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“I know we’ve been pushing the authenticity factor, but after trying the food myself, and hearing a lot of feedback from guests, we’re going to be changing up the menu…entirely.”

Matthew crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. Mrs. Porter’s lips thinned so much, they were no longer visible.

“Are you sayin’ me food ain’t quality enough?” she asked.

Winnie squared her shoulders. “Unfortunately, it’s true, as was evident by the uneaten portions of cabbage chowder—mine included—filling the garbage cans.”

Looks were exchanged, but Winnie continued. “I need to warn you, Mrs. Porter, that at the next faire, there will be more food options from other vendors apart from yours. I’m planning on bringing in your usual event foods, hot dogs, hamburgers, cotton candy. You’ll have to up your game if you want to stay relevant, which, by the way, I have full faith in your ability to do so.”

With Mrs. Porter still pouting, Winnie shifted to Mrs. Jones, ready to rip off another Band-Aid.

“We’ll need more entertainment,” Winnie said. “A lot more.”

“We need nothing more than the jousting,” Mrs. Jones said stubbornly.

Winnie made to explain how her reasoning was flawed, but she caught Matthew staring down at his packet, shaking his head in silence.

“Any thoughts you’d like to share, Matthew?” she asked.

He shook his head.

“All right, well you let me know when you do.”

“Oh, I will.”

Winnie returned to Mrs. Jones, reminding her of the boredom experienced by the guests. “With more to do, they’ll actually want to stay for longer,” Winnie explained. “We’ll have falconry, archery, carnival games, fire breathers, jesters, merry-go-rounds, maybe even bumper cars. There needs to be enough for adults and children to be entertained at all times.”

“Carnival games and rides?” came a whisper from the back. “She’ll turn it into ruddy Blackpool.”

Winnie had no idea what Blackpool was, but she didn’t think it was meant as a compliment.

“Rides are cheap and effective,” she said, defending her choice. She’d had to do the same with Mr. Wintour that morning, but she was sure they’d be a big hit. “More than anything, kids love them. If children are happy, their parents will be happy, and if parents are happy, they’ll be more likely to come back, stick around, and spend more money.”

The group fell silent again, so she moved on to her final and most challenging of topics—the jousting.

“Now I know we all love the jousting, but even that spectacular event can be improved upon. We’re going to up the tournament to twice a day with much more than the six clashes I saw on Saturday. There will be a script to follow with the winner pre-determined. And finally…we’re removing the damsel in distress.”

It was as if a thick, dark cloud of smoke slipped into the room and hovered above each person, so quickly the tension returned.

Seven hands shot up, Jess’s being the first. “Um…no damsel?” she asked.

“Don’t worry,” Winnie reassured her. “You’re not being let go. I’ve got so much more for you to do that I know you’ll love. We’re going to turn our damsel into a knight in disguise who will win some of the matches and reveal exactly who she is at the end of the tournament. It’s so much more modern and inspiring to allow our damsel to receive equal treatment.”

“But…” Jess began, “I’ve never jousted before. And I don’t have any of the armor or expertise or anything.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Winnie said with a wave of her hand. “When you’re up against the men, we’ll be fudging the rules anyway, so you’ll be able to win and won’t be hit.”

Jess sent a furtive glance to her husband, who rested a reassuring hand on her knee. Winnie knew this one would be a hard pill to swallow, but she had complete confidence that it would be a crowd favorite.

One-by-one, she responded to the other concerns shared.

“The original damsel has always been a favorite.”

“You can’t tell me the majority of people wouldn’t rather see more jousting than a waif.”

“How are we supposed to score correctly if the winner is already chosen?”

“No one knows how to score jousting in this day and age anyway.”