He was getting burned out from the market and started leading her toward the exit. Of course, she had to ooh and aah over the trees lining the streets with packages hanging from their branches, along with thousands of brightly lit lights. He’d have loved to have seen her as a child on Christmas morning. Hell, he thought she most likely still got just as excited.
“I have something to show you I think you’ll like,” Trenton told her.
“Sounds great to me,” she agreed, sure he’d know more than anyone the exciting places to visit.
“Do you know anything about the famous Hapsburgs, who were the royal family of Vienna?” he asked.
“I haven’t heard anything about them,” she told him, starting to get more excited. There was nothing like a royal family.
“Well then, let me show you their palace,” he said and quickly led her there. She joined a tour group and found herself enthralled as they went from room to room.
“Normally, you need to book reservations at least a couple months in advance, but I happen to have some connections,” he told her with his cocky smile. She was, for once, grateful of his wealth, because she wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on the palace.
“This is so great, thank you,” she said, looking around in awe.
They got to watch the Lipizzaner Horses from the Spanish Riding School perform, and she was fascinated by their precision and the ease with which they handled the horses. They then sat back and listened to the Vienna Boys choir, which had originally started as a troupe of court musicians who’d been personally selected to entertain the royal family.
Jennifer felt as if she’d gone back in time, and was sitting in the royal palace, being entertained. It was remarkable and it took her back to her days as a child, wishing she were a beautiful princess about to be rescued by her prince charming. She looked at Trenton and thought he’d make a stunning prince, riding up on his steed. She couldn’t suppress the shiver running through her body. She was grateful he was fixated on the performers, because she knew her heart must’ve been in her eyes.
They walked into the National library, with its incredible architecture. She was amazed at the stunning detail as she walked around the room. The ages of the books in the room stunned her. There was so much history in such a significant place and she knew she’d be happy to camp in the library for weeks, or even months, on end.
There were floor to ceiling shelves of leather bound books, some of which dated back to the early sixteenth century. Among the priceless books were impeccable pieces of art, some huge, others understated, historical globes, statues, and priceless paintings.
The day was quickly slipping away and she felt as if she’d barely seen anything. He quickly took her to the Porcelain and Silver Museum that was filled with the royal cutlery and china. As she looked at the various pieces on display she realized the royal family had eaten from those very plates and used those forks and spoons. She couldn’t imagine how items so delicate had survived through the years.
“It’s all so remarkable,” she whispered to Trenton. He looked at everything through her eyes and had to smile. He was so used to wealth and the finer things, he had a hard time appreciating the treasures before him, but if he looked at it through her eyes, everything was different.
He found he didn’t want the day to end. Her happiness was doing something to his insides and he tried to distance himself. He was trying to convince himself he was only playing tourist guide so she’d be appreciative later that night, but he knew he was falling for her in ways that had nothing to do with sex.
She was stunning, full of life, loyal to family and had such passion. He shook his head, as he mentally listed her virtues. He was sure it was just the romantic city of Vienna and he’d be able to think clearly again once they got home.
“We need to hurry if you want to see the Royal Treasury,” he told her, when she was lingering over some intricate china.
“Oh, I definitely want to see that,” she said and didn’t even try to protest when he took her hand in his, once more. He smiled as he realized he was making progress.
They went through the Royal Treasury and she got to see the family’s jewels and even the coronation robes worn during the ceremony in which they were crowned King or Queen. Jennifer found the robes stunning and couldn’t believe the great shape they were still in.
She was surprised by the size of the crowns. They were nothing like what she saw in her favorite princess movies. They were large pieces of Gold, with huge gems she was sure cost an arm and a leg, but she’d much rather wear a delicate tiara with small, sparkling diamonds. She thought the weight from the crowns would have most certainly given the King and Queen Headaches.
She let out a giggle, making Trenton look at her with his brows raised. She just shook her head and turned back toward the displays. They came to one with a rusted nail and she read the plaque.
“Oh, look at this - it says it’s a nail from the crucifix of Christ. Do you think it’s true?” she asked him.
“I think it certainly could be true,” he offered and she rewarded him with a stunning smile, as she ran her hand reverently across the case. He looked at the rusted piece of steel and tried to find it as exciting as her, but he’d seen it many times before. He wished he’d done this tour with her for his first time. He knew it would’ve been a completely different experience for him.
As they walked out of the Treasury, her stomach gave a loud growl and Trenton laughed out loud. She looked at him a bit horrified. She hadn’t even realized she was hungry, but suddenly she was starving and wanted nothing more than a huge plate of food after all the walking they’d done.
