Product Description

Summer, 1765. The renowned portrait painter Joshua Pope is eager to escape London and his unhappy past and accepts a commission to paint a wedding portrait for Herbert Bentnick and his bride-to-be, Sabine Mercier. Joshua learns that the couple are avid horticulturalists. Bentnick's country house, Astley, in Richmond, is famous for its verdant gardens, designed by the master landscape artist Capability Brown. Sabine Mercier, who has lived most of her life in the Indies, is an expert in growing pineapples, the fruit of choice at the grandest dinner parties and an inspiration to artists and craftsmen. But soon after Sabine begins to cultivate pineapples in the vast conservatory at Astley, she discovers a body among her plants. Why, wonders Joshua Pope, is so little attention paid to this bizarre death? Why do Bentnick's children regard their future stepmother with suspicion and fear? And what connection does Sabine's daughter Violet have with the dead man? Outraged that any life can be valued so lightly, Joshua begins to investigate the death. But then Sabine's valuable emerald necklace disappears, and he is implicated. His need to discover what has happened at Astley suddenly becomes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #476252 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

From the Back Cover

It is summer in 1795 and the renowned artist Joshua Pope, eager to escape London, accepts a commission to paint a wedding portrait for the well-to-do Herbert Bentnick and his betrothed, Sabine Mercier.

Astley, Bentnick's country house, is famous for its verdant gardens designed by the master landscape artist Capability Brown, and Joshua learns that his patrons are avid horticulturalists. Sabine Mercier, who has lived in the Indies, is an expert in growing pineapples, the fruit of choice at the grandest dinner parties and an inspiration to artists and craftsmen.

And it is while tending these exotic plants in the conservatory at Astley that Sabine stumbles across the body. Both puzzled and outraged by the lack of concern about this bizarre death, Joshua feels duty bound to investigate? Why do Bentnick's children regard their future stepmother with suspicion and fear? And what is the connection between Sabine's own daughter and the dead man?

And when Joshua's implicated in the mysterious disappearance of a valuable emerald necklace, he finds himself fighting not only to clear his name, but also to stay alive...

About the Author
Janet Gleeson was born in Sri Lanka, where her father was a tea planter. After taking a degree in History of Art and English she joined Sotheby's, and later worked for Bonhams Auctioneers. In 1991 she joined Reed Books, where she was responsible for devising and writing Miller's Antiques and Collectibles. She is the author of the Sunday Times non-fiction bestsellers The Arcanum and The Moneymaker. She is also the author of two novels, The Grenadillo Box and The Serpent in the Garden..