“What are you two doing here?” I cried. “You’re going to get me in trouble.”

“What are we doing here?” Viv huffed. “You’re the one who disappeared. What’s going on? They started serving dinner but they also placed waitstaff at the doors and told us we couldn’t leave the dining room until further notice.”

“How did you two get out?”

“Kitchen,” Andre said. “They didn’t have anyone stationed by the kitchen.”

“Clever.” I glanced up and down the hallway, waiting for a constable to swoop down on us and chastise me for having people here. “Come on,” I said. I led them into the room where Sunny and Carlton were waiting.

They both looked up when we entered. Archie’s eyebrows rose, and Sunny gave Viv a watery smile. They were seated in chairs in front of the fireplace, which was lit and giving off a nice warmth in the chill of the late-spring evening. I moved to stand in front of it as the cold seemed to have crept into my bones. I hugged my arms around my middle and tried to gather my thoughts.

“You remember Sunny,” I said. “And this is the castle caretaker, Archie Carlton.”

“Hi, Sunny,” Viv said. She smiled at Archie. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carlton.”

“Call me Archie.” As most men do, he looked dazzled by Viv as she turned her charm up to medium. If she pushed it to high, the poor man would probably keel over.

“Nice to meet you,” Andre said. He nodded at both of them.

“This is my cousin, Vivian Tremont, and our friend, Andre Eisel, who is also the wedding photographer,” I said.

“Don’t think they’ll be needing that service any longer,” Archie said. Sunny sobbed and he looked contrite. “Sorry, miss.”

“No, it’s fine,” she said. “I’m just still in shock.”

Viv sat on the love seat and Andre sat beside her. “All right, I feel as if I’m going mad. What’s happened?”

“I—” I began but I was interrupted by the detective inspector, who had obviously been listening at the door.

“There’s been an incident,” Detective Inspector Stewart said. “Might I ask what you two are doing here, Ms. Tremont, when I am certain I left explicit instructions that no one should leave the dining room?”

“Scarlett is my cousin,” Viv said. “She went to use the loo ages ago and never came back. Naturally, we came looking for her. We were terrified she was lost. Now, since we are here, kindly tell us, sir, what is happening so that we can be of service instead of being a nuisance.”

She’d jacked up the charm meter to high. Detective Stewart studied her for a moment and then a ghost of a smile curved his mouth, but it quickly vanished, and he tugged on the tip of one of his large ears while he schooled his features into a stern expression.