Passing me with a set smile, she headed for the buffet. As the three of us sat there, my mind wandered. Who had scooped up our phones? In a castle like this, servants would not take such liberties. So that left Ama, who was cutting her bacon into small pieces before lifting it to her mouth with a fork. I would have to be very careful with her.
Marco was leaving and I followed him, relieved to leave his mother and her obvious disapproval behind.
“We’ll go up to the nursery,” he said on his way out the door.
“Great.” But when I turned left in the hallway, he turned right.
“Aren’t you coming?” he asked.
“Yes, right behind you.” I motioned toward the main hall.
Marco looked at me as if I were insane. “No one uses those stairs. You could kill yourself.”
“Really? But I thought...”
With a quick turn, he marched in the opposite direction. I got in step behind him. By the time he reached a door I didn’t even know was there, my brain was scrambled by those distracting breeches and shiny boots.
Behind the cream-colored door with the wainscoting and gilded framing was an old-fashioned elevator. What was this? The inner golden cage rattled as he pushed it open. “Please. After you.”
I’d always been a sucker for a man with manners. My ex-husband Wallace had always walked on the outside on the sidewalk. Maybe just another archaic tradition, but nice.
“This is surprising.” I stepped inside. The contraption was probably old but not as ancient as the castle. Metal and knobs gleaming, it seemed well-maintained. As it glided to the third floor with a tasteful rattle, I wondered what they had chiseled out to install it. I also wondered what kind of pomade Marco used on his shiny hair. He smelled spicy and wonderful.
Dropping my eyes to my sensible shoes, I fumed. His mother had purposely made us climb all those stairs. How she must've been laughing. But Her Royal Pain in the Neck had taken them without any strain. Respect evaporated my anger. “Very nice elevator.”
Half turning, he grinned. “I put it in after my father’s death. You know when I…”
“…became king?” I supplied. Funny how this revelation came to me so easily.
“Precisely.” But Marco averted his eyes, a muscle twitching in his cheek. When had he taken the reins of his kingdom? Once I had access to wi-fi, I would definitely do more serious sleuthing.
The elevator stopped and the outer door glided open. I followed Marco out. The third-floor hallway resembled the second floor, done in peaceful shades of ochre and cream. Marching into one of the rooms, he threw his arms out with pleased satisfaction. “A perfect classroom. Do you not think so?”
I looked around. Possibly at one time this had been a nursery where children played. Carved toys were stacked on built-in shelves below a row of cream-colored cabinets. A huge chalkboard covered the side wall. One long table was obviously sized for children, but two others were regular height. But they definitely were not a modern design. Fisher Price needed to do an intervention in this nursery.
“This is quite a setup.” A podium was tucked in a corner. Somehow I had to get His Majesty to advance into the high tech world.
Checking the wall, I found two outlets. “Only two places to plug in computers or other equipment?”
“Other equipment?” He seemed puzzled. After all, I was questioning what he obviously saw as a perfect classroom.
“Yes, teaching equipment. DVD players, a screen.” Going to one of the chalkboards, I pulled on a map. The darn thing began to tear and I quickly loosened my grip. But I’d gotten a glimpse of it. “This hasn't been used in a long time. Things have changed.” I dusted off my hands.
His eyes swung to the map. “Yes, and so has the world.”
Okay, now we were getting someplace. “The other teachers didn’t use a laptop or screen?”
“No, I think Professor Rinaldo preferred to lecture.”
Lecturing might work in college. But now learning could be enhanced with the right YouTube video. “Poor guy,” I said in an undertone, thinking of Gregorio but maybe Rinaldo was the one I should pity. He could have been a competent teacher, hampered by a lack of modern equipment.
“Pardon me?”
“Nothing.” My eyes flicked down the length of the nursery. I was dying to open one of the cream-colored cabinets. Someday soon I would.
But right now, I had to make this room a place where we all would succeed, both teacher and students. I couldn’t fail. Too much was riding on this. So I needed information. When I swung around, I found him studying my shoes. What the heck? Marco’s eyes flew up to meet mine. For a second, our blushes had a race. Which shade of red could reach our cheeks first?
Total nonsense. Keep on track, Christina. “I should ask you what your expectations are of me?”
