband Gideon Bates, her best friend Anna Vanderslice, who lost her brother to the pandemic 2 years ago, and Gideon's mother who spent some time in prison alongside Elizabeth working for the women's suffragist movement. Prohibition was recently put into place but that doesn't stop people who want to drink, and bribe others with drink. The two factions of the suffragist movement, separated by their approach to securing women's right to vote and the anti-suffragists are there in large numbers. 

 

The women are individually buttonholing one legislator after another, gaining and losing their pledges to take their sides, sometimes through drink and bribery. Whether or not anything in this book actually happened, the point is that ratifying a Constitutional amendment is not easy, especially when women who should want equal rights, fight hard against change. Regardless of your feelings, the 19th Amendment doesn't pass without the Republican party. This was not the most entertaining story, but historically important.

*Thoughts* In all, over 200 Republicans voted in favor of the 19^th Amendment, while only 102 Democrats voted alongside them. Regardless of the authors personal crusade, historians write that Woodrow Wilson, Democrat President, was very much against the 19th Amendment. He also believed that suffrage was the root of all evil. Wilson considered himself a moral president, and yet he did not believe that women should vote. He called himself a moral president, and yet he segregated the civil service in one of his first acts as President.

 

If you take one thing from this review, take this. Suffragists and anti-suffragists lobbied furiously to secure votes during that intense summer in Nashville. The ratification resolution passed easily in the Tennessee State Senate on August 13, but the House of Representatives was deadlocked thanks to the Speaker of the House who flipped to anti. When young Harry T. Burn of Niota changed his vote to support ratification of the 19th Amendment thanks to a letter from his mother, he broke a tie in the House of Representatives and made history.  

 

Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947) was president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). She came to Nashville during the summer of 1920 to support the efforts of Tennessee suffragists. Her leadership was a key factor in Tennessee becoming the "Perfect 36," the state that put the 19th Amendment over the top. There are hundreds of others who should be remember who works behind the scenes and should never be forgotten.

CHAPTER one

I knew it would be difficult, but I never dreamed it would be impossible," Elizabeth Miles Bates said, staring at the letter she'd been reading.

Her mother-in-law looked up from her knitting. "Are you talking about passing the amendment, dear?"

"Yes, I am. I'll never understand those people who are so dead set against allowing women to vote."

"What does Miss Paul's letter say? And I'm sure she doesn't say it's impossible."

Alice Paul was the leader of the National Woman's Party, the more radical of the two organizations that had been working for Woman Suffrage. Their demonstrations outside the White House had gotten many of their volunteers jailed. Elizabeth and her mother-in-law were among them.

"You're right, she doesn't say it's impossible," Elizabeth admitted, "but it is going to be nearly impossible. I thought that since thirty-five states have already approved the amendment, we could easily get the one more state that we need to make it the law of the land, but Miss Paul makes it clear that there is only one state left that might actually approve the amendment, and that state is Tennessee."

Mother Bates frowned. They both knew that almost every other Southern state had already rejected the amendment, and Tennessee was likely to join them. "Why is she so sure it comes down to Tennessee?"

"Since eight states have already rejected it, that leaves just five states that could approve it. We know North Carolina and Florida will never approve it, and the governors of Vermont and Connecticut have refused to call a special session of their legislatures even to vote on it. That means Tennessee is the only possible state left."

"If only we hadn't lost in Delaware," Mother Bates said sadly.

"That was such a disappointment. We were so sure . . ."

"Then we must be sure we will win in Tennessee. Is that what Miss Paul advises?"

Elizabeth looked down at the letter she still held. "Not exactly, but she is calling on all her volunteers to help in whatever way they can."

Mother Bates stopped her knitting needles and stared at Elizabeth. "Did she ask you to go to Tennessee?"

"Yes, she did," Elizabeth said with a sigh.

"That's a great honor. She knows how effective you've been in convincing legislators to vote for the amendment."

Elizabeth and Mother Bates had traveled to several other states to help lobby for the amendment. "Not in the South, though," Elizabeth reminded her.

"Then Tennessee will be the exception."

Elizabeth looked at the letter again. Miss Paul was quite eloquent in her praise of Elizabeth's ability to convince reluctant officials to support Woman Suffrage. If only she knew that Elizabeth's skills came from being raised by a con man to become a con artist herself. She could lie without blinking and charm even the most unappealing gentleman. When she had married Gideon Bates, she had thought her days of conning marks was over, but she had found her skills could come in handy in getting justice for people who could never get it any other way. She had used those skills several times to help her friends.

It had been almost a year since she'd run a con, though, unless she counted lobbying politicians for Woman Suffrage, which she probably should.

"I don't know what Gideon will say," Elizabeth murmured.

"What I'll say about what?" Gideon asked as he came into the parlor.

"Darling, I didn't hear you come home," Elizabeth said, jumping up to give him his welcome-home kiss. Mother Bates tactfully averted her eyes. "How was your day?"

"Boring as usual." Gideon was an estate attorney, so he rarely did anything exciting. "And don't change the subject. What is it you think I'll have something to say about and is that a letter you're holding?"

"It's from Alice Paul," his mother said helpfully.

Elizabeth sent her an exasperated look, which she ignored.

"Ah, I see. Where does Miss Paul want to send you now?" he asked, taking a seat on the sofa and pulling Elizabeth down beside him.

"Tennessee," Elizabeth said.

"In the summer? It gets awfully hot down there in the summer."

"It gets awfully hot in New York in the summer," Elizabeth countered.

Gideon shrugged. "I'm just warning you. Why does she need you in Tennessee?"

"Because it's our only hope." Elizabeth and Mother Bates took turns explaining the situation and how dire it now appeared.

"Does Miss Paul really believe Tennessee will approve the amendment?" he asked when they finished.

"We don't know, but I think we can all agree that they must," his mother said.

"I hope they know that," Gideon said with a grin.

"They will when we tell them," his mother said.

"We?" Gideon echoed.

"You can't think I'd let Elizabeth go to Tennessee by herself when I could help, too."

Elizabeth gave her a grateful smile.

Gideon frowned. "You need to know what you're getting into."

"We've done this before," Elizabeth reminded him.

"Yes, but not when it was down to the wire like this. Some of the other fights have been hard, but the Antis will bring out all their dirty tricks for this one," Gideon said, using the nickname for those who were anti-Woman Suffrage. "Politics can be an ugly business, and when so much is at stake, it gets even uglier."

His mother smiled a little. "Surely, you don't think those Southern gentlemen will do anything unpleasant."

"Oh no," Gideon said. "They'll be smiling very sweetly as they stab you in the back."

"But we have to go," Elizabeth said. "After all we've done for the Cause, we can't sit by now and just watch. What if we lose in Tennessee? I'd never forgive myself for not doing my part."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't go," Gideon said.

"And I'm very happy to see that you also aren't telling her she can't go," Mother Bates said with some satisfaction.

"I wouldn't dare," Gideon replied with a smirk.

Elizabeth knew her father had warned him that forbidding her to do something only guaranteed that she would do it. "Then we'll go."

"And I'm going with you, too," Gideon said.

"Do you think we need your protection?" Elizabeth said in surprise.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, but I'm sure the Suffs can use some male help. Those legislators can be difficult to track down, and they go places that ladies can't go. As a member of the Men's Ratification Committee, I feel it's my duty to volunteer."

"What about your law firm?" Elizabeth said. "We don't even know how long it will take."

"Mr. Devoss will insist that I go when I tell him I'm needed to protect my mother."

"Gideon," Mother Bates scolded, but Elizabeth noticed her cheeks were pink. Mr. Devoss was very devoted to her mother-in-law.

"Do we know Mr. Devoss's stand on Woman Suffrage?" Elizabeth asked.

"I believe Mother convinced him to support it," Gideon said.

His mother glared at him, but he ignored her.

