English Trifle

by Josi S. Kilpack

  Surgery had removed the bullet lodged in Liam’s shoulder six days ago and he was recovering well. Breanna had already missed the first week of the semester and after being assured that Violet—who had arrived to take over as sentry for her two men—would take good care of him, Breanna finally agreed to go back home. Lady Hane and Dr. Melcalfe had been arrested and were facing charges of fraud, conspiracy to attempt murder, and blackmail. Additionally, Dr. Melcalfe was facing an ethics board review as to whether or not he should retain his license to practice medicine. The earl was recovering, albeit slowly. Dr. Sawyer expected it would take a good deal of physical therapy for William to overcome the effects of the drug-induced coma, but everyone was optimistic that he’d be able to go home after another week—with a real nurse this time. And Austin? Well, Sadie had delivered Lacy’s ring after Liam came out of surgery. Austin had looked at the ring and finally said he was sorry. Sadie didn’t know where Lacy had gone after making her statement to the police. Sadie hoped she was healing.

  “So?” Sadie asked, getting herself comfortable as she waited to hear what had happened during the last exchange Breanna and Liam had shared at the hospital that morning. “And don’t you dare tell me that it’s none of my business or that you didn’t talk about anything important.”

  Breanna let out a breath and opened her eyes. “Believe me, Mom, I’ve learned my lesson about holding things back. I will never lie to my mother again.”

  “Or simply mislead her,” Sadie added, making sure to cover all the bases. “It never works in your best interest.”

  “Believe me,” Breanna said. “I know.”

  “So?” Sadie asked again.

  A family sat in the row ahead of them and their baby squealed, peeking at Sadie over the seat. She smiled and crinkled her nose at the toddler, but she hoped the child was going to sleep. It was a nine-hour flight to Chicago, but would seem twice as long if the baby screeched the whole time. The mother pulled the baby back onto her lap, provoking another high-pitched squeal in the process. Sadie turned her attention back to her daughter.

  “Sooo,” she asked for the third time.

  “So, he apologized for how horrible the trip turned out and for the things he did,” Breanna said. “He’s worried about me missing so much school.” She lifted her arms above her head and stretched.

  “That’s it?” Sadie said, feeling her face fall.

  “No, not exactly,” Breanna said, lowering her arms to the armrests. “He also gave me the name of someone to talk to about possibly getting a job at the London Zoo this summer.”

  “And you said . . .”

  “I said I’d think about it.” Breanna batted her eyelashes and smiled at her coy response. “But I was really impressed with the London Zoo—and it would give me a chance to see England in a different way—so I’m going to look into it. Maybe just for the summer. We’ll see.”

  Sadie smiled and patted Breanna’s knee. She was glad Breanna wasn’t giving up on Liam just yet, but equally glad that she was taking her time to be sure this was the course she wanted to take for the rest of her life. “So, what exactly made you change your mind?” Sadie asked. “A week ago you were ready to walk away.”

  “It’s hard to say what it was that turned the tide,” Breanna replied, looking thoughtful. “Maybe it was realizing how much Liam needs me in his life. Maybe it was admitting how much I wanted him in mine. Maybe it was talking to Violet and realizing how much she and William lost because of their determination not to see each other’s point of view. Or maybe I’m just not ready to turn my back on the possibilities.”

  “Maybe,” Sadie repeated with a nod. “What England needs more than anything are people on both sides of the divide willing to fight for equality.”

  “I think I could fight for something like that,” Breanna said. She looked at her mother. “Besides, a wise woman once told me that life is a little like English trifle—it comes in layers. I’m too young to regret something this big later on.”

  “Sounds like good advice to me,” Sadie said. “You ought to listen to this wise woman a little more often.”

  “I’ll take that into consideration,” Breanna said, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. “I’m so tired I think I could sleep for a week.”

