“I thought about trying to leave the castle,” Sunny said. “I planned to go to Devon to stay with my mum. She didn’t like Dooney. She told me he was going to go through with marrying Piper for her money and then forget all about me and the baby. She was wrong, but she loves me and I know she’ll stand by us. But I can’t leave until I know what happened.”

I couldn’t fault her. I’d feel exactly the same way.

“How did Trisha know about you and the baby?” I asked. “You two don’t seem especially close.”

“We’re not,” Sunny said. “I’m not friends with any of them, not really. A few weeks ago, we were at a house party in the Cotswolds, and Trisha overheard Dooney and I when we slipped out to be alone. We were talking about the baby and what to do, and she figured out that the baby was his. Dooney threatened to destroy her if she told anyone.”

Given what Piper had said about Trisha being in love with Dooney, this made me wonder if Trisha could have been furious enough to kill Dooney not only for marrying Piper but for having a child with Sunny, as well. That must have felt like being rejected twice by him.

“If you’re not close with the others, how did you become a bridesmaid?” I asked.

“Dooney suggested my name to Piper when she needed one more bridesmaid to keep the number even with the ushers. Dooney said he had a plan, that he just had to wait for the right time, and then he and I would run away together before the wedding ceremony.”

“That seems like a sketchy plan,” I said. “How did you fall in with this group anyway?”

“I knew Dooney when we were kids. My mother worked for his mother as a secretary back when they had money. Then Piper and I became acquainted when we worked together in London. She’d invite me along when she went out with her friends. I think she felt sorry for me, because I’m from a middle-class background. Trisha and the other bridesmaids are from some posh secondary school they all attended with Piper. It was clear from the start that I didn’t fit into their world, but Trisha in particular was always very clear to point it out at every turn.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “That must have stung.”

“It did at first,” she said. “Not that I care what any of them think of me. I never meant to fall for Dooney, you know, but he was the only one who was always kind to me, who never made me feel like an outsider or a charity case, and I appreciated it. I know everyone says he was horrible, but he was never like that with me.”

“Have you talked to Piper?” I asked.