"Then he will certainly let you go to Tennessee," Elizabeth said. "It shouldn't take very long, should it? Surely only a few days. It will be a special session of the legislature and they'll only be considering the amendment."

"Do we know when it will be held?" Gideon asked.

"Not yet. Miss Paul isn't even certain the governor will call it. He's afraid if he shows he supports Woman Suffrage, he won't win his primary on . . ." Elizabeth glanced at Miss Paul's letter to verify the date. ". . . on August fifth, so it will be after that."

"Tennessee in August," Mother Bates said with a mock shudder.

"Another reason the legislators won't want to linger," Gideon said. "But won't they need people there ahead of time to get the legislators to pledge their votes?"

"According to Miss Paul, the Tennessee chapter of the Woman's Party is sending their members out across the state to find the men at their homes and get their pledges."

"So they'll know how many votes they have even before the session starts," Mother Bates added.

"What if they don't have enough?" Gideon asked.

"Then they'll start trying to convince those who wouldn't pledge or who seemed undecided to vote to approve," Mother Bates said.

"And keep those who did pledge to vote for it from changing their minds," Elizabeth said.

"No easy task, I'm sure," Gideon said. "Don't forget that very powerful forces are determined to stop the amendment from becoming law."

"How could we forget?" Elizabeth said. "The railroads and the whiskey men and the textile manufacturers. They're all afraid that if women get the vote, they'll want to end things like corruption and child labor."

"The whiskey men can't still be worried that women would insist on Prohibition since we already have it," Gideon argued.

Elizabeth smiled wisely. "It seems they're worried women will insist that the laws are enforced."

"Ah, I see," Gideon said. "But Tennessee was already dry for years before Prohibition."

"I hope you aren't too surprised to learn that law wasn't really enforced, either," his mother said.

"I can see I should have gone with you on these trips sooner," Gideon said. "I'm hopelessly naïve."

"Not hopelessly," Elizabeth said, patting his arm. "We'll make sure you're properly educated by the time we go to Tennessee. We have a few weeks, if the governor isn't going to call the session until after his primary."

"Maybe he'll schedule it for later in the year, when it will be cooler," Mother Bates said hopefully.

"Oh no, we want it as soon as possible so women have time to register to vote in the November elections," Elizabeth said. "Just think, they'll get to vote for a new president this year."

"But only if we can convince enough of those Tennessee gentlemen to support the amendment," Mother Bates said.

"I have every confidence that the two of you will succeed and all the women in America will be able to vote in the November election," Gideon said.

Elizabeth decided she needed to kiss her husband again, and this time Mother Bates didn't even look away.


Is there something good in the gossip column today?” Anna Vanderslice asked as she breezed into the Bateses’ library to find Elizabeth studying the newspaper.

Elizabeth looked up and smiled at her friend. "I'm sure there is, but I haven't gotten to the gossip column yet. I'm looking for some news about Tennessee."

Anna plopped down on the chair opposite Elizabeth's. "You don't think a New York newspaper will have news about Tennessee, do you?"

"Not usually, but the Tennessee primary election was two days ago, and the governor won his contest, so I'm hoping he'll call the legislature into special session pretty soon."

"That's right. I almost forgot. Are you still planning to go?" Anna asked, pulling off the gloves ladies were required to wear even in summer to protect their hands. Then she started fanning herself with them. "I asked your maid to get us something cool to drink. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. It's very warm today, although Gideon keeps warning me it will be much hotter in Nashville."

"You'll be too busy to even notice," Anna predicted. "I should go with you."

"I would love that," Elizabeth said, "but who would look after your mother?"

Anna sighed. "I know. I can't leave her. She's lost interest in just about everything. She won't even see her friends when they call. It's gotten even worse since my classes ended and I'm home all the time now. She is content to let me wait on her hand and foot. I don't know what I'll do with her when I go back to school in the fall." Anna was attending college, studying to be a teacher.

"Does she still . . . ?" Elizabeth started but caught herself.

"Does she still talk about David all the time?" Anna finished for her. "Oh yes. Sometimes I can hardly bear it."

David was Anna's brother who had died in the flu epidemic almost two years earlier. He had also been Gideon's best friend. "I'm so sorry," Elizabeth said.

"Yes, well, let's not dwell on that," Anna said with forced cheerfulness. "Did you find out anything about Tennessee?"

"Not a word, not even in the front section."

"Why would it be in the front section with the real news?" Anna asked with mock amazement. She was as involved in the Cause as Elizabeth was, having been imprisoned with her and Mother Bates as well. "Everyone knows that news about Woman Suffrage belongs in the women's pages."

"I thought maybe because it involved the governor and politics, they might put it in the front, but no, nothing."

"I'm sure Miss Paul will let you know as soon as she hears. And you can go on short notice since you don't have to . . ."

Elizabeth looked up in surprise when Anna stopped in the middle of her sentence. "Since I don't have to what?"

"Nothing," Anna said sheepishly, not quite meeting her eye.

That was when she realized what Anna had been about to say and why she hadn't said it. "Since I don't have children to worry about," she finished for her friend.

"I'm so sorry," Anna said quickly, obviously ashamed to have brought up the sensitive subject. Elizabeth and Gideon had been married well over a year with no hint of a baby, a lack Elizabeth mourned, albeit quietly.

"That's all right," Elizabeth said with a false smile. "I don't have children yet, so I should take advantage of that freedom. I just hope we have enough time to make our travel arrangements. The Woman's Party is low on funds, so I don't think Miss Paul will be wasting money on long-distance telephone calls or telegrams."

"Low on funds?" Anna scoffed, taking Elizabeth's hint to change the subject. "Won't Mrs. Belmont help them out?" The wealthy Mrs. Belmont was the main benefactor for the Party.

"I don't know, but Miss Paul also asked me for a donation when she wrote to invite me to go to Tennessee."

"She's always asking for donations," Anna reminded her.

"This one sounded a little desperate, though. I know she'll want to go to Tennessee herself so she can direct the volunteers."

"Yes, this is much too important to leave it to anyone else."

"Which is why I sent her some money," Elizabeth said.

"I'll send some, too, although it won't be much. Mother still refuses to understand that we need to economize since we don't have David to support us anymore."

"That's kind of you. I do wish you could go with us."

Anna smiled mischievously. "Yes, we could have a wonderful time with those legislators. Do you think we could run a con to get them to support the amendment?"

Elizabeth gave her a disapproving glare. "I should never have let you kill me." As part of a con, Anna had once pretended to murder Elizabeth, which had ironically saved Elizabeth's life.

Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

#Review - City of Fortune by Victoria Thompson #Mystery #Historical

Series: Counterfeit Lady # 6
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery / Historical

When a day at the races reveals sabotage and subterfuge, Elizabeth Miles must use every ounce of her craftiness to even the score in this all-new Counterfeit Lady novel from USA Today bestselling author Victoria Thompson.

Wealthy but uncouth Sebastian Nolan has invited his lawyer, Gideon Bates, and his lovely new wife, Elizabeth, to attend the famous Belmont Stakes. Nolan is anxious for Gideon and Elizabeth to help his daughter, Irene, acquire a bit of polish, now that his venture into thoroughbred racing has allowed them entry into society. He is also hoping to find her a rich potential suitor. Elizabeth is not exactly the society girl Nolan believes her to be, but she is eager to attend the races. Her con artist family has made a lot of money at racetracks, although not from betting on the horses, and she enjoys the excitement of the track.

Irene Nolan seems more interested in horses than husbands, and she jumps at the chance to show Elizabeth her horse, Trench, and introduce her to his rider, Cal Regan. Elizabeth soon realizes there is more than just a working relationship between Irene and Cal. But she also knows that Irene’s father would never allow his only daughter to marry a jockey. When Cal takes a terrible tumble injuring both himself and Irene’s beloved Trench, Elizabeth and Gideon learn that the mishap was not simply bad luck—the horse and rider are victims of sabotage.  

