The Duke of Frome John Langton with his wife, their baby born after complications during childbirth, a domineering nanny, nursery maid and valet arrive at Montague Hall for Lady Felicia's Yuletide ball. During the evening the baby is taken from his cot. Inspector Mallory suspects an inside job by the valet when his secret wife arrives while Brown is more interested in the birth of the baby at a home for unmarried mothers. Mrs McCarthy under pressure from the diocese to provide a Christmas service fit for a Duke receives unexpected help from a vagrant she finds in the confessional.
When a romantic getaway to Paris takes a dark turn with the sudden disappearance of her boyfriend Tom aboard a train to the south of France, Alice is plunged into a web of intrigue and danger, uncovering shocking secrets about the man she thought she knew
