by K E O'Connor
I swallowed, my throat tight and my jaw wobbling.
Rupert shot me a guilt-filled glance. “Please say you forgive me. If it’s any consolation, from what I tasted, it was absolutely delicious.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, trying as hard as possible not to scream. It was no consolation.
A not so gentle prod from Alice made me open my eyes. “Let’s see what we can salvage in the kitchen.”
I nodded mutely. I should say everything was fine and tell Rupert not to worry, but I was angry at him. Usually, I found his clumsiness endearing, but it had just cost me my spot in this competition.
“Let’s get out of here.” Alice grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the car crash of a cake that lay scattered on the ground.
My energy faded as she dragged me to the kitchen. I couldn’t do this. It was too much work. “I’m withdrawing. There’s no time to bake anything from scratch. Besides, the contest shouldn’t even go ahead after the corgis have ruined other people’s entries.”
“Don’t talk like that. We’ll find a solution.” Her fingers wrapped around mine. “We can do this. One little cake malfunction shouldn’t derail you.”
“That was more than a malfunction. That was the Mount Vesuvius of cake catastrophes.”
The morning rush was in full swing as we entered the kitchen.
Chef Heston dashed over as soon as he saw me. “Step to it. We need more sausage rolls and some extra ...” He took a step back. “What’s the matter with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Rupert killed her cake,” Alice said. “We need something to take its place.”
“Take its place? You can’t take cake from the kitchen,” Chef Heston said. “That wouldn’t be fair on everyone else.”
“You’re right.” Despair wrapped around me like a stale blanket. “And it’s too late to make anything else. I’m withdrawing.”
“Hold on a moment,” Chef Heston said. “You make fifty percent of the desserts in this kitchen. Technically, the things you make are yours.”
I scrubbed a hand across my face. “Are you serious? You’d let me use anything in here that I’ve already made?”
“I’m not sure what you can do with muffins, scones, and chocolate sponge, but why not?” Chef Heston nodded. “Do your best, Holly. Don’t worry about the sausage rolls; I’ll deal with them.”
I was too stunned to speak. I must have caught Chef Heston on a good day.
Alice hugged me as he walked away. “You see! We can do something. You’ve got lots of choice here.”
I pulled back from her hug and walked to the chiller cabinet, still full of uncertainty. There was a pineapple upside down cake, a bread pudding, four types of muffins, cherry scones, fairy cakes, apple turnovers, and two Bakewell tarts.
Alice wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “How about a croquembouche? I love a mountain of cream and chocolate. That would be sure to tempt the judges.”
“There’s no time to make that,” I said. “We don’t serve it in the café, it’s too fiddly. I wouldn’t have time to make the choux pastry and let it cool before adding the fillings and the toppings. If you try to fill them warm, the cream goes rancid, and the chocolate slides off.”
“Hmmm. What about a different take on a croquembouche? Use those muffins. You could hollow out the center, fill them with whatever you like, and stack them up.”
I peered at the muffins. We had gone overboard on baking chocolate and raspberry muffins. These wouldn’t all get eaten today, and they didn’t stay fresh for long. “I guess I could stack them and use icing as a glue.”
“Yes! And put decorations on. Those muffins will look so pretty.” Alice clapped her hands. “So, you’ll give it a go?”
I stared at the muffins. Would that work? I opened the chiller cabinet and pulled out a plate of muffins. I tried a couple of different ways to stack them. “I’ll need thick icing to get these to stick together. Given their shape, they won’t form a stack as easily as choux pastry.”
“You think it could work?” Alice grabbed a muffin and took a bite.
Hope lit a fire in my chest. “It’s got possibilities.”
Chef Heston strode over. “So, are you withdrawing from the competition?”
“Not so long as you let me have all the chocolate and raspberry muffins you’ve got in the café. Princess Alice has given me a great idea. It might just work.”