  Sadie agreed, and leaned back in her own seat as well, turning her head to look out the window that was still clothed in clouds. She took a deep breath, feeling her muscles relax. As her mind drifted into sleep a hundred images from the last week played through her mind. Who’d have thought their trip to England would turn out this way? She thought of Pete, who would be eager to hear all about the trip, and she was eager to explore a new level of their relationship—perhaps over a plate of scones . . . once she figured out how to make them.

  As much as Sadie appreciated taking things slow, she was invigorated by the reminder that nothing lasted forever and that forces were at play that didn’t always make sense at first sight. Life and love were not without risks, but just like Breanna, Sadie was too young to regret something this big later on.

  Layers.

  Hmmm.

  Sadie’s Scrumptulicious Scones 1 cup sour cream (light works just as well) 1 teaspoon baking soda

  4 cups all-purpose flour

  1 cup sugar

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1 teaspoon salt

  1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

  1 cup butter

  1 egg

  Combine sour cream and baking soda in 2-cup bowl or measuring cup (mixture expands, so you’ll want to have extra space). Set aside. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry blender until mixture resembles course cornmeal. Add sour cream mixture and egg. Mix until a soft dough forms—use your hands if necessary. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead a few times, then pat or roll until 1-inch thick. Cut into circles or use pizza cutter to cut into triangles. Place scones two inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Glaze, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until bottom edges are golden brown.

  Makes 8 to 14, depending on size of scones.

  * Pete likes them cheesy—no sugar or glaze , add 1 cup grated sharp cheese instead.

  * If using margarine in place of butter, dough may be sticky. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.

  Glaze (optional, but super yummy) 1 egg

  1 tablespoon whipping cream

  Mix together egg and cream. Brush on top of unbaked scones and bake as directed. Sprinkle cooked scones with powdered sugar. Set oven to broil, but leave oven rack in the center position. Put pan in oven, keeping door open about an inch and watch closely. Sugar takes 30 to 90 seconds to turn a golden brown. Remove scones from oven; serve while still warm.

  * To freeze scones: Bake scones as directed. When cool, put in zip-top plastic bag, removing as much air as possible to ensure freshness upon defrosting. To defrost, remove from freezer and let thaw at room temperature for 2 hours. Can reheat in microwave.

  Acknowledgements

  This book would not have happened if not for the help of two British friends, Samantha Humphries and Elsie Beard—thank you both for helping this book come together; details are the difference between good and great and your time and tutoring made all the difference.

  Big thanks to my non-British pre-readers—Julie Wright and Breanna Kilpack. You both caught things in need of catching and I so appreciate your help in getting it right. My writing group gave feedback throughout the writing process and kept the story on track: Ronda Hinrichsen, Jody Durfee, Becky Clayson, and Anne Craeger—I’d be lost without you guys. Thank you to the members of LDStorymakers who have created a foundation for my writing over the years and to all those readers who write to me and ask for more.

  With this book I started Sadie’s Test Kitchen, a closed blog comprised of willing cooks who tried and tested the recipes featured in this book. It was a huge weight off my shoulders to have all of them givin
g feedback and steering me in the right direction—thank you Don, Sandra, Laree, Annie, Barbara, Shirley, Michelle, Whit, and Danyelle. You guys are priceless.

  Thank you to the amazing staff at Deseret Book—Jana Erickson for overseeing the process, Shauna Gibby for the beautiful cover, Rachael Ward for the typesetting, and my wonderful editor, Lisa Mangum, who is my continual cheerleader and friend.

  Hugs and kisses to my family who suffered through my inability to figure out whodunit for an embarrassing amount of time—patience is a virtue and they are virtuous indeed. Special thanks to my sweetie, Lee, for all that he does for me and our family; he is definitely my better half and I’d have never gotten here on my own.

  And of course, thank you to my Father in Heaven for the gifts of a lifetime and the continual help in turning those gifts into talents that bless my life, and hopefully bless other lives as well.

  About the Author

  Josi was born and raised in Salt Lake City, attended Olympus High School and made an appearance at Salt Lake Community College before marrying her high school sweetheart and starting a family. In addition to her writing, she loves to bake, travel, can her own peaches, watch criminal justice TV, and study the oddness of human nature. English Trifle is her tenth published novel, and the second in the Sadie Hoffmiller mystery series that combines many of her great loves into one delicious book.

