I shake my head. ‘We might need a doctor to surgically remove her from you. She’s locked in, claws and all.’
Princess glares at me.
Jasper laughs. ‘I wasn’t quite sure what hit me.’
‘Aubrey was rushing me up the stairs as if my very life depended on it! My vision went blurry and for a moment I felt very lightheaded.’
‘Is that so?’ Jasper grins.
‘Hmm, I remember it rather differently,’ I say. ‘Perhaps it’s that hit on the head you suffered earlier.’
‘But I didn’t suffer a hit to the head earlier.’
‘Well, the day is but young.’
Her eyes go wide.
‘Would you like me to help you the rest of the way?’ Jasper, ever the gentlemen, asks, as if she’s a doddering old lady when she is anything but. I may just have found the only other human on earth that could give my sister Rox a run for her money.
‘Actually, I need glühwein, as a matter of urgency. For my blood sugar. Perhaps you can accompany Aubrey the rest of the way as she’s in need of a strong, capable man…’ Wait, that wasn’t the plan! She leaps from his back, like a sprite.
‘I am n?—’
‘…to listen to her many facts about Bruges. Swallowed a guidebook, that one.’ She jerks a thumb in my direction. Oh, she really is the limit!
‘Sure, I’d love to,’ Jasper says. ‘As long as you can make it down OK?’
‘I’ll manage.’ Princess spins on her heel and sprints away with footing as sure as a mountain goat.
‘What just happened?’ Jasper asks with a rueful smile.
‘Hurricane Princess just happened.’ I’m sure he knows as well as I do what she’s up to since subtlety isn’t exactly her strong suit.
‘Shall we continue then?’ Jasper asks. ‘And you can tell me all the fun facts you know about the belfry.’ He waggles his brow. ‘I’m a bit of a guidebook nerd too.’
I raise a brow. ‘Oh yeah?’ I’m flirting, why am I flirting? It’s not often you meet a fellow guidebook nerd, is it? ‘Why don’t you share your fun facts about the belfry first?’
His smile says: challenge accepted. ‘Well, the belfry is known to be haunted…’ Jasper goes on to tell me about the myths surrounding the history of the building, which I’m sure he exaggerates so it sounds spookier. ‘And so there you have it. It’s best to see these places in pairs, purely for your own safety.’
I smother a grin. ‘I’m lucky you’re here then.’
‘Very lucky.’
We make it to the top. The view is a breathtaking panorama of the city and square below. The climb up now seems insignificant when rewarded with such a beautiful vista.
We spend the rest of the afternoon moseying around the Christmas markets and eating our body weight in waffles and chocolate. Princess plies us with beer; honestly, the woman can hold her alcohol, me not so much.
‘Are we going ice skating?’ Jasper asks.
‘After all that beer?’ I’m not all that coordinated at the best of times, less so after drinking Brugse Zot from a stein as big as my head.
Princess gives Jasper a solemn nod and says, ‘Or we could do the Christmas light trail?’
It’s still light out, but not for long. ‘I’ve heard about that!’ I say. ‘It’s three kilometres long and features ten different light installations.’
‘With the theme of fire and ice.’ Jasper grins. So we’ve both read the same Christmas guidebook it seems.
‘Three kilometres long!’ Princess whines. ‘Count me out. I’ll meet you two back on the Winter Wonderland Express. Toodle-oo!’
