The Armstrong Assignment (A Janet Markham Bennett Cozy Thriller Book 1) Read online

  The Armstrong Assignment

  A Janet Markham Bennett Cozy Thriller

  Diana Xarissa

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  The Blake Assignment

  A sneak peek at The Blake Assignment

  Also by Diana Xarissa

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2021 DX Dunn, LLC

  All Rights Reserved

  Created with Vellum

  Author’s Note

  Welcome to the first book in my new series. When I finished the Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Series, I wasn’t ready to be done writing about Janet. It felt very much to me as if her adventures were just beginning. This series will be about some of those adventures.

  If you’ve read the Markham Sisters books, then you’ll already know some of the characters in this new series. You don’t have to have read that series in order to enjoy this one, though. I do include several of the characters from that series in the first chapter of this title, but none of them are significant to the rest of the story. I simply wanted to include them in Janet’s wedding.

  I’ve written the book in British English, as I did with the Markham Sisters stories. Unlike those, however, I have not included a glossary of terms or other notes on British versus American English. If you miss these, please let me know, because I can always include them in future books in the series if there is any demand for them.

  This is a work of fiction and all of the characters were created by the author. Any resemblance any of them may bear to any real person, either living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The story begins in the fictional village of Doveby Dale and the action moves to other locations, some of which are real places and others which are fictional. All of the events that take place within the story are entirely made up. The businesses and other locations in the story were all created by the author. Again, any resemblance they may bear to any real businesses is coincidental.

  As this is the first story in a new series, I’d really appreciate hearing what you think of it. All of my contact details are available on the About the Author page at the back of the book. I hope you enjoy the story.

  Chapter 1

  “You may kiss the bride,” the woman told them.

  Janet Markham looked at Edward Bennett and smiled. He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss before pulling her into a tight hug that was followed by a more passionate embrace.

  “I love you, Janet Bennett,” he whispered in her ear before he released her.

  “I love you, too,” she mouthed at him before they turned to face the people in the rows of chairs behind them.

  Janet felt tears well up in her eyes as she looked around the room. Her sister, Joan, was sitting in the front row, holding hands with her husband, Michael Donaldson. Behind Joan was a crowd of people, most of whom Janet had not yet met when she and Joan had purchased Doveby House, the bed and breakfast in Doveby Dale that they’d owned for over two years.

  Owning a bed and breakfast had been Joan’s lifelong dream, one that she’d shared with her sister only after they’d unexpectedly inherited some money from a distant relative. They’d both been primary school teachers until their retirement. With some reservations, Janet had allowed herself to be persuaded to buy the beautiful seventeenth-century manor house and help her sister run the bed and breakfast. In the years since, both women had seen their lives change in ways neither of them had ever imagined.

  Most notably Joan, who’d never seemed to notice the opposite sex when she’d been younger, had been courted by Michael, who lived in the house across the road from Doveby House. The pair had been married for several months now, and Janet had never seen her sister so happy. And today, three days after Christmas and just three months after Edward had proposed, Janet and Edward were married.

  Edward Bennett had been the first paying guest at Doveby House after the sisters had purchased the property. He’d arrived on their doorstep while they were still getting settled, insisting that he had an existing reservation that had been made with the former owner. It was only later that he’d told Janet the truth. Edward worked for a top-secret government agency that had used Doveby House as a safe house. He’d been sent after the sisters bought the house to make certain that any paperwork that could tie his agency to the property was destroyed.

  He’d also told Janet that he was interested in a relationship with her, but things were complicated by his job. Although he was meant to be retired, he still spent the next two years travelling around the world, with only an occasional visit to Doveby Dale. Once Edward had finally managed to retire properly, he’d asked Janet to be his wife. When she’d said yes, she’d expected that they’d spend six months or more planning their wedding, but Edward had wanted to start the new year with Janet as his wife.

  She thought it was probably best that she didn’t know how much money he’d spent arranging everything for her dream wedding in such a short amount of time, but as she looked around the beautifully decorated room in Ashcroft Hall, Janet thought things couldn’t have been more perfect.

  Her gaze moved back to the rows of guests, and she wondered how Edward had managed to get so many of them to attend. Before she had too much champagne, she’d have to find time to thank each of them for coming. As she looked at the other side of the room, she felt her smile falter. Behind Edward’s sister and a few of his friends were several rows of men and women in black suits. They were all staring straight at her and none of them were smiling.

  “Everyone is happy for us,” Edward whispered in her ear.

  “Your friends don’t look happy,” she hissed back.

  He chuckled. “Don’t mind them. They’re all delighted. They simply aren’t showing it. Shall we?”

