2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

It's June 1814, and the royal families of Austria, Russia, and the German states have gathered in London at the Prince Regent's invitation to celebrate the defeat of Napoléon and the restoration of monarchical control throughout Europe. But the festive atmosphere is marred one warm summer evening by the brutal murder of a disgraced British nobleman long thought dead.

Eighteen years before, Nicholas Hayes, the third son of the late Earl of Seaford, was accused of killing a beautiful young French émigré and transported to Botany Bay for life. Even before his conviction, Hayes had been disowned by his father. Few in London were surprised when they heard the ne'er-do-well had died in New South Wales in 1799. But those reports were obviously wrong. Recently Hayes returned to London with a mysterious young boy in tow--a child who vanishes shortly after Nicholas's body is discovered.

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is drawn into the investigation by his valet, Jules Calhoun. With Calhoun's help, Sebastian begins to piece together the shattered life of the late Earl's ill-fated youngest son. Why did Nicholas risk his life and freedom by returning to England? And why did he bring the now-missing young boy with him? Several nervous Londoners had reason to fear that Nicholas Hayes had returned to kill them. One of them might have decided to kill him first.

Setting
London, England - June 1814

58 Chapters

Character List
(view spoiler)[
Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin: Viscount Devlin. Tall, leanly built man, not yet 30-years old. He has dark hair and strange yellow eyes with the unnatural ability to see clearly at great distances or at night. Lord Hendon's only surviving son, they enjoy a very complicated and acrimonious relatiohship. St. Cyr's mother abandoned him at a young age which still affects him to this day. He was forced to forgo the love of his life, Kat Boleyn due to familial secrets. He's now married to Hero and father of their toddler son, Simon.
Hero Jarvis St. Cyr, Lady Devlin: Viscountess Devlin. Daughter of Charles, Lord Jarvis and St. Cyr's enemy, She's tall, 25-years old with gray eyes and was considered a spinster until she married Sebastian. Independent minded, smart and not afraid of her father. She and Sebastian have a toddler son, Simon.
Simon Alistair St. Cyr: Sebastian and Hero's 16-month old son.
Claire Bisette: Simon's nursemaid. She recently lost her 3-year old daughter.
Tom: Sebastian's 15-year old groom or tiger who is devoted to him because he rescued him from the streets after he saved Sebastian's life. Secures information for Sebastian due to living on the streets and his ability to go undetected.
Paul Gibson: Former army surgeon, an Irishman who shared the battlefields with Sebastian where he lost a leg. Unmarried, he works out of a small surgery at the base of Tower Hill and shares his knowledge of anatomy at St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew's teaching hospitals. He frequently assists St. Cyr, his friend, with his murder investigations and provides an invaluable source of knowledge. He's in his mid-thirties, slim, dark haired and of medium height and has an opium addiction. Alexi is his lover and lives with him.
Alexandri (Alexi) Sauvage: French doctor currently living with Paul.
Charles, Lord Jarvis: Brilliant, ruthless man and cousin to the King. Completely dedicated to the preservation of the House of Hanover, he was considered the power behind Prinny (Prince Regent) weak Regency due to King George slipping into madness. In prior mysteries, St. Cyr had broken into Jarvis' house, held him at gunpoint and thrown a knife at him. They were not on the best of terms and neither trusted the other. He's Hero's father.
Annabelle, Lady Jarvis: Lord Jarvis' deceased wife, Hero's mother.
Emma Knight: Young widow who was Annabelle's companion.
Alistair St. Cyr, Earl of Hendon: Sebastian's father to the world but in reality he was not. Sebastian recently learned he's not his biological father but the Earl has always known. He is, however, the father of Kat Bolyen, Sebastian's former lover, and allowed Sebastian to believe they were brother and sister. Currently the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his late sixties with deep blue eyes.
Henrietta, Dowager Duchess of Claiborne: Lord Hendon's sister, Sebastian and Amanda's aunt. She has a son, Claiborne who is married to Emily.
