“What about medicine? Electricity? Taxes?”
An all too familiar voice responds to my question. “I see the American is already confused.”
Body tensing, I stand to face Grimstad and fold my arms. “I guess it’s nice to see you weren’t lying about your next stop.” But it’s certainly not nice to see him here. I really hoped he wouldn’t show up so Freya could do her thing in peace. Whatever that thing is.
Grimstad chuckles and looks me up and down before bowing to the princess. “Your Highness. Prince Hendrik, Prince Aleksander, always nice to see you both.”
To their credit, the twins barely acknowledge him and keep their focus on their food. Freya, on the other hand, smiles at Grimstad and gestures to the spot next to Hex. “Would you care to join us?”
Grimstad considers her offer for a moment, then nods. “If you don’t mind waiting until I visit Tova for my own meal, then I would be happy to accept.”
“Of course.”
The instant he’s out of earshot—or close enough to it—I turn to Freya and scowl. “I know we both decided he was being sincere last night, but did you really need to—”
“I would rather have him where I can see him,” Freya says calmly. “If he is here for the same reason I am, then I would like to speak to him about it.”
“What, exactly, is that reason?”
But I don’t get an answer because Grimstad returns, a plate of fish in hand and a smudge of lipstick on his cheek. Apparently he was the recipient of the kissandthe fish, which is even less of an unfair trade than the deal I was presented with.
It takes a few seconds of awkwardness and a throat clearing from Freya before the twins scoot down the bench to make enough room for Grimstad to sit directly across from me, and the tension is thick at the table as he settles in. He must know none of us want him here, and yet he starts eating like this is a perfectly normal interaction.
It doesn’t take long before he looks up and meets my glare with a politely confused smile. “Rough day?” he asks.
I narrow my eyes, letting my gaze fall to the lipstick on his cheek.
He coughs and grabs a napkin, rubbing the exact spot he was kissed. “Tova’s fireplace was giving her trouble this morning when I got to town, and I happened to pass by as she was heading out to find someone to fix it.”
“Sure you did,” I growl.
Grimstad chuckles a little. “You know I grew up here, yeah?”
My mind quickly sorts through the information I internalized about him. “No, you were born in Lynholm.” I’m sure of it. I may be tired, but I have my facts right.
“True,” Grimstad acknowledges calmly. “But my parents’ circumstances required me to come here and live with my grandparents for a few years, so I was raised by most of the village.”
Cursing under my breath, I recall a brief line in the dossier about Grimstad that mentioned time spent with relatives during his secondary school years. It didn’t feel important when I read it, and I was more focused on his adult years and political background.
Ignoring information is a mistake I can’t afford to make, and I make a mental note to read through the dossier again as soon as we get back to the inn.
Until then… “So how did you pay for a school like Oxford?” I ask, hoping to fill in the pieces I’m missing. “Can’t trade a few hours of manual labor for tuition.”
Grimstad shrugs. “I was fortunate to receive a scholarship.”
“Fortunate indeed.”
Smile growing, he picks up a chip and points it at me as he says, “You really don’t trust me, do you?”
“Should he?” Sander asks gruffly, looking around Hex to raise an eyebrow at the man.
“Have I given you any reasons not to?” Grimstad asks me.
My hands curl into fists. He’s so calm that he makes me nervous, and I don’t like it. “Aside from being a direct threat to my position?”
Grimstad smirks. “Aside from that.”
“Easy, boys,” Freya says, holding a hand between us. “Let us not besmirch Havenford with idiotic rivalries, yes? Mr. Grimstad, you—”
