Chapter 4
The receiving line was long and deathly dull; sitting like an overgrown statue at Andreas’s side while he greeted all the visitors from near and far-off lands, I found myself—I still do—amazed at his capacity to exude welcome and good cheer to all. I personally would have run screaming after the fifth person—two ambassadors, two ladies, and the Earl of Hyacinthe—looked him up and down, batted eyelashes, and offered unsubtle invitations to come and look at fictitious problems in their guest quarters.
Andreas, being himself, only widened earnest eyes at them and began naming engineers he could send over, all of whom were over fifty and happily married. I sat on his foot, and mentally rolled my eyes.
He’d given in and put on the second-most elaborate crown, a heavy ornate thing w
