Chapter 28
Meredith spent the rest of the day accompanying Kat and Kalina to the beauty salon, where they were pampered with manicures, pedicures, and hair-styling.
By the time they left, she was almost over her awkward encounter with the queen.
But as soon as they went into the palace, it was back.
She couldn’t figure it out. One moment she thought the queen was trying to connect with her, and the next moment she was trying to pay her to leave.
Her head was spinning as she encouraged the girls to have some quiet time in Kat’s room, reminding them it would be a long evening.
The truth was, she wanted some quiet time to reflect on all this. And to pray.
Back in her room, she sat in silence for a long while. Perhaps she was praying, or…perhaps she was in shock. Mostly she felt slightly lost and confused. What was the answer here? When her phone pinged, she picked it up and was pleased to see who was on the other end. “Daddy?” she said eagerly.
“Hey, princess.” His cheerful tone felt like good medicine. “It’s early morning here, but I was thinking of you.”
“Are you still hiking?”
“Nah, that’s all done for the year. To be honest, I’m relieved. I guess I’m getting older than I realized.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re okay.”
“How about you? Last time we talked, you were a little confused.”
“If I was confused then, I’m bamboozled now.”
“Tell me about it.”
She poured out the story of the queen and the offer of a bribe and being questioned about loving the prince. She was hoping for her dad’s sympathy, but he was just laughing. “Oh, Meri, that is something!”
“What do you mean that is something?”
“My daughter gets robbed in Vienna then ends up marrying a prince in Rotslavia.”
“No one said anything about marriage, Dad.”
“Obviously it’s on the queen’s mind. Is she imagining things?”
“I don’t know.”
“Has the prince mentioned it yet?”
“Daddy!”
“Guess I’ll have to come out there after all. And bring my shotgun too.”
Now she was laughing. “I’d love for you to come, Dad. But please leave your shotgun at home.”
“If you get to the wedding planning stage, I will be there,” he said.
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“I won’t. But I expect you to keep me posted.”
“Believe me, you’ll be the first one I call.”
“And, really, Meri, don’t be afraid to take risks. Follow your heart. Be my strong princess girl.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” She felt a twinge in her heart. “I love you.”
“I love you too, princess.”
She felt teary as she set down her phone.
Between the queen and her father, people sure seemed to be jumping to conclusions today.
Sure, Spencer appreciated her. And there had been that kiss.
But could he really be considering marriage?
Think of the obstacles. Not only the queen, but there were the children to consider.
Sure, they loved her…as a nanny or governess.
But as a mother? That was a whole different thing.
And given they’d just been enjoying the company and attention of their father, would they really want to share him with a new wife? That could become dicey at best.
She leaned back on her bed, still replaying the events of the day in her head and wondering why she even took it seriously.
Good grief, she’d never fully believed in the whole happily ever after idea in the first place.
Right now, it sounded perfectly preposterous.
Maybe in fairy tales it happened, but this was real life.
And it was possible the queen was not just being controlling and calculating because she was on a power trip, but perhaps, in her years of wisdom, she recognized the folly of such a na?ve plan.
Perhaps she just wanted to prevent more heartache for the royal family.
After all, it was her duty to look after everyone.
And these were the thoughts she drifted to sleep on.
Meredith awoke to the sound of giggling girls standing by her bed. “Wake up, sleeping beauty,” Kat teased.
“Oh, wow, look at you two.” Meredith sat up and blinked in the light. “You’re all dressed and ready for the ball.” She stood and smiled. “You both look beautiful.”
“And you look like a mess.” Kat laughed. “You better get ready.”
“You’re right.” Meredith patted her head, hoping her up-style wasn’t too badly messed. “I guess I should get dressed.”
“We heard the music, and we want to go down now,” Kat told her. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all. This is your night, Kat. I want you to have fun.”
“We know it’s early, but we thought we’d poke around some and see how it all looks. I know some good spots where we can watch without being seen.”
“Sounds fun.” Meredith slowly shook her head. “Oh, Kat, you really look beautiful!”
“Thanks.” She giggled. “See you down there.”
After they left, Meredith surveyed the damage to her hair and decided it was okay then put on her gown, which really was stunning.
