“It is. I’m here with a friend. She’s on business. I came to keep her company,” I followed him as he walked to the outer shell of the castle. “So your days are open to historical research on Elizabeth?” Was he mocking me? “I have a very detailed itinerary that a friend did before I left.” “Ah, may I glance at it? I could offer some pointers.” Reaching into my leather bag I pulled out a folded copy of the itinerary and handed it to him. I watched for his reaction as he scanned the pages quickly. “London, Westminster, Hatfield, Hampton Court, Warwick, St. Mary’s Warwick,” the last entry drew his attention more than the others. He stopped and looked at me, “This is very heavy on Elizabeth and her history.” I shrugged, trying to play it off, “I’m a fan, I guess you could say.” He handed it back to me, “That’s quite a list. I hope you’re here for more than a few days.” It was a simple question but I detected a tinge of hope in his voice and it made me smile, “We’re here for two weeks.”
