Page 88 of Royally Matched

As the professor hobbles away for his nap, he throws us a wave.

“What are we going to do until tomorrow morning?” I ask, more to myself than anyone else.

“You will go to the festival and enjoy all the activities,” Constance answers.

My eyes widen. “I can’t be away for the night. I said I would be back this evening,” I say to Marco.

“It’s okay. We can come back another time,” Marco says to me.

“Rubbish,” Constance exclaims.

“Excuse me?”

“You have the perfect opportunity to enjoy your evening and then get the work you need done tomorrow morning,” she replies.

Marco shakes his head. “But we only came for the day. Hadley needs to get home. We don’t have any change of clothes or anywhere to stay.”

“We have shops. Don’t we, Erma?” Constance says.

“Very good shops, as well as the stalls here at the festival. You can buy whatever you need.”

“And you can stay at the only hotel in town. It’s very nice. Very comfortable. You will be very happy,” Constance pronounces.

Marco shakes his head at them, smiling. “You’ve got it all figured out.”

“We do,” Erma agrees.

“We are old, but we are wise,” Constance adds for good measure.

Marco turns to me. It might be no problem for him to stay the night, but for me, it’s a different story altogether. “What do you think?”

I chew on my lip. “I suppose I can call Dana and tell her I’ve got held up.”

“Who’s Dana? Your sister? Your roommate?” Erma asks.

Now she’s just being downright nosy.

“She’s my lady’s m—” I stop midword. “She’s my friend.”

Erma waves her hand in the air. “If she’s a good friend, she will understand, and besides, you look too… how do you say, uptight.” She gestures at me.

“I do?” I guffaw.

“You need to relax. Have some fun. Enjoy your handsome lover,” Erma instructs.

Geez. Again with the “lover.”

“It will be good for you. For both of you,” Constance adds.

I throw caution to the wind. We’re here and we want the scroll translated. If that means spending the night, then so be it.

I smile at them. “All right. We’ll stay in your gorgeous village.”

The two ladies smirk.

“But first, you must have a cup of the local wine, grown in the lush fields not far from here,” Constance says. “Our festival is celebrating the wine and the food of our region, so it is part of enjoying the festival.” She gestures at a young man at the stall beside us, who produces a wine bottle, pulling the cork out with a pop.

“I could have a glass of wine, considering it’s part of the festival and all,” I say.