I sighed. A proper response was not possible with Netherfield’s distractions. I decided to ruminate on my answer to Aunt Catherine for a bit. Getting up, I threw on a sweater and some jeans, my thoughts switching to my more agreeable task with Lizzy.
I was finally making progress on Moonrot and my parents’ murder. After so much time of being stalled and waiting for the right evidence, I was close to figuring out what really happened. And hopefully, how to put an end to this Moonrot. Lizzy’s father depended on it. I refused to let her down.
After heading downstairs, I grabbed a slice of the thick brioche French toast topped with strawberries and cream before jumping into my car and driving over to Hearthside House Inn.
I noticed a new display of old, yellowed love letters—vintage postcards, hand-written, and typed—sitting on a large console table, and little pixies flitted about casting good luck charms on anyone who walked too close.
Lizzy chatted happily with the young woman at the front desk, her hands moving through the air as she spoke like they often did. She wore a cozy, long-sleeved blouse tucked into her jeans and a coat and scarf. I smiled. The very sight of her made me feel warm inside.
When she noticed me, she waved and walked over. “As usual, Sarah couldn’t tell me what room John Rittle was in, but she confirmed that this was the only exit and that he hadn’t yet departed for the day.”
“That’s the second time you’ve gotten us the information we need. You’re good at this.” I gave her an appreciative glance.
She shrugged, though it didn’t hide her slight blush. “Solving a murder is similar to being a reporter.”
“They both involve stalking people?”
She rolled her eyes but rewarded my teasing with a smile. “They both require digging for the truth.”
“It looks as if we have time to kill.” I noticed the chess set that still sat on a table between two chairs. “Do you want to play?” I motioned toward the chessboard.
Her gaze flashed in challenge. “If you don’t mind losing.”
“We’ll see about that.”
We sat across from each other. Each piece of the chessboard had a miniature sculpted heart in the design that pulsed a soft red within the black or white marble. I claimed the white pieces, and Lizzy would play black.
“Ladies first,” I said.
“But white usually goes first.”
“I’ll make an exception for you.”
“Such a gentleman.”
“I know you will settle for nothing less.”
Her gaze grew thoughtful at that. She moved her pawn and then motioned for me to make my move. “Tell me about your parents, Darcy.”
“Are you trying to distract me?”
She hesitated. “I just thought it may help us with the case.”
A mixture of feelings rushed through me as I stared at the chessboard. I wanted to be open with her. Of all the people around me, Lizzy was someone I implicitly trusted. I moved my pawn almost without thinking. “My parents were very… old-fashioned and believed in the old ways of the fae. They raised me to do good, but to also be aware of my station and to be wary ofanything that might taint the family name. I—I was like them for a long time. Always putting fae concerns first.”
She moved another pawn. “And yet you still stepped forward—put your name on the line—to fight for better laws for werewolves, vampires, and all creature others dismiss.”
I matched her move. “I thought I could possibly do something. Look to a new future that my parents hadn’t foreseen, but also live by the standards of my station they had expected of me in my personal life. But I was wrong.”
She made her move. “And now?”
I shifted awkwardly in my seat as I countered her move. This discussion was getting too close to unpleasant recollections held between us. “Your father is highborn fae, and he married a witch, and I’ve never met a tighter-knit family.”
“My father…” Lizzy appeared a bit uncomfortable as she moved her bishop to an empty square. “I think he might be in on what happened yesterday with the whole Lovebirds Showdown. Mary said my sisters started plotting with him as a way to boost his spirits, and it seems to be working. It wouldn’t surprise me if they tried something again.”
I didn’t need to ask. It was clear, since the mayor had run one of the activities at the Lovebirds Showdown, that the entire town had decided they needed to play matchmaker. Yet they were unaware of the complicated past Lizzy and I shared. It would never happen, no matter how much I may want it to.
But if it helped her father, I wouldn’t turn her down.
