Chapter 1
March 2022
Lively chatter filled the air around her, the smell of candy floss tantalised her nostrils, and the warm sunshine caressed her skin, making her feel utterly relaxed. If she were a cat, Yara knew she would have gone and curled up on a nice patch of the lawn over there and enjoyed a little nap. No wonder smiling came so easily to her today.
“And... that’s a wrap!” Henry lowered his Canon to inspect the shots, nodding his head in approval as everyone started packing up. It was as if everyone on set was sitting on the edge of their seats, just waiting for him to say those three words.
Though the twenty-five-year-old’s eyes drifted open, her dimpled smile failed to melt away as she relaxed from her pose. It was difficult to stop smiling when the perfect sunny weather and the colours their set stylist had picked out were doing amazing things for her topaz skin tone. She felt feminine, beautiful, stunning even!
“Finally, I thought I’d have starved to death before I heard him say those words.” Laurie, another model, skipped her way over to her and entangled their arms at the elbow. Apart from dancing, she was a ‘part-time’ fashion catalogue model, freelance. Today, they were doing a shoot at Windsor Castle. Henry couldn’t have picked a better day for this. The atmosphere around their crew was amazing. It was as if the warm, sunny day and the hundreds of Union flags waving in the breeze were soaking up the tourists’ energy as they strolled about, taking pictures non-stop and simply enjoying the day with their families.
“The other girls and I were just talking. Why don’t we go grab a bite in town before we head back? I know this great place that makes the most amazing mac and cheese you’ll ever taste!” she said as they strolled towards their waiting bus, where everyone was already in a rush to pack up.
“Nice try, Laurie,” Yara grinned, “you know I’m a sucker for cheese. Are you sure we’re even supposed to be eating that many calories? The season’s just started.”
“I promise I won’t tell if you don’t,” she lifted her pinkie while wiggling her brows.
“Sorry, Lau, I’ll have to take a rain check this time. This is my first time at the castle, and I want to hang around a tad longer. Sightsee a bit, eat some floss, and who knows?” she laughed as she slid her aviator sunglasses up the bridge of her nose, “Maybe I’ll fall in love!”
“Ooh, are you meeting with someone today, and this is your polite way of telling me to buzz off?” As if the ‘imaginary date’ were about to arrive, Laurie looked around, practically eyeing every man that passed by.
“Don’t be silly,” Yara rolled her eyes and checked her wristwatch, “I’ll probably be another hour or two, then head home.”
Home was in London, where she was sharing a small apartment with her college roommate and best friend, Meghan.
“If you say so,” she sing-songed, “Alright then, see you tomorrow?”
“You bet.” Ten minutes later, Yara stood by the curb, waving at the bus as it took off. Once it was out of sight, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out in one big sigh.
“Now, where to begin!” Out of her handbag, she took out her phone and quickly pulled up the castle’s website before gladly marching off.
***
For the sixth time since his duty had commenced—approximately one and a half hours ago—Guardsman Ashley ‘Ash’ Durham stepped away from his sentry box, turned to his left, and started marching down the archway. He did this to get some blood flowing in his booted toes, but more so to distance himself from the new tourist who had taken a liking to him. Although the barrier was a clear ‘DO NOT CROSS’ sign, he couldn’t always rely on people to respect its meaning, which is why he had moved away. One glance her way had told him she would be trouble—and not the good kind either.
Having served as a Coldstream Guardsman for the past three years, he was confident in his ability to read a person and form an almost accurate first impression within seconds—all without exchanging a single word with them. Bright red lipstick, leather leggings that looked as if they had been painted on, and fake nails that could make a chicken’s talons seem tame. Yes, he would say he had his work cut out for him. Judging from the selfie stick and the constant chatter into her phone, he guessed she was either a TikToker or a YouTuber, and they were among the most challenging tourists he had encountered in his entire career as a guardsman.
Ash was certain his new visitors wouldn’t be any different. Correction, visitors. Another young woman, also in her twenties, had joined the first one. They both stood there, clearly waiting for him to return to his position. But apparently, he was taking too long.
As he marched past them, the new girl joined him and started mimicking his march while her friend took out her phone and began recording. When he reached the end of his patrol, Ash ceremoniously turned. He completely ignored the girl, fighting against the irritation that crept up his temple at the way she was doing it all wrong and giggling about it.
This can’t possibly get worse, he thought as he went back to stand in front of his sentry box. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than it actually did get worse. They started talking to their ‘fans’ about going to ‘round two of the challenge’. From the satchel the second woman carried, they took out a little red book and began reading jokes from it, trying to make him laugh. If anything, the entire experience was cringe-worthy, and the jokes were so terrible, Ash wished he could finish his shift sooner rather than later. About ten minutes later, they had abandoned the joke book and resorted to performing silly dance moves before him, but still, Ash remained stoic as if they didn’t exist. But that must have been when they realised they would get nowhere and decided to change tactics.
