The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth #DeanStreetDecember24

Jane Smith is alone in the world and down to her last two shillings and eleven pence when a strange young man mistakes her for her cousin Renata. Jane and Renata have never met but they are the daughters of identical twins – and are virtually identical themselves, at least in looks. 

Renata Jane Molloy is the daughter of a self-serving anarchist/criminal and, due to her unfortunate sleepwalking habit, her father’s co-conspirators think she overheard their plotting and are contemplating her early demise. The young man wants to elope with Renata, who is locked in her room:

“I could take you up the fire-escape,” said Mr. Todhunter, in low, thrilling accents. “It would be quite easy. They would never know Renata was not there. You do see what I mean, don’t you?”

“Oh yes,” said Jane in rather an odd voice. “You’ve made it beautifully clear. Renata is in a position of deadly peril – I think that’s what you called it – and the simple way out is for Renata to elope with you to South America, and for me to be in the position of deadly peril instead. It’s a beautiful plan.”

“Then you’ll do it?” exclaimed the oblivious Mr. Todhunter.

Jane’s lack of options and her spirit of adventure make her agree to the impersonation. Before the substitution, she stops by to update an erstwhile beau, Captain Henry March, who now works at Scotland Yard – like any of us, she feels if she is plunging into a dangerous situation, someone should know! Renata/Jane is going to be brought to Luttrell Marches, a home in the country that belongs to Henry’s cousin Anthony who disappeared during the war. It is currently being rented by a famous chemist who is conducting important experiments for the government. Jane says she will go along with the conspirators’ plan to dump Renata/her at Luttrell Marches while they decide whether she knows enough to need killing and she will do some sleuthing for Henry. He tries to dissuade her but gives up and promises to communicate with her through the Agony Column in the London Times (be still, my heart). Once marooned in an isolated house on the marshes, Jane plays vacuous secretary to the chemist’s beautiful, widowed daughter by day and sneaks around the house by night looking for clues. Can she find evidence that her country is being betrayed before her hosts find her snooping and decide she must be eliminated?

This was Wentworth’s first mystery, following several historical novels but before she introduced her famous sleuth, Miss Silver, and it is great fun with secret passages, masked villains, separated lovers, inscrutable servants and more. Jane is poor but proud; she would rather hazard her luck with a bunch of criminals than accept a loan from Henry. Wentworth’s heroines are intrepid or ditzy and fortunately Jane falls into the former category and but masking her intelligence and behaving like timid Renata to disarm those around her is stressful (although entertaining for the reader). It is not clear why Jane refused a proposal from Henry three years earlier but she is very glad to see him when he comes to Luttrell Marches and they pool their knowledge to try to figure out what is going on in the house’s secret passages.  The political aspect was murky but I didn't let that bother me; the bad guys are Russian or German or both, and ultimately Britain triumphs, which is as it should be.  This was a fun read and good choice!

Title: The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith
Author: Patricia Wentworth
Publication: Dean Street Press, trade paperback, originally published in 1923
Genre: Mystery
Source: Personal copy

This is my 33rd book for Carol’s Cloak and Dagger Challenge. I also read it for Dean Street December, a month featuring some of the delightful books published by Dean Street Press and hosted by Liz at Adventures in Reading, Running and Working from Home.