The Lost Dahlia

A lively, self‑deprecating narrator confesses to a lifetime of misplaced trinkets, vanished gloves, and runaway pets, turning everyday mishaps into a comic parade of small tragedies. Her catalog of lost items—handkerchiefs, shawls, even the keys to her own chest—paints a portrait of a woman perpetually out‑of‑step with the orderly world of 19th‑century Berkshire. With a wink to Shakespeare and Scott, she sets the stage for a charmingly chaotic life where even the most careful attempts at safekeeping end in baffling disappearance.

When a prized dahlia, the centerpiece of a much‑anticipated garden fête, vanishes without trace, the narrator’s chronic bad luck becomes the catalyst for a modest investigation. Along the winding lanes and bustling market stalls she encounters eccentric neighbours, a mischievous spaniel, and a flock of chatty birds, each adding humour and intrigue to her quest. The mystery promises gentle twists and witty observations, inviting listeners to follow a delightfully unreliable heroine as she untangles one more of her own tangled threads.