Chapter 15 #2
Jake gave a single nod. “I think I can be ready now. As ready as I’ll ever be anyway. Will I ever get used to these things?”
In the mirror, he could see Byron smirk. “Not according to Prince Anthony. He claims he’s still not used to it and never will be.”
“Great,” Jake muttered as he turned away, satisfied it was as good as he could get it on his own. Someone else would look him over before they entered the dining hall.
He also doubted he’d ever get used to staff members sort of scurrying out of the way as they bowed or curtsied his general direction as he walked through the same corridors consorts - usually queen consorts - had walked for centuries.
He should ask Anthony about that, too. Catherine had confided that she still wasn’t used to it and it had been part of her life to some extent or another since she was born.
No one was being announced at this dinner, which was part of the reason Jake didn’t understand the formal wear. The next night would be even worse. He’d have to make sure he wasn’t tugging at his bow tie or sash all night.
Thankfully, when he entered, he knew several of those already present.
A minute later, Catherine entered the room. With that unspoken cue, everyone started for the tables.
But not Jake.
Instead, he couldn’t take his eyes off his wife.
She didn’t wear a tiara, but the evening gown fit her perfectly and her hair had been piled on her head in a mass of curls, with a few hanging down around her face.
Mentally shaking himself, Jake followed the crowd toward the U-shaped tables.
The only seating could be found along the outside so everyone could at least sort of face each other.
No conversations could be held across the open space, not without yelling, but being able to see each other had to serve some purpose.
He seemed to be the only one who didn’t know where his designated seat was. Everyone else moved with a sense of certainty and purpose Jake didn’t share.
“You’re with me, mate.” One of the princes from Northern Santiero clapped him on the shoulder.
At least he now knew where he was going to sit, even if he had no idea what the other man’s name might be. He knew a few members of the family from Southern Santiero, but not their neighbor. As far as he could tell, King Frederick was the only family member present.
As Catherine took her seat, everyone else began to as well. Jake found himself at the far end of the table, nearly as far away from his wife and her family as he could be.
At least he wouldn’t have to converse with someone across the table from him. Really, he only needed to concern himself with the persons on either side of him. Both of the princes introduced themselves, but Jake feared he’d never remember their names.
For the entirety of the meal, he answered questions and even asked a few of his own, but he had no idea what kind of impression he was making.
As the entrees were taken away, an announcement was made that they would now move to the Amethyst Room where dessert would be served after they’d had a chance to mingle.
Dessert would be Jake’s moment. He’d sneak out to find Elise then bring her in to surprise Catherine and the rest of them with a meet and greet, and possibly a private concert.
Fortunately, Issy found him almost immediately, putting him much more at ease.
They’d spent a fair bit of time together in the archives, though Jake suspected his time in there would be diminished greatly before long.
A waiter, dressed nearly as formally as the rest of them, walked by with a glass of champagne for each of them.
He didn’t normally indulge, but didn't feel like he could turn it down either.
Issy clearly had the royalty thing down. She might not like being "on" any more than her sister, but they both excelled at it.
As they worked their way through the room, Issy skillfully made certain to mention the name and country for each of the dignitaries they spoke with. Somehow, she managed to slip in that each representative wore the color of their respective country.
Jake nearly did a double take when he realized those from Eastern Novigradia wore amethyst in one form or another, including himself. It shouldn't have surprised him given that it was their national gemstone.
Byron caught Jake's eye and gave a nearly imperceptible tip of his head toward the door.
Jake excused himself, set his glass on a table near the door, and slipped out.
"Ms. Stephens?" The blond woman was shorter than he would have expected, but dressed as elegantly as any of the other guests in the room he’d just left.
The actress turned away from the painting she'd been studying. "Good evening, Your Royal Highness." She dipped into a curtsy.
Jake gave a quick nod of acknowledgment then held out his hand to shake hers.
"Can you give me some more information about what exactly I'll be doing this evening, sir?"
