Chapter 12
This night couldn't end soon enough to suit Jake.
The banquet hall and, later, ball room were filled to capacity with men in tuxedos and women in evening gowns of all colors of the rainbow.
Dinner had been some of Catherine's favorite foods since it was in her honor.
The birthday cake had been traded for a wedding cake once the decisions about the wedding celebrations had been made.
He didn't know where Catherine had gone - probably to fix her gown or resituate her tiara or something of that nature. Surely she would meet him in the ante room where he waited for his turn to enter.
Catherine's father and Madeleine came into the small room.
"The rest of the kids are being taken in another way to be seated at tables near the front.
The littler ones will stay for about half an hour and have cake, watch a couple of the dances, then go to back upstairs.
" Mumeleine sank onto one of the chairs.
"I'm ready for all of these celebrations to be over.
I know Kinsey is too. It's a lot of planning and public pressure and public appearances and all of those things. "
"I'm discovering she's far more introverted than I would have expected." Jake found himself too antsy to sit down.
"Definitely. When we got back to her dressing room, she insisted on going behind the changing screen and just sitting there by herself for a few minutes.
It was probably close to ten before she was ready to get her evening gown on.
" Madeleine's head tilted backward against the chair.
"I don't blame her." She stood and walked to a mirror, fussing with her hair a bit.
Catherine had confided in him that she'd tried to give her stepmother a title and a couple of tiaras to choose from when appropriate occasions came along.
Madeleine had refused.
Technically, she still held titles based on the ones Anthony still had. She was the Duchess of Nordfell, but never used it in any official or unofficial capacity.
Jake understood where both women were coming from.
Catherine wanted to honor the woman who'd come into her life and the lives of the rest of her family at a critical time and made such an impact on all of them.
He felt the same way Madeleine did about the titles.
Catherine had told him he'd be getting a title or two, but he didn't particularly want them either.
He knew it would happen anyway, but didn't feel like it was something he deserved simply because he'd married the queen.
The door to one of the inconspicuous corridors opened, allowing Catherine to enter. Jake moved to her side, worried about her. She looked tired and worn out.
He needed to make sure they were able to get out of the city for a few days once the coronation was over in a week.
"Are you ready?" her father asked her, his voice gentle as he likely noticed the same things Jake did.
Catherine nodded. "The sooner we get started..."
Jake knew the end of the statement, but wasn't certain it held true in this situation. The ball wouldn't end until it ended, regardless of what time they walked in.
Madeleine took the arm of Anthony and together they exited the ante room. Jake offered his arm to Catherine who slipped her gloved hand into the crook of his elbow. He covered it with his free hand.
"As soon as we can, we'll get you out of here so you can get some rest," he promised.
She shook her head. "It won't do any good. Not until all of this is over. There's too much going on for the next week to get any real rest."
The minute he had a chance, he'd text Byron and tell him to make sure a getaway happened as soon as possible once the coronation was over.
A woman Jake recognized, but couldn't quite name, opened the door and motioned to them. She held it open as she told them it was time for them to make their entrance.
With his hand still covering Catherine’s, they left the ante room and headed for the ball room a few steps down the corridor. Two men dressed in the old-fashioned uniforms of footmen, held open the doors for them to enter.
A loud, booming voice came from someone Jake couldn't see. "Her Majesty Queen Catherine and His Royal Highness Jacob, the Prince Consort.”
There were tables scattered around the outside edges of the ballroom as well as on the mezzanine above. Everyone stood as the sounds of polite applause came from all sides.
Jake had been told where they would be seated, but found himself a bit flustered and turned around now that he was in the moment. "Where do we go?" he whispered as quietly as he could without moving his lips enough for anyone to read them.
"We make a circuit then dance." As he looked down at her, he could tell Catherine's smile didn't dim even slightly as she spoke. He wondered if anyone outside of her family would know it wasn't her real smile.
Since when did he know what her real smile looked like?
They worked their way slowly around the outskirts of the dance floor, not stopping to talk to anyone, but able to exchange brief pleasantries with most. When they'd made 3/4 of a circuit, they only had the "front" still to complete.
Jake didn't know if that was the actual name, but it had a small stage so maybe?
Instead of continuing, Catherine used light pressure on his arm to turn him toward the dance floor.
When they reached the exact center of the starburst set into the wood, they stopped and turned to look at each other.
Jake bowed from the waist. Catherine acknowledged him with a tilt of her head.
And then she was in his arms as a waltz began.
They'd never danced together. Jake wondered why they hadn't practiced so they didn’t make fools of themselves out here. Rather that he didn't make a fool of her with his occasional two left feet.
It took more focus than he would have liked, but he managed to keep it together long enough to get through the first dance.
"When we're done, we go to the dais at the other end," she whispered, looking adoringly at him.
"Good to know." Jake could imagine a similar look on his face.
At least he knew one of them really meant it.
The last notes died out, and he took a step back to bow again then offered her his arm.
He held her hand as she held her skirt to climb the five steps to the dais.
Fortunately, he could easily tell which of the two empty chairs belonged to Catherine.
He could feel the relief flow through her as she took her seat. It was the same kind of relief he felt.
The rest of the ball lasted entirely too long for his taste - and he knew Catherine thought the same thing.
Jake danced with more than a dozen women he'd never met before - and likely wouldn't remember - except the one who reminded him at least six times that she was married to the Prime Minister.
Too many hours later, he and Catherine were the first ones able to leave, and for that he was grateful.
Catherine led him out a back way and through corridors much narrower than the main ones. Eventually, he recognized where they were. They stopped at the room that had been turned into Catherine's dressing room for the day so she could change out of her evening gown before going to the cottage.
Jake didn't feel the need to do the same, but a tuxedo was much more similar to his daily wear than Catherine's dress was for her.
"Sir?"
He turned to see Byron walking into the area outside of her dressing room.
"I was going to text you or send you an email for you to see in the morning," Jake told him before his assistant could say anything else.
"As soon as the coronation is over, I want to get Catherine out of here.
Go to the house at Novilacu or some other place where she can truly rest."
Byron tipped his head toward Jake. "Agreed. I'll check with her senior aide and find out if there's anything already in the works."
"Thank you."
"First, you might want to check your pockets." Byron raised an eyebrow. "Or do you already know how many phone numbers you were slipped?"
"Phone numbers?" Jake didn't understand until he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a business card.
Even before he fully comprehended what the words on it said, it repulsed him enough to shove it at Byron.
He pulled several more out then checked the pockets of his pants, finding a couple more. "What's that all about?"
"As a member of the royal family, women are likely to come on to you.
They're not so crass as to do it in public, especially in front of your wife or the rest of Eastern Novigradian high society.
However, they most definitely will slip notes in your pockets while dancing or conversing or even just brushing past you in a crowd.
" Byron shook his head. "I don't know why any of them think it will work.
To my knowledge, it never has in Eastern Novigradia.
When you find them, give them to me or a member of your security team, and we'll take care of it. "
Jake checked his pockets again, just to be on the safe side. "Take care of it how?"
"Find out who they're from. If possible, they'll never be invited to a function at the palace or where you're going to be. If that's not possible because of who they are..."
"Like the wife of the Prime Minister?" He had a feeling the one he'd seen was from her.
"Exactly. They will have a much closer watch kept on them while they're here or when they're around you."
The glint of light off of his new wedding band caught Jake’s eye. He was married. Why did that suddenly mean he was more appealing?
He just didn't get it.
This all felt ridiculous to Catherine. She changed out of her evening gown and into a pair of slacks and blouse to go under her coat while she walked through the garden with Jacob to the cottage. Why couldn't she just change into something comfortable, even if it wasn't her pyjamas?