“No, don’t.” Holly reached over and plucked the glass out of Aidan’s hand, popping it back down where it had come from. When a puzzled frown turned her way, she shook her head. “Derek doesn’t need to be guzzling alcohol to have a good time. It’s his wedding day, for goodness sake.”
“It certainly is,” Derek said. “And I’m pretty sure this one is going in the books! I’m just glad Sheila is feeling okay, still. She can be very emotional when things go a bit wrong.”
Holly thought of Sheila shrieking at her upstairs, accusing her of murder. With grim determination, she kept her smile fixed in place. “I’m sure every woman is emotional on her wedding day. If she’s doing it right!”
Wendy popped back through the doorway and beckoned to a man seated at the table to Holly’s left. He nodded and got up, apparently with some idea of why he was wanted.
“Curiouser and curiouser,” Aidan said, waggling his eyebrows.
“I think that might be the organ player,” Derek mused. “Though I’m not sure what they expect him to play.”
“Oh!” Holly stood up, then sat back down. An idea had run through her head, but the logistics of organizing it escaped her.
“What’s up, Jack in the box?”
“I just thought. We could get the chorus together from the CPR and have them hum the wedding march or something.”
“What CPR?”
Holly looked at Derek in horror, raising her hand up to cover her open mouth. “Oh, my goodness. You don’t know!”
Derek began to look agitated for the first time. His knee jiggled, and a hand crept out to tap out a rhythm on the tablecloth.
With wide eyes, Holly looked at Aidan for assistance. Should she inform Derek of all the terrible things that had happened while he was caught back at the farmhouse by the rain?
Then Crystal was by her side, grabbing Holly’s shoulder, so she turned to face her.
“What’s happened out in the hall?” she demanded. “Why is one of the downstairs doors covered in clingfilm, saying keep out?”
“Let’s go out into the hall,” Aidan said, speaking with determination. “Come on.”
Crystal looked at Holly for confirmation and when she nodded, followed along behind, catching Derek’s hand and dragging him too.
Holly shot a concerned glance at the minister, whose eyes widened before he nodded and strode over to join them. As the small group pushed through to the entrance hall, Holly felt her heart speed up in her chest.
“While you were away—”
“There’s been an incident—” Aidan said at the same time, and the two of them stumbled to a stop.
Minister Woodfield stepped forward and took hold of Derek’s hands. “I’m afraid that the butler of the manor house suffered a heart attack this morning. He’s died.”
Crystal’s mouth fell open. “Oh, my. That poor man.”
“We haven’t been able to reach the ambulance service because the phone lines are down between here and town,” Holly added. Better they know the full, horrid truth at once. “That’s why there are the signs on the door. I’m afraid that his body is still on the premises.”
Derek’s face turned pale. “You wanted me to get married to the woman I love while there’s a corpse lying in the next room?”
His voice squeaked over half of the words. Holly couldn’t blame him. Her own voice seemed to have gone off on holiday, needing a break to recover.
“Have you called them yet?” Crystal demanded, looking at each of them in turn. When they shook their heads, she took a step back. “I can’t believe this. Has anybody tried the phone lines again?”
“We’ve been trying,” Holly said, not sure if anyone had or not. “We even went up to the roof to see if we could get a mobile signal. We’re just cut off here.”
“Then we need to go to town at once!” Crystal spoke so firmly that Holly found herself nodding along.
“We’ll take William’s car, so we can get past any obstructions. As soon as we’re in a patch with clear reception, we can phone it in.”
The thought was so logical that Holly felt ashamed for not thinking of it herself. Of course, they needed to make this the priority. Poor Arnold. She’d failed to keep him alive, and now she’d failed him in death.
“No,” Aidan said, speaking with a voice as confident as Crystal’s. “We’re not risking the health and safety of anybody here just to make a phone call that won’t make any difference, at this late stage.”
