The castle was a whirlwind of activity.

Theo followed Manjeet into the cool entrance hall and stood on the black-and-white-chequered marble floor, looking around at the lavish staircase in front of them with wrought iron bannisters and the pale grey walls decorated with coats of arms.

People were dusting and polishing everything. Others carrying boxes and bags rushed from one side of the entrance hall to the other and up and down the stairs. A guy on a walkie talkie looked like he might be the security contractor Theo had been speaking with. People shouted and laughed and where a radio was playing faintly in the distance, voices chimed in with the song.

Theo hugged himself and tried not to feel completely overwhelmed. He was just one guy. A small guy. A small guy from Essex. What the hell was he doing in charge of all of this?

“Mr Glass?”

A tall, willowy man approached with shining orb-like eyes and immaculate hair combed precisely over his head.

“Yes, that’s me,” Theo squeaked.

The speaker extended his slender hand once he came to a halt in front of Theo. “My name is Quintin Price. I am the butler here at Bodiam. Anything you need, please feel free to ask me.”

“Hi,” Theo replied.

“Oh, right,” Manjeet said beside Theo. He passed over the handle of the suitcase and patted down his jacket until he found a business card. “I should get going now, but James told me to give you this. He said to give you a ride any time you liked as he won’t be leaving the castle this week. So if you need anything at all, just shout.” He indicated the mobile phone number and winked. “Day or night. You need something for the event or a 3am kebab, I’m your man.” He pointed both thumbs at his chest and walked back towards the door. “Have fun, Mr Glass. It was nice meeting you.”

“Thanks,” Theo stammered, looking at the card. James had asked his driver to be at Theo’s disposal? That was unexpected.

“Thank you indeed, Mr Patel,” Quintin said with a nod. Manjeet saluted at him, then slipped out of the door. Quintin turned back towards Theo. “I have been instructed by Mrs McDonald to escort you straight to her in the kitchen, if you don’t mind?”

“Yeah, sure,” Theo said, trying not to trip over his tongue. “Oh, I can do that!”

But he was thwarted yet again as Quintin took his suitcase handle and began wheeling it to the left. “It’s no trouble at all, Sir,” he said sombrely with a tilt of his head. “His Highness was very clear you were to be taken good care of until he arrived. He is most impressed with your work.”

Theo blinked. “Oh, um,” he said and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve just been ordering fairy lights and stuff,” he said sheepishly. “Jemima’s been doing the real work. I’m just a party planner.”

Quintin raised an eyebrow. “Interesting,” he said.

Theo wasn’t too sure what that meant. But he was too busy gawping at the castle to worry about it too much. “Bloody hell,” he said. “Manjeet wasn’t kidding, was he? This place is bonkers good. Are those real suits of armour?” he asked as they passed an older man polishing one so it gleamed.

“Absolutely,” Quintin said with pride. “There are one hundred and twenty-eight suits in the castle, each with a unique history. If you are interested, I would be more than happy to give you a tour at some point this week.”

“That would be wicked,” Theo said in awe. “Look at those tapestries. And that sword. It’s like Game of Thrones in here. You guys got any dragons lurking around?”

Quintin inclined his head again. “I suggest Sir stays out of the cellars,” he said perfectly seriously.

Theo snorted out a laugh and gawped some more as they headed along the corridor. From the delicious smells drifting his way, he sensed they were nearing the kitchen.

If the entrance hall had been busy, it was nothing compared to the manic kitchen. Theo tried not to shy away as they stood at the doorway while two dozen people in white uniforms all dashed about like mad things. Theo could hear sizzling and crackling and spitting and bubbling. Steam filled the air, making it tricky to see. Nobody paid him any attention, although when Quintin raised a finger, the chef closest to him immediately stopped walking and paid attention.

“Please inform Mrs McDonald that Mr Glass has arrived,” he said. “I believe she is meeting with Ms Portescue.”

“Yes, Mr Price,” the young girl said. She bobbed her head and vanished into the steam. Theo could just about make out several long stainless-steel islands where the cooks all had their stations set up working on whatever dishes they were preparing. Theo’s mouth watered.

His nerves were making him feel a bit sick, though, so he swallowed and tried to concentrate.

Soon enough, three people emerged through the haze. One of whom Theo recognised immediately. There was no stopping his mouth watering this time at the unexpected sight of Prince James. Damn, he looked good in a simple pair of khakis and a light blue polo shirt.

“Theo,” he said, clearly delighted and stuck his hand out to greet him. “So glad you could make it.”

