“I get it, Samantha. I do. And we’re heading out to your family estate at the end of the week.” Chadwick frowned. “But the reality is that this is your life.”
I set my muffin down and looked away out the window. He was right, but that didn’t make all this craziness any better.
“I’m scheduling only the important things. I’ve turned down a hundred meetings.” He looked sad, so I tried to smile. I felt a little guilty for being so difficult. “That’s just pathetic.”
“I’m trying here.” I gave up and glared at him instead.
“That’s better. I like it when you’re all saucy.” He winked at me before going back to his paper.
By the time I finished my muffin and coffee, we were moving out of my room and toward the car. Chadwick went over the schedule for the day and he gave me a quick rundown of the people I’d be meeting.
“So, the zoo keeper that requested me to come out is American?” I smiled at the man who opened the door. Becca was standing next to the car, talking to one of the other suits.
“Yes. He is relatively new to the position.” Chadwick held my purse while I climbed into the car. “I think he’s excited you’re a wildlife biologist and I thought you might prefer this to the luncheon planning the garden fund-raiser.”
“Nailed it.”
“Of course.” He flipped through the paperwork while I tried to ignore the cars that followed us as soon as we pulled out of the gate.
The zoo was a little ways out of the city center and I really enjoyed getting to see some of the scenery. It was a heavily forested area with a lot of hills. As we exited the highway, I could see the sign for the zoological gardens, thankfully written in English as well as Lilarian. I really needed to spend more time learning the language, but I would probably try to find a real teacher. I still hadn’t figured out what it was that Alex had whispered in my ear. I had tried online translators, but I must not be spelling it right, because all I ever got was gibberish. Something about a hamster—and I was pretty sure he hadn’t been talking about a hamster.
We pulled right up to the gate and were ushered through after a few pictures were taken in front of the signs. It was a pretty zoo: lots of plants, trees, and decent-sized enclosures. An attractive man a few years older than me met us just inside. He walked straight up to me and held out his hand.
“Duchess, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jeremy.”
“Nice to meet you, Jeremy. Thank you for inviting me out here.” I shook his hand and noted the calluses. He wasn’t someone to sit back and let everyone else do all the work.
“Thank you for coming! We’re honored that you accepted our invitation. I know you haven’t been in the country very long.” He motioned for us to walk, so I fell in step beside him. My detail kept a close proximity, but I did my best to ignore them.
“Not very long.” I nodded my head. “But I have a weakness for animals.”
“I was hoping so.” He smiled at me and I realized he would likely be someone that would have made my heart flutter before Alex. My stomach clenched. Before Alex.
“So, why did you invite me out here?” I bit my lip. I wasn’t very good at doing the political dance around things.
“Straightforward. I like that.” He touched my shoulder, leading me toward an aviary. “A few reasons, actually. One, I figured you would enjoy seeing the zoo since you’re a wildlife biologist. Two, I was hoping to meet America’s Duchess.” He winked at me and I felt my face heat. I really hated being called that.
We walked through the large aviary while he pointed out some of the species they had managed to obtain. It was an impressive enclosure with a large array of birds that I hadn’t seen in person before. I stopped to admire one of the waterfalls in the habitat and he stopped with me. There was a tile mosaic at the bottom that glistened under the water.
“I designed the enclosure when I first arrived about three years ago.”
I didn’t blame him for being proud—it was a beautiful and efficient building. “I like the way you have the feed dishes dispersed. Very natural-looking.”
“Thank you.” He held his hand out to help me from my kneeling position by the water. “I spent a lot of time studying some of the ones in the larger zoos. I really wanted people to feel like they were observing the birds out in the wild. This design is what got me my position.”
“Mission accomplished.” I smiled at him. I was wondering how he had managed to be in charge of so much at such a young age.
“Lilaria has a long relationship with birds, and I was very excited to receive a spot at this zoo. I feel that I can do a lot of good for our avian friends here.” He led us through the exit door and into a small schoolhouse setting. There were models of birds, a poster listing extinct species, and a wall with windows into a nursery type of room where tiny birds hopped around and chirped loudly. There were TVs along the top of the room, showing footage of birds in flight, raptors chasing ever-changing clouds made up of thousands of sparrows. It was an impressive educational tool and obviously directed at getting people interested in birds—especially children.
“The Future Bird Trust helped pay for this building.” Jeremy put his hands on his h*ps and looked around the room. “There is a heavy emphasis on education.”
“That’s excellent. We need to teach children why it’s so important to preserve what we have.” I watched some of the hatchlings with a smile. I missed the birds.
“It is important, but I feel like we should also reach out to the adults in charge of things now. Otherwise, there won’t be as many birds when the children grow up.” Jeremy stood next to me and stared into the nursery. “I’d like to start a promotion that targets adults.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I have several ideas, including setting up falconry classes and holding events for parties, wedding receptions, and conventions here at the zoo. A set fee would go to the care of the animals, but it would also give us a chance to introduce large and sometimes influential groups to the birds.” He leaned against the glass and looked at me. “I’d also like to run advertisements in the papers and with the news stations. There is a community-sponsored channel that is willing to do a series on birds with the zoo.”
“Those are all ideas that could work.” I tilted my head in thought. “I’d also say to not underestimate the amount of power a well-educated child has on their parent. I’ve seen a lot of families take up recycling because their children insisted.”
“Oh, we’ll keep the programs we have in place, but I’d like to target the immediate threat directly.” He moved a little closer toward me and I found myself stepping backward to put space between us.
I nodded my head and moved farther away, walking around the little room, taking in the posters and little odds and ends that had been strewn about the room. Becca was watching me closely and had taken a closer spot to where I was standing. I knew she could tell that I had become uncomfortable. Chadwick was checking his watch and raised an eyebrow in my direction.
