She nodded. “That’s me.”
I looked at Sin. “Meat lovers and whatever you want. I’ll eat anything.”
“You got it.” He dialed and ordered the pies, including a plain cheese and one with ham and mushrooms. I also heard him order chocolate cake. When he hung up, he gave me a nod. “Twenty minutes.”
We spent the rest of the night eating and watching a comedy. I couldn’t really forget about everything else that was going on, but the food and the movie and the company helped.
At least until the next morning.
After how relaxed we’d been the previous night, Sin had decided we should stay in for breakfast as well, so he’d called the kitchen and ordered breakfast for the three of us delivered to my apartment. Not having to dress and go down to breakfast was a treat. Even Birdie showed up in her robe and slippers.
It was the perfect low-stress way to start the day. Except for the part where someone in the kitchen wrote down the delivery time wrong.
Because of that, we were settled around the table being served our omelets and pancakes when most of the palace was probably still in bed.
The footman in charge of the delivery apologized repeatedly until I held my hand up. “It’s all right. Mistakes happen. An early start isn’t such a bad thing.” I was trying to look on the bright side. “We’ll get more done today.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
He left and we all went for our coffee. Once we’d downed a bit of that, we started to eat. The food was good, even if I wasn’t truly awake enough to appreciate it.
Near the end of the meal, the apartment phone rang.
Sin got up. “I’ll get it.”
“Probably my mom wondering why we didn’t come down for breakfast.”
“No,” Sin said. “I sent them a note that we were eating in.”
“Thanks, that was nice of you.” I drank some more coffee and scratched the belly of Spider, who was curled up on the kitchen chair beside me. I listened to see if the constable was on the phone. The weight of the unsolved murder pressed on me. I just wanted this case cracked so we could put it behind us.
Sin held the phone to his chest. “Sweetheart, it’s Mamie. She wants to speak to you.”
“Okay.” I gave Spider one last scratch and got up, taking the phone from Sin. “Mamie? It’s Jayne.”
“Hi, Jayne. Sorry to call so early, but I did the digging you asked, and I have some news.”
“No worries, we’re all up anyway.”
“Perfect. There’s no record of George’s ex currently living in the North Pole. In fact, as far as I can tell, there’s no record of the woman having ever lived in the North Pole.”
“That’s odd.”
“I know, right? But wait, there’s more. I remembered what her last name was, obviously, since I needed it for the search.”
“And?” This had to be good, or Mamie wouldn’t have saved it for last.
She took a breath. “It’s Brightmoore.”
The surname processed in an instant. “That’s not a winter elf name.”
“No, it’s not.”
“But that pretty much explains why there’d be no record of her living here. With a name like that, she has to be a summer elf.”
“Yes,” Mamie confirmed. “That’s what I was thinking too. I hope that helps.”
“It certainly explains some things. Like the engagement ring. George said Rachel was his sun. Now we know just how true that was. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good day.”
“You too.” I hung up and went back to the table.
“Well, now,” Birdie said as I sat down. “Did I hear right? George’s ex is a summer elf? Isn’t your ex Cooper a summer elf?”
I nodded. “He is, yes.”
Sin looked a little confused. “What’s interesting about it?”
Birdie lifted one shoulder. “A summer elf and a winter elf engaged to be married? It’s at least curious.”
“I guess.” He didn’t seem convinced. He refilled his coffee from the carafe on the table. “How many summer elves live in the NP?”
“I’m sure there are some, but it’s not like we have a registry of them or anything,” I said. My pumpkin, white chocolate chip pancakes were almost gone, making me a little sad. “I’m guessing not many, though.”
He nodded. “I see. So it would be a little out of the ordinary for them to be engaged, let alone meet.”
“Yes. Winter elves do marry other kinds of supernaturals. You and I are proof of that. But winter elves who marry summer elves don’t usually make their home in the NP. Summer elves just can’t handle the cold here. Most of them choose to live in the Southern parts of the mortal world.” One more reason Cooper and I wouldn’t have worked out.
