Chapter 21 #2
“Not completely. She blames Kat too. But since Kat is her granddaughter, it’s probably easier to blame you.”
“Of course.” Was there any point in trying to set the queen straight? Or would her mind be made up?
“I think if she meets you, it will help,” he said, almost as if reading her thoughts. “She really does care about the children. And Kat did a brilliant job of laying out the situation. Well, until the queen grew irritated. Then it turned into an argument. And that never goes well.”
“Hard to win an argument against the ruler of the kingdom?”
“You’ve got that right.”
“Off with your head?” she said quietly on the last step.
He chuckled. “Something like that.”
“Any tips for how to talk to her? Should I bow or curtsy?”
“A respectful tipping of your head wouldn’t do any harm.” He took her arm, leading her down a hallway. “It’s right up here.”
“And how do I address her? Your Majesty? Your Highness?”
“Queen Katerina should be acceptable. Said respectfully, of course. Servants and subjects use the more proper address—which is Your Majesty for the queen and Your Highness for the children—but you’re not exactly either.”
“Right.” And not likely to become one, she thought as Spencer stopped by a set of tall double doors with ornate brass hardware.
He knocked three times, and one door was opened by a man in a dark suit who nodded somberly and waved them into a large foyer as he spoke into a device.
She couldn’t understand him, but she assumed he was announcing them.
He turned to Spencer, pointing to the chairs with more foreign words.
“He wants us to sit and wait. The queen is occupied.”
Meredith sat nervously on the edge of a firm chair. “I feel like I’m in the principal’s office,” she whispered.
“What?”
“You know, the headmaster’s, when you get in trouble in primary school. They’d make you wait so it felt more serious.”
He chuckled. “Did you get in trouble much?”
“Enough to know I didn’t like it.” She looked at the guard who didn’t appear to speak English. “It seems there wasn’t as much hurry as Kat thought.”
“I’d rather be waiting for the queen than the other way around.”
“Right.” She glanced around the room. “No magazines or reading material, like at the dentist’s office?”
“Maybe I’ll suggest that.” He patted her hand. “Don’t be too nervous. This won’t be as painful as a dental appointment.”
She laughed. “But seriously, do you have any advice?”
“Just be yourself. The queen respects intelligence and strength. And you have both.”
She blinked. “Well, thank you.”
“But don’t unpack your bags.”
“Right.” She looked up as the doors to the next room opened, and a female voice spoke.
“Her assistant, Miss Stepanovic, is inviting us to come in now.” He stood and took her hand. “Try to relax and exude confidence.”
Exude confidence? She felt like running to the ladies’ room and throwing up.
But if Spencer thought she was intelligent and strong, the least she could do was pretend.
As she walked into a rather regal room filled with heavy wood antiques and walls full of stories, she squared her shoulders and remembered her dad’s words.
“You are a princess, Meri, the daughter of the King of Kings.”
Behind a large ornately carved desk sat a stern woman with short dark hair streaked elegantly with gray. She wore dark-rimmed glasses and a charcoal gray sweater set, probably cashmere, and a single strand of pearls.
“Your Majesty,” Meredith said almost without thinking, bowing her head with the respect this woman seemed to demand.
“Miss Cardwell,” the queen said in a flat unimpressed tone, pointing to the pair of leather chairs across from her. “Be seated, please.”
Meredith sat and Spencer greeted the queen then took the chair beside her. “Miss Cardwell is eager to answer your questions, Queen Katerina.”
The queen cleared her throat. “Can you explain, Miss Cardwell, why my granddaughter, Princess Katerina, is convinced that you are the only choice for her governess?”
“The princess and I have become friends, Your Majesty, and I believe she was in need of a friend. Beyond that, she feels she is too old for a nanny.”
The queen looked slightly taken aback by Meredith’s frankness. “She has told me as much. But I have already engaged Mrs. Bosko for the children.”
“I’m aware of that. Princess Katerina suggested that you might engage both a governess and a nanny. As you must know, Mishka—excuse me, Prince George—needs more care and supervision, but the princess…perhaps not as much.”
She narrowed her eyes and leaned back. “So then, tell me, why would we need you as well as Mrs. Bosko?”
“As I mentioned, Your Majesty, the princess needed a friend, a confidante. She has been without a mother’s care for five years, and although she loves and respects you, you must realize that with all your responsibilities to the kingdom, you can’t give her the kind of time and attention she may require while growing up. ”
“I have spent considerable time educating my granddaughter on the responsibilities of royalty and preparing her for her future role as queen of Rotslavia.”
“I’m aware of that, Your Majesty, and I think you’ve done an admirable job of it.
Princess Katerina seems well on her way to being a ruler, but in my opinion, she must first become her own person—and grow up.
And that’s not always easy for an adolescent girl.
” She locked eyes with the queen, noticing they were dark like Mishka’s.
“Please understand, it’s not that I think I’m the only one who can help Princess Katerina along this path.
It’s more that she and I have formed something of a kinship, and I really do care about her. ”
The queen cocked her head to one side. “My security has done a complete confidence check on you, including employment and academic records. From what they have learned, your background is sufficient.” She narrowed her eyes at Spencer. “I assume you ran the same check before hiring her in Austria.”
He glanced at Meredith. Without flinching, he answered, “I received Miss Cardwell’s name through the US Consulate. I trusted my contact’s judgment and didn’t find them to be in error.”
The queen didn’t look convinced but returned her attention to Meredith. “For the sake of the princess, I am willing to give you a trial as her governess. But it is only a trial. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. And I will do my best not to disappoint you.” She smiled. “I’ve developed a great fondness for both your grandchildren and find the prince and princess to be exceptional in their own ways. I will do my best by them.”
“See that you do.” She stood with an expression that suggested the interview was over, and Miss Stepanovic opened the door for them. “I’ll see you all at dinner.”
Spencer took Meredith’s arm, escorting her out of the chambers and into the hallway, where Meredith paused to breathe. “That was harder than I expected…but it seemed to go okay.” She saw that he looked relieved too.
“You did brilliantly.” He beamed at her. “For now, your position is secure.”
“For now.” She cringed. Did that mean she would be walking on eggshells?
“The queen is unpredictable. Even when she seems busy or preoccupied, nothing gets past her.”
“That sounds like a good quality for a ruler.”
“I guess.” He walked her to the staircase. “You did just fine, Meri. I’ll leave you to the children. I have business to attend to here. And dinner, in case the children don’t inform you, is at seven sharp. Don’t be late.”
She mock saluted him. “Aye-aye, Captain.”
He chuckled. “Trust me, I am not captain of anything around here. As you Yankees might say, I am low man on the totem pole in the palace. Even my children have more royal clout than I do.”
“See you at seven.” As she went up the staircase, she wondered if she’d have been smarter to have flunked the interview and sent packing. But that wasn’t who she was. She always tried her best. Her time at the palace would be no different. Do your best and trust God with the rest.