In the Mayor's Parlour

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

25424

Title

In the Mayor's Parlour

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Set in the historic town of Hathelsborough, this mystery unfolds within the ancient Moot Hall, where a sudden death and a charred handkerchief ignite a web of suspicion. As the Mayor faces scrutiny and a rival doctor is accused, a desperate race ensues to uncover the truth before a woman faces the gallows. Blending atmospheric Victorian gothic elements with a gripping courtroom drama, Fletcher delivers a tale of jealousy, corruption, and the fragile nature of justice.

Summary up to 500 words

The narrative opens in the medieval Moot Hall of Hathelsborough, a town steeped in tradition where the curfew bell still rings. Caretaker Bunning watches as the new Mayor, Mr. John Wallingford, arrives for an evening of solitary work. The atmosphere shifts when Wallingford's cousin, Mr. Brent, is expected, and the town's ceremonial Bellman, Spizey, patrols his duties. The plot thickens with the arrival of Dr. Wellesley, a fashionable and seemingly honorable physician, who becomes the center of a murder inquiry following the death of the Mayor. The investigation reveals a complex web of relationships and secrets. A crucial piece of evidence, a blood-stained and charred handkerchief found in the Mayor's Parlour, is claimed by Wellesley, yet his alibi regarding his movements between 7:30 and 8:15 PM remains under scrutiny. The narrative introduces Mrs. Saumarez, a woman entangled in a love triangle involving both the deceased Mayor and Dr. Wellesley. Her testimony suggests a history of rivalry and jealousy, though she collapses in court when questioned about these private matters. As the trial progresses, the Coroner and defense barrister Mr. Cotman navigate conflicting testimonies. A maid reveals that she saw Dr. Wellesley leaving the drawing room just before the critical time, but she withheld this information until the police began questioning the household staff. The defense argues that the police are secretly building a case against Wellesley, while the prosecution pushes for his arrest. The story takes a dramatic turn when Mrs. Saumarez is accused of the murder, a charge fueled by the discovery of a rapier and the testimony of a dying man, Krevin Crood, who claims the woman is the true murderer. Mr. Brent, the protagonist and cousin of the deceased Mayor, becomes obsessed with saving the accused woman from hanging. He escapes the courtroom, climbs the garden wall of the Abbey House, and discovers that Mrs. Saumarez has fled with a companion, Mrs. Elstrick, likely to avoid arrest. Mr. Brent confronts the reality that Krevin Crood's final words were true: the woman is indeed the murderer, driven by a blind, uncontrollable impulse in a moment of desperation. However, Brent refuses to let the law execute her, recognizing the callous cynicism of the accusation. Meanwhile, Superintendent Hawthwaite and his plain-clothes men work to corner the fugitives, revealing that the entire case is entangled with corruption involving the Town Trustees and the 'old system.' The narrative concludes with the dismantling of the ancient regime, the arrest of the conspirators, and Brent's resolve to rebuild the town on new, healthier foundations. The story ends with Brent finding his fiancée, Queenie, as he contemplates a future of marriage and reconstruction, leaving the fate of the accused woman and the full extent of the corruption to the reader's imagination.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Mystery