Cables and conjurers vam.., p.1
Cables and Conjurers: Vampire Knitting Club, page 1
CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
A Note from Nancy
Also by Nancy Warren
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
Mystery Unraveled: A Paranormal Puzzle
Lucy Swift, witch and knitting shop owner, thought her biggest challenge at a marketing course in Oxford would be untangling the enigma of consumer behavior, not a murder mystery. But amid the hallowed halls, someone is weaving a deceptive web that leaves Lucy second-guessing her senses. It's all fun and games until a corpse appears in her dormitory, silent and still—definitely not an illusion.
Now, with her best friend Jennifer and her black cat familiar Nyx at her side, Lucy must stitch together clues with the help of her nocturnal companions, the vampire knitting club, who are more adept at needles than neck-biting. Can Lucy and friends solve this crime, or will the killer strike again, leaving only silence and secrets in their wake?
Get the origin story of Rafe, the gorgeous, sexy vampire in The Vampire Knitting Club series, for free when you join Nancy’s no-spam newsletter at NancyWarrenAuthor.com.
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PRAISE FOR THE VAMPIRE KNITTING CLUB SERIES
"THE VAMPIRE KNITTING CLUB is a delightful paranormal cozy mystery perfectly set in a knitting shop in Oxford, England. With intrepid, late blooming, amateur sleuth, Lucy Swift, and a cast of truly unforgettable characters, this mystery delivers all the goods. It's clever and funny, with plot twists galore and one very savvy cat! I highly recommend this sparkling addition to the cozy mystery genre."
— JENN MCKINLAY, NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“I’m a total addict to this series.” *****
“Fresh, smart and funny” *****
CHAPTER 1
As I walked along the streets of Oxford in the cold March air, my boots rang on the cobblestones. I loved Oxford, and I’d come to think of it as home. I was born in Boston and spent most of my life in the States, but this was always my second home. My grandmother owned a knitting shop here, and she passed it on to me. I didn’t work in Cardinal Woolsey’s every day; my cousin did that. I was a newlywed, and that kept me pretty busy. It’s funny, when I was younger, I used to wonder if I’d marry an older man, but never in my wildest dreams did I think he might be nearly five hundred years older. The truth is, I married a vampire. And, as you might expect, there were some complications, but as my grandmother used to say, even before she was undead herself, you can’t fight love. I tried. I think Rafe tried, too. We resisted this feeling we had for each other, but in the end, however long or short our two lives might be, it didn’t make any sense to be apart and unhappy. So, I now lived in Crosyer Manor near a small village about half an hour outside of Oxford proper, and I still came in to check on the store.
We’d also opened a second shop in Cornwall, and my best friend, Jennifer, who was American like me and also a witch, ran that. I was super excited because I was going to be seeing Jennifer very soon. She was coming up to Oxford to meet me, and together we were going to take a class on new methods to improve retail sales. I’d been reasonably successful with an online newsletter and shipping various kits and orders around the world, but with two shops, I felt like we could do better. Besides, if I’m honest, I was really excited to get to stay in an actual student dorm room at Saint Benedict’s College. Oxford was all about its colleges. While I’d been inside a few, I’d never stayed overnight, and I was excited to feel like an actual Oxford student. We’d be having breakfast in the Great Hall, which I couldn’t even peek inside without thinking of Harry Potter, and then we’d be going to lectures and workshops and later bedding down inside a college that was the better part of a thousand years old. It doesn’t get more Oxford than that.
Rafe had laughed at me for insisting I wanted to stay at Saint Benedict’s. As he’d pointed out, it was only a half-hour drive back to a very comfortable manor house, but when I explained how much I wanted to have the student experience, he seemed to understand.
Not that I didn’t love my opulent, historic, and very comfortable home. It would be easy to settle into just being the lady of the manor. I mean, Crosyer Manor had a butler and everything, and I did like to travel with Rafe whenever possible. He was an expert in antiquarian books and manuscripts and got called all over the world to look at people’s collections and authenticate new finds. There was a lot of forgery and fraud in old manuscripts, so having a genuine expert study them was important, and Rafe was the best. Partly because he was around when most of these books were first printed, illustrated, or created, he had a better instinct than most for the authentic. I’d found this retail course online and had been toying with taking it, then he announced he needed to go to Antwerp for a few days, and that settled it. While he was in Antwerp, I would settle into Saint Benedict’s College with Jen for three days and study marketing for independent retailers.
“Think of the things I might learn,” I’d said to him. “There’s new social media techniques all the time that can help us increase sales.”
He looked at me. “Cardinal Woolsey’s does quite well as it is. It seems to turn a profit. And you want to be careful not to draw too much attention to the shop, don’t forget.”