It turns out that Sebastian Nolan has more than a few skeletons in his closet and someone is out to get their long sought-after revenge. Elizabeth knows that to help Irene and Cal, she is going to need some help in creating the quintessential con. With the ever honest Gideon at her side, she enlists those closest to her to come up with a scheme that will either ensure young Irene and Cal a first-place finish or have disastrous consequence. . . .

City of Fortune is the sixth installment in author Victoria Thompson's Counterfeit Lady series. Wealthy but uncouth Sebastian Nolan has invited his lawyer, Gideon Bates, and his wife, Elizabeth Miles Bates, to attend the famous Belmont Stakes. Nolan is anxious for Gideon and Elizabeth to help his daughter, Irene, acquire a bit of polish, now that his venture into thoroughbred racing has allowed them entry into society. He is also hoping to find her a rich potential suitor. Nolan has a horse and jockey he believes can regain his reputation.

 

Elizabeth is not exactly the society girl Nolan believes her to be, but she is eager to attend the races. Her con artist family, including her father, and brother, have made a lot of money at racetracks, although not from betting on the horses, and she enjoys the excitement of the track. Irene Nolan seems more interested in horses than husbands, and she jumps at the chance to show Elizabeth her horse, Trench, and introduce her to his rider, Cal Regan. Elizabeth soon realizes there is more than just a working relationship between Irene and Cal. 

 

But she also knows that Irene’s father would never allow his only daughter to marry a jockey. When Cal takes a terrible tumble injuring both himself and Irene’s beloved Trench, Elizabeth and Gideon learn that the mishap was not simply bad luck—the horse and rider are victims of sabotage, and only person to blame may be Daniel Livingston. It turns out that Sebastian Nolan has more than a few skeletons in his closet and someone is out to get their long sought-after revenge. Elizabeth knows that to help Irene and Cal, she is going to need some help in creating the quintessential con.

 

In walks a woman calling herself Senora Paulita who claims that she came from San Francisco, but originally lived in Spain before the war. Paulita, along with a woman she claims is her sister, has her own little con game going on it and includes two men, Sebastian Nolan, as well as his adversary Daniel Livingston. The two men have spent the last 20 years angry at each other over a woman who left Daniel and married Nolan. When Nolan sees the woman, he immediately believes that his presumed dead wife, Mary Nolan, has come back from the grave.

 

Shockingly, the man that Paulita is with is none other than Elizabeth's own father. Paulita decides to play the men against each other in a twisted love triangle to see who can come up with the most money to help her fix a problem that she is dealing with back in Spain. One that will require her sister to marry a man her sister despises. With the ever honest Gideon at her side, she enlists those closest to her to come up with a scheme that will either ensure young Irene and Cal a first-place finish or have disastrous consequence.

 

Gideon, an honorable lawyer who refuses to lie but he has moments that make you take notice. I also found Hazel Bates to once again be at the center of what's happening with Elizabeth and her attempts at helping people without taking any money from them. I have to admit that I was once into horse racing when I lived in New York. We had plenty of tracks, and plenty of weekends where we would go to various races and place bets as well as partaking in all you can eat restaurants. This story brought back a whole lot of memories. Some good, and some bad. Overall, a decent read with a surprising ending.

 

CHAPTER one

Being married had advantages that attorney gideon Bates had never even considered during his bachelor days. For example, he no longer had to think of polite excuses when a client offered to introduce him to a marriageable daughter, as he was starting to suspect Mr. Sebastian Nolan was working his way up to doing.

"I'd like to arrange for a sum of money to be settled on my daughter, Irene," Nolan was saying. He was a large man, tall and substantial without being fat, and his weathered face indicated he had worked very hard for his fortune, although Gideon happened to know Nolan just spent a lot of time on the training track with his Thoroughbred horses. "Not so much money that she would draw the attention of fortune hunters but enough to ensure her a comfortable income and to sweeten the pot."

"Sweeten the pot?" Gideon echoed in confusion.

"I guess that's a poor choice of words, but I'd like to provide any potential suitors with a little incentive. You see, Irene is . . . Well, don't get me wrong. No man could want a finer daughter. She's smart as a whip and has the disposition of an angel, but a girl needs something more. We're both men of the world, Mr. Bates, so I know you understand."

"I'm not sure I do, Mr. Nolan," Gideon hedged, afraid he understood only too well.

Nolan sighed. "A man wants a woman who's at least a bit . . . attractive. It shouldn't matter, of course, but we both know it does, at least to most men, and Irene . . . Poor Irene took after me when it comes to looks, instead of her sainted mother, God rest her soul. She's a wonderful girl but not one a man would look at twice, if you know what I mean."

Oh dear, poor Irene indeed if that's what her own father thought of her. Gideon didn't even have to imagine what his mother would say on the subject of females being judged on their appearance, and his wife, Elizabeth, would agree with her wholeheartedly. For his part, Gideon wanted to argue with Mr. Nolan, but he couldn't exactly take the high ground on this subject since his own wife was quite lovely. He also had to admit that it had been her beauty that originally attracted him before he fell in love with her spirit. Still, he didn't want to confirm such a shallow quality in his gender as a whole.

"I'm sure your daughter will have many suitors who find her quite appealing."

"I admire your optimism, young man, but she's twenty-three and hasn't had a suitor yet, which is why I want to give her a dowry of sorts. It's an old-fashioned idea, but it used to do the trick, and I don't see why it couldn't do so again."

"Perhaps we shouldn't call it a dowry," Gideon suggested. "I like the word you used, 'settle.' Perhaps we could call it a settlement."

"So, you can fix that up for me?"

"I have a few ideas on the subject, but I'd like to discuss them with my partners who have a lot more experience with things like this." Was that really true? He hoped so. "They may have some even better suggestions. If you give me a week, I can prepare a proposal for you."

Nolan actually clapped his hands together with satisfaction. "That's the ticket! I knew you'd figure something out."

"Please wait until I've actually done it to compliment me, Mr. Nolan," Gideon begged him good-naturedly.

"Of course, of course. I appreciate your attitude, Mr. Bates. You're married, aren't you?"

Gideon blinked at the abruptness of the question. "Why, yes, I am." So, his fears that Nolan wanted to fix him up with Irene had been unfounded.

Nolan fingered his luxurious beard thoughtfully. "I'm wondering if you and your missus might enjoy a day at the races. The Belmont Stakes are next Wednesday, and it should be a good show. Sir Barton is running. They say he's the best horse of this year, maybe of this century."

"Yes, I've read a lot about him."

"I'd love to have you and your missus join me. I've got a box reserved since I have two horses running that day."

"In the Belmont?" Gideon asked in surprise.

"Oh no, in other races. I don't have a horse that good yet, but I'm still building my stable."

"I knew you raised horses, but I didn't know you raced them."

Nolan shrugged modestly. "I took up raising them as a hobby when I first made some money, but I finally started racing seriously the past few years. How about it? Do you think your wife would enjoy a day at Belmont Park or is she one of those folks who don't believe in gambling?"

Gideon was pretty sure Elizabeth had nothing against gambling, and she might very well enjoy a day at the track. "I'm sure she'd be happy to accompany me," Gideon said with confidence, "but I'll need to check with her in case she has other plans."

"I understand. And how about your mother? Would she join us, too, do you think?"

"She very well might. That's nice of you to include her, Mr. Nolan."

"Nonsense. I've got to fill up my box, and I've been thinking Irene should meet some society ladies. You see, her mother died when she was born, so she spent way too much time running wild at the stables growing up, and I'm afraid she knows more about horses than she does about etiquette."

Gideon bit back a smile. He should probably admit that his wife wasn't exactly a "society lady," but she was quickly becoming one, and, in any case, her background was certainly none of Nolan's business. For her part, Elizabeth would probably love the idea of being a role model for Irene Nolan, and his mother would like nothing better than helping Irene polish her social skills. "I'm sure my wife and mother will be delighted to meet your daughter at Belmont Park next Wednesday."