He turned to Derek. “Believe me, I’m sorry this situation occurred on such a special day, but we have to make the best of it. That doesn’t include going off half-cocked to perform an act that won’t help anyone here.”
“It’ll help me out, knowing that someone’s coming to take his body away.” Crystal’s body language was so emphatic that she even stamped her foot.
Aidan was implacable. “There’s no way that anybody is coming out to retrieve the body with the road still closed, so whether you phone or not is irrelevant. Our priority is to keep everyone in this building safe until the weather clears. Once that’s accomplished, then we can sort everything else out.”
Although Crystal’s bottom lip jutted out a tiny way—a sure sign that she didn't agree with anything Aidan said—she looked at Derek and reluctantly nodded. Holly sighed a little in relief. One thing she could count on with Crystal was her sister’s big heart. There wasn’t any way she’d get in an argument when it would just add to Derek’s already large plate of worries.
“This storm is the most infuriating thing,” Crystal said.
Nobody gathered there could disagree with that.
It looked like the bad news had also been broken to Wendy. When she came downstairs, following the damp train of Sheila’s wedding dress, she shot a quick glance at the offending door and shuddered.
“You look wonderful,” Holly said as Sheila took the final step down onto the floor. “I’ll make sure to tell everybody to get their cameras out, so you get lots of photos.”
Sheila didn’t look that great. The dress had creased and strained so severely in the long trek to the manor house that it would take a team of dry cleaners and seamstresses a few weeks to turn it decent again.
That wasn’t the attitude that got brides turning on the radiant smiles for the reading of their vows, though, so the thought stayed trapped in Holly’s head.
She moved back to her table, with Crystal and Wendy moving into one closer to the action. Holly took a gulp of wine and then checked to make sure her sister or Derek hadn’t noticed. When Aidan gave her a confused frown, Holly blushed. Crystal’s sobriety was hardly going to be threatened by Holly enjoying a glass of bubbles at a wedding.
As Minister Woodfield came to the end of the first reading, the lights flickered. Holly looked over at Emma who grinned back at her and nodded. Excusing herself, Holly slipped out the back of the room through the door that Alex had introduced her to. The code was simple enough—6151—that she’d remembered it without even trying.
Emma followed her out of the room, Holly holding the door open until she joined her in the corridor. “Do you think they’ll have the phone lines back, too?” Holly asked her as they quickly walked down the hall to the next keypad.
“I sure hope so,” Emma said. “But as a consolation gift, we’ll soon have hot water again if not.”
When Holly picked up the landline, she was relieved to hear the dial tone. The electricity and phone lines shared the same posts between here and the next township over, but her nerves had still told her they might not work. Relieved, Holly dialed the non-emergency number for the ambulance service. She quickly relayed the information to the operator who promised to dispatch a paramedic.
“He’s not going to be revivable,” Holly assured her. “We just need someone to transport the body back to town.”
“I’ll phone the police, as well,” the woman on the line said in return. “If there’s the slightest chance of a suspicious circumstance then its best we have the
paramedic declare the person deceased and the police can then operate from there.”
After hanging up, Holly gave a quick thumbs-up to Emma.
“I really hope they find there’s nothing suspicious in Arnold’s death,” Emma said. “I’m looking forward to the road’s being cleared in time for me to get home tonight.”
Holly groaned. “That would be lovely.” She’d almost forgotten what home felt like.
They walked back to the reception room, slipping back into the back corridor. When they entered, all eyes turned to them in unison. Holly offered up a small smile. “The phone’s back on,” she said. “We’ve put through an emergency call.”
Sheila turned back to the minister. “Well, it sounds like the party’s going to be cut short. We’d better get a move on.”
The minister faced Derek with his eyebrows raised and received a nod to continue.
“We’ll now move onto the vows that each party has written for the occasion.” Minister Woodfield’s voice sounded entirely different officiating than it had throughout the rest of the day. Holly could feel her body softening into the ritual of the ceremony. Two people pledging to spend their lives together. The blossom of hope still fresh on their cheeks. In their hearts, the thought that this feeling of love would be never-ending.