He was referring, of course, to a late-night knitting club that operated in the back room of the knitting shop. Anywhere from eight to twenty vampires showed up frequently in the late evening hours to knit the most incredible creations. I mean, when you’ve been working at a craft for centuries rather than years, it was amazing how proficient you could get. And they knitted at speeds that not even a machine could rival. However, for obvious reasons, the vampires kept a low profile and were quite happy for Cardinal Woolsey’s to remain obscure on the world stage. I had to balance my natural enthusiasm and wish to run a successful business with the need to respect the wishes of these creatures who had not only become my friends but had also helped me solve a few unfortunate murders. The vampires weren’t always easy company, but sometimes neither was I. I assured him that I wasn’t planning to turn Cardinal Woolsey’s into a global franchise; I simply wanted us to do the best we could.
He had to be satisfied with that, and kissing me goodbye, he said, “Just make sure you don’t get in trouble.”
I was shocked at this advice. “What do you mean? I never get into trouble.”
He shook his head at me, and those glacial blue eyes lightened. “Lucy, you never mean to, but trouble seems to find you.”
“Well, I don’t imagine how trouble could find me when I’m tucked away in a nice Oxford college learning how to sell a few extra skeins of yarn.” I got on my tiptoes and kissed him again. “You make sure you don’t get into any trouble in Antwerp.”
And with those parting words, I waved him goodbye as he got into his ultra-plush, sleek electric vehicle and carefully backed out, having to avoid Henri the peacock, who was much more a household pet than a wild bird.
I never, ever thought I’d live in a manor house with staff, but I couldn’t pretend it wasn’t a pleasant experience. William Thresher, Rafe’s butler—our butler now, I supposed—was more of a general manager of the property. He loved to cook, and I was the grateful recipient of his talents. He also ran a successful catering business, but his main job was to look after Crosyer Manor and us when we were in residence.
Once Rafe had left for Antwerp, William insisted on making me brunch. “You’ll need proper food,” he insisted, “to fuel your brain for all the new marketing techniques you’ll be learning.” He must have known there were plenty of excellent restaurants in Oxford and we had breakfast in the Great Hall as part of our conference package. Still, I didn’t argue when he served me eggs Benedict with fresh fruit salad and a cappuccino made exactly the way I liked it from the fancy barista machine in the kitchen. William was devoted to Rafe, but he’d told me more than once how much he enjoyed cooking for someone with a more varied diet.
“Perhaps you’ll pass on any good marketing tips to me,” he said.
I was in the middle of stabbing a perfect chunk of cantaloupe and glanced up. “But you’re turning away work as it is,” I reminded him.
“True, I’m very selective, but I like to have enough work to keep Violet busy.” Violet Weeks was my cousin, a fellow witch, who worked with William on a casual basis, waiting tables while he worked in the kitchen preparing the food.
It became clear to me that William was hovering. I replayed what he’d just said. “Violet also has a day job,” I reminded him. She was running Cardinal Woolsey’s in my absence. Violet might be family, but she wasn’t always the easiest person to get along with. However, she and William seemed to work well together. Better perhaps than she and I did.
William moved a Georgian silver candlestick on the gleam
I’d always enjoyed William’s company, and we got on well. He’d been looking after Rafe for all his adult life, and I felt grateful to him for loyally serving the vampire who’d become my husband. It was unusual for him to act so peculiarly. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
He did turn to me, then, finally meeting my gaze. “Would you mind very much if I asked your cousin for a date?” he finally said in a rush.
“Are you sure?” is what came out of my mouth. If I’d thought for a nanosecond, I’d have said something more diplomatic, but he’d taken me by surprise, and I had a habit of blurting the first thing that came into my head when that happened. Not my finest quality.
William bit back a smile. He wasn’t offended, probably because he was used to me. “Frankly, Lucy, I’m not at all sure. But there’s something about Violet that I’m drawn to. As you know, I have to be very careful in my personal life. Any woman I shared a future with would need to understand that I can never leave Rafe. And any children I have will take over from me and my sister to serve Rafe.”
When Rafe had saved William’s many times great-grandfather’s life, that earlier William Thresher had made a pledge that his sons would always serve Rafe. So far, that pledge had never been broken. Generation after generation, the oath of loyalty had continued right up to the present day. William ran the house, and his sister was the head gardener for the estate. That kind of loyalty still astonished me.
But what was he saying? “Are you seriously thinking of Violet as your wife and the mother of your children?” I mean, she could be annoying and a know-it-all, but when I left the shop at night, I was free from my irritating cousin. If she married William, she’d be living here. Okay, it wasn’t like we’d be crammed into a small apartment together. William had his own quarters, but still. She’d be around.
“It’s a long journey from a first date to a marriage,” he said in a soothing tone, “but I must marry.” He rephrased that. “I want to marry and have children. I’m not sure she’s the right person for me, but I’d like to explore the possibility.” He’d gone slightly red, I noticed. “With your permission.”
“Have you spoken to Rafe about this?” I was trying to buy time so I didn’t blurt out something I’d regret.
“No. She’s your cousin. I wanted to speak to you first.” Now he shifted a pink rose in the already perfect arrangement of fresh flowers on the dining table. “I have no idea if she’d even say yes or if it would go anywhere, but I wanted your permission before I asked her out.”
