A Royal Engagement: The Young Royals Book 1 (10 page)

I halted near the small herd and dismounted, tying Monty's reins around his neck so he wouldn't tread on them.
 
I gingerly approached one of the cows and it lifted it's head to look at me with large brown eyes.
 
They were quite cute, these Pemberton Jerseys with their pale caramel coat and soft faces.
 
They were small, though, smaller than the Merveille Guernsey.
 
What I had taken for calves, were in fact adult cows, with very full udders.

"Moo," the cow mewled at me and ambled closer.

I heard the ATVs approach and then the engine cut.
 
"Are you okay Aurora?" asked Benjamin.

"I'm fine," I yelled back, "But are these our cows?
 
I didn't know we owned any of Will's breed."

Benjamin was beside me when he answered, "No, we don't.
 
They must have escaped their paddock."

Benjamin cocked his head and before I could make sense of what he heard, I was surrounded by four very large, very hostile men, their backs towards me as the circled me for protection.
 
That's when I heard the approaching ATV.

"Lord Darkly, is that you?" Benjamin called when the ATV had cut it's motor.

"It is," I heard Will reply.

"Please stay where you are," Benjamin continued, "And state your business."

"I was doing a fence inspection and found a hole.
 
I came to get my cows."

"Did you notify the palace that you would be crossing the boundary?" Benjamin asked.

"I did," Will replied, "They gave me authorisation number F7982J."

"Thank you Lord Darkly," Benjamin replied, "Would you mind waiting there while we remove the Princess."

"Stop it Benjamin," I said, fed up with this overly formal crap.
 
"I'd like to say hello to Lord Darkly.
 
I have some questions about his cows."

"Your Highness, it is highly irregular for you to..."

"Oh, quit it," I huffed, "Just let me talk to Will."
 
I didn't wait for them to move and just started pushing my way through their shoulders, but they were like brick walls and refused to budge.

"If you are not going to let me out, then I'd still like to ask Will some questions," I groused.

"I can hear you just fine from there," Will called to me, "What would you like to know?"

"Your cows are a bit on the small side," I said, "Any reason for that?"

"Yeah, I bred them that way.
 
They eat less and need less space, but they still yield a good amount of milk."

"So lower overhead costs?"

"Definitely.
 
And they're a good size for a small hobby farmer."

I tried to get a peek of Will from between Aiden and Carlos' shoulders.
 
He was wearing dirty jeans that sat low on his hips and a dirty white t-shirt that fit him snugly, revealing muscles that I didn't know he had, with an open plaid shirt over the top, the sleeves of which were rolled up to the elbows, leaving his well defined forearms bare.
 
He also had a hat on his head, like a real American cowboy, and I felt my face flush as I was assaulted by Meredith's cowboy fantasies.

"Are they descended from our Merveille Guernsey?" I asked, wanting to prolong the conversation.
 
My voice sounded strange to my ears, breathy and low.

"Not exactly," he replied, and I caught the brief flash of white teeth as he smiled,"But I can't go giving away all my secrets."
 
His voice was also low and I closed my eyes as it washed over me, imagining him whispering all his secrets in my ear as he kissed me.
 
I shuddered with anticipation, my entire body breaking out in goosebumps.

These were the most words I'd heard Will say in over ten years and he actually sounded relaxed, playful even.
 
The few times we'd met over the last couple of weeks he had been stiff and cold, but this Will sounded like the guy I had known all those years ago and I didn't want this moment to end.

"If that's all the questions for now, Princess, I really need to get these ladies back to the milking shed."

"Of course," I said, disappointed, "Thanks for the talk."

"My pleasure," he said softly and it sent an irrational thrill through me.
 
I tapped Benjamin on the shoulder, "Can I get back on my horse now?"

"Lord Darkly would you mind terribly turning your back so the Princess can mount her horse."

"Are you kidding me Benjamin?" I hissed.

"You are in an official mourning period and no one outside the palace is to lay eyes on you," Benjamin hissed back.

"It's okay, Princess," Will called, "I don't mind."

My face flamed with embarrassment, anyone would think I was naked or something!
 
As soon as I was able, I ran for Monty and swung up onto his back, kicking him into a gallop to get as far away from there as possible.

Chapter Seven

Over the next ten weeks, my life fell into a predictable rhythm.
 
I woke early for a run, and I'd be lying if I said my motives were pure.
 
I was hoping to get another glimpse of Will delivering the palace's order of cheeses, but no such luck.
 
Because of the mourning period that was enforced on the castle, no more deliveries were made, instead the kitchen staff took a van into the city to pick up what they needed.

After my run, I sparred with Meredith.
 
I hadn't yet tempted any of the other guards to spar with me, but I thought I'd begun to wear Jamie down.
 
Each time I challenged him, I could tell he was a little closer to giving in.
 
Carlos remained standoffish, but he no longer looked at me like something he'd have to scrape off his shoe.
 
I hoped that seeing me hold my own against Meredith lifted his opinion of me.
 
I wasn't, and never had been, a pampered Princess and I didn't intend to be a pampered Queen.

Alex was a dream assistant.
 
The woman was so organised I suspected she colour coded her underwear drawer.
 
