“I’d love it. Not just to see everything but to walk off this lunch. I can’t believe it’s just a few hours until I’ll be having dinner with the king.”
“And the queen,” he added quietly.
“Oh?”
“I didn’t want to say anything, but it’s one of the reasons I thought a good lunch might be important today.”
“Meaning dinner might be unappetizing.”
“Oh, the palace food is delightful.” He grinned at her, and she got his meaning. They strolled in amiable silence for a few minutes before Anton stopped in front of a storefront. “Here is the chocolate shop my mum loves.”
“Let’s go in.” Despite not being the least bit hungry, Adelaide was overwhelmed by the intoxicating smell in the shop. She got a few chocolates to save for later, as well as a similar selection to give to King Max.
“You might have to sneak those past the queen,” Anton warned as they left.
She nodded. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
As they continued strolling and visiting shops, Adelaide was surprised by how many people greeted Anton by name. Finally, they headed back to his SUV. “I thought you represented the Gruber province,” she said, “and yet you know so many people here.”
“I guess I get around.” He chuckled. “But bear in mind, Montovia has a very small population. Plus, some folks here, like my sister, grew up in Gruber. I guess it’s a small world after all.” He actually started to hum the old tune with the same name.
She laughed. “You know that song?”
He nodded as he put his key in the ignition. “We may seem remote here, but we do have TV. And I used to visit my grandmother’s house in Britain a lot when I was a small boy. I was always enthralled by her VHS player and collection of old movies.”
“I guess it is a small world after all. Even so, I can’t imagine living in a place where so many people know me by name. Even on campus, I feel mostly invisible.”
“You wouldn’t be invisible here.” He smiled. “You might not have noticed, but you were getting a lot of stares.”
“Because I’m a newcomer?”
“A very attractive newcomer.”
She felt her cheeks warm.
“I apologize. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, no, it’s okay. I’m just not used to flattery.”
“Not flattery. Simply a sincere observation.” He turned on the engine.
Wanting to switch topics, she asked about her palace tour.
Anton stole a glance at her as he pulled onto the street. “I haven’t worn you out yet?”
“Well, I still have almost two hours before dinner. I’d love to see more of the palace. Besides, I’m afraid if I go to my room, I’ll just crash onto that wonderful bed and not wake up until tomorrow. Can you imagine what the queen would think if I missed my first royal dinner?”
He shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. She might be glad.”
At a loss for words once again, she cast her eyes down. “Speaking of the royal dinner,” she said, rubbing her palms over her pants, “I’m worried I haven’t brought the right clothes.”
“The right clothes?”
“My law student wardrobe isn’t exactly fit for royalty. Do you think the queen will mind? I mean, I might be having flashbacks to scenes in Downton Abbey, but I don’t want to insult anyone by dressing too casually. I only own two skirts. Plain ones, like I wore today. To be honest, I live in blue jeans most of the time.”
“I do too, when I’m not working.”
“But really, how should I dress for dinner? What will the queen expect? I’d like to get off on the right foot with her.”
He frowned. “Honestly?”
“Yes,” she said, “honestly.” She was surprised by her candidness with Anton but felt she could trust him.
“I’m no expert, but the women at palace dinners usually dress”—he gave her current outfit a once-over—“a bit more formally.”
“Like gowns and jewels?” She grimaced.
“No, no. Not for a casual dinner. Maybe a skirt or dress. Not trousers. The queen is old-fashioned like that.”
“Okay. I’ll change back into my skirt.”
He held up his index finger. “Although . . . there is a women’s shop on the other end of town—my aunt’s favorite. I believe the queen shops there. If you like, we could stop, and you could look around. We can save the palace tour for tomorrow.”
She bit her lip. Her bank account was low on cash. She did have her emergency credit card, but this wasn’t an emergency.
“I’m no fashion expert, Adelaide, but your concern about appearances is a valid one,” he said. “After all, you are a princess. Knowing Queen Johanna, you can be certain she will critique your wardrobe. And I doubt she will offer assistance.”
Adelaide considered this. Perhaps it was an emergency. She really didn’t want to get on the queen’s bad side the first time they met. If nothing else, she’d do it for the sake of King Max. She could imagine him jumping to her defense, and she hated to put him under more stress. “Yes, I think you’re right. I’d like to visit that shop if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
Neither of them spoke as he turned the car in the opposite direction. When they arrived in town, finding a place to park proved difficult, so he stopped in the street and nodded toward a swanky-looking shop. “It’s called Stilvoll,” he said. “German for stylish.”
“Just what I need.” She heard her own sarcasm.
“Go ahead and look around while I park and make a phone call. I’ll be in shortly.”
Feeling very much like a fish out of water, Adelaide entered what appeared to be a very chic and expensive store. A well-dressed woman politely greeted her in German.
“Do you speak English?”
“Ja.” She nodded eagerly. “You are not from here?”
“I’m an American, and I need a dress. Not a formal gown. Just a nice dress for a nice dinner. Do you have something like that?”
“Ja, ja, of course.” She led her toward the back, indicating a rack of dresses of various styles, lengths, and fabrics. Adelaide peeked at a few of the tags, but the size numbers made no sense.
“Can you help me with sizes?” Adelaide asked.
The woman looked her up and down. “You are like my size, I think. Thirty-six or perhaps thirty-eight.”
“Really?” Adelaide frowned. “That sounds too large.”
“Thirty-six is American size eight.”
“Oh.” She nodded. “Okay.”
The saleswoman pointed to a section on the rack, then peered intently at Adelaide. “Green is good on you? Good with your eyes.”
“I do like green.”
The woman removed a satiny dress and held it up. The front was too low-cut for Adelaide’s taste, plus the fabric looked overly shiny. Not to mention the price was ridiculous. She shook her head as she reached for a dark green velveteen dress with a more conservative cut. Not showy, but somewhat sophisticated.
“No, no, that is for old frau,” the woman said. “Not you.”