Elizabeth loved greeting gideon at the front door when he returned home from work at the end of each day. He was always as happy to see her as she was to see him, and they shared a few moments alone in the front hallway to demonstrate that happiness before removing to the parlor, where GideonÕs mother waited.

"Have you seen the newspapers?" his mother asked the moment he entered the parlor.

His smile matched hers. "Of course I did. Newsboys were hawking extras on every street corner. Congratulations!"

"I hardly deserve congratulations," Mother Bates demurred. "I'm not solely responsible for the passage of the Woman Suffrage Amendment."

"You certainly did your part, though," Elizabeth said, and turned to Gideon. "We've been remembering our days in the workhouse and how many women made such important sacrifices to get this passed." Elizabeth had never thought being sentenced to six months of hard labor for demonstrating outside the White House would result in meeting the love of her life-or more accurately, his mother-but she would always be grateful.

"I suppose you'll be planning some kind of celebration," Gideon said.

His mother shook her head. "Probably not until it's been ratified. We've been disappointed too many times over the past eighty years, and ratification is far from certain."

"But surely, we can't fail now, and it won't take long," Elizabeth said. "We only need thirty-six states to approve it."

"I hope you're right," Mother Bates said. "But it will certainly take some work."

"If work is all it takes, I have every confidence it will be approved," Gideon said. "I've never seen people work harder for anything in my life."

Elizabeth drew Gideon down beside her on the sofa. "Now, what is your big news?"

"What makes you think I have big news?" he asked, obviously surprised and probably a little peeved that she'd noticed.

She sighed like a good wife who has been underestimated yet again. "You always get that little gleam in your eye when you have something exciting to tell us."

He narrowed that eye and pretended to glare at her. "Maybe that little gleam means something else entirely."

Elizabeth fluttered her lashes in mock innocence. "Oh no, when you mean something else, it is a completely different gleam."

Mother Bates cleared her throat to remind them they weren't alone. "Why don't you just tell us, dear?"

Gideon shook his head in mock despair. "How would you both like to go to Belmont Park with me next Wednesday to watch the Belmont Stakes?"

"Are you serious?" Elizabeth cried in delight. "Mother Bates, Sir Barton is running in the Belmont. He's the most fabulous horse."

"How do you know that?" Gideon asked, a bit surprised.

"I read the newspapers, and they've been full of reports of his victories this past month."

"Indeed," Gideon confirmed. "He's already won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Withers. They're calling him the horse of the century."

"My goodness, Gideon, I had no idea you knew anything about horse racing," his mother said with a smile.

Gideon gave her a pitying look. "No young gentleman's education is complete until he has lost his entire monthly allowance at the track, Mother."

She was absolutely delighted to learn this fascinating fact about her son. "I had no idea."

"Which was the whole point," Gideon said.

"And did you lose your entire monthly allowance?" Elizabeth asked, equally delighted.

"Sadly, more than once, which is why I no longer frequent the racetrack."

"Then what has kindled your suddenly renewed interest?" Mother Bates asked. "Is it this horse, Sir What's His Name?"

"A client has inspired it, Mother. He owns racehorses, and he has two of them entered in some of the other races on Wednesday, so he has invited all of us to join him in his owner's box."

"What fun!" Elizabeth said. "You must go with us, Mother Bates."

"But I don't know the first thing about horse racing. It isn't, as you might guess, a required part of a lady's complete education."

"You don't have to know a thing about it to enjoy it. The races are so exciting, and the horses are all just magnificent to watch. You'll also get to see a lot of rich women dressed up so we can gossip about their outfits."

"You do make it sound intriguing," Mother Bates admitted with a smile. "But did you say it's on Wednesday? Don't you have to work, Gideon?"

"I can take the day off because a client invited me, so it's really business."

Elizabeth shared a knowing glance with her mother-in-law. "Men have such a broad idea of what business is."

"And there's one more thing you need to know," Gideon said to change the subject.

"Oh my, that sounds ominous," Elizabeth teased him.

"Not ominous, but I think it's important. Mr. Nolan-Sebastian Nolan, he's the client who invited us-has a daughter named Irene."

"How lovely," Mother Bates said. "I assume she will be there, too."

"Yes, she will. Mr. Nolan would very much like for her to meet some society ladies who will set her a good example."

"Does she need a good example?" Mother Bates asked with a worried frown.

"Mr. Nolan seems to think so. You see, her mother died when Irene was very young, and the girl spent more time in the stables than in the drawing room, if you know what I mean. Her father seems to think she's a little rough around the edges."

"I'm sure that isn't true," Elizabeth said, having no idea if it was or not but feeling compelled to defend the young woman. Elizabeth had a few rough edges of her own.

"Does he think we can improve her by our mere presence at the racetrack for one day?" Mother Bates asked skeptically.

"I think he'd like for Irene and Elizabeth to become friends, which would give Irene time to observe and learn from her."

"I hardly feel qualified to teach someone about society," Elizabeth said in dismay. "I'm still learning myself."

"Nonsense, my dear," Mother Bates said. "You know more about how to be a lady than most of the women I know. Irene Nolan would do well to learn from you."

Elizabeth gave her mother-in-law a grateful smile. Really, she was so very lucky to have such a wonderful woman in her life. But then, she'd learned to love Mother Bates long before she even knew Gideon existed, having first met her when they were in prison together for demonstrating for Woman Suffrage. "I don't know how much I could teach Irene, but I know she could learn a lot from you, as I have."

"If she even needs it," Mother Bates said. "Perhaps her father is just being too persnickety."

"He may be, but he's concerned because she's twenty-three and hasn't attracted a serious suitor for her hand yet," Gideon said.

"Maybe she doesn't want to get married," Elizabeth said. "Maybe she is actively discouraging their attentions."

"I didn't think of that," Gideon said. They all knew a young lady in that very situation, so it was a definite possibility. "But her father thinks it's because she's . . . Well, he doesn't think she's very pretty."

Elizabeth and Mother Bates both exclaimed their outrage.

"I know," Gideon said, waving his hands to calm them. "I agree. I'm just telling you what he said."

"He actually said that?" Elizabeth cried.

"I'm afraid so. Or at least he said no man would look at her twice."

"As if that were a woman's sole purpose in life," Mother Bates huffed.

"I didn't want to tell you," Gideon said, "but I thought it was important for you to know."

"And thank you for telling us, darling," Elizabeth said, taking his hand in hers. "This girl needs far more than lessons in deportment, and we are just the two females who can help her."

Gideon smiled and squeezed her hand. "I knew you'd accept the challenge."


The trip out to belmont park was quite pleasant, since the Long Island Rail Road had run an extension from the Queens Village station to the park itself, which made it easy for city dwellers to reach the track. A lot of city dwellers were taking advantage of it today, too. The crowd moving toward Belmont was already large, proving Sir BartonÕs appearance in the Belmont Stakes was quite a draw. The weather just happened to be perfect as well, sunny but cool for June with a high temperature forecast to be around seventy degrees.

"Mr. Nolan was so thoughtful to invite us to join him for lunch at the clubhouse before the races start," Elizabeth said as they strolled toward the entrance gate.

"Have you spent a lot of time at racetracks?" Mother Bates asked quite innocently. Few society mothers would need to ask such a question of their daughters-in-law.

Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

#Review - City of Shadows by Victoria Thompson #Mystery #Historical

Series: A Counterfeit Lady Novel (#5)
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: December 7, 2021
Publisher: Berkley Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery / Historical

In this all-new Counterfeit Lady Novel from USA Today bestselling author Victoria Thompson, newlywed Elizabeth Miles must use her unlawful skills to expose a dangerous charlatan.

