“Right. I met your mother last night, but the problem is that while I’m not quite a household name yet, the local press does know we’re filming here.” Sophia said the words local press with exactly the level of fear and disdain the term inspired in Victoria. “Several websites have already shared pictures of Tommy in pubs, and he’s not nearly as famous as I am. If we show up somewhere public together, we’ll be mobbed within half an hour.”

Vic fought down a wave of nausea at the prospect, but it wasn’t as if the idea hadn’t already occurred to her. It had weighed on her mind all day, giving her ample time to calculate and mitigate the risks in what she had planned. “I fully understand and share your concern. However, I’m asking you to trust me.”

Sophia pursed her lips and scanned Vic up and down slowly. “Why do I get the feeling this isn’t your first rodeo?”

She frowned. “Actually, I can assure you I’ve never attended a rodeo, but if that phrase is a euphemism to express my ample experience at evading both the press and my parents, then yes, you can rest equally assured that I’m professional grade.”

Sophia rolled her eyes playfully. “You might have sounded a little more rebellious without that twenty-dollar vocabulary of yours, but then again, you had me at ‘trust,’ because ultimately, I do.”

Vic’s chest filled with some emotion that made her feel both warmer and lighter as she opened the car door for Sophia. She didn’t want to put a name on the feeling, but she didn’t want to lose it, either.

••••

Once Sophia’s mind adjusted to sitting on the wrong side of the car and driving on the wrong side of the road, she found herself captivated by the most beautifully rolling countryside. She hadn’t been outside Newpeth since her initial arrival, and she hadn’t left the estate grounds in weeks. She’d never been one to sightsee on location, and it had taken all her focus and fortitude to adjust to living and working in a castle. She hadn’t even considered the fact that she wasn’t just in a foreign environment, but also a foreign country.

“This area is stunning,” she finally said as they curved along a winding road between pastures lined with low stone walls. “It’s like something out of an old storybook, or—”

“Movie?” Vic supplied with a little smile.

“Yes, I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

“I’m glad you did.” Vic took her hand as they passed a small school and field filled with children playing some sport.

“Is that cricket?”