The four of them dining in the elegant French restaurant was foreign to Meredith. Yes, she was in a foreign country, but it was more than that. She felt like she was an actor in a film about another family. And the way they were treated by wait staff, they were in on it too. Was it because they knew they were serving a royal family? Did they assume she was part of it? The mother of these children? She had no idea. It was disconcerting…yet pleasant. And she didn’t like that it felt pleasant. This was not something she should get used to.
After dinner, they were dropped off near the Giant Ferris Wheel. Spencer already had tickets on his phone, so they didn’t have to wait in the ticket line—not that the line was long anyway. Meredith peered up at the giant wheel in the dusky sky. It was beautiful with its lights and rotation, but it was also incredibly high. They weren’t kidding when they called it giant. She’d never been terribly fond of heights, but this wasn’t the time to confess her phobia. Besides, she was trying new things—being adventurous, as Dad had said.
It was almost their turn, and she was holding onto Mishka’s hand, telling herself it was for his sake but knowing it was for her own.
“This is going to be fun,” he said with enthusiasm as they moved forward. But just as their turn to board came, Kat pushed forward and grabbed her little brother’s hand.
“You’re riding with me,” she told him, practically dragging him on. He looked too stunned to respond, and then they were loaded and buckled in.
“What on earth?” Meredith watched the wheel rotate higher, Kat grinning and waving and Mishka looking dumbfounded.
“Looks like you’re stuck with me,” Spencer said.
The man helping load was urging them forward in German. Meredith had no choice but to step forward, fumbling to get in the seat as Spencer slipped in next to her.
“What is up with Kat?” she said as they began to move up after being buckled into their seat. “Since when does she prefer Mishka to you?”
“It’s mysterious,” he said, but he didn’t seem too displeased, which in her opinion was equally mysterious. She would have to get to the bottom of it later. “Are you frightened?” he asked after their car slightly jerked.
“No, of course, not,” she snapped.
He pointed to her death grip on the bar in front of them, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, I guess I’m a little uncomfortable. I’m not great with heights.” She kept her eyes on him instead of looking down. “I don’t like flying in planes either.”
“Kat hates flying in planes,” he said. “But she’s been on this before with no problem.”
“Apparently.”
“You’re perfectly safe.” He smiled and then slipped an arm around her shoulders. Despite that she told herself it was a brotherly squeeze, she felt an electric tingling that suggested it could be more. To her surprise, she began to relax. As their car continued rotating, he pointed out various sights below, andwhen a breeze came up and she shivered, he tightened his hold on her, sending a pleasant rush through her. Still, she scolded herself. Not happening.
After the Giant Ferris Wheel stopped, too soon for Meredith’s liking, it was dark outside, and despite the children’s request for snacks, Spencer insisted they needed to get back to the hotel. She wasn’t sure, but she thought he was worried about something. Security perhaps? They loaded themselves into the SUV, and Geoff drove them back to the Ritz, where Meredith thought she spotted some extra security guards watching over them. Hopefully, there was no real danger. But once they were in the suite, Spencer and Geoff seemed to be conferring on something of importance, because Spencer just told the children goodnight then continued talking with Geoff and checking his phone.
Meredith decided her best course, as a responsible nanny, was to act as if all were well. And for all she knew, it was. She got Mishka tucked into bed, listened to his prayers, and kissed him goodnight. She was tempted to ask him about the switcheroo on the giant wheel but decided to save that for Kat. But Kat was glued to her phone, probably with Kalina, so Meredith decided to just get ready for bed. Perhaps Kat would want to talk when she finished.
But by the time Meredith got into bed, Kat had already slipped into her bed with her light off and appeared to be sleeping. Meredith had her suspicions, but since she was tired, she decided to let it ride until morning. Maybe it didn’t matter. Maybe Kat was just having a moment of big-sister love. It could happen.
The next day was a whirlwind of activities. In the morning they visited the Spanish Riding School for a Lipizzaner rehearsal, which was so fabulous Meredith could only imaginewhat a real performance would be like. Since there wasn’t one scheduled while they’d be in Vienna, they had to settle for this.
“I can’t believe this is where they rehearse,” Meredith said to Kat. “The beautiful architecture complete with these enormous crystal chandeliers. It looks like a palace.”
“Aren’t the horses elegant?” Kat gushed. “I begged Papa to buy me a Lipizzaner Stallion when I was a little girl, and he just laughed.”
“Do you like to ride?”
“I love to ride. I have a white Arabian named Perun. That means lightning bolt, but he’s not really that fast.”
“You must miss him.”
“That’s one thing I look forward to when we go home.” Her eyes lit up. “Do you ride?”
“I took dressage lessons in high school. We couldn’t really afford it, but I begged my dad, and he allowed me to clean stalls to help pay for it. I loved riding and horses but quickly learned that was for rich people. And we were not.” She sighed. Kat looked sympathetic.
“We have a lot of horses. If you come with us to Rotslavia, you could have one to ride.”
Meredith laughed. “Well, that alone is good reason to go with you.” She lowered her voice. “But it’s not as simple as that. You already have—” She stopped herself from sayingnanny. “A governess that you know and love.”
Kat rolled her eyes.
After the Spanish Riding School, they went to see the beautiful Karlskirche Cathedral, followed by a tour of the Hofburg Palace and the Belvedere Palace, two spots that had been on Meredith’s must-see list.
