But at least I’m distracted from brooding over how homesick I am.
“Yes, miss.Her Majesty made sure of it.”She indicates a trunk that I didn’t notice before, the same one from Osborne.
“Thank you so much.”
Anne nods at me.“The privy’s just down the hall and you have warm water in the basin here.”
If I didn’t have Leo waiting for me, I would be disappointed in myself for how spoiled I’m getting.I can get ready by myself; I’ve done it for actual decades.But I do usually have modern conveniences like reliable running water and zippers.
So instead, I stand still, body awash in anticipation for seeing Leo, while Anne floats around me, pulling and prodding and generally getting me ready for the day.And every time I try to help, I get a deep sigh that tells me I’m making this harder for her, so I channel a mannequin and let her work.
Finally, Anne steps back and nods approvingly at me.“I’ll lead you to the drawing room.”
I follow behind, ignoring the rare opportunity to gawk more at Queen Victoria’s Buckingham Palace in its original style, ignoring a prime research opportunity, to think about what Leo has in store for me today.He’s breaking me as a historian.
And I’m so broken I don’t even care.Nor do I care about the fact that nothing can happen with this historic artifact and in fact it can all go terribly wrong, so it would be smarter to stay away from him completely.But my feet follow Anne happily.
“Good morning, Leo,” I say as I sail into the drawing room.Or I feel like I’m sailing along.I’m surrounded by enough fabric and bustle that I feel like a large ship coming into harbor, hoping to not hit anything with my stern on the way.Leo, on the other hand, gets to wear a black suit with a lot less fabric, one that he can move around in with a little more agility than me.
“Good morning.”He stands and bows.I, not having cotillion training, awkwardly half squat/bow down, keeping my eyes on his to gauge if it passes muster.
He doesn’t look disgusted, so that was probably okay.Or he doesn’t care.
“Are you ready for your first official day of being courted?”he asks.
“I’m ready…for whatever that means.”I don’t think he means that he wants to feel me up in a dark movie theater.Maybe in a realtheatre, although I’ve no idea how dark they keep those.Probably pretty dark, lighting being what it is now.
“I thought we might do a compromise.We can go to the British Museum first and then take a stroll in Hyde Park.The museum is for your enjoyment, and the park is to be seen by everyone, as part of our agreement.”
“Sounds great.”
“I also brought you this.”He lifts a brown-paper wrapped package from his side.
“Oh, a present!”
“Part of our deal,” Leo says.
“Right.Because this is a mutually beneficial deal and not a real courtship.”It is surprisingly easy to get distracted from that fact.Something about these damn clothes makes it all very…romantic.Like a fairytale.Damn it.
“Open it,” Leo says.
I follow directions and tear into the paper.“A notebook.And pens!”I run my hand over the scarlet-red leather cover embossed in gold with a scene of a monk writing in a monastery.I open the clasp and flip through some of the pages.It’s almost too pretty to write in.I wish I had one of the hundreds of empty notebooks I have sitting at home instead of this work of art.I thought they were too pretty to use but they’re garbage compared to this.
“That is not all.”Leo gently places his hands on mine and opens the book, gathering the pages together like he’s about to flip through them.The motion reveals a hidden scene on the edge, in what looks like some landmarks from London: Buckingham Palace, St.Paul’s, and the Houses of Parliament.
I gasp in delight.“This is amazing.”And now it isdefinitelytoo pretty to write in.
“I’m glad you like it.”Leo looks satisfied, patting my hand as he retracts his.
I clear my throat at the touch, which is through gloves, and still too much for me to handle.
This is the best present I’ve ever gotten, even if it is part of a deal.There are a lot easier ways to get me a notebook; this one looks expensive and special.Maybe he has a stash of exquisite notebooks to woo nerds, but I doubt it.I hug the book to me.
Leo laughs.“I am not going to take it away from you.”
“I’m not taking any chances.But, well, can you…afford this?I’m supposed to be helping you, not hurrying your descent into debt.”
“It is so little compared to the mess Father left.And soon it will not be a problem at all, because we are going to solve the problem.Honestly, even if I do not find an heiress, it also stops being a problem.When they take my estate away.And the London house.And everything in them.”
