“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Viv,” I said. I plopped down on the divan. It was surprisingly comfy. “Besides, why are you so angry? We’d have been here for a few days for the wedding anyway. Now we’re just here for a police investigation.”

“If you remember right, I didn’t want to do this wedding to begin with,” she said. “This job was your idea because you wanted a weekend in the country in a castle. Well, now we’re trapped.”

“And?” I asked. I still didn’t see a major difference between being here for the wedding and being here for the investigation, although I understood that it was obviously a much less happy circumstance.

“You promised me we’d go to the village and meet Dominick Falco, which is the only reason I even agreed to this fiasco, and now we can’t even do that.”

She crossed the room to the stack of seven hatboxes that contained the bridesmaids’ wedding hats. She lifted the lid off one and moved the tissue paper aside to stare down at one of the blush-colored fascinators she and Fee had created.

She lifted the delicate hat out of the box. It was a puff of pale pink feathers fastened onto a matching satin cap that was trimmed with seed pearls and a jaunty bow. The fascinators were an exact match for the dresses and would have looked stunning on the bridesmaids.

“Maybe we can sell them in the shop?” I suggested. “Or save them for another wedding? Blush is very popular these days.”

Viv heaved a sigh and nestled the hat back into its tissue. “Maybe, but I still can’t believe this is happening. Dooney is dead, there’s an investigation, and we’re prisoners in our own rooms. What a nightmare.”

With that, Viv stormed into her room and slammed the door. Okay then. She was clearly upset. I supposed the first order of business tomorrow was to figure out how to get Viv to the village to meet her hat-making idol without Detective Inspector Stewart finding out. Oy.

Chapter 10

“How did you manage to get horses?” Viv asked.

“By not standing around talking about it,” I said. I was feeling an intense urgency to get away from the castle and inquiring minds. “Let’s go!”

The stables at the castle were for the use of the guests. I had gone down there earlier to charm and disarm the stable master into letting us take out three horses. Viv, Andre and I were suited up in borrowed riding boots, jeans, and thick sweaters—excuse me, jumpers. Why do the Brits call them jumpers?