She was also a whiz at research and had been helping me learn the finer points of the constitution as I armed myself against the fight with Parliament that I knew was coming.

Savannah, meanwhile, had appointed herself my personal stylist.
 
Because I was neither allowed to leave the palace nor have any one come to see me, she had begun taking trips, with Margaret in tow, to meet with designers and order a new wardrobe for me.
 
She had also decided to clean out my current wardrobe and I'd had to hide my favourite Levi's to ensure they didn't get thrown out.
 
I actually had to snitch them from the pile she had declared unsuitable for a future Queen.

Once a week I had a fitting with her and she had turned it into a girls night where I would model all my new outfits for her and the rest of my entourage (Meredith, Alex, Margaret, Priscilla and Jeanette) and then we would drink cocktails and eat nibbles (of which Will's cheeses played a large part) and watch chick flicks.
 
Even my two lady's maids had become part of the group.
 
Bridgette was a gifted hairstylist and Annette a magician with makeup.

Jordan had continued to visit me and we had a standing lunch date every Wednesday.
 
Each time he took me to a different part of the palace or the grounds to enjoy a wonderful meal prepared by Chef.
 
We had become close friends and Carlos' warning about him faded from my mind as I became very comfortable around Jordan.
 
Our relationship was easy, we didn't argue and seemed to have similar views on politics and international events.
 
He was knowledgeable and a great conversationalist and I treasured the time we had together.
 
I began to think of what it would be like to have him as my consort when I became Queen and it wasn't awful.
 
There wasn't the strange electricity between us like I felt when I was near Will, but I was attracted to him and looked forward to feel his hand in mine or his fingers pressed into the small of my back as he guided me to our latest lunch venue.

It had become such that each Wednesday I took more care with my appearance.
 
It was the one day when I asked Bridgette to do my hair and Annette to do my makeup.
 
Jordan noticed and complimented me, which caused me to blush, but I was secretly thrilled each time.
 
Both Alex and Meredith had noticed, I could tell by their shared looks, but neither commented, for which I was glad.
 
I didn't know what was happening between us, but I wanted to keep it protected for now.

But it wasn't all fun and games.
 
I had regular security updates to be advised on the progress of the investigation into my father's and brother's deaths.
 
I also sat in on reports of national security and any relevant international situations that could have an effect on us.
 
And then there was my Royal Apprenticeship.
 
This was usually a two-year program to acquaint the incoming King of his duties.
 
My brother had been eighteen months into his when he died.
 
I had six months to complete it.

The Lord Chancellor, Dominique Furore, was the man who had been appointed to my brother to advise him through the transition from Prince to King, was now my almost constant companion.
 
He was younger than I had expected, being only three years older than me and the same age as my brother.
 
But he knew everything there was to know about ruling our country and had been training for his position for seven years before he had been assigned to Jacob.

And he didn't like me.

I don't know what I had done to put him offside, but from the moment he came into my life, he had made it his job to make mine miserable.
 
I could not do anything to please the guy.
 
He was churlish and bossy and I was yet to make him smile.
 
I was beginning to hate him.

Luckily, I had Priscilla with me whenever he was around.
 
Priscilla was my advisor on issues of protocol and Dominique seemed to like her, although it was hard to tell when the man never smiled.
 
At least he approved of her and her impeccable manners.
 
Her job was to refine me and teach me the minute details of interacting with other Royals and dignitaries.
 
I found it all rather boring and outdated, but on this point both Dominique and Priscilla were in agreement, it was essential for me to observe the traditions of the Court in order to secure my crown.
 
When I was Queen, I could chose to change those traditions which I disliked.

I really didn't see the point of people having to walk backwards out of my presence or them having to stop eating their meal just because I was finished mine.
 
It all seemed kind of ridiculous.
 
And would I really cause an international incident if I seated the wrong people together?
 
Or spoke to the person on my left first instead of the person on my right?
 
It was all these little unspoken rules that had made me want to flee the court in the first place.
 
But now I was knee deep in it and I had no choice but to learn all I could.

The day that signified the end of my official mourning period dawned like any other day.
 
I ran with my security detail, sparred with Meredith, showered and dressed as usual.
 
In fact by the time I stepped into my office, I had forgotten that it was actually my first day of freedom in three months.

By nine a.m. however, I was more than aware that things had changed.
 
It started by a visit from the Prime Minister's aide with a summons to attend the sitting of Parliament in a week.
 
Whether it was proper protocol for Parliament to summon me thus, I left to Dominique and Priscilla to fight over.
 
I was rather offended by the coldness of it though.
 
It almost felt like a subpoena rather than an invitation to the future Head of State and I had to wonder what political manoeuvring had been done in the time I had been sequestered in the palace.
 
Being out of the public eye for three months had definitely put me at a disadvantage.

After the arrival of Parliament's gilt edged invitation, a flurry of others also arrived.
 
It seemed every man, woman and child wanted an audience with the Queen in Waiting.
 
Alex was in her element as she sorted through the mountain of engraved mail, no doubt she would have a detailed spreadsheet to me by the end of the day with every request she received.
 
They would no doubt be ranked by importance and probably even colour-coded.