“Sheesh. I can’t remember the last time someone didn’t want me to pay for something.” I tucked the flowers under my arm and fiddled with my purse. “When I was eating macaroni and cheese in college, everyone wanted me to pay for things. But now that I have money, I have to force them to take it. I thought I was going to have to pull rank!”
“Don’t worry, there will be lots of people happy to take your cash.” Margie shook her head.
“Too right.” Chadwick shot me a look, obviously thinking about Jeremy from the zoo.
It was actually sort of fun to walk around the town. Some of the people didn’t know what to say and just stared at me while others talked nonstop. I wasn’t sure if that was because they were nervous or because they thought it might be their only chance to talk to me. Margie and Chadwick often stepped in to help me escape when that happened, but for the most part people seemed to understand I had other things to do.
At one point a young mother with a baby in a stroller stopped to welcome me to the town. Just when I was getting ready to go pay for the homemade bubble bath I was holding, she asked me to take a picture with the infant.
“Sure.” I smiled at the little girl and turned to face the mother’s phone for the picture when I felt something warm cover my arm. I didn’t say anything until she had gotten her pictures, but there was no hiding the wet spot on my jacket.
“Oh my Lord! Duchess, I’m so sorry. So sorry. Here, let me buy you a new coat.” The young woman handed me a towel from her diaper bag.
“It’s fine! Really, don’t worry about it.” I couldn’t help that a laugh bubbled up out of my throat. “My first picture with a baby and I get peed on. It’s pretty funny.”
“I’ve never been this embarrassed before in my life.” The young woman looked close to tears.
“Here, hand me the baby and take another one. When she grows up, you can use it as blackmail.”
She chuckled weakly. “Oh, no. I couldn’t do that to you.”
“Just send me an e-mail with the picture. My father will think it’s hilarious.” I held my arms out for the baby and made a silly face while Chadwick laughed. He gave her his e-mail address and she promised to e-mail it that night.
“What if that ends up in the papers?” Margie asked me.
“I don’t care. What’re they going to title that article? ‘Duchess Gets Peed On?’” I laughed. “Maybe it’ll make everyone realize I’m just human.”
“It was really sweet of you to make sure that mother didn’t feel so bad.”
“Meh. It was funny. I mean, who else would get peed on? It would only happen to me.” I shrugged out of my jacket and shirt in the dressing room of a nearby shop. “Or I’d be the mother whose baby peed on someone famous.”
“Still very nice of you.” She passed me a shirt over the door.
“Not really. I could have been upset or laughed it off.” I opened the door and walked out. “There was nothing to do for it at that point.”
The rest of the day went smoothly. We ate in a local pub, which I loved. For the first time since arriving in the country I felt like I was experiencing the real culture. People spoke a mix of English and Lilarian, often in the same sentence. I liked how birds were a common thread. They were painted on signs and featured on wind chimes.
The pub owner came over to introduce himself but didn’t stay. Most people smiled in our direction and apparently the story of the peepee picture was already starting to circulate. One of the waitresses was related to the baby and brought us a basket of chips.
“Sally was so embarrassed, but she couldn’t get over how sweet you were.”
“I didn’t do anything special.” I shook my head.
Most of the people who came in would shoot me a look and then act like I wasn’t there. It was perfect. By the time we headed back to the house, I was tired but happy.
I worked with Stanley through the week to understand more about the running of a manor and found that it was as intimidating as I had thought it would be. Selene made a visit, but since my title hadn’t been officially reinstated, I couldn’t take on any of the local cases to present to parliament. I enjoyed her visit and found myself looking forward to working with her. She was a bright woman who loved her home.
Alex called every night and I found myself looking forward to his voice more each time. Despite the demands on his time, he never seemed frustrated or angry, even though I could hear how tired he was. He asked questions about the manor and how I was adjusting. When I told him about the baby incident he laughed so hard I thought he was going to snort.
“It’s not that funny!”
“Oh, that is priceless.” He chuckled. “And you thought the best thing to do would be to take another picture?”
“Yeah. I mean what else was there? Wave her off and leave her feeling horrible?” I shrugged my shoulders even though he couldn’t see me. “It was the first thing that popped into my mind. I was hoping it would make her laugh.”
“And has it shown up in the papers?”
“The local post contacted Chadwick and requested a copy. Apparently Sally, the mother, told them they needed my permission.” I laughed. “They were good sports about it.”
“That was right of her.” I could hear his voice growing thick.
“I think so.” I sighed. “Go to bed. You sound exhausted.”