Desire Beneath the Pane - Disarming a Rogue Mystery Series, A Regency Mystery Romance

Aug 7, 2026

Upload by Aurora

A regency-era London mystery romance opens with a desperate mother, Mary Pritchard, racing through fog and industry as a horrifying sickness drains infants and adults alike. Seeking help at an apothecary, she finds no remedy and witnesses the same collapse spreading across districts. The illness has no clear name, pattern, or cure, leaving families trapped between everyday commerce and a creeping, unspoken threat. The prologue establishes terror, loss, and unanswered questions that drive the narrative forward.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages285

Reading Time7 h 19 min

AccessFree to download

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Epilogue

About the Author

DESIRE BENEATH T H E PA N E DisarmingA Rogue Mystery Series, A Regency Mystery Romance Angela Stranger [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Copyright © 2026 Angela Stranger All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations used in reviews or articles. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author ’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Certain historical figures, titles, and institutions are referenced for atmospheric authenticity. Their portrayal is fictionalised for narrative purposes. Cover design by Angela Stranger. Published by Ignite Imagination Press. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) To my loving mother who inspires me to never give up, and my gorgeous son who brings joy into my life. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) CONTENTS Title Page Copyright Dedication Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Epilogue About the Author [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) PROLOGUE "Not my baby!" Mary Pritchard's wail cut through the morning fog. "Not my baby!" She clutched her infant son to her chest, his small body limp and cold against the damp fabric of her washerwoman's apron. The child whimpered and retched, bringing up nothing but thin, yellowish bile that reeked of something sour and metallic — wrong, all wrong. His face, usually pink with health, had gone the colour of tallow. Grey lips. Grey eyelids. Even his tiny fingernails looked drained of blood. Three streets she'd run, her arms burning, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Past the rag-and-bone man calling his wares. Past the women scrubbing steps, their gossip pausing as she flew by. Past Mrs. Halloran's door, where yesterday she'd heard something troubling—the docker's wife mentioning her husband felt poorly, could not seem to shake it off. At the corner of Drury Lane, a carter's horse blocked her path, the beast standing sideways across the narrow street while its owner adjusted the harness. "Move!" Mary's voice cracked. "Please, I need—" The man glanced at the bundle in her arms, at the greyish tinge visible even in the fog, and something flickered across his face. Fear, perhaps. Or recognition. He yanked the horse aside without a word. She ran. The apothecary's door stuck—swollen from the damp—and Mary had to shoulder it twice before it gave way with a screech of hinges. The shop's familiar smell hit her: dried lavender, camphor, the bitter tang of tinctures. But beneath it, something else. The stale sweat of sickness. Vomit, poorly cleaned. "Please!" Her voice came out strangled. "Please, he won't stop — his lips are grey, his skin's gone cold—" But Mr. Grieves was not behind his counter. His apprentice, a boy no older than fourteen, was sweeping the floor with mechanical movements, the broom scraping across the same spot again and again. He looked up slowly, as though pulling himself from deep water. "Mr. Grieves is upstairs, missus. Can't keep nothing down. Says his head's pounding fit to split." The boy set the broom aside, his movements careful, exhausted. "Started two days back. Just woke up poorly." "But he'll have something—medicine, a tonic—" "He's tried 'em all on himself already." The apprentice's voice was flat. "Nothing helps. And it ain't just him neither. The seamstress three doors down, she's the same. And that docker o

FAQs

What happens to Mary Pritchard at the start of the story?

Mary discovers her infant son is dangerously ill, with grey lips and eyelids and a body that feels cold. She frantically runs through London searching for help.

Where does Mary seek medical aid, and what does she find?

She reaches an apothecary where the shop’s familiar remedies are present, but the master is upstairs and the apprentice reports that the sickness affects multiple people and no medicine helps.

Why is the illness especially frightening for Mary and others?

The sickness spreads across districts, drains strength gradually, and has no clear name, cure, or pattern that people can understand, leaving families with no effective remedy.

Aug 7, 2026

Upload by Aurora