  In her spare time, she likes to overwhelm herself with a multitude of projects and then complain that she never has any spare time; in this way she is rather masochistic. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her husband, Lee, and their four children.

  She also enjoys cheering on her children and sleeping in when the occasion presents itself. She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at Kilpack@gmail.com.

  Enjoy this sneak peek of Devil’s Food Cake Coming Spring 2010

  Chapter One

  Have you seen Thom yet?” Sadie asked, craning her neck to see into the corners of the temporary stage set up at the front of the ballroom. Thom Mortinson was supposed to have arrived by 6:30, but had called to say he was running late. Sadie was trying not to show her annoyance at men who had no concept of time. Detective Pete Cunningham—Sadie’s date for tonight—was late too. She glanced at her watch: 7:05. Thom was supposed to have begun his presentation at 7:00 sharp.

  “Not yet,” Gayle answered from where she sat at Sadie’s left.

  “So, did you two read his book, then?” an increasingly familiar voice said.

  Sadie looked past Gayle to the young woman seated next to her—the date of Frank Argula. She was thirty years Frank’s junior, with thick brown hair piled on top of her delicate little head. Sadie feared a sneeze might snap her neck completely. Her hair had to weigh twenty-five pounds. Sadie didn’t know the girl’s name—Trixie or Bambi or something like that, she was sure.

  “Sure,” Gayle answered, shooting Sadie a look brimming with annoyance. It was the fourth time Trixie had cut into their conversation. Frank was currently involved in an animated discussion with a city councilman.

  “It must be really good,” the girl said with a floating kind of smile as she looked around the room, “for all these people to want to listen to him talk about it.”

  “It’s good,” Gayle said dryly.

  Sadie scraped together her last bite of mashed potatoes from her plate. Truth be told, she hadn’t loved Devilish Details. Thom had published the book a few years after moving away from Garrison and while she was very proud of his accomplishment, the writing just wasn’t her style.

  Gayle turned back to Sadie. “I still can’t believe he agreed to come.”

  “Why wouldn’t he come?” Trixie cut in.

  Rather than being annoyed at yet another interruption, Gayle’s eyes lit up at the girl’s innocence and Sadie took a sip of her drink to hide her smile. Gayle turned back to the girl with a very different expression. Here we go, Sadie thought. It wasn’t that Gayle was a gossip, per se, but she, well, liked . . . being informed and sharing that information. Of course, any time Sadie pointed that out, Gayle turned the tables and recalled all the times Sadie had been the one to spill a story. A server leaned in to take away their plates.

  “Didn’t Frank tell you about Thom?” Gayle asked sweetly, once the server moved away.

  The girl shook her head.

  “Well,” Gayle said, wriggling in her seat a little bit and leaning closer, “before Thom wrote Devilish Details, he lived here in Garrison with his son—that is until his son killed himself and his girlfriend after their junior prom.”

  Trixie gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Sadie felt her stomach tighten just a little bit. Hearing the details laid out so bluntly was a bit of a shock. Even from Gayle. “You’re kidding,” the girl said, lowering her hand. “A murder-suicide? Here?”

  Up until last October, when Sadie’s neighbor had been murdered, the Mortinson tragedy had been the most recent homicide in Garrison, Colorado. Damon, Thom’s son, had only been a couple years older than Sadie’s own daughter and so the tragedy had hit close to home. The school district brought in grief counselors, parents forbade their daughters from dating the bad boys, and Thom Mortinson moved to California. No one blamed him for what happened, of course—Damon had been in and out of trouble since he turned twelve—but no one could fault Thom for wanting to make a fresh start, either. Lost in her thoughts, Sadie didn’t realize Gayle was still telling the story.

  “So, you can imagine our surprise when a couple years later Thom’s name showed up on the cover of a New York Times bestseller. Of course we all knew he’d been a bit of a closet writer before Damon’s death, but no one expected this kind of success, especially after what had happened.”