Lady Amanda Wilcox: Oldest of the St. Cyr siblings, Sebastian's sister. Her husband drowned as he was attempting to murder Sebastian. He had already murdered several people. Mother of Bayard and Stephanie.
Lord Bayard Wilcox: Amanda’s son.
Stephanie Wilcox Ledger, Lady Ashworth: Amanda's daughter. She was married to Anthony and mother of twin sons.
Anthony Marcus Ledger, Viscount Ashworth: Stephanie's abusive husband, now deceased. He was thirty-two years old when he was murdered, handsome, wellborn, and extraordinarily wealthy.
James Ledger: Stephanie’s son, Adrian’s twin.
Adrian Ledger: Stephanie’s infant son, James’ twin.
Sir Henry Lovejoy: Once the chief magistrate at Queen Square, now the newest of Bow Street’s three stipendiary magistrates, and friend of Sebastian.
Morey: Sebastian's majordomo.
Jules Calhoun: Sebastian's valet. Began his life in one of London's most notorious flash house, some of his unusual talents are of use to Sebastian from time to time.
Grace Calhoun: Jules’ mother, a famous underworld figure.
Giles: Sebastian's groom.
Victoria Hart-Davis: Annabelle's distant cousin who continues to live in and run the Jarvis’ household. She’s Jarvis’ lover and Sebastian suspects she killed Annabelle.
Kat Boleyn: Actress who was Sebastian's first love. She's Hendon's illegitimate daughter.
Edward Burnside: Former hussar major and Jarvis' henchman.
George Augustus Frederick: aka Prinny. Prince of Wales and Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales: Sole legitimate issue of the Prince of Wales and heiress presumptive to the throne. Her mother is Princess Caroline.
Princess Caroline: Princess of Wales and estranged wife of the Prince of Wales, Charlotte’s mother.
Nicholas Hayes: Youngest son of the Earl of Seaforth. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to Botany Bay 20 years ago.
Ji: Young Euroasian child who was accompanying Nicholas.
Crispin Hayes: Nicholas’ older brother who drowned in the Thames before Nicholas was accused of murder.
Lucas Hayes: Nicholas’ oldest brother who was sickly and died while he was at Botany Bay.
Ethan Hayes: Third Earl of Seaforth and Nicholas’ cousin.
Anne Hayes Bradbury: Nicholas’ sister.
Katherine Brownbeck Forbes: Woman Nicholas was accused of “abducting,” who he actually eloped with. She’s now married to Lindsey Forbes.
Theo Brownbeck: Katherine’s father, a wealthy banker and activist against the poor.
Lindsey Forbes: East India Company officer and agent. He’s married to Katherine.
Gilbert-Christophe de LaRivière: French Count de Compans who emigrated to England. He was married to Chantal.
Chantal de LaRivière: Countess de Compans. Married to Gilbert-Christophe, she was murdered 18 years ago. Nicholas was convicted of her murder.
Mott Tintwhistle: Nicholas’ friend, a cracksman (lock picker).
Hamish McHenry: Army major who was Crispin’s friend.
Mahmoud Abbasi: Owner of a Turkish bath in Portman Square. He was a friend of Nicholas.
Chen Shouguan: Hong merchant in Canton who hired Nicholas.
Alice Jones: Blind musician interviewed by Hero..
Titus Poole: Former Scotland Yard Bow Street Runner who was ousted for framing vagrants and lying at their trials.
Irvine Pennington: Owner of Pennington’s Tea Garden.
Sarah Pennington: Irvine’s daughter.
Bernie Aikens: Gardner at the Pennington’s Tea Garden.
Adele Bowers: Milliner who was found murdered. She has a daughter bearing the same name.
Mr. Darcy : Sebastian and Hero’s black cat.
(hide spoiler)]

Spoiler Info
(view spoiler)[
Brownbeck killed Hayes and then killed Irvine Pennington and Adele Bowers because they’d seen him in the park.

de LaRivière murdered Forbes, Seaforth and Brownbeck. He and his wife were spies for France initially, then later turned (he was). He had hired Titus Poole.

Ji was a girl. Katherine has agreed to raise her and is taking in Alice Jones. Her abigail had been spying on her and reporting info to her father.

Katherine and Nicholas had eloped. She was pregnant when he was framed for Chantal’s murder (Gilbert shot her). Forbes and Brownbeck gave her child to a nursemaid who was an opium addict and the baby died.

Ji was not Nicholas’ child. He took her in when he found her as an infant on the Pearl River banks. He returned to London to try and get his sister to take Ji in because he was dying of consumption.

Jarvis was part of the plan to let Nicholas take the fall for Chantal’s murder. He used that as leverage to control de LaRivière.

Nicholas was supposed to meet Katherine at the tea garden. She got delayed and Brownbeck showed up having been tipped off by her abigail. They believe he stabbed Nicholas spontaneously when he turned his back on him. (hide spoiler)]