He looks vaguely familiar so I figure I must have seen his picture somewhere during my spying spree. Then the door across the hall opens and a tall, skinny man with a deep-set brow and pale blonde hair strolls out, dressed in a sharp suit. She knocks on his door and I try and prepare myself to see him again, only there’s no answer. I make a mental note not to scream my head off if I run into him walking around like Frankenstein at one a.m., though I won’t make any promises.įinally, Maja takes me to the administrative offices down at the end, near the King’s office. He also looks-and speaks-an awful lot like Lurch from the Addams Family. According to Henrik, Johan is a sleepwalker that I’ll probably see roaming about the palace in the middle of the night. Then I’m brought upstairs to the second level to meet Johan, King Aksel’s driver, the one Henrik told me about. They’re effortlessly polite and welcoming, reminding me a bit of the animated staff in Beauty and the Beast. It’s not so hard when I’m introduced, yet again, to Henrik, or to Karla, a cook, or Agnes, the head housekeeper. It feels like the first day of school already and instead of telling myself to be cold and indifferent like I was with King Aksel, I tell myself to be warm and respectful to everyone I meet. Perhaps I should show you around and make introductions to the staff, and then we can get started on the paperwork.” “I know I gave you a quick tour last time but I doubt you were able to take any of it in.
They might be a little, how do you say, self-conscious about it, but they will understand you very well.” She presses her palms together and nods toward the hall. “Aside from the older generation, you’ll find most people here in Copenhagen speak English, and certainly in the palace.
It’s only luck that so far everyone has been fluent in English.” “I’m the one who needs to be picking up Danish, and fast. I was just telling him to put your items away in your room.” “I must remember to speak English more around you, otherwise it might be seen as rude. She quickly pivots toward Henrik and calls after him in Danish. “Good,” Maja says, and if I’m not mistaken she seems a little jumpy and nervous. He already gave me the low-down about the King’s driver and I know in time I’ll be able to get all the dirty details about the King himself. He mainly talked about his family (he’s thirty-two, has a wife and kid, wants to go back to university) but I have a feeling he’s a gossip. But the guy talks almost as much as I do. I expected he wouldn’t speak English and that the ride from the airport would be filled with silence.
I didn’t think much of Henrik the first time I met him.
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