The Dark Enquiry (2011) (edit title/settings)

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• Lady Julia: Lady Julia Brisbane is the daughter of the Earl of March and has several siblings. She was married to Edward Grey, who died in the first book of the series, Silent in the Grave and meets Brisbane, who was investigating a matter for Edward prior to his death. Julia and Brisbane's paths continue to cross in books 2 and 3 and they are finally wed at the end of book 3, Silent on the Moor. They have recently returned from an extensive honeymoon and have been married 15 months. Julia wants nothing more that to assist Brisbane in his inquiry business. She is intelligent, fearless and creative, all of which causes Brisbane a great deal of stress and he worries over her personal safety. The more Brisbane tries to keep her in the dark regarding his affairs, the more Julia inserts herself into his business. They are utterly devoted to each other and very much alike.
• Nicholas Brisbane: Half Gypsy, Half Scot, he was abandoned at the age of 10 when his gypsy mother died in the goal and his arstocratic Scottish family would not acknowledge his existence. As an inquiry agent, he earned wealth and respect. He first met Julia over her husband's dead body and they later solved the mystery behind his murder. Frightened by his visoins "second sight" that he constantly fights to keep at bay as well as his feelings for Julia, he tried to distance himself from her but events continued to pull them together. Married now for 15 months, he is trying to come to terms with married life and his wife insistence of joining him in the inquiry business. He is completely and irrevobably in love with Julia.
• Aquinas: Lady Julia's devoted butler who has appeared in all five books. Acquinas served Julia during her first marriage and continues to work for her.
• Madame Séraphine: A medium who conducts seances at the Spirit Club.
• Mr. Sullivan: Writer for the Illustrated Daily News
• Morag: Lady Julia's maid and a former prostitute.
• Bellmont: Julia's oldest brother and a member of Parliament. He is often embarressed by the March family and their antics and tries to distance himself whenever possible. He has angered his father by becoming Tory. He is married to Adelaide and has several children.
• Mrs. Lawson: Brisbanes' devoted housekeeper who is having trouble adjusting to Brisbanes' marraige to Lady Julia Grey and the discord she is bringing to the household.
• Lala: Brisbane's distant cousin. His grandmother had attempted to arrange a marriage between them.
• Sir Henry Eddington: A client of Madame Seraphine's
• Granny Bones: Brisbane's gypsy grandmother and leader of the gypsy camp.
• Grim: Valerius won Grim, a raven in a card game in the first book, Silent in the Grave and brought him home to live with Lady Julia since Valerius was also residing with her at the time due to a falling out with his father. Lady Julia adopted Grim as her pet and dotes on him. She likes to feed him sweetmeats.
• Mr. Stokes: Brisbane's taylor
• Edward Grey: Julia's first husband, who dies in the first book, Silent in the Grave and his death is investigated by Brisbane whom Edward had hired prior to his death when he began receiving mysterious letters unbeknown to his wife, Julia.
• Ludo: A Roma who trains bears
• Bismarck: Chancellor of Germany
• Sir Morgan Fielding: A participant a Madam Seraphim's seance and author among other professions. Julia discovers that they are cousins and that Brisbane has worked for him in the past.
• Madame Hortense de Bellefleur: Hortense de Bellefleur is a past love of Brisbane's and 20 years his senior. They have remained friends over the years and they are confidants. Julia and Honoria have also become friends and during the second book, Silent in the Sanctuary, Honoria attends a house party at Christmas time and is the Earl of March's (Julia's father) companion. They have since parted company.
• Auld Lachy: The Earl of March hired Auld Lachny, a hermit to reside in his garden. Lachy and the Earl often disagree and get into heated arguements.
• Lady Felicity Mortlake: Lady Felicity is Lord Mortlake's daugher and a suspect in the disappearance of an emerald necklace. Brisbane and Plum have been hired to attend a house party and locate the missing necklace. Brisbane plans to send Julia with Plum which will keep her occupied while he investigates another matter involving her brother, Bellmont.
• Agathe LeBrun: Sister to Madam Seraphine, the medium.
• Mr. Froggitt: Editor of the Illustrated Daily News
• Swan: Brisbane apprehended Swan and Bert Pigeon in an inquiry involving the Queen's jewels. Brisbane suggested them to Acquinas who hired them as footman and protection for Lady Julia. Swan enjoys cooking and takes over the kitchen duties, when Lady Julia's cook quits.
• Bert Pigeon: Brisbane apprehended Swan and Bert Pigeon in an inquiry involving the Queen's jewels. Brisbane suggested them to Acquinas who hired them as footman and protection for Lady Julia.
• Beekman: Madame Seraphine's porter
• Valerius: Valerius is Julia's brother and devoted to medicine. He has a falling out with his father, the Earl of March in the first book, Silent in Sanctuary and resides with Julia. Born a gentleman, to work is beneath his station. He becomes involved helping prostitutes and eventually meets Mordicai through Julia and begins to learn medicine under his tutelage. The Earl of March eventually relents and allows Valerious to practice medicine.
• Aunt Hermia: Hermia helped raised the March children after the untimely death of their mother. A follower of Gladstone and his work with prostitutes, Hermia formed her own Whitechapel house of reform for teaching the ladies of the night domestic trades. The March children hired most of their ladies' maid from Hermia's home, including Morag, Julia's maid.
• Dr. Mordecai Bent: A jewish physician who is teaching Valerius how to be a doctor. Mordecai appears in the first book, Silent in the Grave. When Julia eventually discharges her doctor and begins seeing Mordecai. He treats Julia in the Dark Enquiry.
• Eglamour "Plum" March: Julia's brother who has recently became employed by Brisbane, his brother-in-law after performing some duties for him in the fourth book, Dark Road to Darjeeling. A gentleman with an artistic flair, he remains single but did harbor a tendresse for his sister-in-law, who married his brother while they were living in Rome. He is often forced by the Earl of March to accompany Julia and his sister, Portia on their travels.
• Monk: Formerly Brisbane's tutor and later his batman, Monk served at Brisbane's right-hand during their investigations.
• Portia March: Julia's sister who is raising her adopted daughter, Jane. Jane was named after her mother, Portia's long-time partner. Jane had left Portia to marry because she wanted a child.
• Virgilia "Gilly" March: Bellmont's daughter recently out.