Birdie shifted back in her chair, a slice of bacon in one hand. “Then how would George have met Rachel, do you think?”
“Well, Finnoula did say her other two children live in the mortal world. Maybe he met her visiting them. Or maybe the same way I met Cooper. In college.”
Sin added more syrup to his remaining pancakes. He’d gotten blueberry buttermilk. “You know, I bet Finnoula would have liked Rachel and the possibility of moving out of the NP with her son and new daughter-in-law.”
“You think so? Why?” I couldn’t imagine a woman as set in her life as Finnoula wanting to move.
“Because, according to the research I did, warmer climates can greatly alleviate the symptoms of Grater’s.”
That was new information. “Really? When on earth did you have time to research that? Did you figure out a way to clone yourself? If so, I want in.”
He grinned. “The class instructor is a very knowledgeable man. And he’s pretty easy to get off track. One question and off he goes. Apparently, his grandfather was a miner, contracted Grater’s, and moved to Florida for his retirement, where he’s doing much better. On a side note, I didn’t learn very much about royal life yesterday.”
I snorted. “I still think your time was well spent. That’s a pretty interesting fact. And it adds new questions to the mix. We still don’t know why George and Rachel broke up, or why George canceled the hangar tours, but now I’d also like to know if someone had a reason to keep Finnoula from moving out of the North Pole with George and Rachel after they were married. Or a reason to keep George from moving. If so, who would want to do that?”
Birdie sighed. “I also think we need to see if LeRoy has any connection to the Bitterbarks.”
Sadly, I knew she was right. “I know. And I think we should start with LeRoy. Just flat out ask him if he knows them and how. Go straight to the source, right?”
“Right.” She stared at me a little more intently. “Are you up for that this morning?”
I was. “Yes. There’s no point in putting it off. The longer this goes on, the harder it is. Of course, his shop doesn’t open for three more hours, so we’ll have to put it off a little bit.”
The phone rang again, sending Sin to his feet. “I’ll get it.”
He answered, “Princess Jayne’s apartment.” He nodded. “I’ll let her know, thank you.”
“Let me know what?”
He hung up and looked at me. “Apparently, we have a cake tasting at White’s Fine Pastries in an hour. That was them confirming. I’d better call and let my instructor know I won’t be in class this morning.”
“We have a cake tasting at eight A.M.?” I slapped my forehead as the appointment came back to me. “Ugh. We do. Good thing the kitchen messed up the time for our breakfast or I’d still be in bed.”
Birdie frowned. “That appointment’s not in the binder. You didn’t tell me about that.”
“Because I didn’t remember until just now.” I shook my head. “We have to go. Canceling will mean the shop’s hard work and cake go to waste. I’m not doing that to the bakers.”
“Do you want me to talk to LeRoy, then?” Birdie asked. “I can work on wedding things until his shop open
s.”
“No, I want you with us. We might need a tiebreaker, so having a third taster will be perfect.”
Sin nodded. “I agree. Come with us. Helping us with the wedding decisions was the whole reason we asked you here. Plus…cake.”
She smiled. “You don’t have to twist my arm. But I’d better go get ready.”
“We all need to,” I said. “Back here in forty?”
“Done,” Sin said.
White’s was the oldest bakery in the NP and had baked my mother’s wedding cake, which was why I wanted to use them. The royal kitchens could have made the cake, but traditionally that was hired out because they were already in charge of the wedding dinner. There was no point in burdening them unduly.
Plus, it was a real feather in the shop’s cap to do a royal event. As a family, we liked to help the local businesses whenever we could. Not that White’s needed the business, I suppose, but I knew a new generation had just taken over.
Baking our wedding cake would be our way of giving support to this new generation.
Julianne White, the great-great-granddaughter of Earnest White, the shop’s founder, greeted us with a quick curtsy as we walked in. “It’s a pleasure to have you here today, Princess and Consort.”