Elizabeth Miles Bates has returned from her honeymoon with Gideon and is taking great pride in having completely forsaken her disreputable past. Then her friend Anna Vanderslice begs her to use her talents to save her widowed mother from an unscrupulous medium. Since the war and the flu epidemic left so many families in mourning, séances have come back into vogue as desperate families long to communicate with their loved ones. 

Anna’s mother has been attending séances in hopes of connecting with her son, David, who died of influenza. Anna had thought it a heartbreaking but harmless activity, but she’s just learned that Mrs. Vanderslice is paying the medium ever-increasing sums of money in her eagerness to make contact. Since David’s death has already caused Anna and her mother financial hardship, Mrs. Vanderslice’s obsession is in danger of ruining them.

Madame Ophelia is working with a group of con artists to fleece as many grieving New Yorkers as possible before moving on to another city. Several of Mrs. Vanderslice’s friends, as well as some of Gideon’s clients, have already been victims. Elizabeth knows that simply exposing the medium as a fraud will not be enough to recoup the stolen money; the only way is to con the medium and her cohorts. But will Elizabeth’s family help her when it means betraying other con artists? Elizabeth recruits Gideon, her aunt Cybil, and her partner, Zelda, to lend a hand. Can Elizabeth and her gang of amateurs fool the professionals? Or will speaking to the dead lead to deadly consequences?

City of Shadows is the Fifth installment in author Victoria Thompson's Counterfeit Lady series. Elizabeth Miles Bates has returned from her honeymoon cruise with Gideon Bates and is taking great pride in having completely forsaken her past life as a con artist. In fact, she's putting in a whole lot of effort working with her mother-in-law Hazel Bates pushing President Woodrow Wilson to pass to the 19th Amendment now that the Republican party has control of Congress. Elizabeth and Hazel have already been victim of Wilson's hatred of the suffrage women as we witnessed in the first installment in this series. 

Then her friend, Anna Vanderslice, who has played her part in helping Jake and Elizabeth, begs her to use her talents to help save her widowed mother from a disreputable medium called Madame Ophelia. Since the war and the flu epidemic left so many families bereaved, interest in contacting the dead has experienced a revival. Once quite popular, seances have come back into vogue as desperate families mourn their loved ones and long to communicate with them. Anna's mother has been attending seances in an attempt to contact her son, David, who died of influenza. 

Anna had thought it a harmless activity, though a heartbreaking one, but she has just learned that Mrs. Vanderslice is paying the medium ever-increasing sums of money in her eagerness to make contact with her deceased son. Since David's death has caused Anna and her mother financial hardship already, Mrs. Vanderslice's obsession is in danger of ruining them. Madame Ophelia is part of a group of con artists, including Persephone, working together to fleece as many New Yorker's as possible before moving onto another city. Several of Mrs. Vanderslice's friends as well as some of Gideon's clients have already been victimized. 

Elizabeth knows that simply exposing the medium as a fraud will not be enough, and the only way to get at least some of the stolen money back is to con the medium and her cohorts. But will Elizabeth's family help her when it means betraying other con artists? And who can they trust? No one, as it happens, so Elizabeth turns to her aunt, Cybil, and Cybil's partner, Zelda, for help. Although Cybil disapproves of her family's shady profession, she is more than happy to lend a hand. Can Elizabeth and her gang of amateurs fool the professionals?

The author also introduces a new secondary character to the mix who is important to Anna; Frederica Quincy. They are both in college together, and Freddie seems as though she really likes Anna. Freddie gets involved with Elizabeth's brother Jake in conning one of the members of Madame Ophelia's ring of con artists and boy is she right on point with her antics. She fits right in with Elizabeth, Jake, and the Old Man when it comes to going after people who con the wrong people. I will be interested to see if Freddie sticks around or not. This book once again has multiple points of view from Elizabeth, to Jake, to Gideon who is once again dragged into Elizabeth's attempts to rid the world of bad con artists. 

CHAPTER one

 

Elizabeth looked up from the letter she’d been writing when the maid announced the unexpected arrival of her best friend, Anna Vanderslice. Before she could rise to greet Anna or even open her mouth to ask the maid to show Anna in, Anna brushed unceremoniously past the startled maid and cried, “Elizabeth, you’ve got to help me!”

Being a gently reared young lady, Anna wasn’t given to outbursts like this, especially in front of the servants. “Of course, I’ll help you,” Elizabeth said, rising quickly from the small lady’s desk where she’d been sitting and moving to where Anna stood, anxiously wringing her hands, just inside the library doorway. “Lucy, would you bring us something cool to drink?” Elizabeth asked the still-flustered maid.

Lucy scurried out, obviously glad to escape what promised to be a strange situation.

“What’s the matter?” Elizabeth asked, taking Anna’s hands in hers. They were like ice in spite of the warm day. “What kind of help do you need?”

The despair that clouded Anna’s face truly frightened Elizabeth. She hadn’t seen her friend so upset since Anna’s brother, David, had died of influenza last fall. “Oh, Elizabeth, I…” She glanced at the still-open library door, obviously just realizing that she shouldn’t be discussing anything upsetting where the servants could hear.

“Sit down,” Elizabeth said, hurrying to close the door and give Anna the privacy she needed.

Anna took one of the comfortable chairs placed in front of the now-cold fireplace, sighing wearily as she sank down into it. Elizabeth took the other chair when she had shut the door securely. The chairs had been chosen for comfort so two gentlemen could sit and smoke and converse in the quiet of this cozy book-lined room at the end of a long day, but they would serve just as well for women to share a bit of bad news.

“Now what is it?” Elizabeth demanded almost desperately.

“It’s Mother.”

“Your mother?” Elizabeth echoed in alarm. “Is she ill?”

“Oddly, no,” Anna said with a frown. “You knew she took to her bed after David died. I think her heart was truly broken.”

“She came to my wedding,” Elizabeth reminded her.

“And she would sometimes go to church, but until recently, she rarely left her bedroom.”

“But recently?”

Anna sighed. “Recently, she has discovered a medium.”

Elizabeth blinked in surprise. “You mean, a fortune-teller?”

“Oh, she’s far more than a fortune-teller. She conducts sŽances.”

Elizabeth knew a little about sŽances and what she knew wasn’t good. “Does she make the table move and do the spirits knock in coded raps to convey messages?”

“I have no idea, but Mother is convinced this woman, this Madame Ophelia,” Anna added in disgust, “can contact David.”

“Oh dear.”

“Yes, oh dear,” Anna agreed.

For a long moment, the two friends silently considered this very disturbing situation.

Then Elizabeth found something comforting to say. “I know it must be upsetting to you, but if it gives her some peace to think that-”

“You don’t think this woman can really talk to David, do you?” Anna asked in outrage.

“Of course not. It’s all a con.”

Anna brightened at once. “Then you know all about it?”

“Not much. I may have been raised by a con artist, but even he had standards. Bilking little old ladies out of their last pennies is beneath him. But I do know it’s a con.”

“It’s also more than just a few pennies,” Anna said gravely.

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked, newly alarmed.

Before Anna could answer, Lucy knocked at the door and brought in a tray bearing two glasses of lemonade and a plate of cookies. Elizabeth insisted Anna drink some of the lemonade before continuing. “You must be parched after walking over here.”

That made Anna smile at last. “Hardly. One of the best parts of you finally marrying Gideon is that now you only live a few blocks away.”

Elizabeth could think of other wonderful reasons to be glad she and Gideon were married, but she knew Anna didn’t want to hear about that part of married life. “It is nice being so close to you. Now tell me what you meant about it being more than pennies.”

Anna’s smile vanished again. “Madame Ophelia charges twenty dollars for each session.”

Elizabeth winced. “That does seem expensive.”

“And Mother has been going to see her three times a week.” Three visits a week would cost as much as an average man would earn in a week, but Madame Ophelia most certainly catered only to the wealthy members of society. Her high prices would keep the riffraff away.

