“Well, I probably gave you a lot to think about.” Meredith gave Kat’s shoulder a squeeze then stood. “But everything I said was true. And to be candid, I think that’s the first time I told the story about how I really felt when I was your age. Not even my dad knows about it.”
“You said you got over it.” Kat frowned. “But you didn’t say how. I mean, besides the bit about making friends. Was that all it took?”
Meredith considered the spiritual element. “There’s more to my story. But hopefully we can continue that later. I still need to clean up for dinner.” She smiled. “By the way, so do you.”
The next morning, Meredith got up early. During the night she’d been thinking about her promise to take the kids on that Danube River cruise after Mishka got comfortable in the water. What was stopping her? With that in mind, she hurriedly dressed and went down early to run the idea past Mrs. Warner, explainingher promise to Mishka and how even Kat had done her part by not teasing him in the pool. “I think they really deserve to go.”
“Of course they do. I don’t see what’s stopping you.”
Meredith frowned. “Well, a lack of funds basically.”
Mrs. Warner slapped her forehead. “Good grief, I forgot that Master Spencer sent me an envelope for you. It came a day or two ago, and things got so busy. I’m sure it contains your first payment.” She hurried over to a cabinet, extracting an envelope. “Not that you should pay the children’s way on your little day trip. After all, we have a budget for extras like that. But my goodness, you should have your pay.”
Meredith opened the envelope from Mrs. Warner to see a generous check. “This is too much.”
“I doubt that.” Mrs. Warner sorted through some other mail. “Don’t forget that you are a full-time nanny. During the short stints I was in charge of the children, which was no walk through the park, I was adequately compensated. I’m sure you have been too.”
Meredith couldn’t believe her eyes. This was a little more than the amount of traveler’s checks she’d lost in Vienna. Enough to get her home, with some to spare. “Are you certain?”
“I don’t argue with royalty.”
“Okay.” She shook her head in wonder. “But I won’t be able to cash it.” She reminded Mrs. Warner of her lack of identification.
“Don’t worry. I’ll ring the bank in town and explain. Since it’s from Master Spencer, I doubt you’ll have any trouble.”
“Wonderful. Thanks so much. I’d also like to get a cell phone and send a repayment to Carrie, the woman you talked to on the phone. If not for her, I’d probably be living under a bridge somewhere.”
Mrs. Warner laughed. “I don’t think so. But, I’m just realizing you haven’t had a day off since you got here. I think you should take the Land Rover into town. On your own. No children in tow.Just take the whole day to do as you like. I will be happy to watch them while you enjoy yourself and tend to your errands. Then you can be all set to go on the river cruise. Even tomorrow if you like.”
“That sounds great. And I doubt I’ll need a whole day off.”
“No matter. You just take all the time you need. We will be fine here.” Mrs. Warner glanced at the kitchen clock. “And if you take your leave before breakfast, I’ll serve the children in here.”
“Good idea.” Meredith knew that would simplify Mrs. Warner’s day greatly. “Okay, I’ll just change into nicer clothes and be on my way.” She hurried back to her room, and seeing both children’s doors closed, she suspected they were both still sleeping. Well, Mrs. Warner could explain everything.
She quickly slipped into some linen pants and a cream-colored sleeveless silk blouse topped with a pale blue cashmere cardigan. A casual outfit fit for a princess. Of course, it had belonged to a princess. But she was a real princess too. Remembering what Dad used to say, the daughter of the King of the Universe was an important princess.
Behind the wheel of the Land Rover, she was on top of the world and could hardly believe her sorry straights just two weeks ago. Here she was about to enjoy a day off in an Austrian village, with her check tucked into a sophisticated tan Coach bag. She felt like she’d just won the lottery.
Driving in Austria was simpler than she imagined, and the half hour journey to the nearest town was purely delightful. Just cruising through the small, charming town felt like a mini holiday in itself. She eventually parked in front of the bank Mrs. Warner planned to call, but seeing it wasn’t yet open, she headeddown the cobbled street to a coffee shop where she ordered a pastry and latte and obtained information about the best local cell phone company in town. Lingering over her coffee and treat, she watched people come and go. Couples, families, mothers with children—everyone seemed to have something to do but were in no hurry to do it. The town had a comfortable air, and the shops were cozy and sweet. This was nothing like her first impression of Vienna.