“Thank you,” I answered. “It’s a pleasure to be here.”
Sin thanked her as well, then gestured toward Birdie. “This is our friend Birdie Caruthers. She’s helping us with some wedding things. I realize you haven’t prepared for three of us today, but I hope that’s all right.”
“Oh, it’s just fine.” Julianne smoothed her snowy apron. “There’s plenty of cake for tasting.”
Birdie sighed with happiness. “Such good news.”
With a laugh, Julianne directed us to a small table set up in the back room of the bakery. Several other bakers were working at their stations. Two were decorating cakes, and one was scooping cookie dough onto baking sheets. Another was carrying enormous bags of flour. The place smelled of vanilla and batter and yeasty goodness.
I inhaled and let the delicious aromas put me in the right frame of mind. Tasting cakes might not be the most important thing I could be doing right now, but it certainly wasn’t going to be a hardship. Everything else could wait. Especially the skeleton that had already waited some thirty years.
Besides, the constable was on the case.
“Please,” Julianne said. “Have a seat, and I’ll bring the first selection of samples over.”
The small table had four chairs, so we each took a spot while she went to one of the baking racks near the ovens.
She brought over a tray with multiple slices of cake on it, along with some small plates, forks, knives, and serving utensils. She put a setting in front of each of us, then sat. “All right, let me tell you what we have for round one, and then I’ll serve.”
She pointed to the slices as she spoke. “This one is winterberry jam with white chocolate frosting and French vanilla chiffon cake. Very popular with brides getting married around the holiday season, although I know your wedding isn’t until February.”
I nodded. “We couldn’t overlap with Christmas. That’s already such a crazy time of year for my family.”
“Totally understand,” Julianne said. “Next is a chocolate ganache with marzipan filling and an orange essence sponge. I do more of this in the fall, but the flavor combination is delicious any time of year. Lastly on this tray is an eggnog fudge buttercream with spice cake. The eggnog fudge is, of course, a nod to your aunt’s famous confection.”
Birdie raised her hand.
Julianne grinned. “Yes?”
“If this is round one, how many rounds are there?”
“Three. With three samples in each one.”
Birdie’s grin was wide and infectious. She looked at Sin and me and shook her head. “How are you two ever going to decide?”
Sin snorted. “I told you we were going to need you.”
“Not sure how much help I’ll be. I already love them all.” She picked up a fork. “But let’s put them to the real test.”
Julianne served us, then we happily dug in. We thoroughly enjoyed them all. I voted against the eggnog, however, because as delicious as it was, I knew there would be eggnog fudge on the dessert trays being passed, so there was no point in doubling up.
We also nixed the winterberry. It was one of my mother’s favorites, but the strong mint flavor was off-putting to some. Winterberry was a love-it-or-hate-it kind of flavor. The chocolate and orange, always a delicious combination, was put on the list of possibilities.
Round two brought a traditional fruitcake with cream cheese frosting, a tuxedo cake of dark chocolate with vanilla cream mousse, and cappuccino cake with a mocha ganache.
We all agreed that the cappuccino cake was outstanding. That went on the possibles list as well. The fruitcake felt too Christmasy, and the tuxedo cake was outstanding, but we thought our wedding cake should be something more unique.
Julianne brought the third and final round to us with a real sparkle in her eyes. “These three are the most special of the bunch, which is why I saved them for last.”
“What makes them so special?” Birdie asked.
I could always count on her to say what I was thinking.
“Because,” Julianne said, “two of them are custom flavors.”
She set the tray down, and before she could describe them, Sin pointed to the one in the middle. “That smells like a glazed doughnut.”
She nodded. “Excellent. That’s what I was going for. It’s a yeast cake with a sugar glaze and a pastry cream filling.” She cut the slice into three pieces and put it on our plates. “Taste it and tell me what you think.”
We did. Happy noises came out of all of us.