“Good heavens.”

“Yes, good heavens. You do know that we aren’t really rich, don’t you?”

Elizabeth did know that. Many of the old New York families had seen their early fortunes dwindle with the generations. Gideon’s family was one of them, but she certainly hadn’t married him for his money. “Is it causing you a hardship?”

“More than a hardship. Father left us some money that provides a modest income, but we relied on David’s salary, too. With David gone…” Anna’s voice caught, and she needed a moment to compose herself. His loss was still fresh enough to cause tears.

“You don’t have to explain,” Elizabeth assured her as Anna dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief.

“But I do. I had to let some of the servants go, but if we’re careful, we should be fine. Or at least we would have been, but now…”

“Have you explained this to your mother? I’m sure if she understood-”

“Of course, I explained it to her, but she refuses to understand. Father and David always took care of everything. She has no idea how much things cost or how much our income is. She thinks Father left us wealthy and the money will never run out and I’m just being mean because I don’t believe in Madame Ophelia’s powers. On top of that, this Madame Ophelia has bewitched her. Mother becomes furious if I even suggest she stop attending these sŽances, and this morning she told me she’s going to start seeing the woman every day. We can’t afford that! I won’t even be able to go back to college in the fall.” Her tears were falling freely now, but at least Elizabeth could offer a bit of comfort.

“You don’t have to worry about college, my darling girl. Your fees will be paid no matter what.”

But this news was far from comforting, if Anna’s scowl was any indication. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. The fees will be paid.”

Anna’s scowl deepened. “I can’t take charity from you, Elizabeth.”

Oh dear, now she’d hurt Anna’s pride. “It’s not charity and it’s not from me.”

“Who is it from, then? I won’t take anything from Gideon, either.”

Elizabeth sighed in defeat. “Not Gideon. Jake.”

“Jake? Your brother, Jake?”

“The very same.”

Anna’s shock was almost comic, but Elizabeth knew better than to laugh. “Why would Jake pay my college fees?”

“Because you helped him with a con. Do you have any idea how much he made on that?”

Anna stiffened her spine. “No, I don’t.”

“Well, it was a lot, and he hardly had any expenses. By rights, you should have had a share, but we didn’t think you would take it, so Jake set up to pay your school fees instead, and there will be a nice little sum to get you started when you graduate.”

“But…what about you? You helped, too, and a lot more than I did. Shouldn’t you get that money?”

“Some of it, yes, but I couldn’t possibly take it since I promised Gideon I had given all that up.”

“But Gideon knows you helped with that con.”

“Yes, and he did, too, in his own way, but we didn’t do it for the money. That makes a difference, at least to Gideon.”

“I didn’t do it for the money, either.”

“I know, dear one. You did it for the excitement, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t benefit. You don’t have to answer to a painfully honest husband, after all.”

“And I never will,” Anna said with some satisfaction. “But why would Jake go to so much trouble for me?”

“Because you’re his friend. I think you may be the only friend he’s ever had.”

“But I’m a female.”

“That’s what he likes best about you, I think. Men are always competing with one another and women want to get married. You don’t compete and you don’t want to marry him. You’re also smart and clever, and I think he feels smart and clever when he’s with you.”

“And that makes him want to give me money?” Anna asked doubtfully.

“It’s his way of showing his respect for the way you performed.”

“He can be very aggravating,” Anna reminded her.

“He’s a man. Try not to hold that against him.”

That finally brought a small smile to Anna’s lips. It lasted only a moment, though, before she remembered her other problems. “I may need that money to support us if Mother ruins us, though.”

“Nonsense. You’re going to college so you can have a profession and support yourself for the rest of your life. Your whole future depends on it. You can’t give that up.”

“But what about Madame Ophelia?”

Elizabeth pretended to consider this very seriously. “Hmmm, Madame Ophelia. She’s surely a con artist. I’ve never tried to con another con artist, but I think it could be a lot of fun.”

 

Elizabeth wore a veil when she went to Dan the Dudes Saloon on Twenty-eighth Street. She wasnt ashamed of her connection to the place, but she didnt want Gideon to be embarrassed if someone saw her and reported it in a gossip column. Why anyone should care where she went was a mystery, but Gideons family was one of the oldest society families in New York, and people did care.

She didn’t actually enter the saloon, of course. She slipped down the alley, found a nondescript door and knocked a coded knock. This put her in mind of her question to Anna about spirits knocking out messages, but then the sliding panel in the door opened, distracting her from her musings. A curious eye peered out, and then the door opened at once.

“Contessa!” the elderly man said with obvious pleasure, using the title of respect she had earned. “Come in, come in.”

“How are you, Spuds?” she asked.

Spuds, so called because his face resembled a dried-up potato, grinned. “I’m better for seeing you. I am guessing you’re here for the Old Man.”

“Good guess!”

“He’s out, but I expect him soon. Come in and say hello to the fellas.”

Spuds led her back to a large room where several men of various ages sat playing cards or reading the Daily Racing Form and arguing over upcoming races. Dan the Dude’s back room was where New York City con men gathered to tell one another lies and hopefully meet up with someone who had a job for them. She knew every man there, and they enjoyed a few minutes of conversation where they teased her about marrying a Mr. Bates, which was her new husband’s name but also what con artists called their marks.

After a while, Spuds went to answer another knock, and a silver-haired gentleman wearing a tailor-made suit came in. The Old Man was already smiling because Spuds had told him Elizabeth was waiting for him.

“Lizzie,” he said with mock consternation, “what are you doing talking to all these old reprobates?”

“You mean, when I could be talking to just one old reprobate?” she asked, making everyone laugh.

“Exactly. Come into my office before you are completely corrupted.”

Elizabeth followed him into his spartan office and waited while he dusted off the visitor’s chair with his snowy white handkerchief. When she was seated beside his desk and he was comfortably ensconced in his own chair, he said, “Does Gideon know you’re here?”

“Do you think I need my husband’s permission to visit my own father?”

He didn’t exactly roll his eyes, but he might as well have. “If you want to visit me, you invite me to dinner. If you want to see me on business, you come here. So, does Gideon know you’re planning another con?”

“Not yet,” she said shamelessly.

The Old Man groaned with feigned dismay.

“He’ll be only too happy about it when he finds out, though,” she said.

He didn’t seem so sure. “Who are you helping this time?”

“Anna Vanderslice.”

He blinked in surprise. “How has the lovely Miss Vanderslice gotten herself into a situation that requires her to be rescued?”

“She hasn’t. It’s her mother. She’s been going to seances.”

“Seances? I thought they’d fallen out of fashion after those famous women admitted they were frauds and that the spirit tapping was just them cracking their toe joints or something.”

“I don’t know about that, but Mrs. Vanderslice found this medium named Madame Ophelia and-”

“Why are they always madame something or other?”

“I’m sure they have their reasons. At any rate, Mrs. Vanderslice wants to contact her son, David. I imagine a lot of people want to contact loved ones they lost in the war or to the flu.”

The Old Man didn’t look like he thought that was a good idea, but he said, “Why should Anna care, though? If it gives her mother some comfort, I mean.”

“Because the medium is charging her twenty dollars a session, and Mrs. Vanderslice wants to go see the woman every day. Anna and her mother are already in reduced circumstances because of David’s death, and they can’t afford it. And yes, Anna explained that to her mother, but her mother doesn’t want to believe it.”

“Or give up seeing the medium, I expect. I don’t suppose it would help to reveal the woman as a fraud.”

Elizabeth gave him a pitying look. “You know people never want to admit they’ve been bamboozled. That’s the basis of every con ever devised.”

The Old Man shrugged apologetically. “Then what did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know yet. I thought I should find out more about mediums and how they work first. Do you know anything about them?”

“Besides what I read in the newspapers, you mean? Let me think.”

