Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
“Mate, you’re levitating! How?” McMillian stares in awe at Sam, who is about a foot away from us.
Amused pubgoers are also staring. I tilt my head to the side. From where I’m sitting, it does indeed appear as if Sam is floating. That isn’t possible though. I study his body carefully. I don’t see anything that appears out of the ordinary.
“Magic!” he says, jumping into the air. The pubgoers applaud. He bows and rejoins our table.
“Can you do another?” McMillian asks
I bite my tongue. Sam is so in his element right now. He’ll perform as many tricks as his friend will let him. Removing his trusty deck of cards and a handkerchief from his pocket, he places them into an empty wineglass.
“Now you see the ace of spades . . .” He drapes the cloth over the glass. McMillian and I watch it closely. “Now . . . you don’t.” The ace has been replaced with the eight of diamonds.
“Can you levitate the cards?” I half joke.
Wordlessly, he removes the deck of cards from the glass. Holding it in his hands, I watch in amazement as the top card begins to float and suspend itself an inch above its counterparts.
“Okay, that’s pretty cool.”
Sam waves me off. “These are child’s play.”
“You have a trick that’s harder?”
“I do, but it’ll cost you.”
“Name your price,” McMillian and I say at the same time.
He glances at the bar. “An order of chips.”
“Done. I’ll be right back.” McMillian jumps to his feet and rushes off.
When we’re alone, I ask, “How did you really levitate?”
“That trick’s an optical illusion. All I had to do was balance on my toes on one foot.”
I palm my forehead. “And the glass and cards?”
“A simple twist of the cup when it was hidden under the handkerchief. One side of the deck was the ace, the other side the eight of diamonds.”
“You’re too good, Sam.”
“Wait until you see my grand finale.” He flashes a cocky grin. “It’s one I’ve been practicing for a few weeks.”
“Does this by any chance require a magician’s assistant?” I bat my eyelashes.
“It can.” He winks. “Have you figured out the magic words?”
“Yes. Open sesame,” I guess. Those are the only words that I think I haven’t guessed.
Sam’s smile is as wide as the Grand Canyon. “I love hearing you say them. Do you know why they’re magic?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
“They’re magic because every time you say them, I get to kiss you.”
He plants a kiss as soft as a cottontail rabbit on my forehead just as McMillian rejoins us.
“Oy, you got two orders of chips?” Sam says.
“Uh-huh. One for me and one for you two. I figured you wouldn’t mind sharing.”
“We don’t.” I elbow Sam.
“Are you two ready to see my final trick?” We nod and help ourselves to the fries.
“For this next bit, I’ll need a napkin and a dinner roll.
” Sam takes them in his hand and somehow manages to levitate the roll, making it disappear right before our eyes.
“As you can see, the roll has been transformed into . . .” He crumples the napkin, and out of his hand he pulls a long silk scarf. “This.”
We clap. I have to admit, I’m stumped. I’ve watched him closely and I could’ve sworn the dinner roll turned into a scarf.
“For you.” Sam kisses my wrist and ties the scarf onto it. “Oh wait, what’s this?” He reaches behind my ear. “Ah-ha, a dinner roll.”
My body shakes with laughter. “There is no way that dinner roll is real.”
To prove a point, Sam polishes off the roll in two bites. “You were saying?”
McMillian slides the chips in his direction. “Well done, mate. You’ll have to book a slot to perform at Operation Studio 54.”
I sit taller. My ears preen at the words Studio 54. It’s the name of a famous New York disco from the 1970s. Why would the orderly army be connected to a disorderly, crazy place like Studio 54?
“We’ll see, McMillian.” Sam laughs. “I don’t normally perform for an audience. All the magic is just for fun.”
I glance between the two of them.
“You fooled me. Those tricks were brilliant. Just do what you did tonight.”
Sam takes two chips. “I’d be too nervous; there’ll be a lot of top brass there.”
“Would somebody mind filling me in? What’s Operation Studio 54?”
