“Nothing.” She collected a few of her own things. “I merely enjoy how you’ve begun swearing in British. Maybe we should have put that in your application for citizenship. I know my father’s put in a few calls to hurry the paperwork along. Perhaps next time he speaks to someone, he could mention that you said, ‘bugger it all’ to one of the sound technicians yesterday, or did you think I didn’t hear that?”

“Very funny. Maybe you should get to work before I start second-guessing the whole dual citizenship thing in the first place.”

Vic took the point and headed for the door, but that didn’t keep her from sniggering quietly on their way down the stairs.

As they reached the courtyard, she spied Charlie waiting beside the Land Rover. He wore his usual cheery expression as he opened one door for Sophia, then jogged around to the other side and opened one for Vic. They’d told him a hundred times he needn’t do so, but he seemed to find it amusing, and he claimed undying gratitude that they let him cruise around in the Rover as opposed to having to borrow Archie’s car to run errands.

Charlie certainly knew every pothole and dip in the road between the castle and Amberwick, and he dodged them deftly, allowing her and Sophia to converse or work on the ride, but she did still miss being behind the wheel herself.

She must have sighed, or perhaps Sophia could read her ennui by now because she reached over and twirled a strand of Vic’s hair on her index finger before giving it a playful tug. “You know what you said about me making myself indispensable earlier?”

“Yes?”

“The same goes for you needing a driver.”

“How so?”

“If you hadn’t proven yourself so adept at working on the road, people might not expect you to do so.”

She wasn’t sure if she should accept the compliment or feel indignant that she’d done this to herself. Lord knows, she’d never intended to be the kind of person who conducted phone meetings from the back of her car or on a train or a plane for that matter, but she’d certainly had ample opportunity to practice those skills over the last few months. “I’m glad I’ve gotten better at commanding people’s attention, but never meant for someone else to chart my course while I did.”

“And you haven’t,” Sophia said quickly. “You gave directions other people are following, and that goes well beyond basic GPS. You’ve made yourself indispensable to this entire production. You could’ve chosen to become a chauffeur. Instead you became a producer.”

“It’s never too late to change my mind though, right?”

Sophia laughed a little harder than the comment warranted. “Oh no, it really is. The chauffeur ship has sailed for you.”

“When?”