Widow's Black Ribbon

December 1906 brings four Whitby widows the same black mourning ribbon—and the same warning to remain silent about their diminished estate payments. When one widow seeks Marian Vale's help, a genuine but fragmentary spirit communication offers impressions of a ribbon, a blue ledger, and a woman's voice. It may provide a lead, but it cannot name the culprit or prove a crime. Marian, a gifted medium, and Florence Wren, her observant friend and investigative partner, pursue the matter through correspondence, postmarks, estate accounts, ribbon stock, and interviews. Their inquiry draws them into the offices of a powerful solicitor, the guarded trade of a mourning-goods supplier, and the fears of a young office boy who knows more than he wishes to say. Inspector Edmund Rook brings official authority to the growing case, while the women carefully separate spiritual impressions from material facts. Atmospheric, compassionate, and richly rooted in Edwardian Whitby, this historical mystery blends maritime-town intrigue, authentic supernatural encounters, and a tender slow-burn romance between two capable women whose trust is deepening into something neither has yet dared to name.