  He offered her his arm. She took it and the pair made their way between the rows of chairs to the back of the room. As they walked, Janet smiled and nodded at everyone on both sides of the room. Edward’s associates all stared back at her blankly, except for one man who looked a good deal younger than the rest. He matched her smile and then winked at her as she walked past.

  “If everyone would like to move into the next room, we have champagne and starters for you to enjoy before dinner,” Bridget Jepson, the owner of Ashcroft Hall, announced. “Mr. and Mrs. Bennett will be receiving their guests at the entrance,” she added before she stepped out of the way.

  “Ready?” Edward asked, giving Janet’s hand a squeeze as they moved into position right inside the door of the large room where they’d be having dinner.

  “Not at all. I feel very odd,” she told him.

  “I hope you’re feeling happy.”

  “Mostly happy, partly queasy.”

  He chuckled. “Champagne?” he suggested.

  “That might help.”

  “Here we are,” Bridget said, holding out a tray with two crystal champagne glasses on it.

  Janet took one and sipped slowly. “Delicious,” she said. “But I can’t drink too much on an empty stomach.”

  “You didn’t have breakfast?” Edward asked, looking concerned.

  “I was too nervous to eat,” she confessed.

  “Congratul
ations,” Joan said, pulling her sister into a hug.

  “Thank you,” Janet replied, hugging Joan tightly. “I can’t believe we’re both married now.”

  Joan laughed as she released her. “Two years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told me that we’d both be getting married in the same year. It didn’t seem remotely possible.”

  “Congratulations,” Michael said, offering his hand to Edward. “Welcome to the family.”

  Edward beamed. “Thank you.”

  “I’m so happy for you,” Bessie Cubbon said as she and her friend, Doona Moore, entered the room.

  Bessie and Doona lived on the Isle of Man. Janet and Joan had first met Bessie when they’d been on holiday on the island, not long before they’d bought the bed and breakfast, and they had all become good friends over the years. Bessie had last been in Doveby Dale for Joan’s wedding, and Janet had been thrilled when she’d agreed to come back again.

  “Congratulations,” Doona told Janet and Edward before the pair walked further into the room.

  “Another beautiful wedding,” Stuart Long said, after hugging Janet tightly.

  His daughter, Marie, smiled at Janet. “Thank you for inviting me,” she said politely.

  “I’m so glad you both came,” Janet replied.

  “I wasn’t certain about it,” Stuart admitted. “I thought a wedding might be difficult, being that I’m still sorting out the mess that was my marriage, but it was truly lovely.”

  The pair moved away. They were quickly replaced by Ted and Todd, the two young men who owned the village’s small café. They hugged Janet and shook Edward’s hand before moving on.

  “I don’t think I know many of the others,” Edward whispered.

  “Some of them are former guests,” Janet told him. In the time the sisters had owned the bed and breakfast, their guests had been something of a mixed bag. Although both Janet and Joan felt as if they’d had more than their fair share of difficult ones, they’d also had some who’d become more like friends than customers.

  “Congratulations,” Sue Mortimer said, blushing slightly. “We were so surprised to be invited, but we’re so very happy for you.”

  “Edward, meet Harry and Sue Mortimer,” Janet said. The couple still looked incredibly young to Janet, but they also still appeared to be madly in love. They shook hands with Edward before continuing into the room.

  “I’ve heard of them, anyway,” Edward told her. “My sister helped get them both into good training programmes. She has high hopes for them.”

  Edward’s sister worked for an organization in London that helped young people find career training.

  “So do I,” Janet told him.

  “I must say, today’s event was something of a surprise,” Nancy Johnson said as she looked down her nose at Janet.

  Janet forced herself to smile. “Edward, darling, this is Nancy Johnson from the Doveby Dale Ladies’ Club.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you,” he told her.

  She nodded. “The others are behind me somewhere,” she said before turning and walking briskly away.

  “Hello,” Paula Ellsworth said with a bright smile. “Thank you so much for including Tara in your kind invitation.”

  Janet beamed at the woman and then shifted her gaze to the sleeping baby in her arms. “She’s lovely,” she said softly.

  “Thank you,” Peter, Paula’s husband, replied. “We’re completely over the moon, even though we haven’t slept in thirty-seven nights.”

  Paula laughed. “He says that, but I haven’t slept well since before I fell pregnant. Men don’t know how good they have it.”

  The baby wriggled and then her tiny mouth scrunched up.

  “She’s getting ready to scream,” Peter said.

  “We have a space where you can nurse her, if you prefer privacy,” Bridget said. “You are, of course, welcome to feed her anywhere you’d like.”

  “I think I’d rather have privacy,” Paula replied. “She’s not used to crowds.”

  As the trio walked away, following Bridget, Janet could hear the baby starting to cry.

  “Congratulations,” Robert Parsons said.

  Janet smiled at the police constable who was responsible for policing both Doveby Dale and the neighbouring village of Little Burton. He was young, but he was very good at his job.

