“Archery.”

“As in bow and arrow?”

“The very same, Miss Hargreave.”

“Ahh, I remember now.” She nodded enthusiastically. “Brynne mentioned you were involved with the Olympics in London and that you did a sport. So, archery, that’s cool. I’ve always admired the skill it takes to shoot so accurately, but I know next to nothing about it beyond Katniss in Hunger Games.”

“I’d be happy to give you some lessons if you want to give it a go to see if you do like it. I can’t promise you’ll be as good as Katniss, but you will know proper stance and set-up when I’m done with you.” Which might be never. The idea of teaching her thrilled me.

“I would love a lesson, but how does your archery help you be suited to work in parliamentary politics?”

“Astute question.” I gave her another wink. “When I was younger, I competed nationally for Britain. The Olympics are something I am passionate about. Sport and fitness are big business in the UK, and there are legal standards to be adhered to, school athletics guidelines, professional sports teams’ regulatory standards, health and fitness schemes for educational advancement, and a great deal more. Most of my work in Parliament is devoted to legislation in those areas as Minister of Culture, Digital, Media, and Sport. It’s where I can contribute my expertise, so it makes the most sense. You wouldn’t want to put me in charge of European Union policy, or stem cell research, I’d be useless.”

“Jesus. So, on top of being a cabinet minister in Parliament, a blood descendant of the Romanovs, you’re also an Olympian?”

“I participated in three different Olympic games before retiring from competition. My recent involvement with the London games was as commentator and ambassador for the sport only.”

“Impressive. Did you take home any medals at your three Olympics?”

“A few.” I saw no reason not to be evasive with her, so I did my best to answer truthfully without offering extra information. She didn’t seem to be intimidated when it came to questions, I’d noticed.

“How many Olympic medals do you have?”

“Eight. And before you ask the next question, it’s four bronze, two silver, and two gold.” I didn’t mention the World Archery Championships I’d earned.

“Of course, you have eight Olympic medals on top of everything else, Ivan.” She just shook her head in disbelief and smirked at me from behind her wineglass.

In a way, I was reluctant to tell her about my past. The information age we lived in made certain no stone was left unturned for a celebrity, be it their professional or private life. The tabloids also shared their erroneous findings with anyone who might buy a newspaper or two. Sex scandals were the most sought after by the paparazzi and sold massive amounts of papers. I was no saint to be fair, but the vile lies printed about me were nothing short of pure calculated revenge. I knew who instigated it, and I knew why. The thing was, the cat was out of the bag now and there was no turning back. Gabrielle could do an internet search and find out a lot more about me. And right next to my archery stats would be some sordid shit I hated for her to know. I went the denial route instead. “Enough about me and my circumstances of birth, I want to hear about you, Gabrielle. How did you find your way here all the way from Santa Barbara?”