“May I call you Samantha?” Jeremy followed close behind me and I had to keep from rubbing at my skin. He seemed nice and he was bright, but I had a feeling that he didn’t see me as a human or even as a biologist—he saw me as a means to an end.
“Sure.” I didn’t look at him, instead I motioned toward Chadwick. “Look at this, Chadwick. This is an article my advisor was credited in.”
“Oh? That’s interesting.” Chadwick flipped through the periodical. “He must be very good at his job.”
“Yes. He’s one of the best.”
“I heard you studied with Dr. Geller.” Jeremy looked over Chadwick’s shoulder. Suddenly I had a feeling the periodical had been placed there just for my benefit.
“Yes, I was very lucky.”
“You must have hated giving up that spot.” Jeremy shook his head. “I know how much work goes into that stuff.”
“Yes, it hurt, but I hope to resume my studies in the future.”
“Well, if you’d like to work with the birds here, we’d be happy to have you.” Jeremy sat on the bookshelf next to me and crossed his arms. “We’re always in need of knowledgeable volunteers. And it might be nice for you to get your hands dirty again.”
I laughed. It was true that I would probably enjoy working here, but the fact was I’d also be under constant scrutiny. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’m sure I’ll have a chance to be hands-on once on my property.”
“Will they let a duchess do any work?” Jeremy laughed. “Lilarians take their royals very seriously.”
Chadwick glared over at Jeremy. Even though I was American I could see why that statement would bother those born here. It was in his tone that he didn’t think that much of the royals in general.
“I know that Prince Alex does a lot of hands-on work with the FBT, so I’m sure if I want to help out here, no one would say otherwise.”
“And that’s why you’re America’s Duchess.” He gave a throaty laugh and I felt myself cringe again. So he thought I would do what I wanted just because I was American? I guess he had a point, but it still seemed rude to bring that up while I was invited here as a Lilarian duchess.
“So, what other animals does the zoo house?” I walked toward the door, not acknowledging his comment.
“A lot of the basics: lions, apes, antelopes.” He jumped ahead of me and held the door open. “We had a baby elephant two days ago. Would you like to see her?”
“I’d love to.” And I meant it.
“Right this way,” he said.
The baby was still ungainly and stayed close to the mother, but I was in love with all the adorable wrinkles and clumsy feet. “Chadwick, look at its legs! They’re all wobbly.”
He laughed. “Looks a bit like you when you got off the plane!”
“Hey!” I slapped his shoulder, even though he was probably right.
“Samantha would be a great name for her!” Jeremy nodded his head. “You both arrived in Lilaria the same day.”
I looked over at Chadwick, who had covered his mouth with one hand. I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or insulted that he wanted to name an elephant after me. He seemed to understand my inner dialogue because he smiled.
“I believe there is a rhino named after the queen.”
“Oh.” I smiled at Jeremy. “That would be sweet.”
“I’ll have to put it up for discussion, but I have a feeling that it will stick.” He leaned against the railing. “She is a cute little thing, though.”
He cut his eyes toward me and I looked away quickly. Jeremy was cute enough, but obviously not really interested in me.
He showed us around the other exhibits. A few of the people visiting the zoo would stop and ask for pictures, and there were members of the press, but the security detail kept them at bay for the most part. By the time we had completed a full loop, I was ready to hit the road.
“Would you like to grab some lunch? Maybe chat a little about raptors?” Jeremy leaned close.
“I’m sorry, I believe that I have another engagement soon.” I shot a glance at Chadwick who cleared his throat.
“Yes, we need to leave shortly to stay on time.”
“Maybe another time?” Jeremy touched my elbow and I could hear cameras clicking away.
“Thank you for the invitation, but right now I’m so busy I barely have time to tie my shoes.” I smiled at him and moved out of his reach.
“Okay.” He stepped back and let his hands fall to his side. “I wanted to ask if you would consider throwing in your support for the television show. If we have someone with your background we could get a lot of financial help. I think you’d make an amazing host.”
I stared at him for a minute, flabbergasted. I had been expecting him to ask for a donation, to write a check for something, but to be on camera? He was trying to capitalize on my newfound public interest.
“I’m really not good at public events. Being in front of cameras makes me nervous.” As if they knew they were being discussed, the cameras following us clicked away intensely. “You’re very sweet, but I think I’d be a terrible host.”
“You’d be great. The media would eat it up and so would the public. They’ll love your American accent.”
“You mean they’ll love seeing a duchess.” I frowned at him. “I’m not the one for the job, but I wish you the best of luck.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “Would you be interested in donating to the program? We’re always looking for people who have a genuine interest in wildlife.”
“I’ll think about it. For now I need to focus on my lands and the people there. Once I know more, I’ll look into donating to worthy causes.” I held my hand out to him. “Thank you for inviting me, Jeremy. It was nice to see the zoo. I enjoyed the aviary and especially the baby elephant.”
“It was nice to meet you as well, Samantha.” He looked disappointed, but I wasn’t about to offer any money. I could barely understand the amount I had, and I still didn’t know what my responsibilities would be when I got to see my actual home.
Once we were in the car, I melted into the seat and frowned at Chadwick. “Please tell me we don’t really have anything else to do today?”
“Well… there are two more stops.” He cringed when I sat up straighter.
“God, Chadwick, you’re killing me. I’m already exhausted.”
“From avoiding Mr. Flirty?”
“Yes! And from everything else.” I closed my eyes. “I’m not cut out for this life. Eventually I’m going to snap and say what I’m really thinking.”