When my lady’s maid, Annie, presented me with this lovely invitation for an interview with the future—indeed, over two hundred years in the future—I at first did not quite know what to think. For if the rumors I hear of what life for women is like in the year 2023 are true, then most women of my acquaintance—and nearly every man—would say it sounds truly scandalous.

However, I am not most women. In fact, as Annie is wont to remind me, I, Lady Petra Forsyth, am rather known for flouting the rules.

In fact, I adore it, though I’ll admit I act like a lady most of the time. I simply believe in following my instincts, even if London society would say it’s unseemly to do so.

Still, Annie has rightly pointed out that I’ve been invited to give a glimpse into a day in my life at present—in April of 1815, that is—and I am pleased to do so.

Lately, I have been in residence at Buckfields, which is the seat of my dear papa, the earl, and located in Suffolk. Papa, you see, is a widower and is relying on me to oversee the running of Buckfields after he injured his ankle. I’m riding out in his stead and taking notes on how his horses go—he is one of the best racehorse trainers in all of England, and I love horses as much as he. Truly, I’m enjoying it, though I’m looking forward to returning to London for the delights of the Season as well.

Here at Buckfields, you can find me out at the stables as often as I am inside, reading books and writing letters—though I haven’t had a letter from my dear friend Lady Milford in some time, and I am concerned as she often suffers from nerves.

And if we are listing those who have not written me in an age, we may add Duncan Shawcross, grandson to the Duke and Duchess of Hillmorton, and my childhood friend who tormented me to no end.

(Annie wishes me to write that Duncan is quite handsome, and has recently returned to London from the Continent. And, yes, that I bedeviled him in equal measure. I am only acquiescing because I have promised a truthful account, even if I should like to dump my ink pot over Duncan’s head of dark hair at present.)

Nevertheless, I run Buckfields’ household in the same manner I run Forsyth House in London. I take pride in doing so, and Papa trusts me and gives me a good bit of leeway, which includes allowing me to ride astride instead of sidesaddle as ladies should. I only do so whilst on Papa’s lands, of course, and out of view from anyone who might disapprove.

Normally, at least. For when it comes to my Uncle Tobias, he manages to find some way of catching me out.

He is truly vexing, Uncle Tobias, and I fear his new habit of calling me a spinster will have no end. He cares not that three years ago, I had a handsome fiancé—and a viscount at that—whom I lost to an accident. Uncle Tobias only cares that I am four and twenty years of age and have chosen to remain unmarried, and thus he feels free to tell Papa how unladylike I am and insinuates that my decision means I may not be of sound mind.

And I must confess, I am worried that despite his faith in me, Papa may be beginning to listen…

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, A Lady Petra Inquires Mystery Book #1
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: November 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord,a dazzling first entry in a captivating new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin from Celeste Connally.

London, 1815. Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, has made a shocking proclamation. After losing her beloved fiancé in an accident three years earlier, she announces in front of London’s loosest lips that she will never marry. A woman of independent means—and rather independent ways—Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life is gone. Instead, she plans to continue enjoying the best of society without any expectations.

But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of a fit due to her “melancholia” while in the care of a questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper—uncovering a private asylum where men pay to have their wives and daughters locked away, or worse. Just as Petra has reason to believe her friend is alive, a shocking murder proves more danger is afoot than she thought. And the more determined Lady Petra becomes in uncovering the truth, the more her own headstrong actions and desire for independence are used against her, putting her own freedom—and possibly her life—in jeopardy.

About the author
Celeste Connally is an Agatha Award nominee, and a former freelance writer and editor. A lifelong devotee of historical novels and adaptations fueled by her passion for history—plus weekly doses of PBS Masterpiece—Celeste loves reading and writing about women from the past who didn’t always do as they were told. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook at @celesteconnallyauthor and at celesteconnally.com.