As she strolled, she noticed a gelato shop with striped awnings just rolling out. Next to it was a toy store with lights just flickering on inside. She wondered if Kat and Mishka ever came to town and what spots they might frequent. Would they even enjoy it? It would be fun to take them on an outing here from time to time. Unless they thought it was silly. Not for the first time, she puzzled over the idea of royal children. When everything was available to you, did you become jaded? Did they enjoy the same entertainment as an American kid? She really wasn’t sure. At the estate, activities were limited. But so far the kids hadn’t complained too much about boredom. And, good grief, what was she doing obsessing over them on her day off?
She walked around a bit longer, just soaking in the local color, the overflowing flowerboxes, old fashioned streetlamps, narrow streets, and old charming buildings. Still waiting for the bank to open, she might as well familiarize herself with the stores for when she actually had some money in her pretty Coach bag. Some of the clothing shops looked tempting, but thanks to the generous filling of her wardrobe and dresser, she had no interest nor need.
What a treat to feel adequately dressed as she walked. Not shopping for thrift store threads with borrowed funds or feeling like a homeless, penniless transient. Seeing a pharmacy open, she realized she still needed a few personal items after she got some cash. But to kill time she walked up and down the aisles,making mental notes of what she would return for later. And finally, noticing the bank guard unlocking its front doors, she crossed the street. After talking to several employees, including a woman who acted as a translator, Meredith cashed the check.
She returned to the pharmacy to gather a few necessities and then, still thinking about Kat and Mishka, decided to pay the toy and game shop a little visit. Maybe she could find something the three of them would enjoy doing together. But with the age gap between Kat and Mishka, it was hard to settle on anything she felt they’d both like equally. Finally, she spotted a card game she used to play with her friends. She’d perused the game cabinet at the estate but hadn’t seen a pack of Uno cards. This would be perfect. In fact, she decided to get two decks—one to play with the kids and one to give Kat to take with her when she returned to school. Perhaps she too would want to play with her friends.
Satisfied with her purchase, she realized that it was past noon, and the coffee and pastry hadn’t really satisfied her appetite. A restaurant with outdoor seating caught her attention, so she decided to enjoy a leisurely lunch. After all, it was her day off, and if she were touring Europe like she’d expected to be doing right now, wouldn’t she be enjoying something like this?
However, after she was seated, she felt strangely alone. All the other tables were filled with couples or small groups and lively conversations that she couldn’t even eavesdrop on since they were in German. She was the only lone diner, and it felt a bit awkward. Or maybe it was pitiful. As she perused the menu, trying to translate it, she wondered if she really would’ve enjoyed her lone travels through Europe like she’d imagined. Maybe it wasn’t such a loss after all.
As she closed the menu, hoping she would be able to place her order, she wished she’d thought to get her cell phone first. At least she could’ve pretended to be preoccupied with it, although she wasn’t sure what she’d do with it since her personal phonedirectory had vanished with her phone. She didn’t even know Dad’s number. Not that he’d be taking calls out there on the PCT.
Abandoned and alone and adrift at sea, that’s how she felt after she placed her order and sat there waiting. And strangely enough, she began to miss the children again. She wondered what they were having for lunch. Meals with them hadn’t been exactly pleasant because they bickered so much, but at least they had been interesting. She wondered how they’d occupy their time without her around to direct them. Mishka would probably avoid the pool. And she doubted Kat would offer to play tennis or football with her younger brother. But would they just loiter around the house and bicker? Or drive poor Mrs. Warner out of her mind with their demands? Or perhaps the kids liked being on their own. Maybe they would enjoy her absence. She imagined Kat in her room contentedly tuned into her online videos or music and Mishka in the library with his nose buried in an oversized reference book. They probably didn’t even miss her.
Although lunch was delicious, she wasn’t sure she’d really enjoyed it. Mostly she’d felt self-conscious and lonely, eager to pay the bill and be on her way. She headed for the phone store and, of course, that turned into a dilemma. Not unlike similar stores in the States, the salesman, who spoke fairly good English, was determined to talk her into the most expensive phone on the planet. She explained, again and again, that she just needed something for emergencies. That she didn’t even have her old phone’s numbers, and he assured her that they could pull them from the cloud, but then she tried to make him understand she’d only had a cheapie phone before too. “It was what was recommended for the country I’d been living in,” she explained, wishing he could keep this simple. “I don’t think my numbers were in a cloud.”