She gave him a minute to do so, and after a few seconds, a slow smile spread across his handsome face.

“I just remembered old Barney. He had a slick little racket out in Chicago about ten years ago. Set himself up as a fortune-teller. He followed the market and was pretty savvy about guessing which stocks were going to do well. People would come to him, and he’d advise them which stocks to buy. When they increased in value, the marks thought he really could foretell the future.”

Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

#Review - City of Schemes by Victoria Thompson #Historical #Mystery #Romance

Series: A Counterfeit Lady Novel (#4)
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: January 5, 2021
Publisher: Berkley Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Historical / Romance / Mystery

Elizabeth Miles is preparing for her wedding to Gideon Bates, when a menacing shadow from her past threatens to destroy the life she’s built for herself in this all new Counterfeit Lady Novel from USA Today bestselling author, Victoria Thompson.

The Great War is over, and Elizabeth and Gideon are busily planning their wedding and welcoming home old friends now discharged from the army. One of them, Captain Archie Carstens, the son and heir of a wealthy Knickerbocker family, seems less happy to be home than Gideon had expected. While Archie was in France, he fell in love with a beautiful French woman named Noelle. He desperately wanted to propose, but he was already engaged to a girl he had known all his life back in America.

When Archie receives a letter supposedly from Noelle begging for money to help her flee the terrible conditions in France and come to America, Elizabeth is suspicious. There’s no way to verify the letter is actually from Noelle, and she fears that a conman or woman might be trying to take advantage of Archie in his vulnerable state. But that’s not all Elizabeth has to worry about. Vicious thug Oscar Thornton has gotten wind of her wedding announcement and realizes the woman who conned him is still alive and well. Gideon and Elizabeth have to figure out a way to help their friend while making sure their worst enemy doesn’t destroy their future…. 

City of Schemes is the fourth installment in author Victoria Thompson's Counterfeit Lady series. It has been two months since World War I ended, Elizabeth Miles and Gideon Bates are preparing for their wedding. Thanks to the War ending before Gideon could be shipped ovrseas and likely not returning, plans are now going full speed ahead with the invitations, the place for the wedding, the guests who will be invited, the dress, etc. Then comes the revelation that Gideon's friend Logan Carstens is not as happy to return home as Gideon expected. 

Despite the terrible ravages of the war, Logan, who is betrothed to Rosemary Westerly, found his great love in a young French woman named Noelle. The other problem is that New York society is strict and closed off to outsiders. Families have been known to tear each other a part at the slightest hint of wrongdoing. One day, Logan receives a letter in which Noelle asks for money to help flee her home country. However, Elizabeth notices something suspicious in the content of this letter. Elizabeth realizes that this looks to be a grift called the Spanish Prisoner.

Elizabeth desires the most to verify the authenticity of the letter so that if the letter is true, Logan has a chance to be happy. Unfortunately, Oscar Thornton, (the mark from the con in book #1), comes back to retrieve money he believes he had lost to her in one of her so-called schemes after reading about her engagement in the society newspapers. In order to get rid of him, Elizabeth goes to her father, The Old Man, along with her brother Jake, in seeking help to finally put Thornton out of his misery. This con belongs to the Old Man and Jake exclusively which once again reminds me of the movie The Sting.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth has to deal with a betrayal by Logan’s alleged fiancé Rosemary Westerly who leaked her engagement to Gideon to the newspaper. One of the best things about this story is the authenticity of the setting. The author has done her due diligence and it shows every single time one of these books is released. Some authors may mail it in, or create their own world, Thompson puts fictional characters into historical settings and does a marvelous job of creating a wonderfully entertaining story. I love that Gideon has all but stepped back and allowed Elizabeth to do what she needs to do. I am overjoyed that readers will finally get to see the event of the year with Elizabeth and Gideon’s wedding and all the surprises that come with it. So much for a quiet family and close-friends-only wedding! 

CHAPTER one

Planning a wedding was very much like planning a con, Elizabeth had noticed. With a wedding, the bride was the mark, and everyone was trying to convince her to give them her money for some ridiculous thing that sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime but which would probably turn out to be not nearly so wonderful. Even her future mother-in-law had noticed, and she’d never even heard of running a con until she met Elizabeth.

“Are you sure you want to have such a lavish meal for the wedding breakfast, my dear?” Mrs. Bates asked with a worried frown as she peered at the menu.

They were sitting in Mrs. Bates’s parlor, having pulled up an extra chair to her writing desk so Elizabeth could show her all the lists she had brought along. As the mother of the groom, Mrs. Bates didn’t have many responsibilities for the wedding, but she was anxious to help in any way she could. Since Elizabeth had lost her mother many years ago, her aunt Cybil was trying to fill in with the mother-of-the-bride duties, but neither Cybil nor Elizabeth had ever even attended a society wedding. The Bates family, on the other hand, was one of the oldest society families in New York. Elizabeth didn’t want to disgrace them.

“I’m not too worried about the wedding breakfast,” Elizabeth said. And the wedding breakfast wasn’t a breakfast at all, but rather a dinner. “The Old Man is paying for it.”

Mrs. Bates smiled. She found Elizabeth’s father charming in spite of his questionable occupation as a con man. “As he should, but still…”

“He chose the menu. He said he wants to send me off in style, but if you think it’s too much…”

“Oh, no. I was just concerned about the cost.”

Society family or not, the Bateses weren’t millionaires, and her beloved Gideon had to work for a living.

Elizabeth laid the menu aside and cleared her throat in preparation for discussing a somewhat sensitive matter. “I was also wondering about the announcement, the one for the newspapers. I know Gideon and I should announce our engagement, but…”

Mrs. Bates frowned at Elizabeth’s hesitation. “That is typically what young ladies do, but if you’d rather not for some reason, then I’m sure-”

“It’s not that I’d rather not,” Elizabeth hastily explained. “I want everyone to know Gideon and I are getting married. Everyone, that is, except Oscar Thornton.”

“Oh my, of course.” Mrs. Bates instantly understood. Thornton had once wanted Elizabeth dead. The only reason he had abandoned this goal was because he thought she already was dead. “If he saw your name in the newspapers…”

“Yes, he might decide to come back for a visit.”

“I see, and we certainly can’t allow that. Although I seriously doubt Oscar reads the society pages, there’s no use taking a chance, is there? I think a simple announcement of your wedding after it takes place that lists you simply as Mrs. Bates will be adequate. I can also send personal notes to my friends who aren’t invited to the wedding. That is often done when the wedding is a small one.”

Was that disappointment Elizabeth heard in her voice? “Are you sorry we’ve decided just to have family and a few close friends?”

“Not at all. It’s your wedding, and you should do as you like. A large wedding can be something of a headache to plan, too.”

“Even more of a headache than this one?” Elizabeth asked in mock despair.

“I’m afraid so, my dear,” Mrs. Bates assured her.

Resigned, Elizabeth picked up her next list. “What about the flowers? I’ve been reading everything I could find in the etiquette books, and they say a tasteful canopy of greenery is all you need for the ceremony.”

“For a simple home wedding, I’m sure that’s true, although you’ll probably want a few flower arrangements to set around.”

Elizabeth made a note, and then she sat back and sighed. “I wish we could just elope.”

“Usually it’s the bride who wants a lavish wedding and the groom who wants to just run off.”

Yes, Elizabeth imagined most grooms were only really interested in the honeymoon. “I don’t think Gideon would mind eloping, either, but it’s already bad enough that he’s marrying a girl no one in society ever heard of. We can’t give people more reason to gossip because we ran off somewhere.”

“I’m sure Gideon appreciates your concern for his good name,” Mrs. Bates said with a tiny smile.

Elizabeth returned the smile. “I’m determined not to embarrass him at least. So, what kind of flowers do you think? It won’t really even be spring in March, so-”

They both looked up at the sound of the front door opening. Mrs. Bates gave Elizabeth a knowing look. “That will be Gideon coming home.”

