Chapter Twenty-Five

Trey arrives with champagne to celebrate Sonya’s victory over Dobbs. Sonya reveals a new, invited mirror experience: she observes Molly O’Brian’s first day and the servants’ hall—Grimes, Hobson, Mrs. Steele, Rory, Gracie, Frances—feeling both choice and purpose. She believes the mirror should be used only when it matters and may connect to the rings. The group agrees to wait and hang Astrid’s portrait together.

Over Cleo’s feast, they shift to designing a game room that honors the servants’ hall’s era: modern lighting with a gaslight vibe, a pool table, gaming screen, pinball, jukebox, and foosball. Trey “knows a guy” for a restored Gorgar pinball and possibly a jukebox. In storage, they find the original long-table chairs, Mrs. Steele’s pair, and a sofa worth reupholstering, plus a suitable coffee table.

After cake on the lawn, Sonya confides hopes that Carlotta will move on once the rings break the curse. She asks Trey to stay close if she must walk the house; he vows love and support. At 3 a.m., Sonya sleeps through the hauntings, while Trey lies awake, imagining Dobbs’s final, fatal leap.

As fall arrives, Sonya treats Dobbs’s petty slams as annoyance and focuses on work. Through Corrine, she hires upholsterer Maddy Black—unfazed by ghosts—to restore the sofa and chairs. With Cleo, they select bold Victorian-echo fabrics, including a daring purple couch, and agree on cushions and timing. Sonya offers to modernize Maddy’s marketing, which Maddy considers.

Outside afterward, they admire the autumn tree and plan to hang Cleo’s first Bay Arts show. Dobbs suddenly escalates: the Gold Room window booms open and a black lightning bolt strikes the lawn, reeking of sulfur but leaving no scorch. Shaken yet resolute, Sonya notes Dobbs’s limits, safeguards the pets, and affirms they will outlast the witch. Cleo invites Sonya to see a finished secret project in the studio.