“It’s the code name given to the H-Cav’s annual celebration that marks the end of the silly season,” Sam offers.
My eyes twitch. I’m still confused. “Silly season?”
“That’s cavalry speak for the ceremonial season,” McMillian says, taking pity on me.
“Oh. Got it.”
“Yup,” he says. “We spend the entire summer being on parade and front and center in the public for events like Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament, state visits, the Order of the Garter Ceremony, and Remembrance Day. It means endless sleepless nights to prep the horses, our kit, and early morning rehearsals.”
“I can see where you’d be mentally and physically exhausted by it.” I’ve seen Sam prep a horse for a normal day. I can’t imagine how much extra pressure and attention to detail must be added for a big event like Trooping the Colour.
“We always are, but that’s why Operation Studio 54 was created,” Sam says. “It gives us a little bit of a mental break between the last major event, the Order of the Garter ceremony, in June and Remembrance Day in November.”
“The horses always seem to know when the ball is approaching. It means their holiday is right around the corner too.” McMillian takes a sip of his pint.
“And where do they go?”
“The horses are taken to the beaches of Norfolk,” he says.
“Wait a second, do all the horses go? Doesn’t there need to be a few left behind in London?”
“Yes, all the horses go. No equine is left behind.” Sam chuckles. “Some will be sent to the pastures of Melton in Leicestershire, but most of the horses will make the trip to Norfolk. In our stead, the King’s Royal Horse Artillery comes in and takes over our duties at Horse Guards for a month.”
My eyes widen. “That sounds like fun for everybody.”
“It is. The horses love being able to run through the surf and feel sand under their hooves instead of the streets of London,” Sam tells me.
I locate the ketchup bottle and slather some of it in the corner of the basket. Sam and McMillian wrinkle their noses.
“Can I be your date to the summer gala?”
“No, Min, I’m taking Orpheus.” Just for that smart remark, I playfully cover some of Sam’s fries with ketchup. “Min,” he whines.
McMillian laughs. “You sort of asked for it. Never tease a lady about a ball.”
“He’s right. You could learn from him,” I joke.
“You take these. I’ll get another order.” Sam pushes the basket toward me, stands, and kisses my cheek. “Don’t worry, you’ll always be my first choice for a date. I’ll be back.”
“You should use mayonnaise. It tastes much better than that,” McMillian says to him.
“No.”
I playfully lean over the fries after he leaves. “So . . . do you think Sam has a shot at winning the Princess Alice Cup?”
“Winning? Probably not. The Life Guards look too strong this year, but he does have a real shot at making the top eight.”
“When do they announce the winner?”
“At the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May.”
“And can members of the public attend?”
“They certainly can.”
A plan starts to form in my mind. If Sam makes the top eight, I will definitely be in attendance at Windsor. Actually, it won’t be just me, it’ll be a few of Sam’s closest relatives too.
McMillian scratches his forehead. “Do you mind telling me a little more about your friend, Liz? How can I make a good first impression on her?”
Over the next three weeks, things finally settle down at the Clarissa Lee Atelier. I won’t be expected to produce the next round of dresses until August. I have a little time to breathe and to put my plan into action.
At four in the afternoon on a Wednesday, I relax in my new flat’s sitting room. Tapping the prearranged meeting link, I take a deep breath and greet Sarah and Celine.
“Hi, girls.” I wave to the two grinning teens.
“Cheers, Min.”
“Hiya, Min.”
“Are you ladies doing okay today?”
They both nod.
“What about you?” Sarah asks.
I learned during our first interaction that she’s a very sweet, polite, well-mannered girl. She’s much more mature than Celine, although she is only two years older.
“Well, thank you. I just saw your brother today.”
“You did? Did you tell him we said hello?” Celine eagerly says.
“I waved, but he couldn’t talk. He was on duty at Horse Guards.”
“Oh.” Celine deflates.
“But I thought you two might like to hear that he was sitting in the sentry box today as a Boxman. I took a bunch of photos and videos for you. I think it’s actually the first time I’ve ever seen him ride a horse.”
