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I giggle. Ferdie sounds like a robot. I’m sure he’s given this same speech hundreds of times.
“St. Margaret’s Chapel is one of the oldest surviving structures in Edinburgh,” Ferdie continues. “Mons Meg is a massive medieval siege cannon located on the castle grounds. It’s an impressive piece of artillery that provides insight into the castle’s military history. If you have time, check out the National War Museum, which offers an extensive collection of artifacts, documents, and exhibitions covering Scotland’s military history. There are a few other sights you might want to see as well. Grab a brochure from me, and we’ll meet back here in one hour.”
Maddie and take our brochures from Ferdie and enter the castle.
I stop in awe, again wishing Diana were here. As an architect, she’d appreciate this wondrous structure far more than I ever could. All I can do is gape at its beauty and majesty. Maddie and I hit everything Ferdie recommended—the Crown Jewels of Scotland were so beautiful—and are about to hit the National War Museum when my phone buzzes.
I have a text…and I notice the time. Our hour is up, and we have to get back to the entrance to meet Ferdie and the rest of the group.
“Mads, we have to go.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. Plus I have a text from Brock.”
“Is everything okay?”
I glance at the text quickly. “Yeah, but he wants us to get back for lunch.”
“But our tour includes lunch.”
“I know.” I tap out a message into the phone.
On a tour with Maddie. Includes lunch.
The three dots move, and…
Okay. Never mind. Finish your tour.
What’s up?
Nothing urgent. Just some changes in our seating for the concert. I’ll talk to you when you get back to the hotel.
“Apparently our seating for the concert has changed,” I tell Maddie. “Not sure why he needed to tell us that in person.”
“Who knows?” Maddie says. “We’d better get back before Ferdie leaves without us.”
We walk swiftly out of the castle until we finally reach the entrance. Ferdie is standing in front of the group, his arms crossed.
“I was going to give you two lassies one more minute.” He clicks his tongue at us.
“We’re sorry,” I say. “We were enjoying the castle. That crown is magnificent.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed your time. Let’s go. We’re going to walk the Royal Mile that connects the castle to Holyrood Palace.”
Maddie and I glance at each other, and Maddie chuckles.
Good. She’s been somber since getting the news about Jesse and me.
“What?” I ask.
“He sounds like a recording,” she says.
“I was thinking the same thing during his speech about the castle. He seemed annoyed when people asked questions. I’m sure he’s said these things about a million times.” I glance around. The man standing next to me is wearing an Emerald Phoenix T-shirt. “Hey,” I say to him.
He holds out his hand. “I’m Willie.”
“Brianna. You like Emerald Phoenix?”
