Page 42 of The Last Casterglass
“Their heads are still sofloppy,” Oliver said, sounding alarmed, and Seph let out a little laugh of pure joy. They were going to Prague. And who knew what might happen there? The world felt as if it were brimming and shimmering with possibility.
“Oh no,” Oliver said, sounding even more alarmed. “I think this one might have filled her nappy.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Welcome to Praha,the city of a thousand spires!”
As Seph stepped off the aeroplane, she felt a rush of excitement—and nervousness. They’d actually done it. They’d gone to Prague.
The last few days had been a whirlwind, as everyone had prepared to go on their separate Christmas trips. Seph had half-hoped she might fly under the radar, but of course that hadn’t happened. Olivia had passed by her bedroom and seen her packing and had immediately wanted to know where she was going.
“I thought you were staying at Casterglass for Christmas.”
“By myself?” Seph had returned with a touch of asperity, and her sister had wrinkled her nose.
“Well, no. I thought with Oliver.”
“You thought Oliver and I would spend Christmas together?” Seph had asked, surprised. If she hadn’t made that immediate leap, why had her sister?
“It seemed as if you both were kicking around…” Olivia trailed off, blushing, and Seph had a sudden, more-than-sneaking suspicion. “Wait, did you allplanfor Oliver and me to be alone?”
“Er…not quite?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Olivia shrugged uncomfortably. “I mean, when all the plans were falling into place for everyone, naturally we thought about you and Oliver… No one wanted you to be left on your own.”
“No one actually said anything about that to me,” Seph retorted.
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Well, we wouldn’t, would we? That would be one sure way to scupper the whole thing.”
“Wait…” Seph stared at her sister as realisation crept up on her. “You mean, you guys have been trying tomatchmake?”
“No, no, of course not,” Olivia said quickly. “More like…let nature take its course.” She smiled brightly. “So, where are you going, then?”
“Prague,” Seph replied. “With Oliver.”
She didn’t know how she felt about her family having contrived to manage events so she and Oliver would spend time together. They’d been subtle enough that she didn’t suppose it really mattered, and she’d felt both gratified and annoyed by their meddling in equal measure. In any case, now that she was finally in Prague, her family having all left Casterglass for their various destinations, she didn’t want to spend a moment more thinking about the past, or Casterglass, or any of the Penryns. She was here with Oliver, and she wanted to make the most of it.
“So, what should we do first?” she asked once they’d gone through immigration and picked up their bags. “Check into the hotel?” She was trying to sound knowledgeable even though she’d never travelled anywhere before.
“Yes, and then maybe have a wander, explore the city?” Oliver smiled at her, and Seph tried not to show how nervous she felt, as well as excited. The logistics of travelling had kept them occupied now, but the next three days stretched in front of her, tantalisingly unknown. Would they have enough to talk about? Would sharing a room be weird? Would it feel romantic? What if it didn’t?
They took a taxi from the airport to their hotel, in a narrow town house overlooking the ancient and iconic bridge. As Seph stepped into their room, her breath left her in a rush. It was cosy. Very cosy. There might be separate beds, but they were side by side, with only inches in between, and the bathroom was only about three feet away. They would be living cheek by jowl for the next three days, and all sorts of awkward scenarios exploded in her brain—getting changed, going to bed, going to the bathroom. What if she farted on the toilet? He’d most certainly hear her. What had once seemed potentially romantic she feared had suddenly become the opposite.
“It didn’t look quite this small in the photos,” Oliver said with a little laugh as he set down his bag. Seph didn’t reply and he glanced at her uncertainly. “This isn’t too weird, is it?”
“No,” Seph said quickly, too quickly.
Oliver grimaced. “It is weird, isn’t it? We should have just stayed at Casterglass, rattled around the castle.”
“No,” Seph said again, meaning it more this time. “I didn’t want to stay at the castle. I’ve spent every Christmas of my life there. I wanted to do something different. Be someone different.” She took a deep breath and then a daring step closer to him. “This is perfect, Oliver. Thank you.”
His expression softened and she thought, with a thrill, that he might reach for her hand—andthenwhat, she didn’t know—but there was a sudden, loud knock on the door. Oliver turned to open it while Seph released a pent-up, shaky breath.
“Towels,” he said wryly, as he dumped a stack of fresh towels on the bed. “Shall we explore the city before it gets dark?”
“Yes. Sounds good.”