“The noblemen of the time had to provide employment for entire towns, in addition to lodgings for their own personal armies to ward off enemies. It wasn’t like you could just apply online for jobs.”

“Fair point,” Andre said. “I’ll admit that I’m looking at it through a modern lens but it’s all just a bit much.”

“Oh, definitely,” Viv agreed. “No one needs this sort of wealth these days. It’s obscene, which is precisely why it appeals to Piper.”

“Status symbol?” I asked.

“Which is exactly why she’s marrying Dooney,” Viv said. “His family is as old as, well, Waverly Castle.”

“Really?” I asked. “That’s hard to believe. I mean I’d expect him to be more . . .”

“Learned, interesting, philanthropic?” Andre asked.

“Yes,” I said. “All of that.”

“I think that was bred out of the Portis gene pool,” Viv said. “Miserable family, the lot of them.”

“And if Piper is willing to marry him for his ancestry and overlook his abhorrent personality, then she deserves him,” Andre said.

“Agreed,” I said. “But maybe the castle ghost will stop the wedding and save her.”

“Ghost?” Viv asked at the same time Andre said, “What ghost?”

“The ghost of the McKenna bride,” I said. “The castle caretaker Archie Carlton told Harry and me that they get ghost hunters here all the time, looking for her.”

“Why is she here?” Andre asked. He skipped over the finger sandwiches and went right for the petit fours. “Is she an angry ghost?”

“He didn’t say,” I said. “We didn’t have much time to talk since he was so annoyed and all.”

“How did she die?” Viv asked. “That’s the key.”

“Apparently, she died right before her wedding, but I don’t know the specifics,” I said.

“Hmm,” Viv said. She lifted her cup and sipped her tea. “Unfinished business, clearly, I can see why she feels the need to haunt the place.”

Andre glanced around the room. “Did he say where she likes to do her haunting?”

“No.” I studied him. “Do not tell me that you’re afraid of the ghost of the McKenna bride. You’re the one who told me to expect a ghost in the castle.”

“Yes, but that was just in theory and before we got here,” he said. He took another petit four. “I wish Nick was here.”

“And Alistair,” Viv said. This statement was surprising because Viv had been keeping her new relationship with our friend Alistair Turner very private.

“And Harry,” I said. “Everything seems so much more reasonable when he’s around.”

They both nodded and I knew they were thinking the same thing about their partners, although of the three I didn’t think Nick was really that much of a stabilizing influence.