Chapter 29 – Marcella
MARCELLA
The space that the royal family turned into a bedroom and recovery space for Emily is incredible.
There’s a large hospital bed, another bed for Javier that’s directly beside it, a reclining chair, a sofa, and a dresser.
The en suite bathroom has been outfitted with accessibility equipment.
Then there’s the rebab space attached to her new bedroom.
I’m going through her room, making sure it has everything she needs, including extra towels and linens, since this room has become part of my primary responsibilities, when Raul comes in.
He stops short when he sees me. “Oh. You’re in here.”
“Yes. What do you need, Raul?”
“I was just…” He trails off, only to snag on the items in my hand. “I was going to make sure Emily had fresh towels.”
“No, you weren’t. You were going to do something assholeish and underhanded to try to make me look like I’m not doing my job or I’m incompetent, as you have been since I took over Emily’s role.”
He squints at me. “We haven’t been doing anything. You’ve been doing that all on your own, honey.”
“First of all, if you ever call me honey again, you’ll wake up without your fingernails. Second, you just said we, implying more than one of you has been messing with things, which isn’t what I said, but I appreciate you confirming it all the same.”
He blanches. Whether from my fingernail comment or from the fact that he’s a moron and just outed his equally moronic partners in crime, I’m not sure. They’re not the brightest bulbs, hence my calling them the three stooges.
“You can’t talk to me like that. I’ll file a complaint.”
I smirk. “Go for it. When you do, I’ll file a complaint backed by proof that you, Esme, and Marsha have been disruptive, unproductive, and malicious simply because you’re children and can’t handle your jealousies. Grow up, Raul, and get back to work.”
I turn my back to him, and because he’s all bark, little bite, and the dumbest of the three, he’s out of things to say.
“Leave the spray bottle of whatever nasty shit you’re hiding behind your back.”
He makes some kind of aggravated shriek but shockingly sets it down and storms out. The moment his footsteps fade down the hall, I retrieve the spray bottle of brown water that looks like it was made with dirt and empty it into the sink before I wash everything down.
At least that’s something he can’t use in other parts of the palace.
Finished with that, I set the empty spray bottle beneath the sink, put the rest of the towels on the rack, and exit the bathroom only to have it be my turn to stop short.
“Your Majesty.” I curtsy.
“Good morning, Marcella,” he says in that stern way of his, his eyes scouring over me before they turn their scrutiny onto the room. “I came by to make sure everything is set for Emily’s return home.”
“Yes, sir. That’s what I was doing as well. I hope everything is to her satisfaction. And yours, of course.”
I’m like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs with this man.
Has Rowan told him what we’ve been doing?
Does he know I broke into his office last night?
After I left Rowan’s room, it was the first place I went, and I hooked the monitors back up and made sure everything appeared untouched, but you never know.
“Everything looks to be in order.”
A prideful smile tilts up my lips. “Thank you, sir.”
“Marcella, are you happy working here?”
Shit. Oh shit. What’s worse is that there’s no inflection in his tone or alteration in his features. He’s stoic and completely closed off to interpretation.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am.” It’s the truth.
Minus the stooges and the prince who’s determined to fuck up my world, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
I’m contributing, I’m earning my own money, and most of the people are kind.
I could do this job forever and be grateful for it. The only thing missing is Jaqueline.
He nods slowly, walking deeper into the room as if he’s weighing my answer. “You’ve spent quite a bit of time with my family since you took on your new role. You taught my daughters chess and helped my wife get the nursery in order.”
“I enjoyed both of those quite a bit. Your family is lovely.”
“You’re a very bright woman, Marcella. Is working as a housekeeper what you hope to continue doing?”
My brows crease. “How do you mean, sir?”
“I’m curious where your dreams lie.”
“My dreams?” I almost laugh at the words. “Your Majesty, hope and dreams are not words I’ve allowed myself to entertain. Duty and service are all I know.”
He stops walking and twists in front of me, his height and size imposing. He’s intentionally trying to make me nervous, and with that, he knows something. Or at the very least suspects. Yet here I’m standing, so I’m not sure what his game is with me yet.
“Duty and service to whom?”
Brilliant question, Your Majesty. “At present, the royal family.”
