James watched Theo walk away and tried not to be apprehensive. Yes, Iggy was a vile man, but they did all have a job to do tonight. Hopefully James could placate his mother by giving Klara some of his time, then once Theo had fixed whatever the issue was, they could come back to one another.

“Olivia,” James heard his mother say, bringing his attention back to them and Klara. “I do believe that is the Polish ambassador, the one I was telling you about. Shall we go and say hello?”

Olivia glanced at James. “Of course,” she said convivially. But then their mother raised her hand up to James with a smile.

“I’m sure you two don’t wish to discuss horses,” she said pleasantly. “James, why don’t you take Klara on that tour of the castle you promised the other day?”

Olivia looked stricken for not spotting the ploy ahead of time. But James didn’t mind. Klara seemed like a nice girl. It wouldn’t pain him to spend a little while with her. Just so long as nobody planned to pounce on them and marry them both while they weren’t looking.

“Certainly,” he said, giving his mother a slight bow. “I shall see you later.”

He worried what he and Klara might speak about. He was concerned at this point how good her English even was. He certainly didn’t know any Swedish. But he would find a way to get through it. Then he would be free to come back to Theo again.

“Would you like a drink?” James asked once his mother and sister moved away. Klara nodded, so James walked them unhurriedly towards the nearest server offering flutes of Champagne. He selected them both glasses then steered Klara towards the other side of the courtyard. He wracked his brain for something to talk about. “Lovely weather we’ve been having,” he commented. As if he couldn’t get any more British.

Klara took a sip of her glass and indicated with a nod that they could walk inside, perhaps to start their tour. James obliged, following her into the cool shade of one of the castle’s corridors.

This one was lined with portraits of James’s family, dating back hundreds of years. He could feel the weight of their painted stares bearing down on him. He was fully aware of what a disappointment he was without their judgements. It wasn’t going to change the way he felt about Theo.

The inside of the castle wasn’t off limits exactly. But the guests would know better than to go poking about where they weren’t invited. So once the door was closed, they had a certain amount of privacy.

As soon as the latch clicked shut, Princess Klara of Sweden let out an enormous sigh, kicked off her high heels, slumped against the corridor wall and gulped down half of her Champagne.

“Oh my god,” she exclaimed with hardly a trace of an accent at all and pointed at her shoes. “Those things are killing me and it has only been a couple of hours!” She turned to James and laughed in relief. “I really hope you don’t mind me saying, but this had been a very long week.”

James looked between her and the discarded shoes. They did look like they’d pinch. “O-oh,” he stammered. “Not at all. Are you…did you want to sit?”

Klara waved a hand at him and took another sip of her bubbly. “No, I am fine,” she said. “So. I think your mother wishes to marry you off to me.”

James spluttered into his drink. “I-” he stuttered and wiped his mouth. “Well, that is to say…”

Klara’s eye went wide. “Oh, no,” she said sincerely, pushing herself away from the wall and stepping closer to James. “Did you want to come in here to snog? Is that how the English say it? Or is it ‘get off’?”

“No!” James exclaimed once he stopped coughing. “I mean, yes, you could say snog or get off. But that wasn’t why I agreed to walk in here with you. Did you…?”

Klara laughed, loudly, then covered her mouth as if surprised at the sound she’d made. “No, I am sorry. But my girlfriend wouldn’t like that very much.”

Slowly, James lowered his glass and stared at her. “You…have a girlfriend?”

Klara nodded, but she suddenly looked nervous and nibbled her lip. “Um, yes. She is the person I’m interested in snogging. Is that how you say it correctly?”

James looked between the princess and the door, then back again. Had she really just come out to him like it was no big deal?

Klara frowned. “I feel I have made a mistake,” she said. “The lovely young man, Theodore. Is he not your boyfriend?”

Now it was James’s turn to panic. His heart stuttered in his chest and he almost lost his grip on the Champagne glass. He grabbed it with both hands and sloshed some bubbly on his shirt as he clutched it to his chest. “What makes you say that?” he asked. He tried to go for ignorance, but it came out too defensive for that.

Klara’s expression softened and she placed her slender hand on James’s arm. “I have a good gaydar,” she said. “I am very lesbian. I notice these things. Also, I do not feel you look at me the way you look at him.” She smiled broadly. “It is very beautiful.”

James swallowed as his heartrate slowed down a fraction. “Is it that obvious?” he asked, fearing the answer.

Klara licked her lips and dropped her hand. “I do not believe so,” she said thoughtfully and took a sip of Champagne. “As I say, I can see these things easily. But am I correct? He is your boyfriend?”

James took his turn to slump against the wall, not caring what it did to his couture. “I can’t have a boyfriend,” he mumbled, then gulped down some fizz.

Klara scoffed. “My father does not wish me to have a girlfriend. But she is magnificent lawyer, very scary. I would not want to be the one arguing with her.”

“I wouldn’t cross Theo, either,” James said with a weak chuckle. He met Klara’s eyes. He knew his expression was probably quite vulnerable. He felt cracked open at the ribs. But she looked back at him with kindness. “So…you’re really that gay?” he asked. “You wouldn’t consider marring a man?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said with raised eyebrows. “I wish no offence. I am sure the penis is very delicious, but it is not for me.”

James snorted with laughter. “Quite fair enough,” he assured her. “But what about children? Heirs?”

Klara blew a raspberry at that and knocked back the rest of her Champagne. “This may be very shocking to the world,” she said. “But I do not wish to have children. They are lovely, but motherhood is not something I want. Sveta and I will have many cats and let my brother’s wife and our lady cousins make the new kings and queens.”

James marvelled at her attitude. “You’re entirely serious, aren’t you?”

Klara winked at him. “Yes,” she said. “So, please tell your mother that I am sorry. But we will not be getting married.”

James laughed ruefully. “I’ve been such a coward,” he said, shaking his head. “I was going to let Theo go. All because I was worried what people would think.”

“Oh, I am coward too,” Klara said with a frown. “It is very difficult to tell this to my father, to my country. But I shall.” She stepped up to James and took his hand. “Even though we will not marry,” she said earnestly to James, “I hope we will be friends. I think we can support each other in our lives. Also, you are funny and sweet. I should like to have a friend like you.”

James smiled and gave her a hug. “I’d like that, too,” he admitted as he let her go. “Goodness me.” He rubbed his mouth, but it didn’t stop the smile from spreading. “I actually feel hopeful,” he told his new friend. “Do you think we could do it? We could both come out of the closet?”

Klara shrugged. “I think so,” she said. “But first, with more alcohol. I may be Swedish, but we also need the Dutch courage.”

“Do you want to come out now?” James asked. He wasn’t sure he was quite ready for that.

She giggled and waved her hand at him. “No, not now,” she said as she forced her feet back into her shoes with a wince. “But perhaps you can tell your mother that you feel I don’t seem to want to get in your knickers. Is this the correct expression?”

James laughed. “Sure, why not?”

“Then,” Klara continued, “you can tell your Theo that you would like him to be your boyfriend. Yes?” James nodded. “Excellent. Then there is lots of sex. Everyone is happy.”

James grinned and pulled her in for another hug. “I’ll drink to that,” he said, finishing his glass. “Come on. Let’s go get a refill and toast to being brave.”

“And to happy ever afters, as well,” Klara said firmly.

James was more than fine with that.