“Please send them to me. I’d love to get a few photos printed and send them to Grandad Baker,” Sarah chimes in. “He’ll be chuffed that Sam’s efforts have paid off. I knew my brother could do it.”
We chat for a few minutes about how amusing it was to watch Sam and his horse being swarmed by tourists.
“A few of the SearchTube streamers who film there will also have Sam on their channels,” I add.
Celine wrinkles her nose. “It’s so weird to me that these people spend all day filming tourists and the soldiers at Horse Guards. If I were Sam, I’d be annoyed. I wouldn’t want my every move caught on camera.”
I know Sam doesn’t care for it—he’s told me as much—but he understands that people are fascinated by what he does for a living. Most of the people who watch the videos might never actually make it to London or Horse Guards.
“What about if you were dancing?” Sarah says.
“That’s different,” Celine says.
“How is it different?”
Celine spends a moment thinking. Her cheeks turn red. “It just is.”
“Is not.
“Is too.”
“Is not.”
“It is too.”
“Girls,” I interject. “Let’s not argue. We’re here to talk about your brother.
” Sarah and Celine both stop talking and wear sheepish expressions on their faces.
“He’s worked really, really hard the last couple of weeks to make it to the finals of the Princess Alice Cup.
I want us to be able to come together to show him how proud we are of him. ”
“Yes, Min,” they both say.
“Good. Now, we have a whole bunch of logistical things to figure out like how we’re going to get you to Windsor, what you’re going to wear, et cetera, et cetera.”
“I had an idea about that,” Sarah starts.
I nod.
“I was thinking that if Celine and I could get to Grandad Baker’s home, maybe he’d be willing to drive us down to Windsor. I’m sure he’ll want to come with us too.”
My stomach muscles clench at the thought of meeting Sam’s dad. I’m sure he’s kind, but the thought of meeting my boyfriend’s father still terrifies me.
“If he can’t or doesn’t feel up to it, let me know. My friend Liz is going to be driving me. We’ll be in her parents’ minivan.”
“I’ll ring him straightaway.”
The only other person I’d need to invite is Alice, but she’ll already be there. The Princess Alice Cup may be named after her grandmother, but she’s the member of the royal family who always awards the top prize.
Little did I know, when I was purchasing the flat, it was from the princess. Since moving in, we’ve become good friends. I never thought in a million years I’d ever be hanging out with royalty, but Alice could not be a more down-to-earth person. I’m lucky to have her in my life.
Min
Just got off the call with the girls, they’re on board.
Liz
*Thumbs-up emoji*
Min
How’d your date with McMillian go?
Liz
Chester is here with me now. *Photo image*
Min
It looks like he’s sitting down in front of the TV playing video games. Is that what you’re doing for a date?
Liz
Yes, ma’am.
Min
Then I won’t keep you.
Liz
Text you later . . . after I kick his bum in Mario Kart.
Just before going to bed, Sam sends me his usual evening text.
Sam
About to turn in. How are you doing?
Min
Pretty good, just doing laundry. I spent most of today unpacking my bedroom and clothes.
Sam
I’ll be available to help after next week.
Min
Appreciate it. You’ve already given up so much of your time helping move me across town. I hope you didn’t get in too much trouble for using the horse box as a moving van.
Sam
I don’t think anyone’s the wiser, especially since my entire squadron was involved in it. Technically speaking, we did move the horses from HG to the barracks.
Min
*Laughing emoji* After you lot had helped move all my stuff.
Sam
*Smiling emoji*
Min
How are you doing tonight? Nervous about the final round of judging?
Sam
Yes. I doubt I’ll be able to sleep because of it.
Min
You’ve been prepping for weeks. You’ll do great.
Sam
I wish I had your confidence. This round is going to be much tougher than the last.
Min
Just remember that you’re already a winner in my book. Now get some rest. Good night, Sam I Am.
Sam
Good night, Fashion Guru.