Westerham Witches and a Venetian Vendetta by Dionne Lister (top rated books of all time TXT) 📕

A woman walked up to the bar and slipped behind it to join the bartender. She stood in front of him and whispered in his ear. He smiled, slid his arm around her waist, and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. “That looks cosy.”

Will furrowed his brow. “Isn’t that Mrs Dal Lago?”

My eyes widened. “It is! I wasn’t sure because it’s so dark, but, yeah, that looks like her. Do you think she’s having an affair?”

“Looks like it,” said Imani.

“It might be time for me to grab another drink.” Angelica stood and made her way to the bar. This should be interesting. We all watched as she did her thing, and we weren’t the only ones. The young man on the couch, whose frown hadn’t budged, looked even angrier if it was possible. What was the deal with that? Was Mrs Dal Lago having an affair with him too?

Lavender smirked. “What a busy woman. If she does admit to having an affair, will it be enough to grab her magic signature?”

Will shook his head. “I don’t think so. More of a motive would be a large life insurance policy. Don’t forget; the Italians are a passionate lot, according to our fellow agents.”

I rolled my eyes. “That must get them out of a lot of fines and arrests. Oh, I’m so passionate about this glass bird, but I can’t afford it, so I just lost my mind and took it.”

Imani laughed. “What would be their excuse for speeding? They loved the sound of the engine?”

“Sounds about right.” I chuckled. Angelica returned. “That was quick.”

Her poker face was intact. “She readily admitted to it and said her husband knew. That’s what they were fighting about, supposedly. She said they had an open marriage.”

I blinked. “If the marriage was so open, why were they fighting about it?”

She sat back down. “Maybe she was lying? I’ll have to dig deeper. But don’t worry, it won’t affect our holiday.” Hmm, that would remain to be seen. Well, it wouldn’t affect my holiday, but it might affect hers. People would do what they wanted, so I didn’t bother saying anything. And it looked like that porter’s glarefest was over. The elderly woman who’d welcomed us earlier came in and went straight to him. Her back was to me, so I couldn’t see her expression, but whatever she said made the young man’s scowl fade, and now he just looked sad. He stood, and they left together. Hmm, doubly interesting.

Lavender clapped, grabbing my attention. “Ready for shopping tomorrow? Sarah and I can’t wait to introduce you to haute couture.”

I gave him a “you’ve got to be kidding” look. “I can’t afford that stuff. I’ll only be able to say hello. There won’t be any getting to know it better.”

Sarah laughed. “You’re hilarious. Just wait. You might just fall in love with something and have to have it.”

“According to the Italian way of doing things, maybe I could just take it if I was passionate enough about it?”

Angelica shook her head. “Please don’t get arrested, dear. It would make me look bad.”

“Yes, because that’s the first thing I’d worry about. The going-to-jail thing doesn’t bother me at all.” I grinned. Been there, done that. I didn’t need another experience.

Someone’s phone rang. Angelica was the one who fished it out of her bag. “Pronto. Sono Angelica.” It must be the Italian agents. For something that wasn’t supposed to intrude on our holiday, it sure was butting in. She said something else I couldn’t understand, then hung up and stood. “We have another body that’s been turned to glass—a woman. They want my expertise. I’ll see you all tomorrow. Sorry to dash.” She looked at my mother. “I should be back in the next couple of hours. Will you be okay, or do you want to come with me?”

My mother hesitated, likely thinking about it. She looked up and gave a nod. “I think I’ll come with.” She stood and came over to me.

I stood and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Mum. Stay safe.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s rather exciting, actually, being back in the thick of it.” She gave everyone a wave. “Night, all.” They left.

Having Angelica getting caught up in this was one thing, but now my mother was ditching us too? I looked around at each of my friends. How long until we were all distracted and not on holiday anymore?

Turned out, not long at all.

Chapter 5

The next morning I’d gotten up early and made my way to Saint Mark’s Square. The ornate street lamps on poles were still shining because the sun wasn’t really up. It was low in the sky, casting long, golden rays on the paving through the arches of the Doge Palace. A gilded veil swathed the cathedral, the walls seeming to glow with heavenly light. Only a couple of people were around, lending the peaceful morning a dreamlike quality.

I clicked off shot after shot with my Nikon, getting the square and buildings from all different angles. Before I knew it, the sun had risen further, and the light was losing its ethereal quality, brightening and flattening the images in process. The magic had evaporated, but the experience would bring me joy for a long time to come. I breathed in the warm, salty air and ignored the hint of sewerage odour in it. Nothing in life was perfect… except squirrels—I was pretty sure there wasn’t anything I would change about them.

I made my way back to the hotel and went straight up to the room to grab Will. We might as well have breakfast, then a wander around. There were a couple of stops I’d seen on the way back from Murano yesterday that I wanted to check out. When I opened the door, I stopped short. “Mum, good morning.” I placed my camera on the table and gave her a hug. The hairs raised on my nape, and it had nothing to do with magic.