He pursed his lips and stared at the muffins. “They’re all yours. I’ll bring through any we’ve got out for sale if that’ll help.”
I grinned, kissed his cheek, and nodded. “Yes. That will be perfect.”
He scowled at me, but there was the hint of a smile on his face. “Don’t get carried away. And don’t think I’m not marking the amount of time this is taking you from your job.”
I chuckled. “Thanks, Chef.”
He grumbled again before hurrying to the main café and returning with a tray of muffins.
“What do you need me to do?” Alice asked.
“Keep your brother out of the way so he doesn’t face plant in this.” I pulled out different colored icing, a piping bag, cream, a variety of different decorations to put on the top, and laid out the muffins in front of me.
Alice was silent for a moment as she watched me work. “Don’t be too hard on him. Rupert’s so clumsy. It runs in the family. He was excited to help you. I could tell he was mortified.”
“I know it wasn’t deliberate. I just wish he hadn’t landed on top of my cake.”
“He did say it tasted nice,” Alice said. “Some of it splattered on me as well, and I agree about how tasty it was. The cake was perfect.”
I puffed out a breath. “I’m not creating perfection this time. Let’s see what we can do with these muffins, though.”
The next forty minutes had me focused on hollowing out muffins, mixing different batches of icing, borrowing as much cream as I could from the kitchen fridge, and finding a way to stack a tower of muffins without them toppling.
The whole time I worked, Alice sat silently and patiently by the counter. I’d never seen her so still. Admittedly, she ate three muffins while I worked, but she didn’t say a word.
I squeezed a globule of chocolate icing on the base of the last muffin and placed it carefully on the top of the stack. It was eight layers high, each muffin glued to the next with chocolate icing. The muffins were filled with either a rich caramel sauce, a dark chocolate sauce, or thick cream.
“That looks yummy,” Alice said quietly.
“I’m not done yet.” I smiled at her. “I’m going to drizzle dark chocolate and caramel sauce all over the muffins and top with edible flowers.”
“That sounds even yummier.” Alice squeezed my arm as I walked past her toward the kitchen door. “I knew you’d do it.”
I stopped as I reached the door and looked back at her. “We did it. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have thrown in my apron and admitted defeat. I’d never have thought about making a croquembouche out of muffins.”
She grinned, chocolate muffin stuck between her teeth. “I’m a genius in the making. Happy to help.”
After a quick hunt around the flower garden, I found just what I needed. Some delicate primula gold lace petals. The burst of red would accent the rich dark of the chocolate muffins and bring out a hint of the cherries studded throughout the stack.
I hurried back to the kitchen and spent a minute washing the flowers and then icing them carefully to the muffins. Just a few. I wanted this to look extravagantly tasteful.
“Shall I carry it out?” Alice asked.
My eyes narrowed. “Best I take charge of this. You be on Rupert watch. If he gets within ten feet of this dessert, he’ll be in trouble.”
We hurried to the marquee with less than five minutes to spare before the contest closed to entrants.
Rupert had been true to his word, and a pristine white cloth covered my empty table. My eyes widened at the incredible
display of flowers placed on the table. The colors fit perfectly with the primula decorations on my muffins. It was as if Rupert knew exactly what I’d been planning.
My eyes teared up again, but I didn’t have time to think about it. With only a few minutes left, I placed my tower of muffins down and blew out a breath.
Alice hugged me. “Now all we can do is wait to see how amazing the judges think this is. Then we celebrate.”
I leaned into her hug. All I wanted to do was put my feet up and eat one of those muffins glistening alluringly at me. But Alice was right, my part in this was over.
***
Two tense hours had passed since I last saw my competition entry. All the finalists in the contest had to leave the marquee so the judging was fair and impartial.
I tried to focus on my work in the kitchen, but all I could think about was what the judges thought of my last minute entry. Did it stand up against the others? What if the chocolate icing had melted and all the muffins sat in a gloopy heap on the table?
