What Happens in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder?
The complete story of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, from the first scene to the last, in 353 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 5 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In 1909, Lord Montague “Monty” Navarro, played by Karl Josef Co, finds himself in prison awaiting a possible execution. He spends his final hours writing his memoirs, a tale he describes as “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.”
The story begins in 1907, when Monty is living in poverty until a mysterious woman, Ms. Shingle (Cindy Cheung), reveals that he is actually a member of the aristocratic D’Ysquith family. Now ninth in line to inherit the earldom of Highhurst, Monty is determined to claim his title—partly to secure his wealth and partly to win the heart of Sibella Hallward (Diane Phelan), who refuses to marry a man of his low social standing.
Finding himself blocked by the disdain of his relatives, Monty decides to “clear the path” to the earldom through a series of calculated accidents. His spree of murder includes:
- The Reverend Lord Ezekial, whom he allows to fall from a bell tower.
- Asquith D’Ysquith Jr., whom he drowns by cutting a hole in a frozen lake.
- Henry D’Ysquith, whom he lures into a deadly encounter with bees.
- Lady Hyacinth, whom he tricks into traveling to dangerous lands before finally ensuring her death in a harbor.
- Major Lord Bartholomew, whom he crushes with a barbell.
- Lady Salome, whose prop gun he loads with real bullets.
Throughout his journey, Monty forms a bond with Phoebe D’Ysquith (Ali Ewoldt), who becomes his emotional support and eventual fiancée. After the sudden death of Lord Asquith Sr. and the mysterious passing of Lord Adalbert (played by Thom Sesma), Monty finally becomes the Ninth Earl of Highhurst.
However, his triumph is short-lived when he is arrested for the murder of Lord Adalbert—the only death he didn’t actually cause. In a dramatic twist, Phoebe and Sibella conspire to provide conflicting confessions to create reasonable doubt, leading to Monty’s release. While Monty celebrates his freedom, the truth is revealed to the audience: it was actually Ms. Shingle who poisoned the Earl. The story ends on an ominous note as a fellow D’Ysquith relative, Chauncey, hints that he may have some poison of his own for the new Earl.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
21 key events in the order they happen, from “Prologue: A Warning to the Audience” to “Freedom and the Final Reveal”. 15 events name a place, across 10 locations.
- 1
Prologue: A Warning to the Audience
A group dressed in mourning clothes enters the theater and advises 'those of you of weaker constitution' to leave, as the show may prove disturbing. The ominous opening sets a darkly comic tone for the tale of love, ambition, and murder that is about to unfold.
- 2
Memoirs from a Jail Cell
In 1909, Lord Montague 'Monty' D'Ysquith Navarro, Ninth Earl of Highhurst, sits in jail on the eve of his possible execution. He passes the time by writing his memoirs, which he titles 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'. With that, he begins to recount the story of how he came to be in this position.
When:1909 Where:Jail
- 3
A Secret Heritage Revealed
In 1907, Monty is living in a shabby Clapham flat when his washerwoman mother dies, and the mysterious Miss Marietta Shingle arrives. She reveals that his mother was in fact Isabel D'Ysquith, an aristocrat disowned for eloping with a Castilian musician. Having never been told his ancestry, Monty now learns he is ninth in line to inherit the earldom of Highhurst. Miss Shingle insists that he take his rightful place in the family.
When:1907 Where:Clapham, London
- 4
Rebuffed by Family and Sibella Alike
Monty writes to Lord Asquith D'Ysquith Sr., head of the D'Ysquith banking house, but receives a reply from his son Asquith Jr. denying Isabel's existence and warning Monty to never contact the family again. The woman he loves, Miss Sibella Hallward, likewise refuses to marry him because of his poverty and has drawn the attention of the higher-standing Lionel Holland. Though Sibella dubiously accepts his lineage story, she remarks that eight people would have to die before he could become earl.
