After solving three murders and ridding Pemberley of riffraff and questionable relatives, Eliza Darcy is convinced her problems are in the past. Secure in the love of her main squeeze, Heath Tilney, and somewhat confident in her new role as mistress of Pemberley, Eliza ignores the news of an ex-con murdered in one of Lambton's many pubs.

Then Detective Chief Inspector Finn Wentworth shows up on her doorstep, soaking wet and accused of murder.

Certain Wentworth is innocent, Eliza hides him, using one of Pemberley's secrets. She reassembles her sleuthing gang: Heath, her batty great-aunt Iris, and her romance-novelist cousin Joy Bingley. The group must work to keep Wentworth's whereabouts a secret while they solve the murder to clear his name.

Just as they make some headway, an unwelcome surprise infiltrates their mission. Eliza fears she will not only fail her friend but also end up decorating a prison cell instead of bringing her beloved Pemberley back to its Regency Era glory.