A Spell At The Seaside: The Whitewood Witches of Fennelmoore

By Agnes Lester Brown

A DREAM SEASIDE HOLIDAY AWAITED LORI AND MATT IN SUNNY PLEASANTSIDE. OR SO THEY THOUGHT...

 

From the moment feisty witch sleuth Lori Whitewood set foot in the plush penthouse at the Seaview Inn, she knew something was amiss. When two uninvited ghostly figures paid them a visit on their first night, it convinced Lori something sinister was going on in the sleep little village of Pleasantside. Soon enough they're embroiled  in a search for a couple who'd recently mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Along the way Lori has to use Granny Fae's spell book to get her out of a deep pickle, with unexpected results. What secret is Loretta the receptions hiding from them? Is Fable Island really deserted, like everyone claims? And will Lori overcome her doubts about marrying Matt?

 

Download or purchase this page-turner prequel to the Whitewood Witches series now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Lantern Publishing
• Release date: Jun 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393018575

Agnes Lester Brown

I wrote my first story when I was six years old and yes, it was about puppies. I’ve kept writing ever since, in one form or another. Starting off as a newspaper reporter in the heyday of print media I later jumped ship to a long career in business writing, followed by blogging and writing for websites. For the past few years I’ve been rediscovering the joy and art of storytelling, crafting stories about magic, murder and mystery. Nothing makes me happier than browsing a whimsical second hand bookshop , home made vegetable soup on a cold winter’s evening, or devouring yet another whodunnit while snuggling with my Norwegian Forest cat, Matisse. You can see details of upcoming books and new series, as well as titbits on characters on my website at http://www.agneslesterbrown.com.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

L ori! Wake up, sleepy-head! Look out the window!

Lori Whitewood groaned, and with great difficulty forced her eyes open. She glanced at her watch. Although she’d nodded off for only a few minutes, it felt like her eyes had been glued shut for ages. With great effort she wriggled herself upright on the front passenger seat of Matt, her boyfriend’s sedan. Matt had slowed down to a crawl. Blinking and shading her eyes against the sunlight, she looked in the direction where he was pointing. He had that boyish grin she loved so much on his face.

Isn’t that fantastic?

The sunlight was too harsh to make anything out, so she fumbled around for her sunglasses, positioned them on top of her nose and peered ahead. The flat, featureless plateau they’d been driving across for three hours has given way to a steep descent as the road zig-zagged through a series of hairline bends towards the coastline that lay in the distance below them. A long stretch of pristine beach stretched into the distance. Beyond the coastline an azure ocean glimmered in the sunlight.

The stunning sight they were heading towards helped lift the fog of her recent nap more quickly. She leaned forward and put her hands on the dashboard, drinking in the scenery in slow, deliberate sips. 

Isn’t that view just picture perfect? Matt said, slowing down further to take in the unfolding vista. This is exactly what I had in mind when we talked about taking time off. Kudos to you for picking such a great location for our vacation. He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. I’m appointing you as my official travel agent.

Lori giggled bashfully. This was their first vacation together, and she’d put in extra effort while researching holiday destinations she thought they’d both enjoy. Though they’d been going steady for a year, she was sure there were still many sides of him she was yet to get to know. Which is why she subtly slipped questions about his past holidays into their conversations to get an idea of what he liked and disliked to do during his off-time. After weighing up various options she settled on a seaside holiday, staying at a beach hotel. It wasn’t her first choice--she’d rather go on a long hike in the mountains, or anything a little more adventurous. But a relaxing time in a seaside town away from the responsibilities of home was an attractive option too.

Lori was a homebody. Unlike many of her friends, she never felt an itch to travel. That was in contrast to Matt, who’d gone around the world lecturing and delivering papers on botany at academic conferences. But all of a sudden she enjoyed spending evenings poring over maps and visiting countless travel websites while planning their trip. When she finally ran the plans she’d made past him, she was relieved he was excited about her suggestions.

She ran her eyes over the seaboard. That must be Pleasantside in the distance over there, Lori said and pointed to a cluster of houses hugging a pretty stretch of coastline. As they got closer a handful of attractive, palm-lined boulevards, lawned parks and a broad esplanade that ran a few miles along the beach came into view. Each end of the beach was framed by dark, sheer cliffs that dropped straight into the ocean. It was a perfect day to arrive in Pleasantside— the sky was cloudless and hardly a breeze moved the palm leaves. So far the monotonous five-hour drive since they left her hometown of Fennelmoore looked like it was worth the effort.

Alright, Miss Travel Agent, where are we heading? Matt asked as they reached the outlying streets of Pleasantside. 

Lori fumbled in her bag and extracted a sheet of paper with a rough, hand-drawn map of Pleasantside on it. This is the instruction Nick gave me, she said, running her finger over the route on the map that lead to a large X, marking the spot of the hotel they were heading for. We’re only a few blocks away. This street ends at the beach, and after that  head right.

How did you find this hotel? Matt asked. Did your geeky cousin Rosie help you do a TripAdvisor search?