Almost a Cinderella gown with its full shimmering pale blue skirt and sparkling crystal trimmed bodice.
Delicate and elegant, she felt truly royal in it.
If she got the chance to dance with Spencer, well, it would be perfectly dreamy.
Even if she were forced to leave the country tomorrow, she would take her memories with her.
Feeling ready for the evening, she stepped out of her room and into the living room.
It was so quiet and still, she assumed Spencer and Mishka had already gone down.
And that was good because members of the royal family should not be late.
Of course, this meant she had to go down alone, which suddenly felt intimidating.
She could just imagine the queen’s icy stare.
Perhaps the queen’s friends would be cold too. Did she really want to do this?
“Hello?”
She turned to see Spencer in a black tuxedo, standing in the shadows in the dining room doorway watching her. “Oh, hello.” She took in a steadying breath then attempted a smile. “I was just trying to work up the nerve to go crash the party.”
“Crash the party?”
She explained how she’d been originally uninvited. “But Kat persuaded me to come. And I even talked to the queen about it today.”
“So I heard.” He walked toward her with a solemn expression.
“You heard?” She bit her lower lip.
“The queen called me in to meet with her this afternoon. We had a rather lengthy discussion about, well, many things. Including you.” He seemed to really see her now, nodding with an approving expression. “You look beautiful, Meredith.”
“Thank you. Kat helped me pick this out. She insisted I should be dressed to the nines for her formal affair.”
“Good for Kat.” He glanced at his watch. “Speaking of Kat, we shouldn’t keep her waiting.”
“No, of course not.”
“May I escort you?” He offered his arm.
“Thank you, Prince Spencer.”
His brow creased. “We’re back to titles now?”
“You’re looking rather royal in your tuxedo.”
“And you are looking rather royal as well, Princess Meredith.”
She shook her head. “That’s not fair. I was only using your real title. You’re just teasing. And quite frankly I’m in no mood for it.” She pursed her lips, wishing he hadn’t mentioned the queen. That only made her more uneasy.
“I can tell you’re dying to know what Her Majesty said.”
“Are you a mind reader?”
He chuckled.
“I can’t imagine it’s anything good.” She paused by the door.
“Maybe it’s best to wait. Unless I need to be forewarned about something.
Is the queen planning to have me thrown out of the ball or lock me in chains down in the dungeon?
Imprison me in some attic room? Ship me to the United States on a slow freighter? ”
He laughed as he opened the door. “Nothing like that.”
“Well, I’m fairly sure she hates me. And I don’t blame her. My presence seems to continually upset her.”
“Actually, she admires you.”
Meredith stopped walking to stare at him. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. She can see you are good for the children and perhaps even good for me.”
“Really?” She blinked then swallowed. “She said that?”
“Not in so many words. With Queen Katerina, I’ve learned to listen between the lines sometimes. But I got her meaning.”
“Her meaning?”
He continued to escort her down the stairs.
“She is stepping back a bit, allowing me to let me live my own life. Well, for the most part. No doubt, she’ll always be looking over my shoulder, particularly where the children are concerned.
But something changed when I stood up to her the other day over Kat’s birthday celebration.
I think it has caused her to view me in a different light.
And your interactions with her have probably helped change things too. ”
“I’m impressed. Here I was thinking you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Spencer laughed loudly, but thanks to the music and crowd noise downstairs, she doubted he’d been heard. “I hope the queen never hears you compared her to an old dog.”
“Bad choice of metaphor. I guess it’s time to put on my royal party manners.”
They paused at the foot of the stairway, and he turned to look at her. “How do you feel about that?”
“About what?”
“About needing to act in a certain way to meet royal standards?”
“It’s not that hard. I guess I’ve gotten rather used to it around the queen. And I try to be extra respectful when the children are around. Privately with her, well, as you heard, I speak my mind.”
“I think she liked that…somewhat. I wouldn’t push it too far though.”
“Do you honestly think I’ll even get the chance? I mean, despite all you’re saying, the queen does want me to leave. She made that clear this morning.”
“That was this morning.” He looked intensely into her eyes. “What if she changed her mind? What if she now wants you to stay? Would you be able to do that? Cut your ties to your home and country? Postpone your plans to tour Europe? Could you actually do that?”