* * * *
After archery was done, they all broke for refreshments.
Francis was parched and selected a drink from what was on offer. Lemonade, if he were to guess from the colour of the liquid in the glasses.
He’d barely raised the glass to his lips before a stray elbow knocked his arm, and he ended up wearing his drink.
Francis looked around to see who had bumped into him.
Montferrat. Again.
Francis had a mind to follow the scoundrel and tell him what for, but decided that giving the man attention would only be playing into his hand. Best to ignore him instead.
When Gustav and Francis’s friends found him, Francis asked for a handkerchief to dry himself off. Maddie and Christian offered theirs first.
“You spilled your drink?” Archie teased.
“I didn’t,” Francis said, dabbing at his wet clothes. “Montferrat did.”
“Again?” Maddie whispered. “Outrageous.”
“Indeed,” Christian agreed.
“Shall I go and slap him, sir?” Archie offered, as Gustav looked horrified.
“You shall do no such thing,” Francis told him. “Montferrat is a sore loser. Just ignore him.”
“I concur,” Gustav said.
“You did do awfully well, sir,” Christian commented.
“Yes! Bravo,” Maddie said. “A fine start indeed.”
“Thank you.”
Gustav fetched him another drink, and Francis was able to quench his thirst at last.
“Is the king in attendance?” he asked.
“The royal family is observing from the palace balcony, sir,” Gustav explained.
“Oh?” Francis looked at the palace across the lawn,squinting to see in the sun. His cheeks and nose protested as he did, having been out in the sunlight for far too long already. “Isn’t it…far away?”
“We asked that,” Archie said with a scoff. “Gustav made enquiries.”
“They apparently have a telescope, sir,” Gustav explained.
“Oh,” Francis said, immediately feeling uncomfortable at being spied on so closely. “I’m sorry but I must escape the sun.”
“Here.” Maddie tilted her parasol toward him.
Francis shook his head. “Not here, Maddie.”
He didn’t need to make himself even more of a target than he already was.
They retreated to the spectators’ tent instead.
After the break was over, the announcer with the long grey beard, Yusuf, declared in several languages that they were moving onto the second segment of the day.