Trenton made a phone call and a car showed up in minutes. Jennifer thought about arguing with him, but her feet were hurting and she was starving. He looked at her, as if he was waiting for the argument, so she deflated and slipped into the backseat. She missed the sigh Trenton let out. He was tired himself, and didn’t feel like a huge argument, at least not until after he’d eaten.
“I’m going to take you to one of Vienna’s favorite places,” he told her.
“That sounds great. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I can’t believe I’ve only eaten at the hotel since we got here. Don’t get me wrong, the food is great, but it’s nice to experience the local culture and you simply can’t do that from a hotel room,” she told him.
“I understand, and I’m glad we have the time for you to play tourist,” he told her with a chuckle. The car dropped them at Plachutta. The place was crowded, but he had no problem securing them a table and there was a waiter at their table within seconds. She sighed, thinking again that money most certainly did equal power.
“Try the Tafelspitz, it’s one of the most renowned dishes of Austria and this place makes it better than any other,” he told her. She let him order her meal, not knowing what she’d like and not understanding the menu, anyway.
The dish was fantastic with a beef so tender it fell off the bone and was surrounded by a host of vegetables, in a delicious broth. The meal came with fried potatoes and delicious warm bread and different sauces.
By the time they finished their meal, she felt like her stomach was going to split open, it was so full, but she somehow managed to take a few bites of the decadent desert. By the time he paid the bill and ushered her back to the car, she was falling asleep on her feet.
The day had been exhilarating, but exhausting, and she didn’t know how she’d make it back to the room. She slowly followed Trenton to the elevator and swayed on her feet as he opened their hotel room door.
Trenton took one look at Jennifer’s face and knew he wouldn’t be able to take her to his bed that night. She couldn’t even keep her eyes open, let alone have the energy to make love. He’d have to make sure they didn’t put so much on their agenda the next day, because he couldn’t go another night with nothing more than a cold shower.
He watched her stumble into her suite and decided he’d check on her in a few minutes to make sure she’d at least made it to her bed. He was exhausted, too, but he realized it had been the best date he’d ever been on. She was so genuine and full of life, and things seen through her eyes were much better than the jaded people he was so used to being around.
He drank a double shot of bourbon, checked on Jennifer, and then took a long, cold shower, before crawling into his own bed. He was surprised when his eyes shut - he was just about as tired as she’d been. He fell asleep with a small smile on his lips.
***
Jennifer woke up and jumped from the bed. She was eager to start her second day as a tourist in the city of Vienna. She didn’t know where they were going, but she knew it would be great. She quickly showered, dressed and then practically ran to the dining area.
Trenton was already seated and drinking coffee and she didn’t even stop for pleasantries. The sooner she finished breakfast, the faster she could be out on the streets, exploring the city more.
“You know you can actually slow down, nothing is going to disappear if you have a decent breakfast,” Trenton told her as she piled the food in. She grinned at him like she was an excited child.
“I can’t wait to get back out. There’s so much more to see,” she told him and then stuffed the rest of her breakfast down her throat and jumped up to grab her coat. “Where are we going today?”
“I thought I’d take you to the Schonbrunn Palace. It’s on the outskirts of the city and where the royal family resided during the summers,” he said, which gained him another one of her full blown smiles.
“That sounds perfect, let’s go,” she said, leaving him no choice but to get up and follow her, or be left behind. She caved in and let his driver take them to the place, since she was so eager to get there.
They walked from one beautiful room to the other and listened to the tour guide talk about the royal family. They talked of Joseph Franz and his wife Elizabeth - known by the world as Sissi. Their marriage had been a political alliance, which saddened Jennifer.
“I can’t imagine having to marry someone to better my country, or because my parents told me I had too,” she said. He was surprised by her naiveté, though he shouldn’t of been.
“Marriages are all about what the other person can bring to it,” he said.
“That’s not true. I know there are still marriages of convenience, even in this day and age, but most marry for love and passion, as it should be,” she told him stubbornly.
“If you want to think so in your naïve world,” he said with a mocking smile. She glared at him, but decided not to let his pessimism ruin her day.
They continued to walk through the rooms, looking at the beautiful ceilings depicting everything from landscapes to haunting scenes, to simple artwork. It was all exquisite and made her gasp repeatedly.
When they entered the room of mirrors, she spun around in delight, trying to look everywhere at once. She could imagine a royal ball going on and twirling through the room on the arm of a prince. Soft music played in the background and Jennifer was surprised when Trenton took her in his arms.