“No, we can’t go back home as an epic failure,” the girl with the selfie stick said, giving him her back and pouting at her phone screen. “Come on, guys, you’ve got to come up with better ideas.”
“Like ASAP,” said the other one as she flicked her long hair over her shoulder.
“Oh wait, I know!” the one with the phone suddenly perked up. “Since making him laugh was an epic failure, what if we try to make him react in a different way?”
“What do you mean?”
“Toss your wallet at him?” Selfie stick grinned.
“What?” The blonde gaped at her friend.
“Stop looking at me like that. I didn’t say hit the guy, just like... throw it at his feet.”
“No.”
“Oh come on, Bree. It’s not like he’ll steal it. He’ll just give it back to us.”
“Why don’t you throw yours?”
“Don’t be silly, I’m the one with the camera. Come on,” the brunette wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulders, “do it for the ’Gram?”
The blonde sighed as they turned around, “Fine.”
Out of the bum bag secured around her waist, her manicured fingers withdrew a purse and without any further hesitation, she threw it at his feet while her friend made sure to get everything on camera. The sparkly object missed his right leg by just a few centimetres. The two girls waited expectantly. But before they could ask him for the purse and before he could crush their hopes by remaining passive, someone else interfered.
Out of nowhere, and as if in slow motion, the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen swooped into his line of sight from behind the two girls. Her untamed crown of wild curls bounced with every step, her flowy summer dress danced in the light breeze with every hip sashay, and her perfect ebony skin seemed to glow in the sun. Whoever she was, she looked as if she’d walked off the front cover of a beauty magazine.
The air whooshed out of Ash’s lungs. From beneath his bearskin, he peered at the lady with renewed interest. Now everyone’s attention, including his, had diverted to her.
“Alright. I’ve been watching you two for a little while, and I have had enough. Frankly, what you’re doing is downright rude.”
“Excuse us?” The blonde frowned, sizing up the newcomer with a top to bottom scan.
“You heard me—”
“Excuse me, but who died and made you the queen?” The brunette folded her arms across her chest.
The furrow between her brows deepened as she lifted her aviator sunglasses, tucking them into her hair on top of her head. Now that they were not covered, he saw her dark eyes flare with pent-up anger.
“Sweetheart, I’m sure you’d like to know, and I’d love to explain it to you, but I don’t have the time for the crayons. So, you and Miss Peggy here should leave.”
“We’re just messing around and having a little fun. Last time I checked, Britain is a free country.” The one with the selfie stick rolled her eyes.
“Is that right? So, coming up to this soldier and disrespecting him while he’s doing his job counts as fun? In this country, that is not ‘fun’; it’s called abuse. That kind of behaviour is disgusting and unacceptable. Would you ever go to a Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and do what you were doing to him?”
Silence.
“That’s what I thought. Just like you respect your military back home, it isn’t any different for us here. There are a ton of other fun things to do around here rather than being a nuisance to other people. So why don’t you take your stuff and go?”
When she said that, she turned toward him and looked him in the eye. Ash returned her beautiful brown gaze, and his heart pounded in his chest. He’d never felt anything like this while on duty, and that said a lot considering he’d seen his fair share of beautiful women in the past three years while on guard. Something was different.
Her gaze held his for a second... or two before she suddenly blinked as if realising what she was doing. Again, she stared briefly into his eyes, relaying what she wanted to do before she did it. Cautiously, she lifted one sandaled foot over the chain that stood as a barrier between them and bent over to retrieve the purse from the ground beside him. Out of habit, his eyes followed her every movement as she picked it up from the ground. As quickly as she stepped over the chain, she stood back up behind the barrier and handed the purse to its owner.
“Argh, whatever... Gertrude.” The girl grabbed it from the woman’s outstretched hand with another roll of her eyes.
“Come on, Bree, this was boring anyway.” They turned around and left, leaving Ash alone with his ‘knight in shining armour’.
He wished he could ask her for her name, but that wouldn’t do.
Why did we have to meet now? Of all the times!
Instead, all he could do to show his gratitude was to stomp his foot and give her an almost imperceptible nod. She flashed him one stunning smile as she correctly translated his action’s meaning.
“You’re welcome, soldier.” She smiled, lingering there for a second before she replaced her glasses over her eyes and walked away.
If there was ever a time he wouldn’t have minded having a woman trying to slip her number beneath his tunic’s epaulettes, it had to be then.
Ash had to squeeze the butt of his rifle and clench his jaw to resist the sudden urge to call out to her. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Her dark, thick curls bounced with every step, her dress swaying with the breeze. Ash watched her until she disappeared into the crowd and sent a short, quick prayer up to Heaven.
Lord, please allow me to see her again.
No sooner had he done that than it was time for him to be relieved.
Oh, bloody hell... now it was his turn to roll his eyes.
It was time to change the guard; his duty was over. If that short ceremony had ever had the worst timing, it had to be today.