  “Wow,” Trixie said. She pulled at the top of her strapless gown and looked toward the stage again. “Has he written any other books?”

  “No,” Gayle said, shrugging her shoulders. “Just that one book, though he’s been saying for years that he has another one in the works.”

  “Maybe he’ll be like Harper Lee,” the girl said. “In literary circles the common theory is that she never wrote another book because she’d written the perfect novel right out of the gate. How do you compete with your own greatness?”

  Sadie and Gayle both looked at Trixie in surprise. They hadn’t expected her to recite scholarly supposition. “Maybe,” Gayle said slowly, obviously caught off guard.

  “I wonder what it’s like for him to come back here,” the girl added, unusually serious. “I imagine it’s hard.”

  Sadie was reminded of her own surprise when she’d heard he’d accepted the invitation. What was there to come back to Garrison for but to face old ghosts?

  Her thoughts were interrupted as a server placed a white dessert plate in front of Sadie. Every thought of Thom or Trixie disappeared. In the middle of the plate was a most beautiful sight—a thick, gooey piece of devil’s food cake. Sadie grabbed her fork and dug in without hesitation.

  “I thought you were on a diet,” Gayle said.

  Sadie looked up, fork poised inches from her open mouth and did her best to scowl at her best friend. Gayle didn’t take back the question she’d asked; in fact, she continued to look pointedly at the rich chocolate goodness on Sadie’s fork. The rich chocolate goodness that was going straight to Sadie’s already ample hips. Trixie turned to converse with Frank, and the clinking of silverware and mingling murmurs of a hundred conversations filled the room. Sadie paid no heed to any of it. Instead, she looked at Gayle and with exaggerated movements put the bite of cake in her mouth and closed her lips around the fork. Sadie closed her eyes and tried not to groan out loud as the decadent chocolate melted on her tongue.

  Gayle snickered and Sadie feared she’d failed at her attempts to silently appreciate the deliciousness filling her mouth. It was just wrong that such an amazing culinary creation should have any calories at all.

  “You should really attempt a little more self-restraint,” Gayle said when Sadie recovered fr
om her chocolate-induced swoon and opened her eyes. No one but Gayle, and maybe Sadie’s children, could get away with talking to Sadie like that. However, after twenty years of friendship, there wasn’t much they could do to offend each other. “Everyone knows you made the cake, so your reaction comes across as rather arrogant.”

  Sadie used the edge of her fork to cut off another bite. “I have no problem with appearing arrogant when I’ve done something this magnificent.”

  In truth, it was a little embarrassing to lose control like this—especially in public. Sadie prided herself on her humility, and yet she had no control when it came to good food. She’d returned from England almost six weeks ago and had been existing on salads, fruit smoothies, and baked chicken ever since in hopes of losing not the seven pounds she’d thought she’d gained, but the twelve pounds the scale said she’d brought home with her. Twelve pounds in two weeks—Sadie didn’t know that was even possible.

  Unfortunately, the diet hadn’t been as effective as she’d hoped—possibly due to the fact that despite her strict meal regimen of protein and leafy greens, she’d been baking scones and crumpets a few times a week; she didn’t count that as breaking her diet because perfecting the recipes was actually research. Gayle, of course, knew this.

  And then Sadie had been asked to supply the dessert of her choice for the library fundraiser. Before she’d even hung up the phone she’d known what she wanted to make—devil’s food cake. Since it was commonly understood that diets were left at the door of events like this, she knew it was a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: she’d make a fabulous contribution to the dinner, and she’d get a piece of otherwise forbidden cake.

  “I swear this is the best cake I have ever made in my life,” Sadie said reverently after taking her second bite.

  Gayle chuckled and Sadie couldn’t help but join her, knowing that she was being a little ridiculous. She put a hand on Gayle’s arm and leaned in toward her friend. “It’s a good thing you’re sitting next to me,” she said, giving Gayle’s arm a squeeze. “I’d be liable to embarrass myself otherwise.”