“I’m just not sure what else I can do,” James said glumly into his tea.

Peggy, the formidable head of the Bodiam kitchen, huffed as she sliced up a loaf of home-baked bread with a wicked-looking serrated knife. The kitchen around them was just as busy as usual, but Peggy’s station in the furthermost corner from the door was arguably the only vaguely calm area. James sat at the stainless-steel counter with his hot, sweet tea and mulled over his situation.

He tried telling himself that it wasn’t personal. Theo was here to work after all. But he had arrived on Friday afternoon and now it was Sunday lunchtime and James hadn’t spoken another word to him, despite the fact they were supposed to be organising the fundraiser together.

It wasn’t like James hadn’t seen him. Theo was always running around the castle, phone in hand, speaking to staff and generally making sure everything was going to be perfect for the ball on Friday night. But it was like if he even got a hint of James’s presence, he smiled at him and spun around to head the other way.

James was trying to convince himself that he just wanted to stay in the loop for the event preparations. But that didn’t really hold up, because he was receiving hourly updates from Jemima, and it all seemed as if there was nothing to worry about.

Except that, for whatever reason, it seemed as though Theo was still wary of James.

James had been so hopeful after their conversation in Theo’s kitchen that they could stop dancing around one another. Of course there was a class difference, but James was really trying to act as normal as he knew how around Theo. Maybe he just had to accept that even if he wasn’t a prince, Theo just wasn’t that keen on him.

Which was a good thing. Because it was very dangerous for James to be keen on Theo.

“Have you thought about just talking to him?” Peggy asked as she buttered four slices of bread for sandwiches. James could hear the edge of patience in her words. “He is your employee.”

James hummed. He was trying to avoid thinking too much about that. He didn’t really want to emphasise the fact he was Theo’s boss. But it did put a certain professional barrier between them, which was probably for the best.

“I’m worried he doesn’t respect me,” James mumbled into his tea. He sighed. “But I don’t want to be breathing down his neck. I just feel like we got off on the wrong foot and it’s not really getting any better.”

Peggy raised an eyebrow at him, making him feel like the child he used to be when he sat on this very stool all those years ago. Peggy was always the best at listening to his silly troubles, but she was still slightly scary.

“Forgive me for saying,” she said in a tone that suggested she was going to say it regardless, “but this is your home. He’s a guest. He shouldn’t be rude to you.”

“Oh, no,” said James quickly. “He’s not being rude. He just seems so stressed and I want to help.”

Peggy’s eyebrow was raised even higher as she wrapped up some cheeses and meats, placing them with the roast chicken sandwiches she had made. She had an adorable wicker hamper that she looked to be putting together for someone. Perhaps Jemima had a lunch meeting?

James raised an eyebrow back at her. “What?” he asked with a sigh.

“You want to help, help,” Peggy said with a shrug. “He’s a lovely young man. He’s not going to bite your head off.”

“That’s exactly my point,” James said, waving a hand her way. “I think you’ve spoken to him more than I have. He flees every time I come near him.”

Peggy leaned in on her elbows, looking left and right before fixing James with her gaze. “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” she whispered over the din of the sizzling meats and bubbling pans.

James leaned in too. “Yes?” he asked hopefully.

Peggy blinked. “You’re a bloody prince.” She pinched his cheek, then marched off to the fridge on their left. “Of course he’s going to be a little scared of you.”

James huffed and sat back in his seat. “I’m fully aware of that fact,” James grumbled. “I’m trying not to shove it in his face.”

“You don’t have to,” Peggy said with a shrug. She returned to the counter with custard tarts that she added to the hamper and fresh strawberries that she began slicing up with practised ease into a bowl. “He’s desperate to impress you and thinks he’s horribly beneath you. Until he feels differently, he probably will run off every time you poke your head through a door.”

“Well, that’s not good enough for our working relationship,” James said, aware he sounded snippy.

“Oh, give over,” Peggy said, adding a chilled bottle of Champagne to the basket and two saucer glasses. “You want him to be your mate, but you don’t know how to talk to us common folk.”

“You’re not common, Peggy,” James said automatically.

Peggy smiled warmly at him. “Neither is he,” she said gently.

She pushed the hamper towards James over the counter. He frowned at her. “What’s this?”

Peggy grinned. “I happen to know that young Mr Glass is in his room and hasn’t had any lunch yet. Go drag him out into the sunshine.”

“I beg your pardon?” said James, blinking.

“Don’t you give me that nonsense,” Peggy said, already wiping down her counter and sprinkling it with flour. “You’re allowed to make friends without them being members of other royal families.”

James groaned. His mother had mentioned several times that Princess Klara from Sweden was thinking of visiting London soon. Every time his mother dropped her name into the conversation she got all starry-eyed. James was starting to worry that because they were of a similar age, his mother expected something to happen. But he and Klara hadn’t seen each other since childhood.

“All right, fine,” James conceded. “I do admit I find Theo…intriguing. It’s good to socialise outside your usual circles,” he said, aware he sounded somewhat defensive. “I feel there’s a lot I could learn from him.”

“And he’s bloody funny, too, given the chance,” Peggy added with a wink. “Go on, take your picnic, you ungrateful bastard, and fetch the boy out for some fresh air. If you meet Manjeet down in the storage rooms, he’ll sort you out.”

“What’s Manjeet doing in the storage rooms?” James asked, feeling bamboozled.

“Because that’s where I told him to go,” said Peggy. She rolled her eyes and shoved the hamper practically into James’s lap. “Now, off with you. I’ve got things to be doing. Just tell Theo you need a progress report over a lunch meeting.”

