Page 32 of Death at a Highland Wedding

Alice and I both take breakfast with Isla, and it’snotcold, because Alice would never allow that. The more I see of this get-together, the more I’m glad we don’t entertain overnight gatherings at the town house. Glad for the sake of the staff, that is. Not only do they need to worry about keeping track of all the guests and their various needs and wants, but there are also the lady’s maids trying to give their mistresses a hot breakfast, even if it’s hardly the cook’s fault it went cold. There’s jostling for position among the staff on behalf of their bosses, without those bosses having a clue what’s going on “below stairs.”

Our breakfast is hot and delicious, and if Mrs. Hall was at all scandalized by Isla dining with her maid, she didn’t comment. Nor would Isla consider whether it might add extra work for the staff. As conscientious as Isla is, she’s grown up with servants and, in some ways, they’re like fairies, magically getting things done.

The private breakfast does make a relaxing start to my day. The balcony doors are thrown open, and we start eating inside, but after an hour, it’s warm enough to tempt us out. After Alice removes our breakfast, we finish our morning tea at a tiny table overlooking the lawn.

When footsteps sound, we look down to see McCreadie rounding the corner of the house. He spots Isla on the balcony, and his face lights up. He swings his hat off with a flourish and holds it to his heart.

“‘What light through yonder window breaks,’” he calls.

When he doesn’t say anything else, Isla waves. “Well, go on.”

“Er…”

I lean over and fake hiss, “East! Sun!”

“Uh… from the east, hark, it is the sun and…”

I groan and slouch dramatically against the railing. Then I spot another figure walking over behind him.

“Duncan!” I call. “Help Hugh! He’s trying to do the window soliloquy.”

“Window soliloquy?” Gray says.

“Romeo and Juliet? Shakespeare?”

Gray moves forward, his arms crossing. “Is that the play where the young woman takes some mysterious potion to make her appear dead? Even if such a thing existed—belladonna perhaps—it would be ridiculously risky. And then the young man himself takes some mysterious poison he just happens to have at hand? She wakes and stabs herself in the heart? Do youknow how difficult it is to do that? The stomach, yes, but the heart? How sharp is that dagger? How does she avoid the ribs on her first try?”

“Speaking of soliloquies,” I mutter to Isla.

“More like a lecture,” she murmurs back. “And not nearly as romantic.”

“Wait!” McCreadie says. “‘It is the East, and Juliet the sun.’ That’s it, yes?”

I groan and shake my head. “You’ve lost the thread, Hugh. Try again tomorrow. Maybe brush up on your Shakespeare first. And whatever you do, don’t ask Duncan for advice.”

Isla laughs softly.

“You are both out bright and early,” I call down.

“It is past ten,” Gray says.

“We are looking for Archie,” McCreadie says. “For…” He lifts a croquet mallet and swings it like a baseball bat.

“You’re going to ambush Mr. Cranston and beat him senseless?” I say. “I can understand the impulse, but perhaps your sister would prefer you waited untilafterthe wedding.”

“He wanted to play this morning. At ten. That is what we agreed. He is nowhere to be found, and his coat is gone.”

A chill runs down me. “He was out last night wearing it. Did he not come in?”

McCreadie frowns, as if wondering how I’d know this. He waves his hand—still holding the mallet, which makes Gray take a step back.

“No, no,” McCreadie says. “There is no concern. Mrs. Hall saw him this morning.”

I exhale. “Good. So Mr. Cranston has gone off on some errand. I could point out that running an estate this large means he has a lot to tend to while he’s here. However, if searching for him means I can join you for a walkabout, then I think we really should look for him. Make sure he didn’t stumble into one of his own traps.”

“Which would serve him right,” Isla mutters. Then she says, “I do not mean that, of course.”

“Oh, while I wouldn’t want himbadlyinjured, I’d settle for a near miss that scares him enough to have Mr. Müller immediately round up all the traps.”