Sin’s lasted a little longer. “That is amazing. It’s a glazed and filled doughnut, no doubt about it.” He put his fork down and looked at me. “We don’t have to have that for the wedding cake, but I at least want that for the groom’s cake.”
“Done,” I said. I turned to Julianne. “Could we have it as one of the wedding cake layers? Nothing says all the layers have to be the same, right?”
Julianne nodded. “That’s right. They don’t have to be. You can alternate them however you like. People do it all the time. Although for the best-looking cake, the exterior frosting needs to be consistent.”
Sin looked at me. “You wouldn’t mind having different layers?”
“Not at all. This glazed-doughnut cake is a great tribute to who you are. We kind of met because of doughnuts. Why shouldn’t it be part of the wedding cake?”
He looked unconvinced. “A glazed-doughnut cake doesn’t sound very royal.”
“Who cares what sounds royal? This cake is about us.” I put my hand on his and looked at Julianne. I would fight the royal etiquette committee for this one. “The glazed-doughnut cake is in. What’s next?”
She started serving up the slice on the right. It had a slightly pink filling with dark red cake and looked like strawberry or raspberry to me. “This one has a vanilla buttercream exterior with Dr Pepper buttercream filling and Dr Pepper velvet cake.”
My mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”
I didn’t wait for her answer, just forked up a mouthful and inhaled it. Pure happiness spilled through me at the complete and utter Dr Pepper sugar explosion going on in my mouth. I started nodding. “I want this,” I mumbled around crumbs and buttercream. “No, I need this.”
Then I pointed my fork at the sample as I looked at Sin and Birdie. “You guys. Taste it already.”
They did, nodding immediately. Sin laughed softly. “That might be the most Jayne cake ever created.”
Julianne’s grin widened. “I was really hoping you’d like that one.”
I swallowed my third bite of the confection. “Like it? I love it! I’m not sure I even want to taste the last one.”
“Oh,” Julianne said, “I really think you should. It’s our royal vanilla. Vanilla butter
cream with vanilla mousse filling with vanilla cake. I know that doesn’t sound very exciting, but it’s all made with our special vanilla-infused sugar and flour. And the cake also has vanilla beans from fresh pods and vanilla syrup.”
She was right. It sounded nice, but not all that exciting. I wanted to be polite, though. “Why is it called royal vanilla?”
“Because,” she said with a smile, “it’s the wedding cake White’s baked for your mother and father. It was created especially for them by my great-grandpa Earnest.”
My heart squeezed a little, and Birdie put her hand to her cheek.
Sin picked up his fork. “We absolutely need to taste it.”
Julianne’s eyes sparkled as she served us. Clearly, she was proud of this cake. I couldn’t wait to try it.
So we did. And it was divine. Vanilla, yes, but such a complex layered vanilla experience that it made vanilla taste new.
“Amazing,” Sin said. “That would make an incredible cake doughnut.”
Birdie shook her head, still chewing. “I didn’t know vanilla could taste like this.”
Julianne nodded. “It’s the layering of the vanilla that does it. My great-grandfather worked very hard on the recipe. But that’s not the only reason it’s a very special cake. The vanilla sugar alone takes six months to properly infuse.”
Sin took my hand. “Let’s have all three. What do you say?”
Happiness filled me. “Yes. That’s perfect. That’s exactly what I want too.”
Birdie clapped softly. “I love it. A nod to both of you and your parents.” Then she tipped her head to one side and gave Sin a curious look. “Sinclair, I can’t help but ask…what about your parents?”
I turned toward him as well. “You know, Birdie’s right. Every time I’ve asked you about your parents, you say they’re traveling or in the midst of a project, and you immediately change the subject. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
He looked guilty as charged.
“I assume you’ve told them we’re getting married, but I haven’t even met them. I really should before the wedding, don’t you think?”
He swallowed. “Yes.”
The tentative tone of that single word spoke volumes. He didn’t want to discuss this here. Not in front of Julianne and her workers, anyway. I could understand that.
Miss Frost Says I Do: A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost Book 7) Page 10