Page 308 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

Which only made Victoria look more desperate to know what the meeting was about. Not that the rest of them felt any differently.

At least the geriatric start time had ensured Dottie could be there for the bachelorette party. Her dinner with Prescott didn’t kick off until seven. Apparently, they were going to an Ethiopian restaurant downtown, a fact that suggested Dottie reallydidhave some dirt on him. Because from what Maisie had heard about the man, he likely didn’t have an adventurous palate.

When Georgie declined to ride shotgun, Victoria turned up her nose and said, “Well, as the guest, I supposeIshould.”

It was obvious to everyone else that Georgie had declined so Dottie could be up front, so Maisie went ahead and said so. “Dottie’s going to ride up front with Addy. You can sit back here with us bumpkins.”

Which had earned her another sniff. If Victoria kept it up, Maisie was going to ask her if she had a secret drug habit.

Within half an hour, they were riding in a horse-drawn carriage on the Biltmore Estate. Apparently Georgie and Adalia shared an undying affection for Jane Austen, a predilection passed on to them by their mother, and the bachelorette party was, not surprisingly,Pride and Prejudicethemed. It was something Maisie would have attempted to tease them for—or Addy at least—except she knew a thing or two about holding on to memories like they were gems. And she couldn’t deny the whole thing had a festive feel, from all of the evergreen trees and holiday lights at the Biltmore to the carriage with the thick blankets and the plaid travel mugs of hot chocolate Addy had prepared. Apparently, there was a small amount of alcohol in Georgie’s, to help her deal with the whole Victoria situation.

“You know, my family has a very close friendship with the Biltmores,” Victoria said grandly as the driver paused the horse-drawn carriage in front of the estate.

“Um, I think you mean the Vanderbilts,” Iris said, glancing up from her phone. Maisie sputtered a laugh.

“I saidexactlywhat I meant,” Victoria said, not backing down.

“Oh, how interesting,” Dottie said. “I had no idea a Biltmore family existed. I’d heard the name of the estate was created by George Vanderbilt. If you have therealscoop, we’d love to hear it, dear.”

Adalia let one peal of laughter escape before she turned it into a coughing fit. Georgie took another swig of her cinnamon schnapps-laced hot chocolate.

One of Victoria’s now-infamous sniffs was followed by, “It’s gauche to talk about it.”

“Yes, let’s not,” Maisie said.

“Oh, I wouldloveto hear more about the Biltmores,” Adalia said through another round of laugh-coughing.

“They’re a very private family,” Victoria said, looking every bit like she knew she’d backed herself into a corner but wouldn’t admit it upon pain of death.

“Yes, and I imagine they wouldn’t like you name-dropping,” Iris said, tucking her phone into her pocket as if the party had finally gotten interesting enough, or dysfunctional enough, to command her attention. “Ifthey were real.”

Victoria muttered something about young people and overactive imaginations, and that was that.

The horses continued along, bringing them past towering trees and sweeping fields. The scene was beautiful, and they settled into some innocuous conversation about Finn and Adalia’s many visits to the Biltmore. They had annual passes and apparently used them often enough that the guards at the front knew them by name. Adalia’s first idea for the bachelorette party had apparently involved everyone wearing nineteenth-century dresses, something Georgie had put the kibosh on. Maisie mouthedthank youto her, and Georgie smiled back at her…which had to be a first.

The highlight of the carriage ride, though, happened when the horse in back started to expel waste as it walked, the earthy smell of it drifting back toward them. Victoria released a scandalized gasp.

“What’s happening?” she asked. “Is it…?”

“See, there are disadvantages to sitting in front,” Maisie said cheerfully.

“We should complain to the manager,” she said, her lips flattening into thin, colorless lines. “There’s a time and a place for everything. This horse should have…evacuated its bowels before we arrived.”

“There are some things that can’t be planned, dear,” Dottie said, giving her a surprisingly intense look. “You’d do well to remember that.”

Something told Maisie she wasn’t just talking about the bathroom habits of draft horses. Victoria had already mentioned, three times—she was counting for Molly—that she would plan her engagement festivities with Lee quite differently. And also that she couldn’t possibly include either Adalia or Georgie in her wedding party since their blond hair clashed with her dark hair. Which was pretty amusing since Maisie had seen Lee on that Thanksgiving FaceTime call, and his hair was as light as his sisters’.

“This hot chocolate isreallygood,” Georgie said with a hiccup.

The driver let them out in front of the Inn on Biltmore Estate, where Adalia had parked the Range Rover, but they weren’t going anywhere yet. Their next stop was aPride and Prejudice-inspired tea.

When Adalia had told her what she was planning, Maisie had asked, “Does that mean we get to take turns about the room and whisper behind each other’s backs?”

“I knew you’d at least seen the movie!” had been Adalia’s reply. Maisie hadn’t let on until then—mostly because Adalia lovedPride and Prejudiceenough for at least ten adults, and she’d gotten Finn into it too. An addiction like that needed no encouragement.

They disembarked from the carriage, Victoria giving another scowl to the offending horse, who nickered as if sensing evil, and headed into the inn. Once inside, they were ushered into a large drawing room, which really could have been pulled out of a nineteenth-century movie. A large tray sat on the round table in the midst of several uncomfortable-looking couches and chairs.

To Maisie, the sandwiches looked a little bland, the petit fours nowhere near as good as the ones she knew Dottie had carried over in the insanely large bag she had slung over her arm, but Georgie gasped with pleasure.

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