When the Countess Ashby de la Zouche accepts a commission to chaperone a difficult teenager to France, she finds herself entangled in a lethal conspiracy rather than the social season she anticipated. Tasked by a desperate stepmother to secure a husband for the shrewish Virginia, the Countess and her maid Alpiew arrive at the exiled English Court at St Germain expecting decadence but encountering a murder investigation. The narrative follows the duo as they navigate the rigid social hierarchies of the French court and the dangerous political undercurrents surrounding the Jacobite cause. Their objective is to identify the poisoner before they become the next victims, all while managing the logistical nightmare of foreign travel and the eccentricities of the local aristocracy.

This work is characterized by its lighthearted approach to the historical mystery genre, emphasizing character chemistry and period-specific humor over gritty realism. The premise suggests a focus on the contrast between the Countess's expectations of luxury and the grim reality of political exile. Readers familiar with the series likely appreciate the consistent interplay between the Countess and Alpiew as they navigate increasingly absurd social situations. The narrative structure points to a blend of traditional whodunit mechanics with a satirical examination of 17th-century court life.