Chapter 5
She received a reprieve. That was the only way she could think of it.
A reprieve. He was gone. His mother mentioned it in passing.
Something to do with a vineyard in Italy.
When she spoke about it, she smiled, saying that he was finally taking an interest and he was great with wines and vines and knew quite a bit about it. Not that she cared.
As far as she was concerned, he could stay away forever.
She felt free and lighter.
The hurt and pain of his words still lingered, but at least he wasn't around and she was happy for it.
She had thought briefly about just packing her things and leaving. But she was through running. And she liked the place.
And the challenges. It wasn't like the duties she had before. This was different. She discovered that on the very first morning she started.
She had spent time on her appearance. She knew how to dress.
She knew the styles that flattered her full figure.
She had the hair, masses of it, an inheritance from her African-American dad and American-Indian mother.
She had also been told she had beautiful eyes, large and bright, whatever the hell that meant.
She did not like makeup and used it sparingly. She was told she had great skin as well.
Not that she spent a lot of time staring at herself in the mirror. She preferred to think of herself as an intelligent woman, one with a brain. She was at the top of her game. She spoke several languages and her English was superb.
Women who depend, no, people who depend solely on their looks are vain and shallow. She wasn't.
But for her first day, she put out more effort than usual.
She wore basic black pants and a matching jacket with a shell-pink shirt underneath.
Her hair was styled in a prim chignon at the nape of her neck.
Diamond earrings were at her lobes, and her perfume was not abrasive, but subtle.
She wore only a smart watch on her wrist and nothing more.
She had jewelry because she had collected it over the years and inherited some very good pieces from her mother.
But she preferred to keep things simple and elegant at the workplace.
"Breakfast first." Queen Sofia, looking elegant herself in a crisp lime green linen suit, gestured her towards the breakfast area. "We're having empanadas and café con leche. A favorite of mine. We will sit and have a decent breakfast, and I will fill you in on what we will be doing today."
That session, the meal, and the light conversation had served to relax her and put her at ease.
Antoinette had a feeling that was what the queen had intended.
She was introduced to so many distinct aspects of the business and she realized to her amazement that the woman ran a business, one with a board of directors and interests all over the world.
There were the vineyards, both in Spain and Italy.
There were also banks and properties all over the world as well as supermarkets and restaurants.
The palace was mostly run on solar energy, something Queen Sofia had introduced as soon as she was in charge of the kingdom. She had set up several children's homes as well as a shelter for abused women.
Antoinette was given a crash course on her very first day.
Absorbing all the information took her mind off her past and the nasty encounters with Prince Tomas.
She was able to lose herself in the intricacies of the kingdom.
She had chosen a sensible and very new-looking Hyundai Tucson to take her around town and was learning to navigate the narrow roads.
Her first trip was to the bank where she was given authority by the queen to make transactions.
She stopped at several pastry shops on her way and did a little tour of the delightful area.
The time flew by so quickly that before she realized it, it was time to stop for the day.
To her surprise, it did not feel like work.
It felt more like she was on vacation and just lending a helping hand.
Her office was half the size of Queen Sofia's and done up in soft blues and grays.
Her desk faced the window which offered a spectacular view of the arbor and the flowers blooming in profusion in the gardens there.
Whenever she looked up, it was to see people busy tending to the gardens or clipping hedges.
The place was a hive of activity that never seemed to stop.
There were two tours daily, one in the morning and another in the afternoon.
As the day drifted by, her admiration for the woman she was working for blossomed.
Queen Sofia did not know what it was to slow down.
She was not one to sit behind her desk and issue commands.
She could be seen outdoors talking to visitors and sometimes taking over from the tour guides.
She was also a strong advocate for women's rights and was invited to speak at several different functions.
She had tea parties, luncheons with friends and business associates.
The woman was a human dynamo, and it took Antoinette, who was always wary about giving her friendship especially after what happened to her recently, a few days to fall in love.
Queen Sofia had to be the most down-to-earth royalty on the planet and very approachable.
Her staff adored her. Antoinette had been there three days when she discovered from several members of staff how kind and compassionate she was.
She had helped to offset the costs of several surgeries and had set up a charity to help the children of her employees achieve their goals of having a career.
For a woman who had gone through hell with a philandering husband, she had come through like pure gold. Antoinette hoped to take a leaf from her book and put her past aside. She was here, in paradise, and the job was a joy. She was going to forget about Prince Tomas and just enjoy her life.
"Pack everything up."
Antoinette looked up from the email she was composing to the shipping company at the authoritative voice.
"Pardon?"
"My dear, it's almost seven on a Friday. If you're trying to impress me, you've already done that. Now, I'm ordering you to pack up." Queen Sofia looked at the neat stacks of folders on the left and shook her head. "Are you always this tidy?"
Antoinette laughed softly and sent the email off. "Only in my work life. My private life is another matter. You said I would come to appreciate having Carmen cater to me and you were right. I think I'm going to ask her to marry me."
Sofia laughed in genuine amusement. "I think the feeling is mutual. She thinks she's your mother."
She clapped her hands together. "Now, put away everything and go out. There's a showing at the art gallery and if memory serves me right, you did say you're a fan of art."
"A die-hard one. I just need to--"
"No." Sofia marched forward, a militant look in her green eyes. "You're officially off the clock. There's a function at the embassy that I'm required to attend, and I need to go and get ready. You're making me late."
"Oh." Saving the documents she had open on her desktop, she put away the files and locked the drawer. "I don't know if I'm in the mood to go out."
Taking her hands, Sofia looked her square in the eyes.
"That was an order. I already instructed Carmen to lay out something appropriate for you to wear and draw you a bath.
" Amusement twinkled in her eyes. "I can hear that brain of yours working.
Where the hell does she get off telling me what to do in my personal time?
" She squeezed Antoinette's hands. "I'm being interfering because I happen to like you a lot. "
The annoyance quickly turned to pleasure at the woman's words. "The feeling is of course mutual. All right, since you twisted my arm."
"Go and have fun."
*****
At first she had balked at the outfit Carmen had laid out for her.
A shimmery silver jacket with navy blue dress pants.
But now, she was happy she had decided to dress up.
The gallery was state of the art and could rival any in upscale Manhattan that she had visited.
The displays were astonishing, not that she expected anything less from a woman like Sofia. The woman thought of everything.
She had caught a glimpse of the place during her frequent runs to various places since she started at the beginning of the week but had never been inside.
Now she was delighted to step into the narrow two-story building with its impressive display.
The section for local artists was strategically arranged so that one could not help but notice it as soon as one stepped inside.
And they were very good. Light watercolors, still life paintings, wonderful and translucent glass sculptures that made her itch to spend some of her hard-earned money.
She spied a painting of the palace and made a beeline for it. It was a good likeness, with the artist capturing the sense and serenity of the place.
"The assistant." The voice came from her left and had her jolting slightly. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to startle you."
She turned to see a dapper looking man wearing a charcoal pinstriped suit and a wide smile on his attractive face. "Luther Grayson at your service."
She took the hand offered and shook briefly. "You're American."
"Guilty." He beamed at her. "And you're Antoinette, the assistant who holds the coveted position at the palace. I'm the manager of this fine establishment."
"The displays are lovely."
"I was wondering when you were going to drop in."
His remark had her lifting tapered brows. "I saw you in the bank."
"I see." She turned back to look at the painting. "A very talented artist. A crippled young man who spends his days painting."
"He is indeed talented. I don't want to take up any more of your time. I'm sure you have people waiting to talk to you."