  “You look beautiful,” Stacey added. The pretty blonde worked at the café with Todd and Ted and had been seeing Robert for several months now. Janet thought that it was likely that Robert would propose before too much longer.

  “What a beautiful dress,” Beverly Osborne said. “I don’t believe you’ve ever met my son. This is Daniel.”

  Janet smiled and shook hands with the man. “Edward, I know I’ve told you about Beverly.”

  He nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you,” he said, shaking hands with both Beverly and Daniel.

  “Where’s the bar?” Daniel asked Edward.

  “Along the wall at the back,” Edward told him.

  Beverly shook her head as she followed her son.

  “Nancy pushed her way to the front,” Edna Green said as she hugged Janet. “But the rest of us decided to be polite.”

  Janet laughed. “Edward, meet the rest of the lovely ladies from the Doveby Dale Ladies’ Club. This is Edna Green, this is Martha Scott, and this is Harriet Thomason.”

  Edward shook hands with each of them in turn. “It’s very nice to meet you all,” he said.

  “He’s very handsome,” Edna whispered loudly. “But who were all of the men and women in the dark suits? None of them looked happy to be here.”

  “Those are my former business associates,” Edward told her.

  Edna raised an eyebrow. “They’re either dangerous criminals or spies,” she said. “For Janet’s sake, I hope they’re spies.”

  Edward was still laughing as the three women walked away.

  “Congratulations,” Gretchen Falkirk Murray said. “Being married is the most wonderful thing ever.”

  Janet smiled at her. “I’m glad to hear that you still feel that way.”

  Gretchen smiled at her husband, Jack. “I waited a lifetime to be his wife. I’ll always feel that way.”

  Janet introduced them both to Edward.

  “And now I must go and find Bessie and Doona,” Gretchen said. “And I suppose I must say something to Beverly, although I’ve no idea what to say to her.”

  Janet took that to mean that the two women hadn’t spoken since Gretchen had sold the house that she and Beverly had once shared.

  “Congrats,” Mack Fenton said, giving Janet an awkward hug.

  “Thank you,” Janet replied. “You’ve met Edward, of course.”

  “Yeah, nice to see you again,” Mack said. He glanced backwards and then slipped away into the crowd.

  “That was odd,” Janet whispered to Edward.

  “It’s nothing for you to worry about,” Edward replied.

  “Paul!” Janet exclaimed, pulling the man into a hug. “Edward, this is Paul Nichols. He stayed with us for several weeks while he was working in Doveby Dale. Aggie thought the world of him.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Edward said. “Aggie is a very good judge of character.”

  Aggie, which was short for Agatha Christie, was the cat that Edward had given to Janet. Joan had promised to take good care of her while Janet and Edward were on their honeymoon.

  “I do miss you and Joan,” Paul said. “Life in Doveby Dale was much less hectic than it is in London.”

  “You know you can come back and stay any time,” Janet told him.

  He shrugged. “My father is thinking about buying the antique shop and sending me up here to manage it. There are a lot of details that still need to be worked out, though.”

  “We’d all love to have you in Doveby Dale,” Janet replied happily.

  Paul had worked at the shop when William Chalmers had been the owner. The man who’d purchased it when William had decided to leave Do
veby Dale was currently in prison awaiting trial on several charges. A “For Sale” sign had been put in the shop window in late October.

  “And now for my friends,” Edward murmured as Paul walked away.

  “My dear, I can’t begin to congratulate you enough,” Marcus Talford said. “I’m ever so happy for both of you.”

  Janet hugged the man tightly. “I can’t believe that it’s been a year since you stayed with us,” she said as she released him. “You should have come for Christmas again this year.”

  He shrugged. “As it happens, I spent Christmas with a friend this year. It’s still early days, but we may be more than friends by next Christmas.”

  Edward had sent Marcus to help the sisters out of a difficult situation involving their distant cousin, Roland Dickerson. Although Roland was the only other relative the sisters had, neither of them had invited him to her wedding.

  “Darlink, what a wonderful thing,” Eugenie Snelling said in her unusual and exotic accent. “I knew that Janet was perfect for you, but I didn’t trust you to be smart enough to agree.”

  Edward laughed. “I’m not certain how to reply to that,” he told her.

  “It doesn’t matter. Just know that I’m incredibly happy for both of you,” Eugenie said.

  “As am I,” a nearly unrecognizable Tamela Underwood added.

  Janet stared at her. Clearly, she was a good deal happier than she’d been when she’d lived in Doveby Dale. Tamela looked beautiful, her hair cut short and styled to frame her face. Her dress was stunning and her eyes sparkled with an enthusiasm for life that had been absent the last time Janet had seen her.

  “How are you?” Janet asked.