Where:London
- 5
An Outcast at Highhurst Castle
On Visitors Day, Monty tours Highhurst Castle, the D'Ysquiths' ancestral home, where the spirits of his ancestors admonish him that he does not belong there. Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, the current earl, catches him looking around the ancestral library and drives him out. The earl expresses open disdain for the commoners flooding through his home.
Where:Highhurst Castle
- 6
The Reverend Lord Ezekial Falls
Monty tries his luck with the family's clergyman, the dithering Reverend Lord Ezekial D'Ysquith, who gives him a tour of the ancestral family church but refuses to advocate on his behalf. Atop the bell tower, a gusty wind and Ezekial's own inebriation nearly send the old man over the edge. Monty realizes how easy it would be to let him fall — and does nothing as Ezekial plunges to his death, gaining both revenge for his mother and a step closer to the earldom.
Where:Family church
- 7
Murder on the Frozen Lake
Toiling at his dead-end clerk's job, Monty watches Asquith Jr. and his mistress, former Florodora girl Miss Evangeline Barley, steal away to a winter resort — and follows with the intention of poisoning him. Unable to get close enough to deliver the poison, he is struck by inspiration upon seeing the pair go ice-skating. Monty cuts a hole in the ice of the frozen lake, and the skaters fall through and drown.
Where:Winter resort
- 8
A Stockbroker Post — While Sibella Weds Another
Grief-stricken over his son's death in the skating 'accident', Lord Asquith Sr. apologizes for the tone of the earlier letter and invites Monty to the bank. He offers Monty a comfortable salary and a job as a stockbroker, which Monty accepts. Upon learning of Monty's new position and income, Sibella begins to reconsider her choice — but forces herself to go through with marrying Lionel Holland.
Where:London
- 9
The Beekeeper's Doom — and a New Prospect
Monty fixes on his next target, distant cousin Henry D'Ysquith, a country squire and avid beekeeper whom he rescues from an assault by a tenant at a town pub. Learning that a person can be killed by an excess of bee-stings, Monty obtains lavender perfume — to which bees are extraordinarily attracted — and douses Henry's beekeeping clothes with it at the D'Ysquith country estate in Salisbury. There, he also introduces himself to Henry's sister, Miss Phoebe D'Ysquith. As the two discover their similarities, Henry is stung to death.
Where:Salisbury
- 10
Lady Hyacinth Dispatched Abroad
Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith, an unmarried woman devoted to philanthropic causes mainly for her own social standing, stands before Monty in the line of succession. Posing as a member of the Foreign Office, Monty encourages her to travel first to war-torn Egypt and then to the Punjab during a malaria pandemic; she returns unharmed both times. He finally sends her to an African jungle home to a cannibal tribe, after which she is reported missing and presumed dead.
Show the other 11 events of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder Hide the last 11 events
- 11
Rising Fortune and a Forbidden Romance
Monty proves a talented stockbroker, securing a significant salary increase and earning praise from Lord Asquith Sr. His romance with Sibella continues despite her marriage, and she is clearly impressed by his determination to succeed. Meanwhile, he keeps consoling Phoebe as she mourns her brother, which endears him to her greatly.
- 12
Death by Barbell
Monty's next target is Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith, a staunch eugenicist, vegetarian, and bodybuilder. At a weight-lifting hall, Monty charms his way into acting as the major's spotter on the bench-press apparatus. Pretending to misunderstand Bartholomew's cries for help, he adds more weight than the man can hold — then allows the barbell to fall, decapitating him.
Where:Weight-lifting hall
- 13
A Real Bullet on Stage
Lady Salome D'Ysquith Pumphrey, an appallingly bad actress, is starring in a production of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. Remembering that the play ends with Hedda's suicide by pistol shot to the head, Monty sneaks backstage and loads the prop gun with real bullets. Lady Salome shoots herself and dies, to the shock of her fellow actors and the approval of the audience.
