Take them to the place she has in mind

“Lead the way,” says Stewart, flashing his brother a triumphant wink. Not only is Stewart pleased by the prospect of showing his brother that he has the superior way with the fairer sex, but he has to admit that he finds the prospect of spending time with Ophelia quite appealing. The icy, forbidding demeanor she exhibited in their first encounter was no doubt triggered by Duncan’s juvenile and tactless approach. Now that Stewart has stepped in and smoothed things over, she seems quite welcoming, indeed.

Ophelia leads the way toward the restaurant she had in mind, and the guys chat up their dates as they walk. They learn that the ladies are from a fairly remote area of the kingdom, not far from the border with Obscuria. Hearing the name of their principal international rival pulls Stewart briefly back into the mindset of being sovereign of Mirantia, and he thinks on the recent reports of posturing by Obscuria’s Queen Imperia and the proposals of his ministers to try to foster improvements in diplomatic relations.

“Dicky? Are you well?”

It takes Stewart a moment to realize Ophelia is speaking to him. He suppresses the scowl he wants to show in reaction to the name Duncan invented for him. Instead, he turns to Ophelia and says, “I’m quite alright. Why do you ask?”

“Your expression just a moment ago suggested you were somewhere else. That’s all,” she says, lightly. “You seem to be a man of deep thought. I admire that, but can you put your deep thoughts aside for a few hours? It is, after all, a Festival and a time for diversion.”

Stewart smiles and allows Ophelia to take his arm as they continue their walk. He notices they have entered an area of the city that is not well known to him. It appears to be more economically depressed than the rest of the city, and he is mildly surprised that such an area would host a restaurant that would have attracted the ladies’ interest.

His thoughts are intererrupted, however, as he hears his brother a few steps behind him. Lucy is walking beside him, her arms wrapped around his arm, and she is looking into his eyes with rapt attention and a delighted smile.

“So he came in and saw us there, covered in feathers, surrounded by candles, and with a lady’s glove being the only stitch of clothing for all six of us. He said, ‘I demand to know what is going on here!’ Before I could think of a thing to say, his wife blurted out, ‘But Honey, with the cow being sick, where else was I going to get any cream?’”

Lucy bends over with convulsive laughter, and Duncan graciously wraps his arms around her to prevent her from falling as they continue to walk. Stewart can’t help but notice that in his gallant attempt to steady the young woman, Duncan’s hands managed to touch her breasts no less than four times.

“Your brother is quite the jester,” says Ophelia.

“Oh, you have no idea!” replies Stewart. “You can always count on him to lighten the mood by bringing up a joke at just the right moment.”

“And what can I count on you bringing up at just the right moment?”

Stewart looks at the young woman and confirms from her meaningful look that he interpreted the flirtatious tone of her words correctly. Feeling a bit of daring, he says, “Let’s just say that I never fail to rise to the occasion.”

“Hmmm.... That’s helpful information to file away. Perhaps the occasion will come sooner than you think.”

True to his word, Stewart feels himself “rising to the occasion” at the thought of spending an evening of abandon with this visiting beauty. He finds himself feeling uncharacteristically charitable toward his brother, who seems to have actually hit upon a very good idea for a change.

Looking around at his surroundings, again, Stewart says, “Are you sure this is the right way? There doesn’t appear to be any commerce in this part of town. In fact, it looks a wee bit disreputable.”

“I know,” says Ophelia, “but appearances can be deceiving. I believe we will find what we’re looking for right through this alley.”

Stewart looks in the direction that Ophelia indicates and sees a dark, narrow passage between two buildings. “How on earth did you find yourself in this part of town?” he asks.

“Well, we were here during the daylight hours; it certainly looked different at that time,” says Ophelia. “If you are uncomfortable with being here, we can go back to an area where you feel safe.”

Stewart does, in fact, feel unsafe in these forbidding surroundings, but he does not want to appear cowardly in front of the ladies. He looks behind him to Duncan, to see if his brother has similar concerns. Instead, he sees that the younger prince has managed to keep one hand firmly on one of Lucy’s breasts, and he is more interested in studying the reaction of her face than in observing their surroundings.

“I call it my pet giraffe,” he says, oblivious to Stewart. “It’s a very special animal; if you pet it, his neck grows and grows and grows. Would you like to see it?”

Lucy giggles. Stewart rolls his eyes and returns his attention to the alley.

“It’s just on the other side of the alley, I’m sure,” says Ophelia. “We were here just a few hours ago.”