Good luck with that.
By the time that Holly snuck back to her table, the ceremony was coming to an end. She accidentally snagged the foot of another guest and earned a glare just before reaching her seat.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
A traditional catcall came from the back of the hall as Derek did what he’d been told. Sheila blushed and then turned to address the room at large. “Since my bridesmaids are still stuck in Hanmer, I thought I’d throw the bouquet to anybody who wants to line up.”
Despite the mean age of the guests being on the high end of thirty, there was a push and shove to line up behind her. Aidan raised his eyebrows at Holly who shook her head back at him.
“Been there, done that,” she said. “Not in any hurry to do it again.”
He gave a laugh and pointed at the lighter spot on his ring finger where a band had apparently sat for years. “Me, too. Or rather, me, neither.”
Esmerelda stood and moved to the end of the line, much to Holly’s surprise. Aidan just gave a disbelieving laugh and shook his head. “I swear, she’s only doing it for the sheer joy of depriving someone else if she catches it,” he said in a low voice. “Much as I love my auntie, she does try to suck the fun out of any joyous occasion.”
Not only did Esmerelda join in the catching party but she was so spry that she easily plucked the bouquet out of mid-air. Given the pouting lower lips on display, Holly felt sorry for the older woman. Why shouldn’t she still hold just as tightly to dreams of love and affection as the younger women in the crowd?
“Those poor servers,” Aidan observed as the caterers began to dish out the meals. They piled the selections in the center of each table so guests could take their pick rather than dole out individual portions.
“Don’t worry,” Holly said. “I’ve already volunteered everyone seated during the meal for clearing and washing up duties. It seemed only fair.”
Esmerelda took her seat, her sagging cheeks glowing from the effort of fighting her way to the flowers. She plonked the posey down on the table without much reverence, eyes fixed on the food being delivered more than her coveted prize.
“Did you have anyone in mind?” Holly asked, nodding at the flowers. “Or will it just be pot-luck?”
The older woman raised an eyebrow. Despite her enormous nose and sagging skin, the sparkle in Esmerelda’s eyes lent her an air of beauty. Enough for Holly to wonder what she’d looked like back in her early courting days.
“I don’t have my eye on anyone in particular,” Esmerelda said, clapping her hands together as the caterers began to place food on the table. “But I’m not much averse to any company these days. Not to mention, Joan could use a good male role model around the home. Someone who might explain to her the importance of wearing color rather than black.”
“I don’t really think that’s a male role.” Aidan gave Holly a wink across the table. “Perhaps that advice would be better suited coming from a woman, Auntie.”
“I’ve already tried, Aidan. She won’t listen to me.” Esmerelda slapped her hand on the table. “That girl needs a firmer hand than mine. At my age, I just don’t have the energy.”
Aidan reached over to lay his hand on top of hers, his voice lowering and filling with affection. “You do a fine job, Auntie. Better than any of the family had a right to expect.”
Esmerelda gave another sniff from her almighty shnozz, but Aidan’s compliment teased a smile from her lips, which was obliterated a second later as she dug into the feast in front of them with gusto.
The wedding meal should have been a choice of two entrees and two mains with the wedding cupcakes serving everyone as dessert. Instead, the guests had the luxury of helping themselves to both the Beef Wellington and the Grilled Salmon, likewise the starters of Chicken Tenderloins and thin slices of melt-in-your-mouth Pork Belly.
“This food is so good,” Emma exclaimed, checking everyone had served themselves before helping herself to seconds. “I think they should do this at every wedding. A buffet of food right on the table.”
Holly agreed around a mouthful of deliciousness, nodding because she couldn’t speak.
After they’d demolished most of the food, William excused himself to slip away. Emma’s eyes followed him to the double doors, an expression of sadness melting through the joy that had been there earlier. Holly wanted to reassure the girl—that William would come to his senses or that there’d be other men—but felt awkward given their short acquaintance.
