“Oh my god.”

“Check out the way they rigged the lights.”

“Look at how they laid the tracks on this incline.”

“I want to pick up that boom so bad.”

“I can’t believe they left this stuff sitting out.”

“It’s in a castle. Who’s going to break in?”

“You mean other than us?”

“We’re not going to touch anything.”

“Yeah, ’cause we know these cameras are worth more than our lives,” Helena said, then turned back to Vic. “Don’t worry. We know better than to touch, no matter how much we feel compelled to do so.”

“Someday,” Oliver whispered reverently. “Someday.”

“This little window nook would be so delicious if you could get the right angle on someone.” Helena examined the spot where Sophia sat on the first day Victoria observed filming. If she closed her eyes, she could still see her there, the late afternoon sun shining on her regal features and a smouldering glint in her eyes.

“Yeah, but it would only be one person at best. There’s barely enough room for one of these cameras, much less two people.”

“I don’t know.” Oliver tilted his head to the side. “You could shoot from above or below, but then you wouldn’t get a good sense of the window.”

“You’d have to start out wide to give the viewers a sense of location in the scene,” Vic interjected, merely reciting what she’d heard Sophia explain to Brian. “Then use a Steadicam over the actors’ shoulders as a sort of stand-in, with them delivering lines right to the lens. Then the person watching would merge with the character’s point of view.”

All the students turned to stare at her.

Finally, the leader asked, “Are you one of the film crew?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m . . . well, I work in the castle. I’ve merely observed several of the shoots.”

“Do they have a lot of shoots here?” Oliver asked excitedly, his local accent becoming more pronounced. “I never knew that was an option.”

She shook her head. “This is the first, and likely the last time we’ll allow filming inside the castle. The logistics are complicated, and my . . . the duke’s family prefers to maintain some distance from the whims of popular culture.”

His whole body sagged as if she’d tossed him a balloon filled with lead. “Oh. Back to London, then.”

The young woman patted his shoulder. “Maybe someday, Ollie.”

One of the others glanced out the window. “Yeah, those rolling fields with a castle in the background are perfect for period pieces, both romances and historical battle scenes.”

“And did you see the gardens?” the girl asked. “Swoon-worthy for first date scenes.”

“What about all the market towns around here with their little nooks and alleys? They’re built for shooting mysteries or gritty crime scenes.”