Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Now, since he got married and had children, he seems to have calmed down. He’s become a public spokesperson for ADHD, which he has, and runs an organization devoted to eradicating the stigma attached to being neurodiverse. He’s actually one of the most-liked royals there are because of how open he is with the public.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Ottar quickly says, “I think you’ll enjoy working here. Everyone is super friendly. Just…be prepared for the unexpected.”
“Is the unexpected what happened to your face?” I ask.
He nods, looking chagrined. “The other day Magnus wanted to go cross-country skiing. I’m an awful Norwegian because I’m not the best on skis.”
“You don’t say,” I comment wryly.
“It’s true. It’s like I have two left feet. Anyway, Magnus then decided to turn it into a downhill skiing expedition, and wherever he goes, I follow.” He gestures to his face. “I had a run-in with a tree. Or two.”
“You’re not his personal protection officer, though,” I point out.
“No, but it’s my job to try to keep him in line. When I can. I’d never let him go off and do something like that on his own, even when Einar is with us. I’ve even been BASE jumping, if you can believe it.”
I’m not sure that I can believe it. “Sounds like you have your hands full.”
He smirks at me. “I do. But so will you.”
“Princess Ella? Every footage I’ve seen of her, she seems as calm and collected as they come,” I tell him.
“She is, thank god. But you’re not just protecting her. You’re protecting her and her children, Bjorn and Tor, and they are a handful. Bjorn especially. Takes after his father in every single way. Then there’s Ella’s lady-in-waiting, and the nanny, and they both take the term headstrong to the next level. Now you see? You’re not just protecting Ella but the rest of them too. In some ways, at least there is only one Magnus.”
I mull that over. Suddenly everything seems a lot less simple than it did a few days ago. But I’m nothing if not adaptable. I’m sure everything will be just fine, and it’s not like I don’t know how to handle a few headstrong ladies.
Ottar takes the car off the road and down a long driveway covered by trees.
“Where are we going?” I ask, staring at the frozen fields beyond the trees.
“To Skaugum,” Ottar says.
“I thought we were going to the palace?”
“This is the Skaugum Estate,” he says. “But you can call it a palace if you’d like. Traditionally it was the summer palace.”
I twist in my seat, looking around me at the bucolic scenery, feeling a bit panicked. “But I thought the palace, the estate, was on the outskirts of Oslo.”
“We are on the outskirts of Oslo,” he says.
“But there’s nothing here!” I exclaim.
“Yes. That’s why it’s the outskirts. Don’t worry, it’s only forty-five minutes to the city.” His forehead creases as he turns to glance at me over his shoulder. “Did you think you would be living in Oslo? The king and queen live there at the palace, but Magnus and Ella wanted a more private place to raise their kids.”
Bloody hell, did I ever get this wrong. The reason I didn’t want to go with Eddie and Monica to that tiny island is because I didn’t want to work in the middle of nowhere again. The isolation was fine the first time, but it wouldn’t be good for my mentality the next time, especially in the winter. I wanted to stay around city lights, and people, and women, and traffic.
And yet as the SUV pulls up to a grand white palace, in the middle of nowhere, I realize that I’m about to live in isolation all over again. No more city lights, no more people, no more traffic, or stores, or civilization.
No more women.
Just me and the apparently wacky arm of the Norwegian royal family.
This is not getting off to a great start.
“Well, here we are,” Ottar says, parking the car. “Oh, and look, there are the kids. You can meet them already.”
I give my head a shake, trying to snap out of it and put my misgivings aside, and slowly get out of the car. Lucky for Ottar we’re on packed snow and there’s no way for him to fall.
“Hei, Bjorn, Tor,” Ottar yells over at two kids in snowsuits on the front lawn. “Come say hi to our new friend. He’s going to be living with us.”
I close the car door and look over at the kids. They’re staying put, both of them immersed in building a snowman. Okay, so a woman is building a snowman for them, but her back is to me so I can’t tell who it is, whether it’s the princess, the lady-in-waiting, or the nanny.
One of the kids is pretty young, a toddler, and is sitting in the snow, shoving the white stuff into his mouth; the other is standing by the snowman, staring at me with demon eyes.