You’re not even meant to know why she’s sad, Holly scolded herself. Unless you want to add gossip to Emma’s list of things to worry about, leave well enough alone.
Thankfully, the universal symbol of a speech about to be made rang out—the tapping of a knife against a wine glass. The caterers had left that to tableside self-service, too, placing bottles of wine at every occupied station so that the guests could help themselves.
Crystal and Wendy suddenly appeared, dragging their chairs to Holly’s table. With the food over, there was no reason to stay in place, and the occupants all shuffled so they had room to sit side-by-side.
“Those glasses are family heirlooms,” Wendy said, nodding at the flute in Derek’s hand. She leaned forward, “We brought them in so that his glass couldn’t get mixed up with any others. He doesn’t drink, you know.”
Holly and Crystal did indeed know that and shared a quick glance.
“They’re charming,” Holly said. “I like the gold trim around the top.”
“My granddaddy visited the shop on Morano where they were made,” Wendy said. “He traveled all around Italy after the war. My dad said he was always complaining about arriving too late for active service, but he enjoyed the peacekeeping a lot more than he would have liked war.”
“I used to love watching glassblowing on TV when I was younger,” Crystal said. “My dad said I was named after the most expensive set of glasses he and Mom owned. Whenever they had glassblowing on the screen, he’d called out—look at that! They’re making themselves a baby Crystal!”
Holly had experienced something similar each Christmas and ducked her head to hide a smile at the memory.
“I’d like to thank everyone for being here today,” Derek said, standing with his special glass raised in the air. “It’s the first time I’ve literally had a captive audience.”
There was a smattering of good-humored laughter, but as the speech continued onward, Holly’s thoughts spiraled inward. Her own reception had been held in a large marquee on the lawn. Although it was dry on the day, the rain had set in the week before so that all the women’s stilettos kept getting stuck in the soft earth underfoot.
&nbs
p; “To my bride, the love of my life, Sheila Tahoe.” Derek raised his glass at his new bride and then drank it down, the guests all doing likewise.
“Hear, hear,” Aidan called out, earning another round of laughter and applause.
“Should I say something?” Wendy asked with a worried frown. “There should be more speeches, shouldn’t there?”
Holly laughed and leaned forward to pat Wendy on the shoulder. “I don’t think there’s anything about this wedding that’s following the usual patterns, do you?”
Wendy gave a burst of surprised laughter and shook her head. “No. I definitely didn’t think this was how the day would go. I don’t know why I spent all that time and effort worrying and planning.”
“Because you wanted your daughter to have a beautiful day of celebration to remember,” Holly said. “And no matter what, you’ve achieved that goal.”
The bride and groom made their way across to the trays of cupcakes and Holly felt a guilty twang. She should have mounted them on the fancy spiral holders that she’d begged off the luxury hotel in town. Then she shrugged. Let it go. The cupcakes were still lovely, still well-decorated, and holding together despite the damp and the unexpected delays.
Around them, sensing an opportunity, guests whipped out their phones to take the famous shot. Holly caught a flash out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she realized it was a car pulling up outside and not a mobile phone or camera.
“Excuse me.” Holly stood up and quickly wended her way back through the crowd. It must be either the police or the paramedics, here sooner than she’d thought. She felt a momentary embarrassment for the state they’d left the crime scene and the body, then Holly shook her head. It hardly mattered. What was important right now was making sure that Arnold was finally seen to and given the dignity he deserved.
A rhythmic clapping started up with the guests, and Holly turned almost at the door, to see the happy couple shoving cupcakes into each other’s mouths.
No. Not each others’. Just Sheila filling up Derek’s mouth. Her lips remained clenched together.
A general cheer went through the crowd as Derek ate his way through the offering in a few big bites. Then the clapping started up again—one problem they hadn’t foreseen. The cakes were small enough that the same ritual could play out over and over.
The Sweet Baked Mystery Series - Books 1-6 Page 23
