by CeeCee James
As Miss Janice relayed the story, I realized then it was Mr. Eland and Jack, his trainer that I’d overheard talking the night of the dinner party.
We still had one tricky subject to navigate, and that pertained to Sophia.
Marguerite and Cook turned to one side and had a furious whispered conversation about it. All I caught was Marguerite murmuring that they should wait until after Miss Janice had her headache tonic.
Of course, Miss Janice ferreted it out. Both women began blurting the story of the baby, as Miss Janice stared with a phlegmatic expression. There was the one tricky bit with Marguerite glossing over how Miss Janice had forced Barbara to leave, but soon they had the story sorted out.
The letter and the crown truly must have worked some magic because not only was Miss Janice open to meeting the girl and allowing her to continue living with her brother, but she thought she owed Barbara an apology and a meeting as well.
In the end, the only thing Miss Janice remained closed to pertained to the books. She hated them still and felt convinced that if Mr. Thornberry hadn’t been obsessed with his curated collection, their lives would have ended in a much different way.
That hardly changed anything for us, as we were content to keep our book club secret anyway.
In fact, at our next meeting a few nights later, Marguerite called the meeting to order with the question, “What new book are we going to read?” The room flickered in the candlelight with an almost palpable satisfaction and joy, if there was such a thing.
Janet answered Marguerite smartly with “Maybe even more important, what new mystery are we going to solve?”
Lucy raised her hand timidly. “I do know of a new one. Mr. Birdwhistle’s son just died. Murdered.”
The news received the expected murmur of both shock and approval.
While everyone talked over the top of one another, Mary leaned over to me to whisper, “Guess what I found out. Sophia was born in July.”
I lifted an eyebrow in question.
She continued proudly, “Larkspur is July’s birth flower. That’s why Mr. Thornberry ordered so many, as a tribute to his little friend.”
“Oh! Well, one puzzle answered. Now, how did the garden stay pruned and the honey harvested?”
She shrugged. “I guess that’s a mystery for another day.”
At that moment, a fluffy orange face peeped out from behind a stack of books. Hank stared directly at me, and I softly patted my lap to entice him.
The cat walked over and leaped up, landing all four paws heavily on my thigh. Gently, I rearranged him and then stroked the length of his back down to the tip of his tail. He blinked those gorgeous eyes until they were slitted in a half-smile. I swear his weight increased as he relaxed and melted into my lap.
And then I felt it. A deep rumble that grew richer and louder. I dipped my ear to be sure, and then smiled like I’d just discovered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
“If I could, I’d be purring too, buddy. You’re the real hero of the day.”
29
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading Tall Tails Secret Book Club. I hope you enjoyed it and also enjoy Book 2 Pawsibly Guilty.