Where:Theater stage
- 14
A Heart Attack Spares the Kind Benefactor
With only Lord Adalbert and Lord Asquith Sr. left in his way, Monty is suddenly conflicted, finding he has no desire to murder his kindly employer and benefactor. He is let off the hook when the old man abruptly succumbs to a heart attack. At the funeral, Monty delivers a stirring eulogy while irritated mourners grumble at yet another D'Ysquith memorial, and even Lord Adalbert begins to fear the curse upon his family may strike him next.
Where:London
- 15
Torn Between Two Women
Monty continues his affair with the unhappily married Sibella, who wouldn't begrudge him marrying for self-interest but would 'forbid' him from marrying for love. Phoebe unexpectedly arrives and declares her intention to marry Monty even if the D'Ysquiths look down on them, and he accepts — all while Sibella hides in the next room. Monty knows he is caught both figuratively and literally between the two women.
- 16
Death at the Gangplank
Monty is shocked to discover that Lady Hyacinth has survived her encounter with the cannibals and is returning to London. As she disembarks the ship, he uses an axe to cut the supports of the gangplank. It collapses beneath her, and she drowns in the harbor.
Where:Harbor
- 17
A Tense Weekend at Highhurst
Monty, Phoebe, Sibella, and Lionel are invited to Highhurst so Lord Adalbert can meet his heir, though Lionel is called away on urgent business before arriving. The earl and his wife Lady Eugenia bicker openly, Adalbert makes crass remarks about the scandal caused by Monty's mother, and the ancestral spirits deliver a final warning to Monty. Sibella, learning of the engagement, begs Monty to break it off and declares her love — but he angrily insists it is too late and that he will proceed with marrying Phoebe.
Where:Highhurst Castle
- 18
The Earl Drops Dead at Dinner
At a truly awful dinner, Monty tries to slip poison into Lord Adalbert's food, but when the earl refuses his dessert and insists Sibella eat it, Monty desperately knocks it to the floor. Miss Shingle, the woman who first revealed his lineage, also appears — having worked as a servant for the D'Ysquiths for 39 years. A drunken Adalbert recounts how his valet betrayed him in the Boer War, hands Monty his loaded army rifle, and orders him to aim it; Monty cannot bring himself to shoot and lowers the gun. Moments later, the earl takes a drink and suddenly drops dead.
Where:Highhurst Castle
- 19
Ninth Earl at Last — and Arrested
With Adalbert's death, Monty becomes Lord Montague D'Ysquith Navarro, Ninth Earl of Highhurst, and he and Phoebe marry soon after. But at the wedding reception, Chief Inspector Pinckney of Scotland Yard arrests him for the now-discovered poisoning of Lord Adalbert — the one murder he didn't actually commit. At his trial before the House of Lords, Sibella testifies on his behalf yet, in a fit of passion, reveals that the D'Ysquiths disinherited his mother, unwittingly bolstering the prosecution's alleged motive.
- 20
The Eve of the Verdict
While writing his memoirs in his cell, Monty strikes up a conversation with jail custodian Chauncey and discovers he too is a D'Ysquith, his father having been cast out as a black sheep much like Isabel. Content without the family's advantages — and without their troubles — Chauncey receives a handshake from Monty, his last remaining relation; Phoebe's visit that night ends with her pointed question about Sibella met only with silence. Then Sibella arrives with a letter purportedly from Phoebe confessing to the earl's poisoning, followed quickly by Phoebe bearing an apparent confession from Sibella. Each woman pleads for the other to be arrested, leaving the authorities unable to convict either and creating the reasonable doubt that saves Monty.
Where:Jail
- 21
Freedom and the Final Reveal
Monty is awakened and set free to cheering crowds, with Phoebe and Sibella seemingly content to share him between them — though he panics upon realizing his confessing memoirs were left in his cell, until a guard kindly hands the journal back. Miss Shingle then appears and confesses to the audience that she was the one who slipped prussic acid into the earl's port. In the finale, Chauncey appears holding a small bottle of poison, implying he will use it on Monty, who in turn hands him a poisonous belladonna flower after curtain call.
Quiz
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