Fern took her chance to expand on Alistair’s all-too-brief introduction. ‘Mr. Loring. I’m Fern and I own No. 17 Curiosity Lane on Puffin Island. I’m Matilda Hartley’s great-niece.’
The effect was instant. Nathaniel froze. His eyes locked on hers, then flicked to Alistair. ‘Matilda?’ he repeated quietly, almost to himself.
‘We found a vinyl in the shop,’ Fern continued. ‘What seems to be your very first pressing, according to the serial number. We couldn’t help but look into your past and were shocked to find that you, Matilda and Alistair here all went to college together.’ She looked towards Alistair, who had paled, before turning back to Nathaniel. ‘Can you tell me about her? Did you gift the vinyl to her?’
Glancing at Alistair, Nathaniel crossed the room and lowered himself into a nearby armchair. Fern noticed his hands were trembling slightly as he set the cane aside.
‘As you said, we went to college together,’ he said. ‘Matilda was… clever. Bright. Musical. Wild. I gave her that record as a thank-you for her friendship. That’s all there was to it. She was one of the first to hear it. I always wondered if she’d kept it.’
Fern tilted her head. ‘Did you not stay in touch?’
Nathaniel looked at Alistair again. His expression darkened slightly. ‘No, I’m afraid we lost contact.’
Fern said, ‘She passed away very recently.’
A beat passed.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Nathaniel said. ‘Matilda was unforgettable.’
‘Yes, there is certainly someone who doesn’t want us to forget her,’ added Fern, watching him closely.
Nathaniel turned to Alistair. There was a flicker of something on his face– displeasure, maybe, or suspicion.
‘Is that so?’
Fern took her chance. ‘A wedding dress turned up at the shop with a cryptic note.’
Nathaniel’s brow lifted. ‘A note?’
She nodded. ‘It said, “Find the groom”.’
Alistair shifted uncomfortably.
‘It was my great-aunt’s dress,’ Fern continued. ‘Matilda’s. We confirmed it with the designer, Eliza Valentine. She keeps records.’
Daniel stepped in, voice casual but steady. ‘Which means, by process of elimination… you’re the groom we’re looking for, Mr Loring.’
‘We were hoping you could help us understand why someone would want us to find you now,’ Fern said, her tone light but her words landing with precision.
Nathaniel remained silent, his expression unreadable.
‘We appreciate this is personal,’ Daniel said, attempting to soften the edges, ‘but we’ve been told the wedding was called off on Christmas Eve morning.’
‘That’s enough,’ Alistair cut in, sitting forward sharply. ‘You can’t just come in here asking these kinds of questions.’
‘You invited us,’ Fern pointed out, holding her own. ‘Since Matilda passed, weird things have been happening. The dress, the note… and now we’ve had a break-in.’
Alistair gave a short, incredulous laugh. ‘What are you implying?’
‘That someone’s still digging around in her life,’ Fern said. ‘Someone who wants the past made present.’
Nathaniel’s eyes darkened.
‘The record you gave Matilda,’ she continued, ‘had a message engraved on it, saying:I owe you everything.What did that mean?’
Still no answer.
‘Why did you leave her?’ she asked, quiet but direct. ‘What happened that fateful morning? Did she find out something? Something you were hiding? Everyone we’ve spoken to doesn’t believe the claim that she was unfaithful.’
