“It does seem to be on an island of its own,” Artur agreed. The tension in the base of his spine dissipated a little, now that they were on more professional ground.
“One easy change would be to add the castle to the register of historic castles on Stolvenia’s main tourism website. I’ve emailed several people but have yet to see a change.”
“I can make that a priority.”
“And...” Dina leaned back to allow one of the waiters to put the salad course in front of her. “We do need some direct assistance from the royal family. There is a certain designation that can only be given by the royal family—a seal, if you will, and it would allow us to join a castle tour given by companies endorsed by the family itself.”
“I’ve heard of that,” Artur said, though he couldn’t have provided many more details. He’d never had reason to care about those kinds of things. “But tell me—this place. How could it not already have a designation? I was here when it was reopened years ago, so I would have thought—”
Dina shook her head. “I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that it’s nearly impossible to communicate with the royal family or its representatives through official channels. I expect that’s why my emails have gone unanswered.” She looked Artur in the eye. “Not that I’m...trying to be rude. It’s not like I expect a response from the king. But from any representative, any word, would be...a step in the right direction.”
Artur had his fork nearly to the salad, but stopped. The difficulty of getting a message directly to the royal family was one thing Amy had pointed out, and he hadn’t believed her. Yet here was a citizen of Stolvenia, saying the same thing. And Dina did not seem to be a woman who was easily discouraged.
“I’m not familiar with all of the procedures, of course—but I know we have ways to address legal concerns, health concerns, safety concerns, those kinds of things.” He searched his mind. “I know that’s always been important to my brother. But clearly, we’ve had a blind spot. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.” It was obvious, now that she’d pointed it out. Having a monarchy meant that the government was rather nimble, since they didn’t have to haggle with multiple branches of government for every decision. But the lack of bureaucracy meant that some departments got limited personal attention. Things like castle designations weren’t likely to come up organically in the king’s mind.
“You’re welcome,” said Dina.
They spent the rest of the meal discussing future plans for the castle, and when they shook hands and parted ways, Artur didn’t feel half bad about how it had ended up. Even if Amy had wanted it to be a romantic encounter.
But had she really?
He found her in the gift shop tucked into one of the side rooms on the main floor, looking at a miniature version of the lover’s window.
“Beautiful,” he said, though he really meant it about her.
“It is.” Amy frowned slightly, looking at the little model. Painted glass, between tiny stones.
“Perhaps I should buy two of them for Armin’s adopted daughters, Lily and Seraphine. They are new to the country, and I want to help them learn about the culture and history here.” Another thought floated to the front of his mind. “Maybe you’d like to get one for the baby. It might be nice if the child grew up with some tokens from our nation.”
Her face brightened. “It is a good idea. I’ll get one. I could collect things from the tour, and have a story to tell our daughter later.”
“You know, I heard that it’s good luck to kiss in front of the window.”
Amy laughed. “This isn’t a real window.”
“You’re splitting hairs. Better to kiss than tempt fate.”
She pushed him playfully away, then picked up the small model and marched to the checkout desk. But it was too late. Artur had already breathed her in and wanted more.
As they walked side by side toward the door of the castle, he saw his chance. “Look—”
“At what?” Amy said as he pulled her into a darkened alcove.
He pretended to peer around. “I guess there’s nothing worth seeing in here. Except you.” Then he leaned down and did what he’d wanted to do all day—kissed her. Hard.
“Oh—” He caught her little moan in his mouth as Amy threw her arms around his neck, melting into him. It was so delicious until—
Footsteps.
Footsteps approached, and Amy tugged at his hand, pulling them back out into the light. Down the hall, the shopkeeper from the gift shop was going in the opposite direction. Amy reached up and smoothed the front of his jacket. “Careful,” she said. “Or we’re going to get caught.”
8
The cliffs at Primorsky the next day were breathtaking, especially with the summer sun glittering on the waves that crashed against the rocks beneath them. Amy and Artur had taken in the view while they walked to the welcome center, and she was invigorated as she stepped inside to look at the gift shop offerings there while Prince Artur posed for a few pictures with the press gaggle outside. After the way yesterday had played out, with very little involvement from the press, Amy had readjusted. The dates could happen with a couple of cameras following along. They should happen that way.
In the meantime, she’d already found the perfect ornament for her new collection. Amy wasn’t usually the type to buy lots of trinkets when she traveled, but she could already see these things perched on a little dresser in the baby’s room. The woman behind the counter at the shop wrapped it carefully and boxed it up, and Amy slipped the box into her purse. Artur’s idea had been perfect. Almost as perfect as his kiss.
The door opened and she turned with the compliment on her lips, ready to thank him for his idea, when she registered that he wasn’t alone.