Theo felt a little faint, but he shook James’s hand anyway. This was so surreal. All his fears about fucking it all up came flooding right back.

“Hey, hi, how you doing?” he rambled. Shit. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

James nodded and smiled. “Yes, very excited about it all. Shall we step into the corridor? It’s a little crowded in here.”

Quintin turned towards the door with the suitcase, so Theo followed. James was right behind and the two women who had been by his side joined them. Theo tried not to react to the handsome prince’s presence so close to him, but he was feeling flustered and overwhelmed.

James appeared all at ease, though, as the five of them stepped out into the stone hallway. The drop in noise was immediate as the door swung shut again. “Ahh, that’s better,” said the younger woman in tortoise shell horn-rimmed glasses. Theo realised she was wearing hearing aids, so probably didn’t appreciate the din of the kitchen if they were going to talk.

James nodded. “Theo Glass, I would like to introduce you to Jemima Portescue and Peggy McDonald. I’m sure you’ll all being seeing a lot of each other this week.”

“Hello, Theo dear,” said Peggy, the older woman, in a warm Derbyshire accent. Theo realised that Peggy was shortened from Margaret. She was plump and stout with a streak of buttercream on her cheek. She pulled a blue haircap off in a cloud of flour and grabbed his hand to shake. “I love that asparagus recipe you sent over. I made a few adjustments, though, I hope you don’t mind? I’ll get you to taste that this evening, make sure you’re happy.”

“Oh, um, sure,” Theo said. He wasn’t convinced he should have the final say on any menu decisions. He was happy with a wrapper full of fish and chips covered in mayonnaise. He wouldn’t describe his taste as sophisticated. He’d just researched the kind of food that should be served at events like this.

Jemima then stuck out her hand. “Hello, Theo,” she said with a smile and a slight lisp.

Theo shook it, trying not to transfer any of the flour from Peggy to Jemima’s nice blouse. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you after all those emails,” he said.

Jemima raised her eyebrows, “Sorry?” she said. She was still smiling, but it was clear she hadn’t heard Theo. Fuck it. He’d spoken too fast and probably had his head turned away. He felt like a dickhead.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said clearly, doing his best not to shout or speak too slowly. The woman was deaf, not stupid. He could still feel the heat rising to his cheeks though from embarrassment. That was exactly the kind of faux pas he’d been hoping to avoid.

James probably thought he was a horrible person.

At least Jemima smiled pleasantly back at him. “You too,” she said. Then her expression changed and she fished her phone from her pocket. “Excuse me,” she said, answering the call that had obviously gone straight through to her hearing aids via Bluetooth.

“I best be getting back to work, too,” Peggy said, slipping her hair cap back on with practised ease. “Lovely to meet you, Theo. You come down later for dinner, okay? Just pop your head through the door and shout.”

Theo was horrified at the idea that he would interrupt them like that. What if he came at another bad time? But he nodded all the same. “Thank you,” he managed to croak.

“I can escort Theo from here,” James said to Quintin. Yet again, Theo had to watch as someone else took his suitcase handle. “Thank you so much for meeting him. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course, Sir,” Quintin said with a bow. “Mr Glass,” he said, addressing Theo. “I shall see you soon, no doubt.”

He walked away to the right, while James turned and headed left, the way Theo and Quintin had walked from the entrance. “I can take the case,” Theo said, hurrying after him. His anxiety made his voice tremble and his palms were shaking. He’d heard nothing from James all week and now he was acting like they were best friends?

“Oh, it’s fine,” James said cheerfully. “Let me show you to your room.”

Theo didn’t know how to navigate this. He’d been kind of a twat to James when they’d first met and then was wary of accepting his job offer. To top it off he’d just insulted one of his staff members. He must think Theo was an idiot.

He would just have to prove he wasn’t. Work really hard and make sure this ball went off without a hitch.

They approached the entrance hall again, which was just as busy as it had been when Theo had left it, with one noticeable exception this time.

“Oh, look,” James said in delight. “You’ve got a welcoming committee.”

Theo looked up to see not one, but five, Yorkshire terriers hurtling towards them, tails wagging as they growled, yapped and barked at Theo in excitement. Theo noticed the one with the yellow collar had a particularly distinctive yowl.

“Oh, do shut up, Bonney,” James said fondly to her. Obediently, she stopped making such a racket and instead joined the others in crowding around Theo, sniffing his Converse, jeans and suitcase wheels. “This is Bonney in yellow,” James began explaining. “You already know Bertie in red, Blenheim in blue – if you have any food on you he will find it. Then, let’s see. Beanie has the tennis ball in her mouth there, and finally Bouncer – Bouncer, no!”