It was the word permission that got me. I understood that if I said no, he’d forgo any chance of a romance with my cousin. As tempting as it was to nip that relationship in the bud, I couldn’t do it. I might not always like Violet, but I wouldn’t snatch the possibility of love from her, either. Her dating life had been pretty dismal, and William was a good man. I wouldn’t deprive William of romance either. So, putting a firm smile on my face, I said, “William, go for it.”
Maybe they’d discover they weren’t suited after all. I could only hope.
Having finished my breakfast, I made sure I had my ticket to the conference downloaded to my phone, packed enough clothes for three days at a conference and prepared to head out. I was going to drive myself, but William insisted on chauffeuring me. “Parking will be terrible,” he reminded me. This was true. I’d given Violet the use of my parking spot behind Cardinal Woolsey’s as well as the use of the flat above the shop since she ran the place more than I did.
I’d saved Henri a bit of melon, knowing he’d come waddling up to me when I left the house. He had me pegged as a meal ticket, in spite of the fact he was perfectly well fed. He’d been the sorriest excuse for a peacock when I’d first made his acquaintance, with a tail missing a lot of its feathers and a generally bedraggled appearance, but he’d improved a lot. Now that much fuller tail fanned out when I stepped out of the front door, and he danced in a circle. “Oh, you’re such a handsome boy,” I cooed as he came forward and nipped the treat out of my hand. “Such a handsome boy.”
William would have put me in the back seat of the high-end EV Rafe kept for his use, but I refused to act like royalty, and with a sigh he opened the passenger door for me. As we drove, we chatted about his upcoming catering job. With Rafe and I both gone for a few days, he’d taken the opportunity to cook for a movie producer who was renting an estate while filming in Oxford. “You have to tell me if you see any movie stars,” I insisted.
“Lucy, they hire me for my discretion as well as my excellent cuisine.”
“I’d never tell anyone,” I insisted, but he merely sent me a side glance as if to say he didn’t want to put me to the test. I’d have argued with him, but since Violet would no doubt do the serving, I could always pump her for info.
He dropped me off in front of the entrance to Saint Benedict’s College in the heart of Oxford, and to my delight, Jennifer was walking toward me, dragging a suitcase on wheels. William opened my door for me, and then, as he took my case out of the trunk of the car, I ran forward to give Jen a hug. We squealed, which we pretty much always did when we hadn’t seen each other for a few weeks. “It’s so great to see you,” she said.
“You had your hair cut,” I noticed. “It looks great.” Jen had probably had about four inches trimmed from her gorgeous, long dark hair, but it was the kind of thing a best friend noticed.
I thanked William, who greeted Jen politely before handing me my own weekender case with wheels, getting back into the car, and pulling out.
“This is so exciting,” I said, “staying in a real college.” I loved Oxford, as I said, but the truth is, if you didn’t go to one of the colleges, you always felt a bit like an outsider. And, being an American, I was already an outsider. Not that a four-day conference was anything like taking a degree, but I thought even having this experience for a few days would give me a peek inside the rarefied world of Oxford and give me a taste of what it would be like to be a student here.
“I can’t wait,” Jen agreed. “And maybe we’ll learn something about marketing.”
“If we don’t, at least we’ll get some catch-up time.” We were in touch several times a week as it was, but Cornwall wasn’t exactly next door. “How was your trip?” I asked her.
“The train journey was gorgeous. And I walked up from the station.”
We walked through the ancient carved arch of Saint Benedict’s College and was immediately met by a sign saying “No Admittance.” I already felt like an insider since that sign was not for us. We had to go to the porter’s lodge, which had been modernized enough that there was a glass door that slid aside for me to walk into the ancient portal and up a couple of stone steps to where modern efficiency met medieval architecture.
A cheerful woman in a flowered dress stood behind a wooden counter and said, “How can I help you?”
“I’m checking in,” I said, sounding very proud. Then I explained that I was here for the retail conference, and she looked up my name and passed me a lanyard.
She did the same for Jennifer. We’d requested rooms near each other, and the woman assured us that our rooms were across the hall from each other. Perfect.
As we headed out of the porter’s lodge through a different door that led to the main quad, we passed under yet another stone arch. As we did, I felt a cold shiver slide down my neck. It was only a momentary sensation, but I paused and gazed around, feeling as though something, or someone, didn’t want me here.
But that was crazy. Jen obviously hadn’t felt anything, as she was chatting away. I was letting my imagination run away from me.
CHAPTER 2
Jennifer and I followed the directions we’d been given to our dorm rooms. As we walked out onto the quad, I forgot about my momentary quiver of dread and was overcome with excitement. Yes, I’d been inside colleges before, particularly Cardinal College, which was located near Cardinal Woolsey’s, but this felt different. I had no personal connection to Saint Benedict’s. The college was built around a square with a lawn and a few trees in the middle and a fountain dead center. It was all so beautiful and historic. On four sides, the stone walls and arched windows held libraries, offices, halls, and galleries that had witnessed so much history over the centuries. We walked through another archway and down a flagstone hallway, down another set of steps, and across yet another lawn to our dorm area.
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