Penny Blood Serial Fiction

This volume presents the narrative "Lady Saxondale's Crimes" by G. W. M. Reynolds. The installment chronicles a dramatic equestrian accident during a house party. After lunch at Saxondale Castle, Lord Harold Staunton and Squire Hawkshaw attempt dangerous jumps on the squire's spirited thoroughbred horse. Though Hawkshaw and Staunton both successfully clear a high gate on their first attempts, Staunton inexplicably falls from the horse on his return jump, sustaining bruises but no broken bones. Staunton cannot explain the fall—whether it resulted from sudden dizziness, lost balance, or some other cause. The ladies attending, including Fiorina (Staunton's sister), Juliana Farefield (who favors Hawkshaw), Lady Saxondale, and Lady Macdonald, express alarm and relief at his survival. Staunton retires to bed to recover, dismissing calls for medical attention.