The kitchen door opened, and Alice bounced through. “They’re about to make the announcement. Come on! You don’t want to miss this.”
Nerves rattled through me as Alice caught hold of my hand and tugged me along. “I ... I’m not ready.”
“You are! You’ve got nothing to worry about. I snuck a look into the marquee and they’ve eaten a lot of your muffins. Much more than anyone else’s dessert. You’re sure to win.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I’d remain as positive as I could. After all, who didn’t love a stack of gooey muffins covered in chocolate drizzle?
As we neared the marquee, Rupert appeared, holding a huge bouquet of red roses. He thrust them toward me. “Please forgive me, Holly. These are for you.”
I stared at the roses. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Holly doesn’t have time for your gifts,” Alice said. “The judges are about to announce their decision. We need to find out what Holly’s won.”
I took the roses from Rupert. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
He nodded before following along behind us.
I no longer felt angry with him. If anything, I was feeling guilty. I’d been so stunned when he’d fallen on my cake that I’d let my anger get the better of me. Everyone made mistakes. Rupert hadn’t meant it maliciously, and I’d reacted badly.
There was a small crowd in the marquee as we entered. Alice strode straight to the front, pulling me with her.
“We must get a good spot,” she whispered. “That’ll make it easy for you to go up and get your prize.”
“Don’t be so sure I’m winning anything,” I muttered. “There’s lots of incredible food here.”
She squeezed my hand tightly and turned to face the judges who stood in front of us, waiting to give the announcement.
“Welcome, everybody.” A smartly dressed middle-aged woman with a neat dark bob and a warm smile looked around. “I’m Eliza Mackintosh, head judge. I must say, we’ve had a marvelous afternoon tasting the delicious food and sampling the drink. We’ve had some of the county’s best wine, delicious savory treats, and so many desserts that I’m fairly certain I’ll need to book an emergency dental appointment. It was all so wonderful.”
A nervous chuckle ran through the waiting crowd.
“Those of you who have received a special commendation, and there is one for each category, will find a card on your table. You’ll each receive a prize along with your commendation.”
Several heads turned as people looked at their tables to see if they had a card. I forced myself not to, but it was tempting to take a peek.
“But of course,” Eliza said, “you’re most interested in who has won the grand prize and is the overall winner.” She turned to the Duchess.
She nodded and stepped forward, smiling at the crowd as she looked around. “Before I announce the three winners, I’d like to say that the produce today was excellent. I have your details and will be placing plenty of orders from you in the future. Your food and drink will grace our tables for many years to come.”
Several people nodded and smiled, happy to be serving the castle. It was a big feather in their caps.
“On to the winners.” She lifted a small card and held it in front of her. “In third place, the award goes to the Fine Cheese Company. We all agreed it was a marvelously rich and tangy product.”
Everyone clapped, and a man stepped forward and accepted an envelope and a small trophy from the Duchess.
She looked around. “Second prize goes to ... Holly Holmes, for her delicious and inventive muffin dessert.”
“Second place,” Alice whispered as she pushed me forward and took my roses from me so that my hands were free. “Well done.”
I mustered a smile. That was great. Really good. I was happy. Although it would have been brilliant to win.
The Duchess leaned forward and pressed a kiss on my cheek as I accepted my prize. “Excellent dessert, Holly. I didn’t like to say to the other judges, but I recognized your trademark work. Absolutely scrumptious, and such a clever use of muffins. It must have taken you a long time to come up with that concept.”
I stepped back and smiled. “You’d be surprised. And I had a little help to come up with the idea.”
She nodded as I stepped back to Alice’s side, my trophy clutched in my hand.
Rupert appeared on my other side and leaned down. “I’m so sorry you didn’t win. This is all my fault. If there’s anything—”
“You don’t need to keep saying sorry.” I touched his arm and gave him my warmest smile. “It was an accident.”
“I hate myself. All that hard work destroyed by my clumsiness.”