Quotes edit see section history

• “"You are my life."”

  Brisbane to Julia

• “Auld Lachy poked his head out of his hut. "You are a singularly histrionic family," he pronounced. "I blamed aristocratic inbreeding. Only an inbred would want a fernery."”

  Auld Lachy to the Earl of March

• “We both of us suffer because you will not understand how utterly essential you are to our happiness."”

  Brisbane to Julia

• “"Do you mean that you do not like me tractable and sweet?" I asked, pursing my lips at him. "Christ, no. I want you just as you are, maddening, bedeviling and curious as a cat."”

  Julia to Brisbane

• “"Haven't I given you cause enough by now to know that I am completely and irrevocably in love with you?"”

  Brisbane to Julia

• “"Worry never did a man a bit of good. All he does is rob one's peace and make lines on the face."”

  Granny Bones to Julia

• “"Everyone knows the Devil takes care of his own."”

  Julia

• “"Only you mattered in that moment. Only you. And I would have done anything to save you. I would have paid any price, committed any sin, sold my very soul to do it."”

  Julia to Brisbane

• “I never expected in the whole of my life that God would be so generous as to give me you. I did not think to ask for more.”

  Brisbane to Julia

• “"I wanted just one person in this world to know me for everything I am. And because I find it difficult to believe that you could love me if you knew the whole of it. So I give you bits and pieces of myself, a mosaic of the man I am, and I lie awake at night and wonder which of them will cause you to leave me."”

  Brisbane to Julia

• “"Damnation, Julia, you will blow up the building! And Mrs. Lawson dislikes you quite enough already," he added, a trifle nastily, I thought.”

• Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers

• Worry, what is that? A pointless thing is Master Worry—an intruder. He steals into your house and creeps into your bed and what do you do, child? Do you push him away and tell him to be gone and bolt the door fast against him? No, you move over and let him have the good pillow and the best quilt to warm himself.” She flapped a hand in disgust. “Worry never did a man a bit of good. All he does is rob one’s peace and make lines on the face.”

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• I know better than to argue with the wind. It only makes you hoarse and the wind doesn’t care,”

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• “I never expected in the whole of my life that God would be so generous as to give me you. I did not think to ask for more.”

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• There are few finer cushions than the well-muscled shoulder of one’s beloved,

  Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers

• For my part, I found the entire notion of Spiritualism baffling. It was not so much that I felt it impossible the spirits could revisit this life as I thought it vastly disappointing they should want to. If the afterlife could promise no greater entertainment than visiting a club of clammy-handed strangers, then what pleasure was there to be had in being dead?

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• “Occam’s razor—the simplest explanation is the likeliest.

  Highlighted by 10 Kindle customers

• “We both of us suffer because you will not understand how utterly essential you are to our happiness.”

  Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers

• Be patient, for the world is broad and wide. —Romeo and Juliet

  Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers

• Our father had warned me once that Bellmont would find his middle years difficult ones. He was too ambitious, too rigid. He had not the March talent for living easily with his own faults. He was no friend to his own shortcomings. The rest of us were willows, bending easily with the wind. Bellmont was a stout oak, strong and straight, too unyielding to tempests. He would stand or he would break, there was no ground in between.

  Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers

• “I just cannot bear to be kept out of your life,” I said into the dark. He gave a sigh. “Julia, you daft woman. When will you understand? You are my life.”

  Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Highgate Cemetery: The cemetery where Julia's first husband is buried.
• Chapel Street: Location of Brisbane and Julia's consulting offices.
• Brook Street: Julia and Bisbrane's home address
• Spirit Club: The club that is hosting Madame Seraphine.
• Richmond
• Washington

First Sentence edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by Dark Road to Darjeeling.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Deanna Raybourn (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• RITA Award Finalist (2012: Strong Romantic Elements)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Add a note to help parents select a book for a child.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Historical
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Mystery › Women Sleuths
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Mystery › British Detectives

More Books Like This edit see section history