‘We collect the memorabilia, have all the autographs – we must get both of yours.’ Heather pulled a small, black notebook and pen from her bag and handed it to Kit, pointing at the next blank page for him to sign.

‘And we never miss a convention. This is the first year Marcus has managed to get it held here at Aldermere, though.’ Harry’s gaze roamed covetously around the ballroom, as if he were mentally tagging all the items of Lettice’s home’s inventory he’d like to take away with him for his collection.

Kit handed Posy the notebook, and she flipped to the next page to sign her name. After a moment’s hesitation, she printed DAHLIA LIVELY, underneath before handing it back to Heather.

‘No way we were missing the chance to be here, where she wrote all her wonderful stories!’ Heather added. ‘Did you know, so many of her mysteries were set in houses just like Aldermere, some people started to get suspicious. And when Lettice’s maid went missing, towards the end of the war, there were all sorts of rumours. Some locals wanted them to drain the mere itself to look for her body!’

‘As if the authorities didn’t have enough to be going on with, what with the war effort and everything,’ Harry huffed. Posy suspected he was one of those men who talked about the war years as if he’d been there himself, when he couldn’t possibly have been born until after it was all over.

‘So what happened?’ she asked Heather, curious. There seemed to be mysteries everywhere at Aldermere.

‘Oh, the maid sent a letter from Scotland, a few months later, saying she’d met a man and run away to get married. People were still talking, though, until she came back for a visit and the whole thing blew over.’

‘She wasn’t missing at all?’

‘Apparently not.’ The younger guy in the Christmas jumper rolled his eyes as he joined them at the anti-climactical ending to the story, and stepped forward to offer Posy his hand. His smile was friendly, and he looked to be younger than her – the only person in the room besides Juliette who was – and Posy almost relaxed. Until he said, ‘I’m Ashok, by the way. Ashok Gupta. Although obviously today I’m here as–’ He inched backwards to point to his jumper with both hands, waiting for Posy to guess.

Posy’s eyes widened, and she glanced over at Kit for help. Kit shrugged, unhelpfully.

‘Um, a Christmas special episode?’ Posy guessed.

Ashok sighed. ‘Anyone?’

‘You’re Detective Inspector Johnnie Swain going undercover in A Very Lively Christmas, when he hands out the gifts to the children at the end,’ Felicity answered promptly.

The Christmas jumper was more of a vintage design, now that Posy looked at it properly. If she’d read the books, she’d have known that.

Too late now.