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“That’s very generous of you,” Alice said.

“It’s my pleasure,” Sebastian said. “Would you like a bottle of wine? On the house, of course. We exclusively carry my wife’s wine brand, Red Hearted-Queen. We even have a brand-new type we’re testing out. I’ll have one brought out to you.”

“That’s okay,” Hugo said.

“I insist,” Sebastian said.

“We’ve—” Hugo stated.

“We’ve had a few bad experiences with it,” Alice finished.

Sebastian dropped his arms to his side and tilted his head. “A . . . reaction?”

“Yes,” Alice said. “Last year, after it was first on sale.”

“One right over there,” Hugo added, pointing to his usual table. “It upset my . . . stomach.” His mind dredged up memories of the ghoulish Elizabeth lurching toward him in an attempt to drag himinto a deep, dark void. He shook his head to clear the memories of the horrible daymare.

“Ah, yes, we had a small production issue with the first few batches. It wasn’t quite up to our standards of quality. I promise you, this one is much better. I’ll have your waitress bring it out and take your orders,” Sebastian said as he took a step away from the table and stopped. He turned back. “What are you two doing this evening?”

“Well, we did have a plan to go for a stroll after dinner,” Hugo said.

“On a night like this? It could rain at any moment and ruin your wonderful evening,” he said. “How would you like to go dancing?”

“I would love to go dancing,” Alice said.

Hugo’s heart sank. His perfectly planned evening with the perfect meal and the second-most perfect proposal were now in shambles. He couldn’t say no to Alice’s love of dancing. He should have proposed last Saturday. Or on Halloween. Or any other random time since then. The proposal would have to wait.

“Excellent. My wife owns a nightclub on High Street just north of campus in the city. I’ll call and tell her to expect you two,” he said. He pointed at Alice. “It’s not a typical nightclub.”

“We know of a rather unusual nightclub too,” Hugo said with a wink to Alice.

“It’s more of an . . . alternative nightclub,” Sebastian said. He gestured to Alice with his open hand. “I think you’d fit right in there.”

Alice gasped. Her face filled with glee. “We have to go. Do you know how long it’s been since I went dancing? We’re going.”

“Perfect,” Sebastian said. “I’ll let her know to expect you. I’ll go write down the address for you. It’s called The Heart and Rose.” He retreated into the kitchen.

A moment later, Carmilla returned with a bottle of Red-Hearted Queen. The familiar playing card logo with the card suits encircled agold, multi-point crown. The heart was on top and the spade on the bottom. She poured the wine into two glasses.

Hugo and Alice took the glasses. They swirled the reddish-purple liquid in their glasses and took a sniff. The aroma of berries and earth tones filled Hugo’s senses. He checked with Alice, tilting his head and giving a half-hearted smile, waiting for an excuse not to drink. Hugo didn’t want to upset his new neighbor, but also didn’t want another freak out in the restaurant.

Hugo’s foot twitched. His heart raced. He tapped the table with his free index finger. His eyes darted back and forth from Alice to the glass, hoping to direct her attention, so she would say something. She raised an eyebrow and her glass. He smiled at Carmilla standing next to the table, holding the bottle. She smiled back. Hugo took one more sniff, pressed the glass against his lips, and drank.

He waited. Waited for anything to happen. Was the room going to melt away like last time? Would the ghoulish image of Elizabeth be replaced by Alice . . . or Johanna?

Nothing happened.

There was no odd aftertaste. It tasted . . . great. He shot a glance over to Alice with a pleasantly surprised expression. She took a sip.

“This is nice,” Alice said. “Very smooth.”

“Thank you,” Carmilla said as she placed the bottle onto the table. “Now what would you like to order?”

Chapter 4

The Queen’s Court

“Did you bring anyDrink Me Juice?” Hugo asked as he exited the black SUV.