"Of course. My wife is a big fan of your SPACE show and the Not-a-Christmas Carol musical. If you could chat with her for a bit and work the room afterward, that would be great. Maybe sing a couple of songs?"
A look of incredulity crossed her face. "Queen Catherine is a fan of mine? She watched Students of the Planetary Academy for Cultural Exchange? Really?”
It surprised Jake that Elise was so shocked by that fact. She was a bona fide teen-turned-grown-up television and movie star. Why would it surprise her that the queen of her home country was a fan?
“I’m pretty sure she still does when she thinks no one’s watching.” The appearance of the teen show on the “continue watching” carousel indicated she did, anyway.
Suddenly, Jake turned to Byron and spoke quietly. "Would you find a way to have Catherine meet us in..." He tried to think of a space that would be good for the meeting to happen without an audience, even the relatively small group in the Amethyst Reception Room.
"I can have the queen meet you in the room to your left," Byron suggested.
"Thank you." Jake turned back to Elise and held a hand toward the door. "We'll wait in here for a few minutes."
The look on Elise's face reminded him of the look that had to have been on his own face for the first couple of months he lived in the palace. The kind of slack-jawed, wide-eyed awe that so many others did as well.
"What...?" Elise looked around, unsure where they were and why.
Jake didn't know what room they were in, but he did know why. "It occurred to me that Catherine might prefer to meet you privately first rather than in a group. We'll go into the gathering in a few minutes."
Elise nodded but turned in a circle, trying to take it all in.
The door whispered open. "Jacob..." Catherine stopped when she saw Elise, but it wasn't until Elise finished turning around and Catherine recognized who was there that confusion covered her face and her jaw dropped.
"Catherine, this is Elise Stephens. Elise, Her Majesty Catherine of Eastern Novigradia."
Blinking, Catherine snapped her mouth closed but continued to look confused. "What are you doing here?"
It took everything in Catherine to keep her jaw from dropping when she realized her favorite television and movie star was in her home.
“Good evening, Your Majesty.” Elise Stephens dipped into a curtsy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Catherine gave herself a mental shake and held out a hand. “It’ s a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Stephens. I do apologize for being so rude a moment ago, but I am curious as to why you’re here.” She glanced at her husband, who must know something.
“The prince knew I was going to be in town and invited me to visit with you and your guests for a while this evening.” Elise curtsied again. Some people seemed to curtsy at every drop of the hat.
“How wonderful.” Catherine rarely found herself at a loss for words but she didn’t know how to start a conversation with a bond fide celebrity brought in just for her.
Elise seemed to come back to herself. It was something Catherine had seen fairly often. Someone got a bit flustered in her presence then suddenly snapped out of it and acted more like their normal self.
Somehow, Elise managed to encourage Catherine to a set of chairs nearby and they both took a seat. With a skill borne of years of experience, Elise put Catherine at ease as they chatted about SPACE and her upcoming movie based on the reimagined Christmas Carol made popular as a Broadway musical.
"Where are you filming?" Catherine knew she'd read it, but couldn't remember.
"Southern Santiero," Elise told her. "I'll be going straight there when I leave in a couple of days. We'll film there for a couple of months."
"I'm excited to see it. I love musicals." Catherine tried to control her gushing. "That's one reason I loved the SPACE movies so much. I liked the show too, but the movies were musicals. Wicked is my current favorite adaptation, but I think yours will join it in a regular rotation."
Elise laughed. "I'm glad to hear that."
After a couple more minutes, the door opened, and Jacob whispered with someone on the other side, probably Byron.
"I think that's our cue," Catherine told Elise, standing up. "There are a few family members and friends in the other room. I'm sure they'd enjoy a visit with you."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Jacob and Elise fell into step on either side of her and a half-step behind as they navigated the corridor the short distance to the Amethyst Room.
Inside the Amethyst Room, Jacob went to the front and called for attention. He introduced Elise as a local actress who'd made it big. He encouraged everyone to continue to mingle and snack. Dessert would be served in a little while.
