“I’m so very honored to meet you,” Avery said showing a side of herself I didn’t know she had. “Your country is beautiful.” Her smile was delightful. “I’m so glad I’m getting a chance to spend time here.”
“Well, I will be sure to give you a tour of the grounds. We have one of the most extensive gardens in all of Europe.” How would he know? He never set foot in them.
“I’d love a tour of the gardens, Your Majesty.” Again, with the flirty smile.
“And after, perhaps he’ll take you pheasant hunting.” I saw her tense up at the mention of hunting… I know I was an absolute ass.
I needed her on my side, she was supposed to play for team Liam. I didn’t want my father to get too close to her. He had never offered to do anything with anyone I’d ever brought to the castle before. Even Lucy hardly got an audience with him but for a few moments of conversation at a gala or an event. He never offered to personally escort anyone around any part of our property.
“Oh, heavens no. I’m sure Ms. Johnson isn’t interested in hunting,” my father scoffed. “Am I right, dear?” Ooh, he knew how to vex me.
“You are Your Majesty; however, a tour of the gardens would be lovely. Maybe we could go bowling or play mini-golf.” Her charming smile would have melted a polar bear and I sat back with delight, mini-golf? Oh, I had to see how that would play out.
I had purposely left a lot of the rules vague and undisclosed. I wanted Avery to feel natural and not stilted and I wanted my father to know I had zero intentions of marrying anyone he would approve of. The fact that she was brought up playing mini-golf and bowling I was sure would horrify my father. I did mention that we had both amusements at the castle for the public to use as I was gifted them when I was young and eventually lost interest in them. However, to the contrary, my father seemed delighted with the notion.
“If I can make room in my schedule we might give mini golf a try. I haven’t played the game since Liam was young. We have a private course on the property, I’ll see what we might be able to arrange.”
What the hell?
“Are you serious, Father? Mini golf?” I suddenly was in the Twilight Zone.
“Why not? It might be a good laugh.” He eyed Avery with a kind of feral desire that unhinged me. Maybe he was seeing Avery’s good looks and imagining his future grandchildren. His need for grandchildren and the continuation of his bloodline was more important than anything he’d ever truly wanted before.
“I would love that, Your Majesty.” Avery again was all perfectly princess.
As mad as I was at my father for not reacting how I expected he would, I was even more enamored with Avery for the same reason. At that moment as if on cue the serving staff brought our first course. They served an Irish colcannon soup, which was made of pureed potatoes, cabbage, and leaks with a fresh herb garnish. It was essentially pauper’s food dressed up fancy and posh, a current trend was to customize foods that were served in commoner households and reinvent them to be something exclusive and expensive.
Avery waited for my father to take the first bite as I had asked, and he did so immediately as soon as the plate was brought before him. When she took her first bite and thrilled with the taste she blurted out, “This is delicious! Wow!”
“We aren’t all about corned beef and hash as some might think,” was my father’s idea of a self-deprecating joke.
“I honestly didn’t know what to expect,” Avery countered. “So, what else about Ireland is non-stereotypical? I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the matter.” Who was she?
“It’s an interesting question.” My father stopped for a moment to ponder. “Well, we do like tea, that’s something that’s quite true, but the Irish are not all drunks. We don’t all have red hair and we aren’t a part of the United Kingdom, that’s Northern Ireland. Do Americans all think their country rules the rest of us?” Oh, there he was… finally my father was at the table; insulting and rude.
Avery didn’t even flinch. “Some do, in fact too many. It isn’t all their fault; American society does a lot to really feed that stereotype. But there are many of us who know the world is a very diverse place with a lot to offer. We can learn from every culture and truthfully I don’t believe any culture is better or should be dominant. Some people never leave their own country and therefore never know about the world. Others visit the world but never leave their country, it’s best to strive to be a global student of society to better understand the world around us. But that being said, I do hate the way some Americans act when they are abroad.” She took another sip of her soup.