“Cornelia Windsor & The Stolen Coins” is a sharp, fast-paced crime story with a touch of elegance and intrigue.
Cornelia Windsor, a extended member of the British Royal Family, arrives in New York with a plan—to discreetly offload a set of rare coins “liberated” from the royal collection. She joins forces with Nicolas Woods-Ford, a smooth talker hiding his own desperation. Together, they target an unsuspecting rare coin dealer, but in the world of high-stakes deception, nothing ever goes quite as planned.
“Cornelia Windsor & The Stolen Coins” was published in the anthology, Journey to Adventure, co-authored by members of The Writing Journey (2025). Gertrude was one of the co-editors of this anthology, and also contributed the short story, “Tick Clank Vroom,” to this anthology.
Journey to Adventure is a collection of short stories that explores the theme of adventure. These diverse tales invite you on a thrilling expedition.
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Excerpt
Cornelia Windsor arrived outside the Springview Hotel & Suites on 6th Avenue out of breath and late. She had run all the way from the subway station to this hotel. While Cornelia considered herself an expert at navigating the London Underground, she hadn’t had much luck with the New York City subway system. Today, she had missed the stop where she needed to transfer lines.
Thankfully, Nicolas Woods-Ford wasn’t late and was already outside the hotel. When he spotted Cornelia running up, he glanced down at his watch to note the time.
“I was worried you weren’t going to show!” Nicolas chastised, once Cornelia was within ear shot.
“I am only a few minutes late,” Cornelia said, panting a little. “Don’t worry.”
“Do you have the coins?” Nicolas asked, a little too loudly.
“Shhh…They are in here,” Cornelia said, handing him the designer canvas messenger bag she had been carrying. Nicolas took the bag, checked the contents, then put the strap over his head so the bag lay across his body.
Cornelia reached out to adjust Nicolas’s collar as one side was tucked into his sweater. “Hey,” Nicolas yelped, and moved away before Cornelia could help him.
“You’re a bit disheveled,” Cornelia remarked, her tone teasing. But she noticed a flicker of discomfort cross his features. It was fleeting, masked by a cough and a strained smile.
“I don’t want my outfit wrinkled.”
Cornelia chalked it up to nerves. Although that seemed out of character for Nicolas, who was used to conning his way into a free dinner or a vacation at someone’s ski chalet.
“Remember we want him to jump on this offer because we seem like two privileged young people he can rip off. But, only if he acts quickly,” Cornelia said.
The privileged young people angle wouldn’t be hard for the pair to pull off. Cornelia Windsor, was, yes, an actual Windsor and extended member of the British Royal Family. Cornelia herself wasn’t super wealthy, although she tried to look the part. But what she lacked in wealth, the family name made up for in connections and opportunity.
(Opening to Cornelia Windsor and the Stolen Coins)
Gertrude Daly 