“Crap,” I said, picking it up and brushing at the stain. “I already used up my napkin.” I blotted at the puddle of ice cream on my cargo shorts. “Whatever. No one cares how Margot looks in public. What are you talking about? Where are you going? Can I not just call you?”

Freddie was staring off to the right at an obelisk that sat atop three stone steps, with the word SPEKE carved into the base. “See that?” he said, pointing. “That right there is an expensive homage to futility. The good Mr. Speke believed he’d discovered the source of the Nile, but the day before a public debate with his archrival about it, he died mysteriously by his own gun.”

“Whoa,” I said. “I smell foul play.”

“The thing is, Speke turned out to be correct. Everyone celebrated this amazing thing he’d done, solving a geographic riddle. But he was long gone. Isn’t that sad?” he asked. “Plugging away at life, bit by bit, and then dying before you find out whether you did anything of consequence.”

I blinked. “Am I going to like where this is going?”

“Probably not.” Freddie took a deep breath. “I’m joining the Special Boat Service,” he said. “It’s an elite tactical wing of the Royal Navy. I’d like to serve properly again before I settle down and get the hook like Nick did.”

“You’re right,” I said. “I don’t like this. It sounds dangerous.”

“It’s intense,” he said. “They do a lot of hostage rescue, and anti-terrorism work. I’m not allowed to tell you where we’re going, and it might change, but historically they’ve been sent to the Middle East and Libya.”

“Freddie, oh my God.” I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. “How can Eleanor and Richard let you do that? How can the Navy allow this? Are you even trained for that? You could be killed.” My voice had gotten very shrill.

“I’m a prince, Bex,” he said. “If I’m in the mood for a spot of counter-terrorism, I can show up and say so.”

“That is the most ridiculous—”

“I’m teasing,” he said. “I’ve been in training for months. Why do you think we’ve seen so little of each other?”

“Um, because texting makes people lazy?” I said.