Elizabeth jumped up, all wedding plans forgotten, as she hurried out into the front hall to greet her intended. He was just unwrapping the scarf from around his neck when he saw her.

“Darling, what a delightful surprise!” A smile lit his handsome face, and Elizabeth hurried over to kiss him while Mrs. Bates couldn’t see them.

When he had greeted her with the proper amount of enthusiasm, she stepped back to catch her breath and allow him to remove his coat. Only then did she notice the coat itself.

“What on earth are you wearing?”

Gideon glanced down at the beige garment he was unbuttoning. “My new trench coat. It goes with my new trench wristwatch.” He held up his left arm and shot back his cuff to reveal the wristwatch she had given him last week for Christmas. It was a replica of the ones the army had issued to the doughboys because pocket watches weren’t practical in battle, except Gideon’s was made of real gold.

Elizabeth frowned. “I know the soldiers wore wristwatches in the trenches, but surely they didn’t wear coats like that.” It really was rather hideous.

“The officers did, I’m told. They’re very practical. The fabric is waterproof, which must have come in handy since it rained so much in France.” Gideon had been drafted too late to see any military action. “It has lots of pockets, too.”

“Which you can use to hold lots of legal papers, I’m sure,” Elizabeth teased. Surely, an attorney didn’t have much use for extra pockets.

Gideon grinned as he shrugged out of his trench coat. She did love his grin. “I hear they’re making trench boots now, and trench hats, too. It’s all the rage now that the war is over.”

“I wonder if they have trench wedding gowns?”

“Waterproof ones, no doubt. Very practical if it’s a long walk to the church door.”

“Fortunately, I only have to walk from my bedroom to the parlor, so I don’t have to worry about rain.”

Gideon hung up his coat and reached for her again, but his mother’s voice stopped him. She had finally come out into the hallway, probably having judged that she’d given them enough time to canoodle. “I’ve invited Elizabeth to join us for dinner. We’ve been going over plans for the wedding, and I thought you might want to hear all about them.”

To Elizabeth’s surprise, his good cheer vanished. “I’m sorry, I have to go to my club tonight. They’re having a dinner to welcome home some of the members who were overseas.”

America had wasted no time demobilizing their troops in the two months since the war’s end, and thousands of them were arriving at New York City ports daily.

“Then you must attend. Logan Carstens will probably be there,” Mrs. Bates said. “I saw his mother in church, and she said he was due home on Monday.”

“I heard that, too. I’m glad he made it.” Gideon sighed. “We’re also having a memorial for the ones who didn’t, but that’s not for a few more weeks yet.”

Elizabeth took his hand in both of hers, offering what comfort she could. He still felt guilty for having escaped the carnage. “Come into the parlor, and your mother and I will distract you with wedding plans. You can settle an argument. Do you think it’s appropriate to have poison ivy in the wedding canopy?”

This brought back his smile, as she had intended. “Let me guess, the poison ivy is your brother’s idea.”

Gideon hadnÕt really enjoyed the evening at his club, but it also wasnÕt as painful as heÕd expected it to be. Two of his old friends whom he welcomed home had actually congratulated him on missing the war, and they werenÕt being sarcastic. They didnÕt seem so much happy to be home as relieved to have the war over with. Plainly, they were glad he had been spared the ordeal, and when he saw how haggard and haunted they looked, he thought he could understand, at least a little.

His old friend Logan had spent most of the evening sitting in a dark corner and cradling a whiskey glass that other club members had kept refilling. Everyone was joking that they needed to drink up while they still legally could, with prohibition looming in the coming months.

Logan hadn’t spoken much to those who made a point of personally welcoming him home, though, even cutting Gideon off when he’d started asking how Logan was doing. As the evening wore on, the crowd thinned out, and Gideon approached him again, carrying over a chair this time and sitting down beside him without being invited.

Logan’s empty glass sat on the table, but he looked like he didn’t need any more to drink.

“You don’t seem very glad to be home,” Gideon said gently. “Don’t tell me Rosemary has thrown you over while you were gone.”

Gideon had expected an answering grin, since he knew perfectly well Rosemary Westerly had remained steadfastly faithful to the man who had proposed to her before leaving for France. She was no doubt as deep in wedding planning as Elizabeth.

But Logan didn’t grin. He ran an unsteady hand over his face and sighed. “I never should have asked her to marry me. If I’d known…”

This was not what Gideon had expected to hear, but his friend obviously needed his support, so he would give it. “I can’t imagine what it was like over there, and I know it’s probably changed you in some ways, but Rosemary loves you, and I’m sure she’ll-”

“You don’t understand, Gideon.”

“I know I don’t. I wasn’t there, but-”

“It’s not the war. Oh, I guess it is, in a way, but it’s not what you think. I’m different, yes. We all are. The things we saw…But it’s not that. Or not only that.” He picked up his glass and seemed surprised to find it empty. He set it back down and sighed again. “You see, I met someone.”

“Someone?” Gideon asked, not sure he understood yet. “Over there, you mean?”

“Yes, I met a girl. A French girl.”

Gideon managed not to wince. He’d heard the jokes and the crude remarks about the French girls who were supposedly so free with their favors. And the song. “Mademoiselle from Armentires.” “You didn’t have to know her long to know the reason men go wrong.” And that was one of the tamer verses. But surely Logan wouldn’t be taken in by such a woman.

“She’s not like that,” Logan said when Gideon didn’t reply. “I can see it in your face, what you’re thinking, but Noelle is…They made the French people take us into their homes. Did you know that?”

“I think I heard about it, yes,” Gideon said.

“We got to this little town, and there was no place for our men to stay, so the army made every family in the town take a few soldiers to live in their homes. I was billeted with the mayor. Because I was a captain. They gave me the best bedroom in the house. The mayor and his wife had to share a room with their daughter, Noelle. She was a good girl. She taught in the school before the Germans blew it up and all the children left. French girls are watched just as carefully as American girls are, Gideon. They aren’t like the rumors say. Oh, there are prostitutes in the cities, but most of the French women are just as respectable as women are here.”

“I’m sure they are,” Gideon said, although he’d never given it much thought.

“At first it was a relief to be with regular people and living what felt like a regular life, not like in the trenches. We were living in houses and sitting down to dinner with the family every night. We even went on picnics and had dances. It was just like home, only everyone spoke French.”

Gideon nodded, having nothing else to offer but encouragement.

“I remembered a little French from school, and Noelle had picked up some English, so we were able to talk to each other. Then I started to have feelings for her. I told myself it was only because I was lonely and homesick.”

“I’m sure that was a big part of it,” Gideon tried, but Logan was already shaking his head.

“It was because she understood. She’d seen her country torn apart for years, and she knew the horrors of war that we’d seen in the battles. We’d talk about what the world would be like when the war finally ended and what we would do to make things right again. I can’t even imagine talking to Rosemary about things like that.”

Gideon had known Rosemary as long as Logan had, and he couldn’t imagine it, either. In fact, he couldn’t imagine talking to Rosemary about anything important. “You said you had feelings for this girl. Did she return them?”

Gideon instantly regretted asking the question when Logan winced as if in physical pain. “She did. It happened before either of us realized it, but I was already engaged to Rosemary, so what could I do? I couldn’t humiliate my fiancŽe by breaking our engagement. She’d done nothing wrong. In fact, she’d stood by me and written to me every week and sent me socks and scarves and all kinds of things.”

Of course she had. That’s what well-bred young ladies did.

“But when I realized Noelle had come to love me the way I loved her, I had to tell her the truth about my situation.”

“What did she say?”

“She was very sad, of course. We both wept, but she understood. She’d been in love with a young man when the war started, but he’d died at Ypres. She thought if he were still alive, she would feel honor bound to marry him as well.”

Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository