Chapter 6 #2
“Thank God,” she says. “That would muck up all the good that’s about to come about. Could you imagine? The world would be shocked if you had the king’s baby out of wedlock. Actually, it would be the last thing you’d do because it’s treason to mess with the hereditary line.”
“Really?” I gasp.
“Yes,” she explains. “You could be put to death for tampering with the future of the crown. Rhys loves you but even he couldn’t save you from that.”
“Oh my God.”
“Not even him,” she adds.
The flash of a camera snaps me out of my internal battle. Dahlia winks at me letting me know we’ll talk later, but now it’s time to put on a show. “So, how many seamen do you think are in this contraption?”
I bark out a laugh. “Ohmigod. Don’t say ‘seamen’ again.”
“It was an honest question,” she replies with wide, faux innocent eyes, making my smile all the more real as we pull through the gates of the naval harbor.
“Who are we meeting again?” I ask. It’s not actually my event so I don’t have many details. I’m just here to smile and show everyone I didn’t really run away while supporting Dahlia in her patronage. And of course, support the king and crown.
“Some stuffy, old admiral,” she says. “He’s rude and uptight and absolutely hates that I’m the Captain of the Royal Navy.”
“Well then,” I say as the car pulls to a stop. “Let’s go kill him with kindness.”
“I wish I were you,” she says.
I look at her before the door pulls open. “Well that makes one of us.”
Leo and Gabe are there on either side of the town car, each holding out a hand to us so that we can exit like ladies. I place my palm in Leo’s and alight.
“Thank you,” I whisper, already turning away from him. It’s my duty to be seen today and his not to. He’s here to make sure anyone who wants me harmed doesn’t get the chance.
A man about my age in a formal uniform with ropes around his arm and medals spread wide on his chest steps before us. He bows his head slightly before greeting us. “Good morning your highness,” he says to Dahlia before tipping his head forward quickly and reaching out a hand to shake mine.
I smile at him and take his hand. I can appreciate his effort, we’re all in uncharted territory here. “Good morning,” I reply.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” he says. “I’m Lieutenant Adam Davies, Equerry to Vice Admiral Conner Andrews. I’ll be escorting you today.”
“Lovely to meet you,” Dahlia says, turning on the charm and making the lieutenant blush.
“In a moment, we’ll walk through the building and out into the public area where you will be greeted by the public.
After that we will have a photo op with the Vice Admiral who will give a speech welcoming you to the harbor this morning.
Then the princess will swing the bottle to christen the ship. ”
“Brilliant,” she smiles at him. “You have it all worked out perfectly.”
“Yes, your highness.”
“Well, shall we then?”
He turns to the doors to signal that we’re ready to walk through. Dahlia reaches over and squeezes my hand quickly in a show of comfort and I smile back at her before we turn and follow the equerry through the doors.
Both sides of the walkway are lined with people of all ages who have been waiting for who knows how long in the cold wind just for the chance to meet Dahlia or even me. I’m blown away by the idea that they waited for me. It’s a feeling I won’t forget for a long time.
Dahlia moves to the left side, and I move to the right. A young girl in a pretty dress under her coat steps forward with a bouquet in her extended hands and I crouch down to greet her.
“Hello,” I say, looking into her beautiful blue eyes. “What’s your name?”
“Maggie.”
“Maggie is a lovely name,” I tell her. “I’m Stella.”
“I know,” she says shyly. “Mummy says you’re going to be a queen.”
“Does that sound fun to you?” I ask her.
“Oh, yes,” she says. “I’d love to wear a crown every day.”
“Well, I think you’d make a fantastic queen,” I tell her. “You can be anything you want to be.”
“I want to be you,” she says.
“Well then, you better be very good for your mummy and read lots of books and learn to be kind to all people and animals,” I tell her.
“I can do that!” she says excitedly. “I love my dog, Rufus.”
“I bet you do. I’d love to have a dog very much. I have a funny orange cat that loves to nap as much as he loves to play.”
“I don’t like to nap very much,” she says worriedly.
“Good thing you’re not a cat then,” I tell her with a laugh.
“Don’t forget your flowers, Maggie,” a woman I suspect is her mother says from beside her.
“Oh, I forgot.”
“I figured,” her mother says with a laugh as she holds the bouquet out to me.
“These are for you,” she says.
“For me?” I ask. “Why thank you. They’re so beautiful.”
“Thank you so much for your time,” her mother says to me as I stand to greet her.
“Thank you so much for coming to see us today,” I tell her. “Did you have to wait long?”
“Not too long,” she says. I touch her hand with mine before moving on to wave to her daughter.
