A Royal Engagement: The Young Royals Book 1 (4 page)

I sighed and dropped my eyes to the table, "How long?"

"Until we know definitively what happened in the forest."

"Okay," I said on an exhale, "Who are the two extras going to be?"

Benjamin sighed, "Carlos and Daniel have requested it," he said, "But I'll only agree if you're comfortable with it."

I nodded once.
 
I knew both men well and had no qualms about them joining my detail.
 
I looked up to catch Benjamin's eye, "The two men that were also killed," I said, "Did they have families?"

He shook his head, "Both were unmarried," he said and I felt some measure of relief.
 
"So I can tell Von Bartham that you're agreed?"

"Yes," I said standing, "Now apparently I need to interview for a personal secretary.
 
Who's with me for that exciting task?"

The was a round of chuckles before Meredith and Jamie stood up to accompany me out.

My feet were killing me.
 
It had been a blissful four years since I'd had to stand in a receiving line wearing high heels and I was woefully out of practise.
 
Lorraine had assured me that it was a small reception, but I was pretty sure I had been standing there for at least three hours greeting people who'd come to pay their respects to me and my family.
 
Okay, so it probably wasn't three hours, but it felt like it.

While we waited for the next person to enter, I looked over my shoulder to see Meredith stifling a yawn and smirked at her.

"How many more?" I whisper yelled to her and she just shrugged.

I turned back to greet the next person and my mouth went dry.
 
Standing in front of me was a vision.
 
Tall, dark and handsome didn't even begin to describe the adonis that was waiting to greet me.
 
I had thought Jordan had aged well, but he had nothing on Will Darkly.

Will bowed to me before taking my hand and raising it to his lips.
 
His clear blue eyes arrested me in their gaze as he touched his lips to the back of my hand.
 
The contact sent a jolt through me and my voice was breathy when I spoke.

"Will."

"Your Highness," he said softly, "I am so terribly sorry for your loss."

And then he moved on without a backward glance.
 
Will had been the third musketeer in Jacob and Jordan's trio.
 
The three boys had barely been separated in their younger years.
 
Will had teased me mercilessly and I had vowed never to speak to him again.
 
Little did I know then under what tragic circumstances we would be reunited.
 
One thing was for sure, his touch had never done that to me before.

The next few guests passed in a daze as I automatically went through the motions of welcoming them to the palace.
 
And then a welcome voice broke through my fugue.

"I believe I am the last," Jordan said after he had bowed and greeted me, "May I escort you in?"

Since I had no consort and Jordan had been a close friend of the family for many years, it would not be deemed inappropriate for him to walk with me into the reception, and truthfully, I was grateful for the company.
 
I was functioning on caffeine alone at this point having been denied my promised nap in lieu of getting ready for tonight.

"I must say Princess," Jordan said as we walked arm in arm along the marble floored hall towards the reception room, "You look absolutely stunning tonight."

I blushed and smiled shyly, "Thank you," I replied.

"This morning when I saw you deplaning, you reminded me of a young Audrey Hepburn and I'm pleased to say that tonight is no different."
 
He stopped and turned to me.
 
"Alyssa, you are breathtaking."

I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
 
I did not take compliments well, I always thought they were a very insincere form of flattery, but Jordan made me think that he was truthful in his assessment of me.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," I said as we resumed walking, "That is very kind of you to say."

The double doors to the reception room opened and the noise inside died down as I entered.
 
There was a shushing of fabric as the men bowed and the women curtsied.
 
I nodded to the people and allowed myself to be steered through the masses.
 
Most, if not all, of these people held titles or rank of their own and those that didn't were landed gentry or by special invitation.
 
I was essentially among my peers, but I had never felt more alone.

"Can I get you something to drink, Your Highness?" Jordan asked.

"Yes, please," I replied, "I don't suppose I could have a beer?"

He laughed heartily and I felt the stress in my shoulders loosen just a bit.

"I'm afraid not," he said, "Will wine do?"

I nodded, "Yes, thank you," I said and he turned away.
 
I grabbed Meredith's hand and pulled her close.
 
"I need to sit down before I fall down," I whispered harshly in her ear.

She led me through the crowd to a circle of arm chairs and I sank down into one gratefully.
 
I looked up to see Will staring intently at me, an expression of contempt on his face.
 
I wondered why he would feel that way toward me and I felt a bit miffed by his seeming instant dislike of me.

Jordan returned momentarily and I sipped from the crystal glass he handed me.
 
The wine was delicious; a crisp white that was produced here in Merveille.
 
A passing waiter offered me a tray of canapés and I took one thankfully.
 
There had been no time for dinner before the reception and me and wine on an empty stomach did not mix well.

I bit into the wafer thin cracker topped with brie and caramelised onion and moaned with pleasure.

"This cheese is amazing," I said around my mouthful, "Where did it come from?"

"That would be from me," Will said as he appeared beside me.

Jordan clapped him on the back, "Ah, yes.
 
Our very own cheese baron.
 
How's it going my old friend."

The waves of dislike rolled off Will palpably as he turned to address Jordan, "I am well, and yourself?
 
I see you are back in Merveille."

"Yes," Jordan said, a devious smile on his face, "I have just recently taken up a position here in the palace." He sipped his drink.
 
"How is your sister?"

The muscle in Will's jaw bulged as he ground his teeth, "Georgina is well," he said through gritted teeth.

"Is she here tonight?" I asked, uncomfortable with the undercurrent of hostility between the two men despite their polite words.

"No," Will replied, turning back to me, "She is away at school for another week.
 
She sends her regards and her deepest sympathies."

"Tell her thank you from me," I said, "And please let me know when she returns, I would love to catch up with her."

"Of course," Will said, snapping a bow, "Now, I must be off, if you will excuse me."

He turned and left without waiting for a goodbye.

"He must have to go and check on those blasted cows of his," Jordan said with a sneer.

Chapter Three

I bent at the waist and sucked in lungfuls of air.
 
Meredith was doing the same and I had to smile, I liked knowing that she wasn't any fitter than me.
 
I looked up and caught Jamie's smirk as he looked on from the side of the room and growled.

"Do you want to replace Meredith for the next match Jamie?" I called to him and his grin widened.

Meredith and I sparred regularly.
 
It had started out as self defence training
 
but had morphed into a quasi-fitness/mixed martial arts thing.
 
We were pretty evenly matched, although she had the benefit of being able to train with the men and had an edge on me.
 
So far none of my other security detail and taken me up on the offer to spar with me and I didn't know whether it was out of some misguided loyalty or whether they didn't think I would be much of a challenge for them.

"Maybe another time," Jamie replied.

"I'll hold you to that," I said, pointing a finger at him, but he just nodded and smiled.

Meredith straightened and looked at the big clock on the wall, "We need to get moving, Lys," she said, "You have an appointment in an hour."

I sighed, "Right," I said.
 
The appointment was with my new secretary to go over her duties.
 
We had met briefly yesterday when I had interviewed her, among with the other candidates.
 
I had known them all, cousins, the offspring of my father's sisters, although we had never really spent much time together.

My father had been the only male offspring of my grandparents with three younger sisters.
 
My grandmother, God rest her soul, made sure that each one of the sisters made good marriages into a royal families from other countries.
 
Each of the sisters had produced an heir and a spare (sometimes more than one spare), as was the way of the families of peerage, and those female spares had been brought to me for consideration as my secretary.
 
There had been five in all and I had chosen Alexandra because she seemed the most competent and accomplished amongst them, also closest in age to myself.

The women not chosen would form my court of Ladies in Waiting - an outdated but necessary tradition.
 
These women were to become my confidantes and close friends as well as support me through the transition from Heir Presumptive to Heir Apparent and finally Queen.
 
Each one of them also had a claim on my throne were anything to happen to me and I had to wonder at the wisdom of those long ago bastions of propriety who decided that friends must be kept close and enemies closer.

Not that I was worried that one of them had designs my crown.
 
After speaking briefly with each of them I was convinced they had loftier goals, that of marrying wealthy, good-looking men and never having to work a day in their lives.

Alexandra had been different and I actually looked forward to getting to know her better, although I did not look forward to the coming appointment, or the one after it to meet with the Bishop and finalise the funeral arrangements for my father and brother.

I followed Meredith out of the gymnasium to the lifts.
 
The palace was centuries old and the elevators had been installed not long after they were invented.
 
The King at the time was intrigued by evolving technology and had made it a priority to have every last gadget that he could.
 
It had sparked a tradition amongst the St Benét monarchs which resulted in the Château de Conte de Fées being the most technologically progressive palace in Europe.
 
My brother had even studied Computer Sciences as part of his degree to ensure the tradition continued.

The thought robbed me of my previously light mood.
 
It would be up to me now to ensure the tradition continued, not that I was a technophobe, on the contrary I had a fascination with it.
 
But I knew my brother had had big plans and now none of them would come to pass.
 
It was a sad thought.

The elevator that took us to my suite had recently been updated and was a long way from the original one installed in the Palace in the late 1800's.
 
It glided silently and quickly to my floor and opened directly outside my suite of rooms.

That was another thing that would change.
 
The rooms I had grown up in would no longer be my private sanctuary.
 
My mother's plans for the modest Chalet on the Palace grounds would not take long to finalise and she would be moving into it within the month.
 
Then I would need to begin work on the King's quarters and remake them into my own.
 
I understood why I needed to move, they were bigger and could accommodate my growing entourage and they were more centrally located with predesigned escape routes to ensure the ruling monarch could be secreted away if necessary.
 
But it didn't make it any easier.

I had yet to have a moment to myself in which to mourn properly, and it would probably be several more days until I would get the chance.
 
The funerals were to be held within the week, two of them, one for each and a wake after each one.
 
Then there was the business of my accession, which had to be ruled on by Parliament.
 
I was the first female in the long line of St Benét's to be the Heir Apparent and with a Parliament that had a very patriarchal view of authority, I had no doubt that they would not be happy.