les fleurs et des fantômes

The night before, Lockwood and Co had been the guests of honor at a commemorative event celebrating the decline of the Problem. It’s one year to the day from the fall of Fittes House, though most of London is still—and likely will forever be—completely in the dark regarding what actually happened there. The Problem isn’t solved yet, but things are getting better every day, and as far as London is concerned, they have Lockwood and Co to thank for that.

And what better way to say thank you than to throw a gala?

Very late the next morning, and still in his pajamas for once, Lockwood is relaxing over the paper and thinking back over what he considers to be a successful, enjoyable evening. His company is getting the recognition it deserves, the recognition he’d always known they would get, but his professional satisfaction pales in comparison to the deep-rooted contentment and pleasure he’d found in spending an evening with Lucy Carlyle on his arm.

Lucy: Wow, she sounds pretty dumb.

Holly: Well, she’s not. She’s smart in her own way… She can be dense, though.

Lucy: Maybe be more obvious? Just say “I’m in love with you.”

Holly: I suppose you’re right.

Holly: Lucy.

Holly: I’m in love with you.

Lucy: Yeah! Just like that!

Holly:

Lucy: If that still flies over her head, then I’m sorry Hol, she’s too dumb for you.

Lockwood: This is my girlfriend, Lucy, and this is Lucy’s girlfriend, Holly.

Holly: Hey.

Barnes: Hey…oh…wait, sorry. What’s the situation?

Lockwood: What do you mean?

Barnes: How does this work?

Lockwood: Lucy is gay but she’s straight for me, but she’s gay for Holly, and Holly’s really gay for Lucy.

Lucy: It’s not that complicated.

[later]

Holly: So, heard you like bad girls.

Lucy: Nah, not really.

Its November at the beginning of THB

Now, Lucy goes on her vacation, comes back, whoop we get pretty Holly Munro, the entire fandom blows up yada yada yada.

Now when Lucy and Lockwood are standing in front of the Wintergarden house for the first time, Lockwood says, “I know you had some concerns at first, Lucy….It’s been a couple of weeks. How are you getting on with Holly now?”

So we see our first time jump thingy, its been a couple of weeks. Yes it can still be November, but definitely closing in on December. Next we see the whole ghost problem arrives and Lockwood gets hurt, removes himself from Lucy, the whole nine yards.

Then we see the second time jump thing where Lucy talks about how the company was now more separated than before. She talks about cases and Lockwoods removal. This has to be another couple of weeks, right? It must be WELL out of November.

Now we focus of TCS and more importantly, Lucy and Harolds conversation in the beginning of the book. — “Where one is weakest, about the level of a Wisp; and ten is strongest, about the level of that Poltergeist you fell afoul of in November. The one that trashed the store.”

Wait, so the Poltergeist case was back in November?

That means that the entirety of THB was in one month. That just doesn’t seem right.

Go and get some ice cubes. 2-3 will do it. Put them on the floor and let them almost completely melt. Now step on them. Step on them with your bare feet. Or you could do it wearing socks, but that’s a lot worse. 

The best way to do this is to step in the ice unexpectedly. You’ll get the same random shock of ‘WAS THAT A GHOST?’ that you would when you randomly step on a cold spot.