James opened his mouth to protest. But actually, that wasn’t a half bad idea. He smiled at her. “You are a very wise woman,” he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “That sounds dangerously like you’re calling me old,” she said. Then she reached over and straightened James’s shirt collar and patted his shoulders. “Now bugger off. Stop cluttering up my kitchen, you oaf.”

Before she could move away, James leaned forward and pecked a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you,” he said. He then grabbed the basket and hopped off the stool before she could swat him with a tea towel.

“Cheeky sod!” she cried. James grinned as he navigated his way through the other cooks shouting at each other while sautéing vegetables and whisking egg whites.

As he marched briskly through the castle and up to Theo’s room, he tried not to overanalyse how he was feeling. In fact, he didn’t need to analyse anything, because it was all very simple.

He wanted Theo to like him.

He knew nothing could come of it, so he really shouldn’t be wasting his time. But Peggy was right. This was his home and he wanted Theo to feel at home, too. So, as the host, surely it was okay for him to take his events manager out on a business lunch.

Not for the first time, James wondered if Peggy suspected about his sexuality. The hamper seemed pretty date-like to him, even though he was trying to deny it. Was she encouraging him to try and pursue Theo?

She really shouldn’t, if that was the case. But James couldn’t help but be a little happy that she might accept him for who he was.

James’s thoughts were interrupted by the scrabble of four paws on the stone steps up to Theo’s room. James glanced to see Blenheim trotting along beside his feet, his tongue lolling out hopefully as he looked between James and the hamper.

“Oh, no,” James said, stopping and pointing back down the steps. “This isn’t for you, greedy guts. Off you go.” Blenheim whimpered, looking up at him hopefully. But James pointed again. With a huff, the little fellow chased his tail once in a circle, then scampered back down in the direction of the kitchen.

Without the Yorkie to distract him, James headed around the corner, mounting the last few steps until he was standing in front of Theo’s door.

“Business lunch,” he muttered to himself, holding up his fist to knock. “It’s just a business lunch.” He rapped smartly twice on the wood.

He waited a few seconds before the door swung inwards and Theo’s surprised face greeted him.

Fuck.

As much as he tried to tell himself the flutter of nerves was because he needed this project to be a success, it was hard to deny the truth.

Theo was gorgeous.

His petit frame, hazel eyes and light blond hair were all acting in tandem to make James’s heart skip a beat, just like it had when he’d first laid eyes on him at the Honours ceremony. He was dressed in a similar outfit to the one he arrived in. The same jeans and red Converse, but today he wore a pink cotton T-shirt, a lighter material for the stifling humidity. The castle had no means of air conditioning, but by the faint breeze that pulled through the crack of the door, James guessed Theo had all his windows open.

“Hi,” James said, feeling stupid and tongue-tied. “Uh, I was wondering if you’d had lunch yet?”

It was obvious that Theo was gay. It wouldn’t be too much of a leap for him to think this could be a date. James figured it was too late to back out now. And so what if it was a date? It was okay to hang out and make new friends, surely?

Theo was looking at him with a slight frown. “Oh,” he said, sounding uncertain. “I was just going to go down to the kitchen or something, grab a sandwich. Peggy’s been pretty good about keeping me fed.”

He gave James a small smile, as if he was trying to be brave. It made James’s heart swoon.

“Well,” said James, holding up the basket. “I was hoping we could have a catch up over lunch. You know, just on how it’s all going. Peggy’s made us some sandwiches already.”

Theo glanced at the basket, a full smile tugging at his mouth before he reined it in. “Oh, okay,” he said, nodding. “I could stop for a lunch meeting, I guess.”

“You’ve not stopped in two days as far as I can tell,” James said gently. “It’ll do you good to recharge, get some sunshine.”

Theo bit his lip. “Okay, you’re the boss. Just let me grab my phone.”

Damn, James thought as Theo nipped back into his room. He’d been trying not to remind Theo of the power dynamic between them. But it was inevitable, James realised. There was no escaping James’s status as both a prince and Theo’s employer.

At least Theo hadn’t run away from him this time. Even if they really did only talk about the fundraiser, James would be grateful work had got them this far.

“Where do you want to go?” Theo asked as he came back out and shut the door. He looked at it, then turned to James. Obviously, he was training himself to leave the door unlocked. It made James proud he was trusting him. “The courtyard?”

The centre of the castle contained a large, square lawn known as the courtyard. That was where they would be holding the ball, weather permitting. If it rained, James thought Theo had a marquee tent on standby they could put up. The courtyard had always been pretty, lined with rose bushes with the ancient stone walls surrounding it. But Theo had already got a team of gardeners in, sprucing it all up and laying new flowerbeds with pretty pansies.

However, there were also half a dozen carpenters erecting a stage and a gazebo, so it was bloody noisy there at present. “Actually, I’ve got another idea,” James said. If Manjeet was down in the storage area, James had a pretty good idea of what he and Peggy were up to. “Follow me?”

Half a smile pulled at Theo’s lips and he gave James a mischievous look, his eyes sparkling. James’s heart lurched. There was that sassy confidence that had grabbed his attention back at the Honours ceremony.

“Sure,” he said. “I’m up for an adventure. Lead the way.”

They didn’t speak as they made their way through the bustling castle. James felt slightly on edge, his insides fluttering with nerves. If anyone knew that James might be interested in Theo as more than an employee, it was Manjeet. He didn’t miss much and had casually mentioned things to James about LGBT issues over the past year or two.

Having him and Peggy both possibly supporting James was giving him false confidence, he acknowledged. Just because they might think he was okay to be interested in another man didn’t mean other people would. But it was all the excuse James needed to test the waters and see if Theo could potentially be up for a friendship with James.

Or more.

James mentally shook his head. One step at a time.