James let go of Theo’s case and dashed over before the dog went crashing into a suit of armour. “I take it that one’s clumsy,” Theo said. It was like the Seven Dwarfs, except they were fluffy and there were only five of them.

“If she’s not passed out asleep,” James chuckled fondly, hugging the pup to his chest. “If she’s not comatose, she’s destroying something. There is no in between.” He waved Bouncer’s paw at Theo. Theo couldn’t help but smile. James was kind of a dork. “Welcome to Bodiam,” James said happily before placing her back down on the marble floor. “The pack is with us for the week while Grandma is away.”

“Grandma?” he repeated before he could stop himself.

“Uh, yes,” said James bashfully.

It must be so crazy to be born into a famous family. Theo didn’t really even know what it was like to have a regular family, let alone one most people in the world were aware of.

If James was an ordinary guy, Theo would have fluttered his eyelashes, popped a hip and made a crack about his nan being hot. But Theo couldn’t say that about the Queen. Instead, he looked down at their furry friends. He’d always liked dogs.

“Well, I’m glad they could stay with us,” he said. “They’re awesome.”

“Indeed,” James said, beaming at Theo. He tried not to fidget. “Would you like some tea?” James asked as he started walking with the suitcase again, this time to the other side of the entrance hall. “Or I could organise some rum and coke?” he added with a wink.

Theo’s heart skipped a beat. There was no way James was flirting with him.

No, no, this was a bad idea. Theo didn’t need any more opportunities to humiliate himself. He was bound to use the wrong fork or address someone with an incorrect title if he spent any more time with the prince.

“I – I think I’d better get to work,” he stammered. “Thanks, though. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than hang around with the staff.”

James’s smile dropped immediately from his face. Theo wasn’t sure exactly what he’d done, but he was sure he’d said something wrong. Fucking hell, even when he was trying to avoid a situation where he’d put his foot in it, he still put his foot in it.

“Of course,” James said with a frown. They reached the foot of a spiral staircase. “I’ll just show you to your room and let you have some space.”

Theo wasn’t sure what to say to undo whatever it was he’d done, so he just stayed quiet as he followed James up the stairs. Their entourage of four-legged friends scrambled up alongside them.

Theo counted two floors above ground before they reached a final door. “I thought you might enjoy this suite,” James said with a ghost of a smile. He opened the heavy-looking wooden door and wheeled the suitcase just inside. The dogs were all sitting on the small landing, looking expectantly up at James.

“Oh, thanks,” said Theo, not sure what to do with his hands. “Uh, where’s the key?”

“The key?” James repeated.

Theo nodded. “To lock the room when I’m not in it?”

James’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh, you don’t need to do that. But if it makes you feel better, the key should be on the other side in the lock.” He leaned on the edge of the door frame and checked. “Yes, there it is.”

Theo nodded. “Thank you,” he said, stepping back to give James plenty of room to pass him by. “I guess I’ll see you later?” He tried to sound cheerful. He had to remember what a great opportunity he had here. “You can text me if you need anything, right?”

James’s expression was unreadable. But then he managed half a smile. “Of course,” he said. “Have a pleasant afternoon, Theo.” He nodded, then began making his way back downstairs. There followed a procession of five fluffy tails after him.

Theo sighed and turned to push open the door. Naturally, the room was utterly stunning.

He had a four-poster bed with forest-green velvet drapes and about a thousand tasselled throw pillows scattered over the top half. A dark wood writing desk stood to the left with a matching chair. The engravings on the curved legs were exquisite. Paintings of horse-riding scenes in forests were hung on two of the walls, in gilded frames of course. A chest of drawers made in the same style as the desk stood by the bed, and under one of the paintings was, upon further inspection, a liquor cabinet. On top of it, crystal glassware stood on a gold tray along with a crystal decanter. Matching china vases sat on either end of the marble fireplace.

From its mostly circular shape, Theo could tell it was the whole top floor of the easternmost turret of the castle. The only other door led to an en-suite that looked like a relatively modern construction, but the fittings in the bathroom still had an old-fashioned style to them to blend in with the rest of the space.

This wasn’t just any old guest room. This was some kind of VIP suite, he was sure.

Theo sunk down onto the end of the bed and covered his mouth.

“Okay,” he said out loud. “You can do this. Plan the ball. Don’t humiliate yourself in front of the gorgeous prince. Easy.”

Easy-peasy.