Lori wrinkled her nose. "I still don’t know why, even though we’ve been together for a year, you still believe I’m computer illiterate. I may not be a programming whiz like Rosie, but I consider myself a Google search expert. Either way, I didn’t find the hotel on TripAdvisor. I got the name from Nick, who’s--

It’s the Seagull Inn we’re staying at, right? Matt interrupted her and pointed to a neat, four-storied building across the street from the beach. A cheerful blue and white sign that read Welcome to the Seagull Inn hung above the entrance.

That’s it, yes, Lori said, already undoing her seatbelt as Matt parked. He’d hardly brought the vehicle to a standstill when she jumped out, stretched out and breathed in the sea air. It was surprisingly quiet—the street that ran past the Seagull Inn’s front door had no traffic. Seafood restaurants and designer coffee shops with brightly colored umbrellas in front lined the sidewalk, and quaint little craft emporiums with cute shopfronts completed the scene. Even though it was early afternoon, she caught the faint aroma of frying fish wafting down the street from one of the nearby restaurants. The more she saw, the broader her smile became. She could look forward to doing a lot of exploring here. She’ll succeed in dragging Matt along once or twice to do shopping, but expected that most of the time he’ll be on the beach with his nose in a book. That was the impression she got when he described his ideal holiday, anyway.

She brought her attention back to the car and hastily followed Matt, who was already across the street, wheeling their luggage towards the Seagull Inn. Halfway to the hotel her cell phone beeped. When she took it from her pocket and looked at the screen, a selfie of four smiling faces showed up. Below the image of Granny Fae, Aunt Hazel, and her cousins Jasmine and Rosie was a message:

Have a wonderful time! We’re jealous!

She tapped out a quick reply.

Hurry up, Lori!

When she looked up from her phone Matt was already on his way into the reception of the hotel, beckoning for her to follow. She turned off her phone, put it away in a hidden side pocket of her bag and caught up with him. She loved her family back in Fennelmoore, but this was solely her and Matt’s vacation--one she’d been looking forward to for months.

Lori vaguely recognized the bald-headed, smiling man wearing a brightly patterned Hawaiian shirt standing behind the reception counter. 

You must be Sonny duPont, Nick’s brother, Lori said. He helped us make a booking with you some time ago. I’m Lori, and this is my boyfriend, Matt.

Sonny’s round face broke into a half-moon smile. Welcome to the Seagull Inn, you two! How was the drive from Fennelmoore? Yes, I have your booking right here. How’s Nick and the Misty Hills Inn doing? I hear the Inn’s booked solid year round, due to your expertise and help? He looked at Matt. And you must be Matt, the botany expert who organized the Mushroom Convention that put the Inn on the map?

Lori and Matt smiled and blushed. Clearly Nick had briefed his brother well.

Oh, it was just a small event we helped Nick organize to boost the Inn’s occupancy. Lori deserves credit for making it a fantastic success, Matt said as he put his arm around Lori’s shoulders and looked at her with pride.

I’m sure you are exhausted and in a hurry to refresh after your long drive, Sonny said. He reached under the counter and brought out a golden key card. I’ve given you a free upgrade to the honeymoon suite. Use the card to activate access to the penthouse floor. He winked. You guys have a good time while you’re staying with us. Just ask if there’s anything you need.

Wow! Lori exclaimed and took the card from him. You mean, we’ll be staying in the room with the sea view balcony and the jacuzzi? She smiled sweetly, recalling the fancy room she saw on the hotel’s website. That’s so kind of you, Sonny, thanks very much."

Matt shook Sonny’s hand. I’d love to have a beer with you later and hear how it happened that both you and your brother became hoteliers. Then he steered Lori towards the elevator. Come on Lori, let’s go, we have a room with a view waiting for us.

Such a nice guy, Lori said when the elevator door closed behind them. We must remember to thank Nick for the referral."

Whirring softly, the elevator took them all the way to the penthouse level. When Matt used the key card to open the door, a cavernous,  luxuriously decorated room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean opened up before them. 

Wow, Matt exclaimed. This is like something out of Hollywood. Looks like we’re staying in the presidential suite, honey, don’t you think? 

Lori said nothing in response. Instead of being delighted, an inexplicable wave of depression washed over her when she took in the stylish room. She stood still and tried to pinpoint what made her feel so deflated. The decor was modern with a tiny hint of a classic colonial look, and she loved the soft pastel colors. Everything she saw resonated perfectly with her own interior design taste. Also, someone had done a professional cleaning job—there were no traces that anyone had stayed in the room recently. A colored glass bowl with tastefully arranged fresh flowers stood in the centre of the dining room table. 

Yet, inexplicably, when she looked at it all, she felt melancholy, almost teary. She’d last felt like this during the funeral of her beloved uncle Rex Blackwood, the circus owner who was murdered during one of his shows. She shuddered. That was a most unpleasant affair.

Matt, however, was in his element. He dropped the luggage, let out a loud whoop and dashed across the room, throwing himself on the huge bed and burying his face in the heap of