Chapter 2
Catherine couldn't believe her eyes. Standing a couple of feet inside the door stood the man she'd met earlier.
The one who'd had no idea who she was.
"Do you two know each other?" Mumeleine asked.
"We met," Catherine said quietly, then stood straight, her public persona going on like a cloak. She took a few steps until she was close enough to him to hold out a hand. "I’m Kinsey around here."
Mumeleine gave her a look. Only her family used that nickname, derived as it was from her mum’s pet name for her - Catherine had become KatieKins before it turned into Kins and then her siblings turned it into Kinsey.
It had never been made public.
"Jacob," he replied as he took her hand, sending a wave of electricity right up her arm. "Jake to my friends."
She inclined her head slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, officially."
A muted snicker of laughter from Mumeleine made Catherine look that direction. Mum covered her mouth and looked the other way.
"What's that about?" Jacob whispered, leaning in a little closer.
"I'm not sure," she whispered back.
"When did you say you met?" Her papa walked into the room, wiping his hands on a towel then flipping it over his shoulder.
"Earlier this afternoon," Jake answered for both of them. "Kinsey helped me find the archives when I got turned around."
Her father gave her the same look Mumeleine had. "Actually, you met a long time ago." Her father walked closer and reached out a hand. "Anthony. You actually met as children, though it doesn't surprise me you don't remember. You were both quite young at the time, maybe seven or eight."
Catherine shook her head. "I have no recollection of that, but I met a lot of people when I was young and, in the last fifteen years, I’ve met more than many people might meet in a lifetime.
" So much for following in her mother's footsteps and remembering literally everyone she came into contact with ever.
"Why the last fifteen years?" Jacob looked at her curiously.
"That's when Mum passed." She spoke quite matter-of-factly. "Once I grew up and started taking on more responsibilities, I met a lot of people, and I still meet new people all the time. I do my best to remember them, but it's a challenge."
"I see." It didn’t sound like he did.
Had it still not registered who she was?
Before their conversation could go on, her father spoke again. "Dinner's ready. We'll introduce everyone before we eat."
Catherine followed her father and a couple of her siblings with Jacob right behind her and the rest of the family behind them.
Where would he sit? She always sat opposite her father and had since the first time Mumeleine came to dinner.
She had no doubt it was her father's way of slowly moving her into position as monarch.
Mumeleine solved the problem by pointing Jake to a seat next to Catherine before there was a chance for any awkwardness.
Once everyone was seated, her father said a short prayer then took up the introductions.
"Jake, you've met… Kinsey, obviously.” Hopefully, Jake didn’t notice his slight hesitation.
“On her other side, across from you is, Louisa or Issy then Jason, Natanial, and Victoria.
You've met my wife, of course." He moved to the other side of the table.
"Patrick, then Lucas, Nessa, and Evelyn is next to you. "
"Is there going to be a test over this later?" he asked with a grimace. "Or could you wear name tags or something for me?"
"You'll be fine," Madeleine told him with a laugh. "Especially if you end up coming to work for us, you'll get to know all of them in no time."
"Working for us?" Catherine tried to keep her voice nonchalant, but doubted she managed to succeed.
"Jake's father was Royal Historian before me," her mum explained. "He's following in his father's footsteps."
"You are?!" Issy leaned forward. "Mum lets me work with her sometimes. She's even asked me to help catalog some things. Nothing too important, but I get to help. Can you tell me about the things you've done?"
How would he react to the teenager's enthusiasm? It would tell her a lot about him, even if he was going to be on his best behavior at the moment.
"I would be happy to. Perhaps after dinner I can tell a story or two, and you can tell me about the things you're cataloging." He gave her sister the same smile he'd given Catherine earlier.
Did he give that smile to everyone? Why had she thought it might mean she was special in some way?
"I would love that." She leaned forward slightly and looked down the table. "Can we go down to the archives, Mum?"
Mumeleine responded with a very non-committal, "We'll see."
