Chapter Sixteen

Sonya and Trey dine at the Lobster Cage, trading stories about books, movies, and pasts. Trey praises server Ian’s perseverance, and Sonya offers a professional reference, signaling her generosity. They discuss skepticism and belief about Poole Manor’s phenomena, and Sonya recalls a New Orleans tarot reading that eerily predicted betrayal and a historic sea-view home.

Chef Bree Marshall joins briefly, revealing a mutual attraction with Manny, Trey’s old bandmate, and seeks Trey’s blessing; Trey encourages her to decide for herself. The interlude highlights the friends’ intertwined histories and Sonya’s growing comfort with Trey’s circle.

Back at Poole Manor, the dogs greet them warmly. Sonya notes her bedroom lamp and turn-down ritual already done by an unseen “chambermaid.” Trey offers steady support without pressing intimacy, and Sonya pointedly labels the evening “not a date,” despite the chemistry.

The next day, Sonya runs errands for an upcoming dinner party, sending flowers to Yoda’s foster family and buying a recommended book. Returning home, she finds the house’s unseen helper has arranged her flowers artistically, placed candles, warmed her pizza, and later cleared her dishes—both comforting and intrusive signs of an active presence.

On cooking day, Sonya FaceTimes Cleo for moral support while making pot roast. She confesses the Gold Room feels actively evil and recounts Trey’s witnessing of its violence. Cleo urges avoidance and promises help. They also debate whether Sonya’s evening with Trey was a date and her readiness for romance beyond her past betrayal.

While cleaning, Sonya hears the dumbwaiter and discovers a hand-painted Limoges serving platter, inscribed as a 1916 wedding gift to Lisbeth—one of the manor’s brides. Interpreting it as guidance for her dinner, Sonya resolves to overlook the creepiness and use the platter, underscoring the house’s direct, historically charged involvement in her life.