Stella Kendrick first appeared in Murder At Morrington Hall and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Stella.

What is your full name?
Miss Stella Eleanor Kendrick (soon to be Viscountess Lyndhurst).

How old are you?
I’m twenty-two years old, and according to many, in danger of becoming an old maid.

What is your profession?
As a woman of means, I’m not allowed to have a profession but my father, Elijah Kendrick, is a world-famous Kentucky horse-breeder. I know more about breeding, riding and training horses than most men.

Do you have a significant other?
Yes. Without my knowledge, Daddy arranged a marriage between me and the son of an impoverished British noble. You can imagine how I felt when I came to England to attend a wedding only to find out I was to be the bride!

What is their name and profession?
Edwin Searlywn, Viscount Lyndhurst. Everyone close to him calls him Lyndy. I thought he was haughty and cold when we first met, but since we’ve discovered a lot in common: our love of horses and riding and a dislike for social engagements and our controlling parents. I’m quite fond of my fiancée now. As to his profession, British gentlemen if you didn’t know, don’t have professions. Lady Atherly, Lyndy’s mother, would cringe at the very suggestion.

Do you have any children?
Not yet

Do you have any siblings?
No, I am an only child.

Are your parents nearby?
Daddy lives with me here in England (until the wedding). Momma died when I was young.

Who is your best friend?
Tully, a dapple-gray Thoroughbred horse I raised from a foal and brought with me to England.

Do you have any pets?
No.

What town do you live in?
Rosehurst, Hampshire, nestled in the middle of the New Forest region of England.

Would you say you live in a small town or a big city?
Rosehurst is more a village than a town, with a center green where the New Forest ponies graze freely, the ancient church where Lyndy and I are going to get married (it has a yew tree over a thousand years old beside it!) and a popular pub called the Knightwood Oak.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
My father, Great Aunt Rachel and I are guests of Lord Atherly and are staying at his dowager house, Pilley Manor, on the edge of the village.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The library.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I love a variety of food and am often criticized for my “hearty” appetite. My favorite dessert is Kentucky Black Cake which I used to help Momma and Cook bake when I was small.

Do you have any hobbies?
You could argue that everything I do is a hobby.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
I don’t really have one. Until I came to England, the only traveling I’d done was from our horse farm in Kentucky to our house in New York or the cottage in Newport. I did get to go to the Kentucky Derby in Louisville twice too. I’m hoping to go to Doncaster in Yorkshire for the St. Leger’s races in September.

What music do you listen to?
With all the social engagements I’ve had to go to as “the future Viscountess Lyndhurst,” I’ve heard symphonies, operas, waltzes and parlor music. When given the choice, I enjoy singing or listening to popular music like Daisy Bell, After the Ball or Maple Leaf Rag the best.

Do you have a favorite book?
I love adventure stories and romance novels.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Riding across the heath with Tully.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
** From the Stables to the Manor House: A Life of Misadventure and Romance **

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I don’t consider myself a sleuth though Inspector Brown has commented more than once I could’ve made a good detective. But I’ll admit I’m a curious person who has a compulsion to ask questions and find the answers myself if need be. When I ask, Lyndy reluctantly helps me.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
After Ethel, my lady’s maid wakes and dresses me, I try to sneak in an early morning ride before breakfast. I usually meet Lyndy beneath the oak tree in the Pilley Manor garden, without our chaperone, where we commiserate over his mother’s demands or my father’s temper and generally get to know one another. Lately it has been a time to compare notes as we help Inspector Brown with his latest case (and steal a kiss or two). For much of the rest of the day, I’m obliged to attend luncheons and teas and card parties and dinner parties, smiling until my face hurts. Unless of course I need to excuse myself to track down a lead or visit the police station or question a suspect, which, to Lady Atherly’s chagrin, I’ve done more than once.

Murder at Blackwater Bend is the second book in the “Stella and Lyndy” historical mystery series, coming June 30, 2020.

Wild-hearted Kentuckian Stella Kendrick cautiously navigates the strict demands of British high society as the future Lady of Morrington Hall. But when petty scandals lead to bloody murder, her outspoken nature could be all that keeps her alive . . .

Following a whirlwind engagement to Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst, Stella is finding her footing within an elite social circle in picturesque rural England. Except tea time with refined friends can be more dangerous than etiquette faux pas—especially in the company of Lady Philippa, the woman Lyndy was once set to marry, and her husband, the ostentatious Lord Fairbrother . . .

Outrage erupts and accusations fly after Lord Fairbrother’s pony wins best in breed for the seventh consecutive year. The man has his share of secrets and adversaries, but Stella and Lyndy are in for a brutal shock when they discover his body floating in the river during a quiet morning fishing trip . . .

Suddenly unwelcome around hardly-grieving Lady Philippa and Lyndy’s endlessly critical mother, Stella faces the bitter reality that she may always be an outsider—and one of her trusted new acquaintances may be a calculating killer. Now, Stella and her fiancé must fight against the current to catch the culprit, before they’re the next couple torn apart by tragedy.

Purchase Link
# # # # # # # # # # #

About the author
Clara McKenna has a B.A. in Biology from Wells College and a M.L.I.S in Library and Information Studies from McGill University. She is the founding member of Sleuths in Time, a cooperative group of historical mystery writers who encourage and promote each other’s work. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Visit her website at claramckenna.com.

All comments are welcomed.