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The gates swung open and I drove up to the huge façade with the gravel driveway. It looked like something from TV. I expected butlers to come and greet me. Jack had told me about the castle, that it was old and grand, but I had not quite expected this level of grandeur. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, belonging to a king or a prince of a country. I wasn’t exactly dressed for visiting a prince nor did I even have anything like that at home. Did I even own a dress? I had to think carefully.

I didn’t like feeling uncertain of myself so I walked determinedly to the front door and knocked. After a while, a doorman of sorts came to look at me like I had found the wrong place by mistake. Like I was supposed to enter via the servant entrance.

“Yes?” he looked at me, very unfriendly.

“I’m here to see Mr. Beaufort,” I said, rather amused. Was I really supposed to go through all this every time I wanted to see Jack?

“Just a minute, do you have an appointment?”

“Yes,” I said with a laugh.

Then he closed the door in my face, leaving me outside.

I was stunned by his rudeness.

A moment later the door was opened again by a pretty young girl in a tight skirt and very high heels.

“May I help you?”

“I’m here to see Jack,” I said, less amused by the whole drama now. I wanted to go in and see the man, not talk to a million minions.

“Yes, only I don’t see you in his appointment book? What is your name”

She had a kind of Filofax open and a pen, supposedly trying to find my name.

“He told me to come by tonight.”

“Did he now?” She gave me a sarcastic look, her perfectly plucked eyebrows shooting up over the green eyes.

“Yes, he did.”

She folded her arms and looked condescendingly at me.

“If I had to let every girl in here who claimed to have a date with Mr. Beaufort, he’d be overrun by groupies.”

“Oh, really?” I said to her. “Overrun by groupies, is it?”

Our conversation had deteriorated into some kind of stand-off.

“Would you just call him already? He will confirm our ‘appointment’.”

“I will not. He has other engagements tonight.”

“Does he? Really?”

I took out my phone and dialed his number.

Unfortunately for me, it just rang and then went to voicemail.

I gave her a long stare.

“Here’s how it’s going to go. You let me in, right now or I make you let me in. Which will it be?”

I saw a lot of fluttering of the eyelids, and I’d had enough. I moved quickly, pushing past her, grabbing her wrist but not twisting it.

“Hey!” she yelled out in shock but I was already inside.

Jack came down an elaborate staircase and beamed when he saw me.