He’s rough, but he’s a good man. A good king. My brother…well, I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about Samil, most of which I haven’t properly sorted through yet. I imagine mental peace where he’s concerned will be a hard-won venture.
His gaze holds mine, firm and unyielding, and I match it. It’s also the truth. I’m not sure where my loyalties lie. I’m not sure where my heart is taking me. But at this moment, with no one else’s agenda but my own, I was hired to serve the palace and the royal family, and that’s what I’ll do.
“You know about the curse. You know what Charlotte and the former prime minister did to us.”
My throat thickens. I try to swallow, but I’m paralyzed. I can’t move. I can’t even blink.
“We’ve seen our fair share of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
That said, my wife and children like you very much.
They told me so just this morning.” I drop my gaze, discomfort making it difficult to maintain eye contact.
I understand his threat, and yet I can’t help but feel joy and pride in hearing that Bellamy and the children like me.
“Sir. I like them very much as well.” I swallow and lift my chin, giving him more of my truths. “I’m truly sorry for all you’ve endured.”
I sweep my long bangs behind my ear, and he squints, tilting his head.
“You remind me of someone.” He sounds almost surprised by this. “Or perhaps it’s your hair color.”
Yes. My hair color is a bit exotic as far as blondes go. It’s a golden yellow with natural streaks of white when the sun bleaches it out. Samil had the same hair.
“She’s here!” Bellamy calls out, popping her head into the room and interrupting this awful moment. “The ambulance is arriving now.”
“I’m coming.” Without another word or even a cursory glance in my direction, the king leaves, and I blow out a relieved breath. I can’t tell what he knows, but he’s suspicious of me. That much is obvious.
After one last visual inspection, I head toward the front door of the palace through a long corridor and into the entry foyer, which is more like a historical art museum than a foyer.
There’s a painting of the royal family with the previous queen in it.
She’s holding a tiny baby Zayer, and the two girls are young.
Queen Nora is beautiful. Stunning really. Her girls are so much like her.
I don’t want to hate Nora.
I don’t want to look at this beautiful queen, who was so beloved in this country and to her family, and think ill of her. I don’t know what her relationship was like with the king, other than what Samil told me.
All I know is that Samil loved her. That their affair continued for years and years. That she’s the reason all of this happened. She betrayed the king. Isn’t that what the curse is based on? The betrayal of Messalina with her husband, Emperor Claudius? Maybe Nora started all of this again for them.
Bellamy mentioned that her love with Sebastian is what she hopes broke the curse.
But what if there is no curse? What if it’s just the follies of humans, their betrayals, their jealousies, their love?
Enormous tragedies have befallen this family.
But does that make them different than anyone else?
Being hateful or furious with dead people is futile.
But I’m furious with my brother. Possibly even a little hateful too.
I turn my back on the painting and saunter out the front door to where the ambulance is. Emily is being carted off the back on a gurney, annoyance all over her face and in her folded arms. That only grows as Bellamy comes racing over to her, fussing over every small detail.
“I’m fine, Bellamy. I’ve been up walking and everything. This is just a precaution and a bit overdramatic,” Emily says. “Honestly, all of this is ridiculous. They could have put me in a wheelchair.”
“Let us take care of you,” Bellamy admonishes. “You take care of everybody. We want to return the favor.”
Emily sighs, finally giving in.
Javier snickers. “Naturally, you relent for the queen.”
“I like her more than I like you.”
“You must,” he teases, an indulgent gleam in his eye. “She gave the nurses and doctors hell.”
It makes all of us laugh.
“I did not. I simply don’t like being fussed over. Ah, Marcella. Perfect. Just the person I was hoping to see. You’ll talk work with me, won’t you? Your texts have been vague and simply telling me what I want to hear. Don’t think I wasn’t on to you.”
“You needed your rest with no aggravation or work on your mind,” I reply.
She rolls her eyes as the paramedics wheel her along the gravel path. “Except I’m home now.”
“And you still have to focus on your recovery.”
“Has it been that bad?”
I laugh lightly. “Not at all. Honestly, other than a few small hiccups and a couple of situations, everything has been fine. I promise, once you get settled, I’ll tell you everything. But just as the family needs you to take care of yourself, your staff does too. We need you to return to your job.”
So I can take this as my résumé builder with a nice recommendation and leave.