Chapter 28 #2
“It would depend on the circumstances.” She felt slightly breathless, staring into his sincere gray eyes. What was he really asking of her? To remain here as the royal nanny? Or something more?
“Papa!” Kat and Kalina swooped in. “I’ve been waiting for you to escort me into the ball.”
“I thought you were already in there, Kat,” he told her.
“I want to make a big entrance with you. Grandmama will signal the band to play something festive.” She looped her arm in his. “Meri can walk with Kalina behind us.” She glanced at Meredith. “Okay?”
Meredith smiled. “Absolutely.” She linked arms with Kalina now. “Ready, partner?”
Kalina giggled, and the royal procession began. And just like Kat had described, they were barely in the ornate ballroom when the music began to play what sounded like some kind of royal march.
“I think we should wait back here,” Meredith whispered to Kalina.
“Let them take the floor alone.” They watched as Kat and Spencer walked down an aisle the crowd had formed for them.
They went directly toward the queen, who was seated on a throne-like chair with Mishka standing by her side.
Father and daughter bowed as the queen stood and, with arms spread, used a microphone and PA system to wish Princess Katerina a happy birthday.
The crowd clapped and cheered, and she turned and motioned to the band.
A Strauss piece began to play, and now father and daughter waltzed while the crowd watched with admiration.
But midway through the waltz, Spencer and Kat stopped.
He walked her to the edge of the crowd where several uniformed men were standing near the queen.
Rubbing his chin, he seemed to check them out closely, which caused a few titters, and then he chose a handsome fair-haired man, giving his daughter’s hand to him so they could continue the dance.
He turned and walked toward Meredith. Her heart pounded in fear and anticipation.
Was he really about to ask her to dance in front of God and everyone, or was she daydreaming?
“May I have this dance?” he asked with a sober expression.
“Yes.” She dipped in a little curtsy. Whether that was the appropriate thing to do or not, he smiled as if he appreciated it.
“That was perfect,” he told her as they began to waltz. “Did someone coach you?”
“Maybe some old movie.” She smiled. “It seemed appropriate.”
“You’re a good dancer,” he said as they waltzed toward the princess and her young man, nodding to them. Kat was beaming. “I was hoping.”
“My dad made me take dancing lessons after he discovered I had two left feet.”
Spencer chuckled. “Good for Dad.”
Now other couples of all ages started to join them on the dance floor.
It felt as if some magic timeline protocol had been fulfilled, and the ball was officially begun.
After the first waltz tune ended, Meredith looked over to where Mishka was patiently standing by his grandmother looking bored to tears.
“May I go ask Mishka to dance?” she asked Spencer.
He chuckled. “I’ll try not to be envious, but yes, please do. Poor fellow looks like he could use an escape.”
She walked over, and after curtsying more deeply than usual to the queen, she smiled. “May I please have this dance with Prince George?”
The queen nodded, and Mishka, looking greatly relieved, hurried down the carpeted steps. “Thanks, Meri,” he told her as he grasped her right hand. “I don’t really like to dance, but anything is better than that.”
“Well, thank you for that.” She feigned offense. “I was looking forward to this dance with you.”
“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I want to dance with you too. You look beautiful, Meri.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at him. “And you dance well. I’m impressed.”
“Grandmama makes us take lessons.”
“Good for Grandmama.”
After that dance ended, Meredith suggested he ask his sister to dance, and when he frowned, she reminded him it was Kat’s birthday.
She watched as he stiffly walked over to Kat, who was just being approached by another young man.
Interrupting the young, uniformed man, Mishka held out his hand and Kat, laughing, took it.
“May I have the next dance?” Spencer asked.
“Of course.” She nodded to the children. “Aren’t they lovely?”
“I couldn’t be prouder.” He sighed. “And the queen looks suitably impressed too.”
“Do you think she minds that you’re dancing with me again?”
“I think she approves.” As they danced, not just two times but several more consecutively, Meredith wondered if…
did this mean Spencer was making his intentions known?
