Isis: Hi Winnie! Ladies, it’s been a week. What are we doing about Danny’s murder?
Komal: Throwing a party?
Beth: Drinking champagne and doing our nails?
Dora: Letting the police do their jobs?
Mina: Or … we could ask around and see if anyone in the village knows someone who had a grudge against him.
Komal: Someone already is. I went into the pub last night with one of my tour groups, and some guy was asking Lilac about Danny. He said he was from the Sanctus Estate.
Dora: Danny probably owed him money.
Winnie: What’s the Sanctus Estate?
Komal: It’s that huge new development going up on the edge of Argleton, around Kings Copse Wood. I’m surprised you can’t see it from the castle. It’s a bloody eyesore!
Arabella: Just because the houses celebrate modern design …
Celeste: They’re fugly. And I hate that they’re cutting down trees and making parts of the woods private. They’re destroying habitats.
Komal: Exactly. Thank you, Celeste! It’s bad for tourism. The Argleton Historical Society, Argleton Environmental Action Group and Argleton Tourism Board all tried to stop the development from going ahead, but thecouncil wanted all that development money so they caved. If I was mayor, I’d never have allowed it!
Arabella: And why aren’t you mayor again?
Dora: Arabella, don’t poke the bear.
Maisie: I’ll talk to Lilac, see if she has any more info for us.
Isis: Great idea. I’ll make us all anti-vampire charms. I’ll make Winnie’s double-strength.
Winnie: I’m telling you, Alaric’s not a vampire. He’s just strange and aloof. Do you all actually believe in vampires, or are you just pulling my leg?
Maisie: Oh, we believe in vampires and werewolves and witches and all kinds of supernatural kookiness.
Komal: You can’t not when Mina did battle with a real-life bloodsucker.
Winnie: WHAT?
Mina: Have you finished my book series yet?
Winnie: Not yet.
Mina: We are a #spoilerfreezone, so come talk to me when you get to that part.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
WINNIE
Faye: How’s my star organiser? I got your ‘before’ photos for the gram. When you said there was a loom in the ballroom, I thought it was like a metaphor for you revenge-shagging the hot AF lord. But no, there really is a loom! This is gonna make some amazing content! Babe, when are you getting those accounts done? I would sort them but I’m having tea in Chelsea with a TOP SECRET and VERY EXCITING potential celebrity client … :)
Another night passes when Alaric doesn’t join me. The butterflies in my stomach are churning butter as I fret about how badly he’s been hurt.
I turn the latest St. Vincent album up loud enough that the stones rattle, and try to do a Whirlwind on the drawing room, but it’s filled with ceramic pots (although weirdly, it seems like there are slightly fewer than before, and the floor has been freshly swept). I need Alaric’s help to figure out what to do with them, but Alaric isn’t here because he had to bemy shining knight.
Eventually, I collapse into a chair by the fire. Reginald fixes me a dinner of herb-crusted lamb shanks, tzatziki salad and garlic-lemon potatoes. It feels wrong to eat without Alaric but not wrong enough for me to refuse Reginald’s cooking.
“Where did you learn to cook like this?” I ask Reginald as I spear a potato. It tastes like happiness.
