greatly admired, as saying, “Go for the obvious and then work out from there. Nine times out of ten the answer is right under your nose.”
So when it came to ease of putting poison into Nicholas’s glass, then Matty and Dragomir would be the two people who could have done it most easily. Until now I had dismissed Matty as the bride. Why would she want to kill her future husband? But now, as I continued to observe her, I recalled that her gaiety had seemed forced at times. She had been playing the part of the happy bride-to-be and yet she had made remarks about Nicholas being a good choice, if one had to get married. She had talked about how she would rather have stayed on in Paris. What if she had decided to take the ultimate way out of this marriage by poisoning her bridegroom?
I decided that it was about time I tackled her and got the truth out of her. I’d find an opportunity this morning during our dress fitting. After all, I’d be perfectly safe in a room full of young women and Darcy was somewhere in the castle. But just in case there was some truth to this vampire stuff, shouldn’t I be prepared? I stood looking at the spread of breakfast dishes. Some of those cold meats had plenty of garlic in them, judging by the smell of them. Did that count as a defense against vampires, or did one need the actual cloves? I could hardly go down to the kitchen and ask for cloves of garlic, so I loaded up my plate with various slices of sausage. It wasn’t exactly my choice of breakfast but I got through them. Afterward even I could smell the garlic on my breath—I only hoped any potential vampires could too. Now, if I could just find a small cross somewhere in the castle and slip it into my pocket . . .
As I got up to leave Nicholas was standing at the doorway, speaking with his father. His face was grim. There was a brief exchange and his father strode off down the hallway. Nicholas saw me and gave a grimace.
“The old man is making a fuss about Pirin,” he said. “He wanted to know when the telephone wires will be repaired. He needs to know how Pirin is doing, whether he has reached the hospital safely and whether his physician is on his way from Sofia. He was demanding that a car be sent to find out. I kept telling him that it had snowed again and the pass would be closed, but he’s not taking no for an answer. This could prove extremely tricky. I wonder where Darcy is.”
I was tempted to tell him that Darcy was in the castle, but decided to leave that decision up to Darcy himself when he reappeared. I couldn’t think what he might be doing, but I was sure it was important.
“Your bride is beginning to show the strain of the unfortunate events,” I said.
“Yes, she’s very sensitive,” Nicholas said. “Another death last night. I wish to God I hadn’t given in to Maria and agreed to hold the ceremony at this castle. It would have been so much more agreeable at the palace.”
As I left him, I spotted Count Dragomir, hurrying ahead of me. I called his name and he turned, reluctantly.
“I was wondering if you had any news about my maid yet,” I said. “I am extremely worried.”
“I am sorry, Highness. I have had no news,” he said. “But don’t worry, my people will keep searching for her.”
“She can’t have disappeared,” I said. “I want an out-and-out effort today to look for her, or I’ll have to ask Mr. Patrascue to put his men on the job.”
It was a good threat. I saw a look of alarm in his eyes. “Mr. Patrascue could not find his own nose if it were not attached to his body,” he said. “I have promised we will find her and we will.”
Then he hurried off, his cape flying out behind him. I wandered down the hallways, looking for a suitable cross, but could only come up with a six-foot-tall crucifix in a niche. I could hardly carry that around with me. I also spotted a cross around the neck of one of the servants, but she spoke no English and I couldn’t make her understand that I only wanted to borrow it. So in the end I had no