A baker's daughter. A mother's meddling. A conspiracy that could topple the Crown.A witty, warm-hearted mystery for readers who like their history with a wink. Penny Pym has flour in her hair, a rolling pin in her hand, and absolutely no interest in becoming a Lady. She's perfectly happy at Pym's Pies and Pastries, the family bakery in Sussex, rolling out crusts and dodging her mother's grand ambitions. Then a royal messenger arrives with a letter announcing she's been selected to serve as a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria, and Penny learns her mother forged a reference from the local Vicar, invented an "extensive training in etiquette," and sealed the whole scheme with a cherry pie the Queen apparently loved.
Now Penny is trading flour sacks for first-class train compartments, terrified that someone will discover she can't tell a dessert spoon from a soup spoon, let alone survive the glittering, treacherous world of the royal court. Luckily, she has help: Brett Thistlewaite, the Queen's unflappably composed (and disarmingly handsome) Personal Attendant, and an unlikely trio of allies who happen to have paws; Barnaby, Duchess, and Sir Fluffington, the palace's self-appointed Covert Intelligence Network.
But when whispers surface of Prince Reginald, the Queen's brooding cousin, still nursing a decade-old grudge after a mechanical lion humiliated him in front of all of London, muttering about "fixing the mistake" before the Diamond Jubilee, Penny realizes the danger runs far deeper than a baker's daughter being in over her head. Someone wants the celebration to fail, and the throne to change hands.
Armed with quick wits, three CIN operatives, and a Personal Attendant who's starting to notice more than her flour-dusted shoes, Penny must uncover the truth before the Jubilee - and before the wrong person pays the price.
The Crown is counting on a baker's daughter. Heaven help them all.