I shake hands and talk to people as I make my way down the line. Everyone is so kind. I stop to shake hands with a young couple, the husband holding a small toddler on his hip, a tattered orange stuffed kitten toy clutched to her chest.
“Hello there,” I say softly to the child. “Who do we have here?”
“This is my kitty, Tigger.”
“Well Tigger is adorable,” I tell her. “You must love him very much.”
She nods.
“I have a kitten too,” I tell her. “He’s orange just like this guy.”
“Really?” she asks with wide eyes. “So is my real kitty.”
“Oh yes,” I laugh. “He’s loads of trouble.”
“My real kitty at home is too,” she says conspiratorially.
“The best ones are, sweetheart.”
I make my way down the line while keeping an eye on Dahlia and pacing myself to her so that we end at the gangplank at the same time.
She looks over her shoulder at me and we share a smile.
So far, it’s been a good day. We’ve been well received by the people of this village and that’s a big boon, one that I’m thankful for.
The worst thing that I can imagine would be being stuck in this life, in a country that is not my own, and having her people despise me.
When I look up, Lieutenant Davies is smiling at us as if we’ve done everything he told us to and more. Vice Admiral Andrews, however, is scowling, not at me, but at Dahlia. I smile my brightest, most charming smile at the pair but it’s no use.
I edge my way closer to Dahlia and we meet at the base of the stairs. Keeping my mouth as still as possible, I whisper to her, “Please tell me you didn’t shag him?”
“Who? Davies?” she asks. “Not yet anyway.”
“No,” I whisper shout. “The vice admiral.”
“Ew, gross,” she whispers back. “He’s as old as Rhys and my mother… if not older. Why?”
“He’s scowling at you.”
“Oh well, that’s easy,” she says as if there’s not a care in the world.
But there’s a slight sharpness to her tone of voice that suggests there is so much more there, and that sets me on edge.
Whatever she’s about to say is going to make me angry.
“He thinks I’m frivolous and stupid, spoiled and undeserving of this patronage. ”
“Surely not,” I reply. “It can’t be that bad.”
“Oh, it is.” She sighs.
“But how do you know?”
“Because he’s told me to my face,” she says. “More than once. Now let’s get on with it.”
She takes the last steps to meet Davies and Andrews, leaving me in her wake, and I take a stutter step to catch up to her. She shakes hands with the vice admiral, and I watch closely as he clenches his jaw when she places her hand in his.
She quickly steps aside, and he holds out his hand to shake mine. I place my hand in his and he says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Reyes.”
“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” I reply, not letting him see that I’ve already decided he’s a jackass.
“I knew your parents a long time ago,” he adds, his innocuous words stealing the breath from my lungs. “Your father was a good friend of mine.”
I just silently nod my head because I have no idea what to say.
So many thoughts are swirling through my brain.
Does he mean the dad I remember reading me stories before bed or carrying me on his shoulders?
Or does he mean some long dead prince I never knew?
I still don’t have the full story but if the dossier the queen slipped me is to be believed, my father was a spare who was beloved by his people but also belonged to a controversial group of politicos.
The vice admiral moves to the side and Dahlia is handed a bottle of champagne connected to a string. She pauses, smiling as she poses for the cameras before she looks over her shoulder and winks at me.
“Come on, love,” she says, mischief twinkling in her eyes. “It’s not every day you get to christen a naval ship as glorious as this one in the name of king and country.”
“This is true,” I reply with a smile for my friend.
“So come over here and help me christen this ship!”
I roll my eyes at her indulgence and make my way over to where she’s standing on the edge of the pier. I put my hand next to hers on the bottle and ask, “On three?”
“On three,” she agrees.”
“One…” I whisper.
“Two,” she winks.
“Three,” we say together and swing the bottle back before letting it sail into the stern, where it smashes, raining bubbles down the side of fresh gray paint.
“For king and country!” she shouts.
“For king and country!” we all repeat together.
Afterward, we take a tour of the ship and meet the bulk of the men and women who are responsible for it.
Overall, it’s a good day even if the vice admiral keeps scowling at Dahlia.
Things move along fairly well until the lieutenant asks if Dahlia’s seeing anyone.
I’m not sure who’s going to lose their shit first: Gabe or the vice admiral.
Both look incredibly pissed. What an interesting turn of events.
I want to lean over and tell Gabe that Dahlia can’t stand the vice admiral so there’s no reason to worry about him as competition, but I’m trying to be on my best behavior and that means we can’t be buddies in public.
The last thing Rhys needs hanging over his coronation is me in the center of a scandal. If anything, I’m trying to keep my head down and out of the picture completely, my thoughts and feelings are so complex and all over the place.