A Singular and Whimsical Problem (9 page)

“What are you now, an astrologer? And that one, my friend, is what the Irish call King David's Chariot.”

“Astronomer,” Jasper corrected.

Merinda painted the universe with her tight grip on Jasper's hand again, rotating it North. “And that's the Christmas Star. The Star of Bethlehem.”

“Merinda, you're hopeless.”

“I like the idea,” Ray said. “I do like the idea, Herringford.”

“The idea of what?” Jasper snuffed. “An erroneously labeled cosmos?”

“The Christmas Star.”

Merinda bopped on the balls of her feet. “You're to wish on it, DeLuca.”

“I don't believe in wishing.”

“Make an exception.”

“All right” he cleared his throat, “I wish… ”

Did he look at me just then? Did Jasper or Merinda see that infinitesimal flicker of light as his eyes brushed me in the dark? Secrets gathered in my head, secrets that rendered me at once vulnerable and strong.

Merinda shushed him “You can't tell anyone your wish, DeLuca.” Then she turned to me. “Jemima!”

“Yes, Merinda?”

“Your turn.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and I wished with all my might. The black canvas spreading over Toronto and to the great beyond fell away and everything was an elaborate and sparkling puzzle.

I wished for winter snow and cozy fires and a home of my own. I wished for all the romance I could bottle up in a make-believe jar I swept across the sky, pooling Polaris and the Christmas Star and all of the prickling white jewels in their brilliant galaxy.

And the night was calm and the night was bright and as snow magic danced around us, fluttered on my eyelashes, and kissed my cheeks, a world of certain possibility stretched before me. I watched Merinda and Jasper's profiles, him stealing a look at her when he was sure she wasn't looking, her chin upturned, wide eyes drinking in the snow. As I turned to watch Ray, I saw that he was already looking at me. Our eyes locked for a moment just as a film of cloud pulled back from the moon like a curtain, and I could see his whole face.

He stepped closer and leaned into me. We were the same height, a perfect match for his mouth to meet my ear. “What did you wish for, Jem?”

I bit my bottom lip, smiled, and bounced up the front steps into the solace of the sitting room as the fire raged and the tree twinkled light. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes and whispered a prayer—more effective than a wish—ending in,
You. Just you. I'll always wish for you.

Author's Note

In pursuit of a good story and to help craft Merinda and Jem's world, I have taken several liberties with Toronto's history in the Edwardian period, including my creation of the Morality Squad. While Toronto certainly had Morality Police as part of an ongoing project to clean up the city and return it to “Toronto the Good” of Victorian-era Mayor Howland's time, I have fictitiously created a plainclothes band to pit against Herringford and Watts and keep them on their investigative toes.

For more information on Toronto, its history, and the sources I consulted (for details not borne of my extensive imagination), please consult my website at
www.rkmcmillan.com
.

Pepper is the name of my dear friend Ruth Anderson's ebony-furred feline and I would like to thank her for all of the picture sharing.

And yes, Mom, Ray is real.

The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder

Can't wait to read more of Merinda and Jem's adventures? Find out what's next for the intrepid detectives in
The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder.
In 1910 Toronto, while other bachelor girls perfect their domestic skills and find husbands, the two friends perfect their sleuthing skills and find a murderer.

Inspired by their fascination with all things Sherlock Holmes, best friends and flatmates Merinda and Jem launch a consulting detective business. The deaths of young Irish women lead Merinda and Jem deeper into the mire of the city's underbelly, where the high hopes of those dreaming to make a new life in Canada are met with prejudice and squalor.

While searching for answers, donning disguises, and sneaking around where no proper ladies would ever go, they pair with Jasper Forth, a police constable, and Ray DeLuca, a reporter in whom Jem takes a more than professional interest. Merinda could well be Toronto's premiere consulting detective, and Jem may just find a way to put her bachelor girlhood behind her forever—if they can stay alive long enough to do so.

About the Author

Rachel McMillan
is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theater.

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