Hissy and I flattened our ears and inched forward, our paws silent against the polished marble floor. The library loomed ahead, its towering bookshelves casting long shadows in the late afternoon light. Muskulls lounged in one of the plush velvet sofas, his muscular frame sprawled lazily, but Prudence sat stiffly beside him, her tail curled around her paws in a tense knot.
I tilted my head. Something about Prudence felt... off. Not just wary, but truly unsettled. A moment later, I realised why—Prudence’s emerald and gold pendant, the one she never took off, was missing.
“Hissy,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “Did mew notice? Her necklace is gone.”
Hissy narrowed her eyes. “That pendant was her pride and joy! The heirloom from her great-great-grandcat. She’d never take it off willingly.”
My heart pounded. Could Muskulls have something to do with it? Was this all part of his grander scheme?
Just then, the library door creaked open, and rather unexpectedly, Clawdia strutted inside, looking far too pleased with herself. We ducked behind a heavy armchair, listening intently.
“Well, darling,” Clawdia purred, sauntering up to Muskulls. It looks like our little plan is finally coming together.”
I nearly choked. Our little plan?
Prudence’s eyes snapped to Clawdia, horror flashing across her face. “Clawdia?! What do mew mean?”
Clawdia flicked her tail, inspecting her freshly painted claws smugly. “Oh, don’t look so surprised. Did mew really think Muskulls just happened to sweep mew off your paws? Please! It was all carefully orchestrated.”
I could barely process the betrayal unfolding. Clawdia and Muskulls—working together? But why? And what did they want from Prudence?
Muskulls leaned forward, his smirk deepening. “Darling Prudence, mew are a vision, but let's not be naïve. Mew see, Clawdia and I have been planning this little takeover for quite some time.”
Prudence bristled, her eyes blazing. “Takeover?!”
Clawdia let out a delighted laugh. “Oh, don’t worry, dearest Prudence. Once mew sign that legal document tying mew and Muskulls together, Fuskerton Grange and the estate becomes part of our empire.”
Hissy clamped a paw over her mouth, exchanging a wide-eyed look with me. Her tail twitched furiously. She leaned in close and whispered, “This is worse than I imagined. We have to do something.”
I nodded, my mind racing. Time was running out. We had to stop the impending nuptials, which were only a few days away, and expose Muskulls and Clawdia before it was too late.
My paws twitched with anticipation as I crouched lower behind the heavy armchair. I could barely breathe, heart hammering against my ribs. Clawdia had orchestrated everything—the engagement, Muskulls’ sudden arrival in Prudence’s life, the entire scheme from the start. And to make it even worse, I'd inadvertently helped her, I felt all kinds of guilt wash over me.
Hissy’s whiskers quivered, and her claws flexed into the plush carpet. “I knew she was up to something; she literally took over the village when she moved here last year,” she murmured furiously. “But this? This is next-level devious.”
I strained to listen as Clawdia continued, now sounding positively delighted with herself.
“Muskulls, darling, remind me again—how long did it take mew to win her over?” Clawdia purred, twirling the strand of pearls around her neck absently. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure mew would manage it in just one cruise. But then again, with your ‘rugged charm,’ how could she resist?”
I sucked in a breath. So it was true! Clawdia had sent Muskulls all the way to Australia, making sure he was aboard that cruise, primed to intercept Prudence at precisely the right moment.
Muskulls chuckled smugly, stretching his paws behind his head. “It wasn’t too hard, to be honest. Mew should’ve seen her—sipping champagne on the deck, looking over the ocean like some lost soul. I just played the part of the charming stranger, lent a little mystery to her trip.”
Prudence’s mouth parted in pure shock, her ears flattening. “Mew mean—mew were there because of her? Clawdia?” Her voice trembled now, pure betrayal dripping from every syllable. “It wasn’t fate. It wasn’t real. Mew tricked me!” She sucked in a horrified breath. "I thought mew were my friend!"
Clawdia gave a careless shrug. “Oh, come now, Prudence, friend is a little extravagant, and mew can't honestly believe that love at first sight thing just happens, or did mew? Mew were vulnerable, darling, and I simply gave mew what mew needed at the time mew needed it.” She inspected her claws again, as if completely unfazed by the horror in Prudence’s expression. “I mean, really, what’s the harm? Muskulls needed a change of scenery, and mew needed a handsome distraction.”
"Now, my darling," Muskulls began turning to Prudence. "Mew just need to take a little sip of this, and mew'll remember nothing... again!" Prudence was too shocked to fight and simply sat there in stunned silence.
Clawdia beamed, her eyes twinkling malevolently as Muskulls placed the glass to Prudence's mouth and forced her to drink the swirling purple liquid.
Prudence's eyes fluttered and promptly closed, and Clawdia trilled, "Now, my love, let's get this takeover bid underway. I'm so sick of village life and ready for our bank accounts to be topped up and the high life to begin again."
I clenched my jaw. This was worse than I had ever imagined. Prudence wasn’t just being deceived—she was being played like a pawn in Clawdia’s elaborate scheme.
But what was Clawdia’s true endgame? Was it just control over Fuskerton Grange? Or was there something even bigger at stake?
I glanced at Hissy, determination flashing between us. We had uncovered an epic betrayal, and we needed to find Willie, stat.
One thing was for certain: the night was far from over, and the engagement pawty hadn't even begun.
Things were about to get very interesting...
Furever After
Sofie Kelly
Kathleen is busy running the library and planning her upcoming wedding to detective Marcus Gordon when she suddenly stumbles across a body in the library. She is surprised to learn that the deceased was in the middle of an unlikely heist—it seems he was trying to steal one of the paintings that had been in a box in the library’s workroom. Kathleen never knew any of the library’s rotating artwork was valuable and can’t imagine what the dead man wanted with it.
Furever After