Catherine and Elise were quickly surrounded by those about the same age as they were. They would have been part of the target audience for SPACE and likely watched at least a few episodes here and there, even if they hadn't watched the whole series.
It was easy for Catherine to hang back, just a little bit, and let Elise take the lead in the interactions with those gathered around.
For her, just listening to Elise regale the group with stories was more than enough in a larger group.
She sipped the champagne someone handed her, but didn't eat much of the snacks being circulated through the room.
The group around Elise ebbed and flowed. A few people wandered off and others wandered in. After about forty-five minutes, dessert was announced.
For this part of the gathering there was no assigned seating like there had been during the meal itself.
Catherine found herself sitting with her two youngest siblings that were still a part of the gathering - the half-siblings had already gone to the apartment.
Jacob was elsewhere. Two of the chairs at their circular table were empty, something that would be odd at any other gathering she attended.
Her other siblings conversed about gatherings Catherine hadn't been part of or wouldn't attend. She didn't have much to contribute to the conversation.
At times like this, it amazed Catherine how alone she could feel in a crowd, even among her own family.
She ate dessert slowly, knowing it wouldn't matter when she finished, not with this group.
In a formal gathering, she always started and stopped the meal.
Catherine was very aware of that and took her time, ensuring no one found themselves rushed.
Once the dessert had been consumed, the guests began to filter out toward their own lodgings. Most were staying in the palace, but not all. Her siblings and parents all said their good nights as they started for the main doors to the room.
Catherine slipped out a side door and made her way to the cottage.
Being in the spotlight made her uncomfortable.
Jacob knew that and wouldn’t be surprised she left without him.
It was a part of her life she'd come to accept the best she could, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
It didn't take her long to change into something much more comfortable.
She probably should have gone back to her dressing room in the palace to get her hair taken down and face washed, but Catherine had decided she didn't want to talk to anyone or run the risk of seeing anyone when she had wet hair and a freshly scrubbed face.
After taking all of the pins out of her updo, a brush managed to get her hair into a fairly neat ponytail with a minimum of tangles remaining. She cleaned the make-up off of her face but didn't do the rest of the night time regimen her stylist normally insisted on.
"Catherine?" The front door to the cottage opened as Jacob called out.
"In here," she replied, raising her voice enough to be heard from inside her closet. "I'll be right out." Once her satin ballet flat slippers were on the right feet, Catherine headed for the front room. She stopped when she saw Jacob.
Talking to Elise.
"I do hope you don't mind the intrusion, Your Majesty.
" Elise immediately slipped into a comforting tone.
Catherine recognized it as one used to set people at ease, but could often be patronizing.
Like earlier, Elise was able to do only what was intended without descending into a slightly different tone that typically grated on Catherine's nerves.
Catherine wasn't sure how she felt, but said the right thing, as was expected of her. "Not at all." She motioned to their living room. "Please have a seat."
Elise sent a mock glare toward Jacob. "Move on, Mister. It's time for girl talk."
He chuckled and kissed Catherine on the cheek before heading for the back part of the cottage. "Have a nice chat."
"We will," Elise assured him. As soon as he was gone, Elise turned to Catherine. "He's cute and seems so genuinely nice. You're lucky!"
Catherine gave the other woman a tentative smile. "I prefer blessed, but yes. Jacob is wonderful." And even now would be falling asleep in their shared bed, something that continued when they returned from Novilacu Lake.
For the next hour, Elise guided the conversation through a wide variety of topics. As it went on, Catherine felt herself relaxing into it, even enjoying a few moments of genuine laughter.
As the hour grew exceedingly late, Catherine laughed even more and reflected on what a gift this was.
Genuine conversation with someone who was after a relationship with Catherine rather than a relationship the queen seldom happened.
As Catherine settled in next to her husband, she realized he knew her in a way few people, if any, ever had. Blessed was definitely the right word. In the morning, she'd have to tell him how grateful she was to be truly seen.
Sleep over took her as Catherine realized something…
She’d fallen for the man she married.