He laughed. ‘You definitely missed dinner. It’s nearly midnight.’
‘Is it?’ She felt her eyes widen. ‘I can’t believe I slept so long.’
He leaned over and touched her nose with one cold finger. ‘Jet lag. Told you.’
She gave a little yelp and jumped back. ‘Hey, you’re freezing.’
He reached out and grabbed her hand. ‘And I plan on getting you cold too. It’s summer. Who can wear gloves in the middle of summer?’
She shivered as his cold hand closed around hers. But she didn’t pull away. She didn’t want to. ‘You obviously should,’ she quipped. ‘But, hey, I can make the ultimate sacrifice and try and heat you up.’
‘I like the sound of that.’
He pulled her closer and put his arm around her shoulders. Even though the air was chilly she was much more conscious of the length of his body next to hers and the heat coming from it.
She shook her head as they started walking across the gardens. ‘Can’t believe I completely slept through dinner.’
He grinned and shrugged. ‘I could have left you to sleep, but I think you’d probably have woken up about three or four in the morning and not be able to get back to sleep. This way, you’re up for a few hours and will hopefully get back to sleep before breakfast rolls around.’
‘Where are we going for breakfast tomorrow, then?’ she asked.
He gave her a sideways glance. ‘I thought you might like to sleep a little later.’
‘And miss out on breakfast with you?’ Her stomach gave a squeeze. Maybe he was trying to let her down gently, or maybe he was just too busy to spend time with her. After all, what did a prince do all day—particularly one who wanted to reform his health service? The reality was he probably didn’t have time for her at all.
He started to talk but she shook her head. ‘Forget it. You’re busy. I get it. I’ll just see you at the hospital in the afternoon like we planned.’
They were walking behind a high hedge and turned a corner and she let out a little gasp. ‘Wow.’
The gardens were split level. ‘Left or right?’ he asked.
Beneath them on one side looked like the oriental gardens, even in the dark night she could see the outline of a pagoda, an arched bridge and hear the sounds of waterfalls. On the other side was a large maze. In the dark it looked quite ominous.
‘Let’s go to the right,’ she said. ‘Show me around the oriental gardens.’
‘Chicken,’ he teased as he led her down the steps towards the gardens.
She shook her head. ‘Not at all. I just think the oriental gardens look interesting.’
There was only one old-fashioned lamp post at the entrance to the oriental gardens casting a dim light on the path before them. He walked her slowly around the large gardens. Under the stars she could see the pagoda was painted red and gold with intricate styling. The light dusting of snow made it look even more magical.
Philippe showed her the Kwanzan cherry trees, the bamboo, flowering plums and Japanese black pine. He led her across one of the bridges and stopped in the middle, looking down into the dark pond beneath them. ‘I’m not sure if you can see but the pond is full of koi—they’re known as the fish of emperors.
Arissa bent forward for a better look. ‘If there’s snow falling, isn’t it too cold for them?’ she asked. The water rippled as she caught a flick of an orange tail just beneath them.
He nodded. ‘When it’s cold they tend to gather just under the bridge where it gives more shelter. But we never usually have any problems with them. They’re hardy little creatures.’
He moved his arm from her shoulders and took her by the hand, leading her around the pond edges, pointing out the weeping willow trees and water lilies. Eventually the path led them back to the entrance.
He nodded ahead. ‘Okay, have you managed to work up enough courage yet for the maze?’
She put one hand on her hip. ‘I’ve got the feeling you’ll have a distinct advantage here. You’ve grown up with this maze. You could probably go through it blindfolded.’
He opened his mouth in teasing horror. ‘Were you spying on me when I was a kid?’