hand on his thigh. “He’s sensitive.”
Sebastian shifted in his seat and pushed my hand away. Guilt overwhelmed me when I saw him blush.
“Uh,” I said, leaning toward the front seat to break the tension, “we going to our usual spot?”
Everyone agreed, and soon we were by the river setting up towels and kicking off our shoes.
“Dan and Greg coming?” I asked.
Keren shook her head. “They have to work. Dan wants to have a barbecue tomorrow, though. You in?”
I nodded as I stripped down to my bathing suit, pretending I didn’t notice Sebastian staring. We all walked to the water’s edge, and Lauren suggested a race. She and I plunged in and stroked hard against the current. She won, and when we emerged on the other bank, we found we’d been carried downstream a fair way. I wasn’t surprised by either fact, since she was a stronger swimmer, and the current, though slower than in the spring, was still powerful. We swam back across and then walked together along the shore.
“You joining the swim team again this year?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I’m definitely doing lacrosse in the spring.”
“I love how they call it a spring sport but practices start in January.”
I shrugged. “Nothing logical about sports or school.”
“I’ll miss you if you don’t swim.”
“You’ll miss giving me a hard time.”
“True,” she said. “Who will I mock if not you?”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone. You shouldn’t let that talent go to waste.”
When we reached the others and sat back down, Justine asked, “So how was Florence? Your pictures were gorgeous.”
“Oh my God, it was fantastic.”
Sebastian pulled out his sketchbook and rolled onto his side so we couldn’t see his face.
I hesitated, but Lauren waved for me to continue. “Well, uh, you should go there someday. The galleries are amazing and the buildings are—”
“I meant Hamlet. How was it being there with him?” Justine asked, leaning back to get more sun on her face.
My eyes flicked again to Sebastian’s back. “Good.”
“That’s it?” asked Justine, sitting up on her elbows. “You’re with the girls. Dish.”
“Not all girls,” I reminded her, “and I don’t want my business to end up in your blog.”
“I would never—” she began, but then lay back down and laughed. “It was one mistake, Ophelia. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to tell about—”
“Anyone hungry?” asked Sebastian, reaching for the food bag.
“No. And no details. That memory’s all mine.” I put on my sunglasses and lay on my towel thinking about Hamlet and Florence and how much I wished we were there at that moment.
* * *
After school started, it was ridiculously boring around the castle. Horatio, Hamlet, Laertes, and I all e-mailed and called, but it wasn’t the same. Gertrude invited me every so often to have lunch or shop or sit through a fitting, but I was certainly not welcome at her table on Sunday nights without the boys. And with my dad working all the time, I was alone night after night.
School was unchallenging, and every time I sat staring out the window or dressing reluctantly for swim practice, I thought about what Hamlet had said and knew the boredom was my own doing. I considered changing my schedule to take something enriching, but it sounded like a lot of trouble. Besides, being in shape and having time to paint were more appealing than learning about politics, a subject that seemed to be all too much a part of my life as it was.
Late one afternoon, I went to the conservatory to get some reading done. I liked working in there because it made me feel close to Hamlet, and few people in the castle had the time or the inclination to go in there, especially midweek. I stepped out of the elevator and hesitated when I saw Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, outside the glass entryway. He was shoving a bottle into his coat pocket as he walked. He stopped short and I thought he spotted me, but he was looking over his shoulder at the cameras pointed at the door to the conservatory. He furrowed his brow and hurried down the hall in the other direction, so I proceeded.
Inside, the thick, moist air was fragrant with blooming sweet peas and I considered picking some for my room. I looked up at the surveillance camera that Claudius had been checking out and thought better of it, having previously been caught and reprimanded for filching flowers. Only after I had tucked myself into the coziest corner by the fountain