The Regency Switch

Prologue

Lady Agatha Bainbridge found the box in the attic under piles of dusty old clothing and half-broken furniture. It was remarkably well-sealed, but eventually opened under the combined pressure of a letter opener and a hefty wallop.

‘Jemima!’ she called out. ‘Come up here and look at this.’

A few minutes passed before she heard the creaking on the stairs and her sister appeared.

‘What is it?’ asked Jemima. ‘You know I’ve got to head out to my Stitch and Bitch group any minute now.’

‘Oh, shush now. You can afford to give it a miss this week. Look what I have found!’

Aggie angled the box forward to show what was inside: there was a bundle of notebooks tied together with a frayed-looking ribbon, along with a smaller box containing a delicate gold bracelet.

Intrigued, Jemima untied the notebooks and they peered closer, inhaling the musty scent of old paper.

The sisters might have had their differences, but both were old and wise enough to feel electricity crackle from the pages.

They opened the top book first – a faded red leather diary – to find it filled with beautiful handwriting. Aggie put her reading glasses on and tilted the page towards her as Jemima gasped, already a line or two ahead.

Dear Descendant,

If you’re reading this, my calculations were correct and these years of study have been worthwhile. I am unsure how to describe what it is that I have planned to do. The transformation, the metamorphosis … The Switch?