“No, don’t think like that. I was angry with you and that was wrong. You were only trying to be helpful. And I got second prize. Plus, we get to eat a mountain of muffins after this is finished.”
He shrugged and smiled. “Anything I can do to make up for it, just say.”
“We’re already going to see some goats together.”
“Oh! You still want to do that, after—”
“Stop! And yes, I do.” My friendship with Rupert was strong. I’d get over my squashed cake.
A tap on my shoulder had me turning. Saracen stood behind me, a stern expression on his face.
“Is something wrong?” I stepped away just as a speciality chocolate company was announced as first prize winner.
Saracen led me away from the small crowd. “I’ve got bad news. Dennis has been released. He’s not Pete’s killer.”
Chapter 19
I stumbled out of the marquee, still not believing what I’d just heard. “You’re sure Dennis Lambeth is innocent?” I asked Saracen.
“What’s going on?” Alice raced out behind us.
I sucked in a deep breath. “We need muffins, and now.”
“I’ll grab your cake from the table.” Alice flung my roses back at me. “Don’t gossip while I’m away.”
I turned back to Saracen. “No cake for you.”
He raised a hand. “I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll stay away from it, although I was drooling when I looked at it earlier. It’s like a delicious torture. It’s so bad for me, but it looks so good.”
Alice emerged from the marquee, the tray with my muffin stack firmly in her hands. Rupert was beside her.
“Let’s take this somewhere quiet.” I led the group to a bench beside the castle rose garden and we all sat.
Alice got to work on deconstructing my muffin stack before handing them around. “So, what’s going on?”
Saracen stared longingly at the muffins before dragging his gaze to me. “A witness has come forward. Dennis was seen on his food truck at the time of the murder. His alibi checks out. He couldn’t have killed Pete.”
Alice took a large bite of muffin. “Then who did?”
Rupert glanced at me. “You were talking to that chap earlier today outside the marquee. It seemed intense. Do you think he had somethin
g to do with it?”
I glanced at Saracen. “Ricky Stormy. I overheard an interesting conversation with a potential business partner. Ricky’s been selling stolen pies. He changes the product packaging and passes it to distributors who sell it on as a premium product. I’m not sure of the details, but it sounds like he’s stealing pies when they’re imported into the country.”
“It’s not him. Ricky has an alibi,” Saracen said.
I nodded. “He was chatting up Elspeth. She confirmed it. Although there’s a small window of opportunity. Ricky could have snuck out of the pub, but it doesn’t seem likely. He had a good motive for wanting Pete out of the way, but he also wanted his money back. With Pete dead, that presents Ricky with a problem.”
“We’ve discounted the others,” Saracen said. “The ex-girlfriend, Jessica, was at the food fair buying up last-minute bargains.”
“Again, there’s a small window of opportunity for her to have killed Pete,” I said.
“She could have snuck up on him and killed him,” Alice said.
“And then carried on with her shopping as if nothing happened?” Saracen asked.
“Some women find shopping very relaxing. Maybe she stabbed and then shopped to calm her nerves,” Alice said.
I shook my head. “Jessica was open about the problems she’d had with Pete. Their relationship had failed, and she’d moved on. She wasn’t holding a grudge. I don’t think we need to look at her again.”
“Then we have Maisie and Colin,” Saracen said.
“They were at the food fair but were busy packing up their stands and putting things away. They were seen by lots of people.” I tapped my fingers on the bench. “I wondered about Maisie, though. Her luck has definitely changed now Pete’s dead. She’s gotten a business, all the equipment, and she can keep on trading. Plus, she’s gotten rid of her annoying boss who wasn’t paying her properly.”
“I’m not convinced,” Saracen said. “Maisie would have needed to time it perfectly to kill Pete, slip out, not be seen, and then return to work like nothing was wrong.”
“She said she had an upset stomach,” I said. “Maisie could have been lying to give herself more time to get it right.”