Or was she imagining things? Finally, she decided to quit wondering.
Just be in the moment. If she were like Cinderella, then the whole beautiful dream would go poof at midnight.
She might as well enjoy it while it lasted.
After a while a large cake was rolled out, and the royal family gathered around Kat.
The merry onlookers sang a festive song to the birthday girl.
Meanwhile Meredith and Kalina watched from the edge of the crowd.
Now the buffet tables were serving, and the music changed from just waltzes to more youthful selections.
“What happened to Kat and her family?” Kalina asked Meredith as they helped themselves to some food.
“I don’t know.” But Meredith had noticed it too.
It seemed that Kat, Mishka, and Spencer had just vanished.
But Queen Katerina remained on her throne, sipping a glass of champagne and watching with bored interest. Meredith hoped nothing was amiss.
She remembered Spencer’s concerns for security.
Surely no one would attempt anything nefarious at a birthday party, would they?
“There they are.” Kalina pointed to the back of the room.
Meredith sighed in relief. “Maybe they were giving Kat something special for her birthday.”
Kalina waved to Kat, and the three came over. Kat removed Meredith’s plate of food, handing it to her father. “Meri, we need to speak to you.”
“Yes,” Mishka agreed. “It’s important.”
Meredith nodded mutely. “Yes, of course. Is something wrong?”
“Come with us.” Mishka took her hand, leading her to a quieter corner of the ballroom.
“We want to ask you something,” Kat said in a serious tone.
“Okay. Go ahead.” Meredith braced herself.
“We want to know if you want to become a mother,” Mishka said with wide eyes.
“A mother?” Meredith blinked.
“To us,” Kat supplied.
Meredith chuckled. “Well, I love you both dearly. I couldn’t love you more if I were your mother. But what is this about?”
“That’s all,” Kat said abruptly.
“We just wanted to make sure,” Mishka reassured her. “I told them you would, but they weren’t certain.”
“Who wasn’t certain?”
“Never mind.” Kat waved to someone behind Meredith, and Spencer appeared. “It’s okay, Papa.” She grinned. “Now it’s up to you.”
“Thank you.” He cleared his throat as Kat grabbed Mishka’s hand and half dragged him back to the dance floor. “Meredith,” he said in a serious voice. “I have something to ask you. Do you mind going where it’s not so noisy?”
“Not at all.”
He took her hand and led her through a door that looked more like a wall and into a small, elegant room. “I asked my children for permission,” he began as he turned to face her. “And then we decided they should ask you.”
“About becoming a mother?” she said in a slightly teasing tone.
“Is that what they said?”
“Mishka said something to that effect.”
“We wanted to find out where you stood.” He held her hand in both of his. “Because it’s not a simple thing. We know it’s a lot for a person to undertake, and we don’t want to overwhelm you.”
“Overwhelm me with what?” she gently prodded.
“Meredith, I’m asking you to become my wife. Will you marry me?” He waited.
She closed her eyes for a nervous moment then remembered her father’s advice to listen to her heart. Her heart was saying “Yes!” She opened her eyes and smiled. “Yes, I would be honored to become your wife.”
He looked both surprised and happy. “Truly? You don’t think it’s too much? You have the queen and my children and a new country…and of course, there’s me. That’s a lot for a young American woman to deal with. You’re certain?”
“Yes, I’m certain.”
He laughed and then kissed her once, twice. “I love you, Meri. I think I loved you from the moment you came into the hotel suite after you’d been robbed in Vienna. You looked like a lost ragamuffin, but you captured my heart then and there.”
“And you looked like a slightly confused gentleman, like you needed some help.”
“And God sent you to help me.” He kissed her again.
“God does work in mysterious ways.” She chuckled then suddenly sobered. “But what about the queen? What will she say?”
“She already knows. We have her blessing.”
They kissed again. And although Meredith still didn’t believe in happily ever after, she thought this could turn out to be a happy beginning with some interesting twists and turns ahead—and she was ready!