She patted him on the arm. ‘If I had to guess, I’d say no.’
‘No?’ he said, laughing.
‘You’re too big to hike. I’m guessing a guy like you has no stamina.’
‘Trust me, Heidi. I have size and stamina.’
She ignored the innuendo. ‘Why are you here?’
‘To see the house. Why are you so mean?’
‘Not mean, protective. Big difference.’
‘Not to the person you’re yelling at.’
‘Trust me, I’m not yelling. If I were yelling, you’d know.’
‘In other words, you’re a screamer?’
This time, Heidi smiled. ‘Does this approach work often?’
‘What approach is that?’
‘Your whole flirty-comment thing.’
‘First of all, my thing isn’t flirting. If it was flirting, you’d know. Secondly, you’re the one who started it. My friends and I were having a personal conversation, and you butted in.’
She poked him in his chest. ‘Only because you shook the mountain.’
‘With our talking?’
‘With your helicopter,’ she snapped. ‘Tell me, do you know why King Ludwig chose this remote location for his house?’
‘Because he wanted to get away.’
‘From what?’
‘Civilization.’
‘Do you know why?’
‘Not really,’ he admitted.
She explained. ‘Because up here, Ludwig could look down on the world instead of the world looking down on him.’
Payne smiled, impressed. ‘That’s pretty deep. Did you just make that up?’
She stared at him, trying to decide if he was being sarcastic. Eventually, she decided he wasn’t. ‘As a matter of fact, I did.’
‘You’re pretty passionate about this place. How long have you worked here?’
‘Since June. That’s when we opened for the season.’
‘And before that?’
‘Ludwig’s other castles: Linderhof, Neuschwanstein and the Munich Residenz.’
‘Are you a student?’
She laughed at the question. ‘I’m too old to be a student.’
‘Maybe for high school. But there’s no age limit on learning.’
‘Now look who’s deep.’
Payne smiled. ‘If you’re not a student, what are you? A tour guide?’
‘Something like that. I work for the Bavarian Palace Department. We oversee all the castles and royal properties in Bavaria. My area of interest is Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm von Wittelsbach, but most people call him Ludwig.’
Payne laughed. ‘That’s because most people can’t remember Ludwig Friedrich von blah blah blah – or whatever you said.’
She smiled, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. ‘So, why are you here? From your accent, I would say you’re from, um … Ohio?’
He shook his head. ‘Western Pennsylvania.’
‘Oh, well. I was close.’
‘And based on your diction and mild accent, I’d say you were born in Germany but went to school in the States.’
She nodded, impressed. ‘Big and smart. Now I’m doubly curious about your presence here. Are you a fan of Ludwig?’
‘Honestly, no. But my plump friend is.’ Payne turned and signalled for Jones and Ulster to join them by the house. ‘We’re just keeping him out of trouble.’
She watched Ulster as he waddled up the hill. Despite gasping for air, he had a smile on his face the entire time. ‘Yeah, he seems like a troublemaker.’
‘Don’t let his cheerfulness fool you. The guy is a tiger.’
‘What about your other friend? Is he a tiger, too?’
Payne grinned, relishing the opportunity to make fun of his best friend. ‘No, he’s a different species altogether. If I had to sum him up, I’d say he’s part pit bull, part jackass.’
26
After a brief introduction – in which they avoided the real reason for their trip – Heidi grabbed Ulster by the elbow and led him towards the entrance of the King’s House.
‘Jon said you’re a fan of Ludwig. Have you been here before?’ she asked.