“I have faith in your ability with the skirt,” Sophia said quickly. “You’ve proven yourself quite dextrous, but you’re probably right about the makeup. If we have to go back to square one on that front, we’ll be here all night.”

“And that would be a travesty, because I had plans for the evening that involve a rather ostentatious soaking tub and a bottle of wine.”

“I assume ‘ostentatious’ means there’s room for two in this tub?”

“Ample,” she confirmed, “but I wouldn’t presume to make plans for you, especially after twelve hours on set.”

“No, you’ve been ever so accommodating in your respect for my personal space.” Sophia gave her a subtle nod of gratitude. “But personal space wasn’t a concept made for soaking tubs.”

“Point well taken. I’ll amend my plans to include one tub, one bottle of wine, and two bathrobes. Will that be enough to atone for my wanting you to stay the course and get this afternoon’s scenes done in as few takes as possible?”

“That depends, do you have more stories to tell me about your grandmother in the meantime?”

Vic started to laugh, but another thought hit her. “Actually, I do. Follow me.”

She held open the door for Sophia to squeeze her hoop skirts through and then led her around the residence and back toward the public areas of the castle.

“I was being sarcastic,” Sophia muttered as they wandered down a back passage. They turned a corner to see two of the house staff rearranging a few pieces of furniture.

“Good morning, Sarah,” Vic called.

“Good morning, Hannah,” Sophia said at the same time.

Both women glanced up and smiled.

“Thank you for rerouting the school group yesterday,” Vic said.

“And for not killing Brian when he barged into the library during your speech to the antiquities collectors last night,” Sophia added as they kept walking.

They turned another corner, and Vic glanced over her shoulder, smiling at the easy way Sophia had eased into life in the residence. Not that she wanted to overstate anything. Sophia was clearly still on some sort of a cross between character study and castle holiday, but her presence hadn’t been a disruption. She was kind and confident with the staff, and respectful of the boundaries inherent in residing in a living museum. She moved deliberately and fluidly between one space and the next, not as if she owned either of them, but as if she certainly belonged in them. Victoria had hosted enough guests over a lifetime to recognise that delicate balance. People generally allowed the setting to intimidate them or embolden them in problematic ways. Sophia merely adapted to her surroundings.

They entered the main receiving room where they’d first met, and Victoria snagged the rapier off the wall.

“Whoa there, Tiger.” Sophia stepped back. “Not this again.”