As usual, dinner was filled with lively conversations, though Catherine didn't take part as much as she usually did. Instead, she paid close attention to how Jacob treated her siblings. Issy, though still a teenager, considered herself an adult. Catherine’s half-siblings ranged in age from ten down to three with fraternal twins in the middle.Jacob was very patient with her youngest sister, helping her with her food a little bit when she asked, though Catherine knew Evelyn didn't really need it.
By the time the meal was over, Jake was chatting with everyone at the table like he'd known them his entire life.
Except for her.
It had been her choice to stay out of the conversations, but it still stung a little bit for reasons Catherine couldn't quite explain.
The younger kids all headed for the bedroom wing of the apartment.
They'd be taking showers and getting ready for bed, but the older siblings had all moved out of the apartment already.
They each had their own, smaller, quarters on the same floor of the palace.
Issy moved out younger than the rest of them who'd waited until twenty-one, but at nineteen she'd declared herself old enough, especially since she was just going across the hall and down a bit.
Their father hadn't been overly happy about it, but knew she had a good point and didn't really quite fit in as a resident of this apartment any longer, not with the next oldest child being over six years younger.
Catherine sat in her favorite chair and continued to observe as Jake interacted with the older group.
She didn’t fit in the apartment either, but she wouldn't move out.
This was the Monarch's Quarters, after all. Papa and Mumeleine had moved out of the Monarch’s Suite not long after they married and tried to give it to her a number of times, but she continued to refuse. It would be time soon enough.
When that time would come was anyone's guess.
Maybe when she got married? But that wasn't on the horizon any time soon.
She kind of understood why many of the ancient queens didn't marry - like Queen Elizabeth I, at least outside of a Doctor Who episode.
How exactly did a queen go on a date? Or start a relationship with someone?
How would a boyfriend get his hands on a family heirloom to propose with if she controlled all of them?
They would have worried about their husbands taking over the realms, but Catherine wouldn't have that problem, so she was one up on them in that regard.
"Let's go, Kins." Issy held her hand out. "Come down to the archives with us. You can get us in while Mum finishes with the youngers."
Catherine let herself be pulled to her feet.
Jake and Issy talked the whole way down about this artifact or that document.
When they arrived at the double doors, she opened a hidden panel, entered her code and used her palm to open the doors.
She entered the code for the doors to lock behind them.
They'd be able to get out, but no one could get in without authorization.
Catherine found the history of their country intriguing, but these two and Mum were on a whole different level.
Time to see what they wanted to look at - and hope she found it interesting, too.
Where was the queen?
When he'd arrived at the palace Jake hadn't expected to have dinner with the First Family, as it were, much less have a chance to explore the archives like this.
He certainly hadn’t thought he’d actually meet the queen, but it did seem odd she hadn’t been at the family dinner.
Issy, as the youngest full sibling told him to call her, was giving him a much more in-depth tour than Madeleine had earlier in the day.
They spent a fair bit of time looking at the portraits in the main gallery with Issy telling him stories about the ancient kings and a queen or two.
Kinsey jumped in to clarify or add additional color to the stories from time to time, but for the most part she let Issy take the lead.
Did she not know as much or did she just hang back because it was Issy's thing?
When they reached the last queen, Issy stared at the portrait for a long moment before saying anything.
Kinsey remained a bit further back than she had the previous ones.
"That's Mum," Issy said, her voice softer than it had been previously.
"She was queen for six-and-a-half years before.
.." Her breath caught in her throat. "I don't remember much of it.
I was only four. I do know it was a surprise to everyone, that she'd only been sick for a few days.
" She seemed to shake herself out of it.
"I remember the first time Madeleine came over.
She read me a book. I have very vague recollections of their wedding.
I remember being sad, and I remember being happy to have someone else to read me books, but that's about all I remember. "
"She was kind." Kinsey's wistful voice made him turn. "She was kind and compassionate and the people loved her."