A Royal Engagement: The Young Royals Book 1 (7 page)

I didn't bother with a plate, but I did look for a cheese knife.
 
I cracked open the packet of wafers and offered them to my two body guards.
 
Daniel declined, but Scott was familiar enough with me to be comfortable eating with me.
 
Daniel was still trying to work me out.

I picked up a small, round wooden box that contained brie.
 
The label had the Pemberton Crest on it and I traced my finger over the familiar insignia.
 
This was Will's cheese made from Will's cows.

Now, there was a man I couldn't work out.

I couldn't deny the attraction I felt towards him, but he seemed to be giving off mixed signals.
 
He was so cold and standoffish most of the time, but then there was that rare occasion when the spark between us could set us both on fire.
 
I didn't know what the hell was going on.

"Are you going to eat that or just admire it?" Scott asked, nodding towards the cheese I still held in my hand.

I poked my tongue out at him and then cracked the seal.
 
I sliced off a generous portion and smooshed it onto a cracker before popping it in my mouth.
 
I moaned as the creamy
fromage
melted on my tongue.

"This has got to be the best cheese I have ever tasted," I mumbled with my mouth full as I reached for another cracker.

Scott had his eyes closed as he chewed on his mouthful.
 
He swallowed and savoured the taste for a moment before opening his eyes.
 
"You're not wrong," he said.

"Daniel," I said, "You have to taste this."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I am quite well acquainted with Lord Darkly's cheese."

"That's right," I said, "You haven't been living in cheese exile like I have.
 
Seriously, who thought cheese in a can was a good thing?"

Scott chuckled as he stuffed another cracker into his mouth, "It's not that bad," he said and I raised my eyebrows at him, "Well, it's not
cheese
, but as a totally unrelated product, it's not bad."

"I'm going to try and forget that you said that," I remark haughtily.
 
There was no way I was going to rank
cheese in a can
anywhere on the same scale as what I was currently eating.

Okay, I admit it, I was a cheese snob.
 
It's hard not to be when you are raised in a country that produces the perfect milk for making cheese.
 
I was also a chocolate snob and I was proud of it.
 
You couldn't tell me that your garden variety chocolate block can compare to Swiss or Belgian chocolate and even better than those two chocolates was the one that was made here in Merveille, Ashby Chocolates.
 
I tried not to eat too much of either chocolate or cheese, so when I did indulge, I wanted only the best.

And this Pemberton Brie was definitely the best I had ever had.

"Daniel," I said, "What do you know about Pemberton Cheese?"

Daniel crossed his massive arms over his chest and stood with his legs shoulder width apart, staring me down.

"Carlos could probably tell you more," he said, "He and Prince Jacob spent a lot of time with Lord Darkly."

It was an uncomfortable reminder that Jacob was gone and I hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye.
 
Maybe Will's coldness had more to do with his grief than with me.

I swallowed the rest of the food in my mouth and then packed away the detritus.
 
I scrawled a note to Chef so that he wouldn't kill one of his staff when he discovered the remains of my midnight snack.
 
Scott and Daniel waited out in the dark hall so that they could let their eyes adjust while I wiped down the bench.

I would be burying my father tomorrow and here I was snacking in the middle of the night like everything was normal.
 
I felt guilty, like I was doing something wrong by enjoying an indulgence when my father and my brother would never be able to do the same again.

Would it always be like this?
 
Would I always feel this guilt for living when their lives had been cut so drastically short?

Chapter Five

The wind whipped at my wool coat and pulled at the umbrella Benjamin held over my head as we stood in the cemetery and watched my father's body be entombed in the family crypt.
 
Scores of St Benét monarchs were interred here and tomorrow they would get another one.

I gripped Jordan's hand and felt the warmth of it through my glove.
 
He had stood by me during the funeral and had spoken eloquent and beautiful words about my father and now he was again by my side lending me his strength to get through this awful day.

And it was a truly awful day.
 
The sky was heavy with the steel wool clouds of a thunder storm and the wind was icy cold as it blew down from the alps.
 
The temperature had dipped low and I was freezing through my many layers.
 
They were predicting a fall of snow, not unheard of for April but definitely not a regular occurrence.

The ceremony in the cathedral had been long and solemn, as it should be when a King has passed, and the weather had certainly added to the depressing atmosphere.
 
The wake that would be held in a few hours was supposed to be a celebration of my father's life, but at this moment I couldn't imagine ever smiling again.

The mausoleum closed with an ominous boom and I held back a sob.
 
I stood for a moment, staring up at the imposing grey stone building and thought about my own mortality.
 
This, too, would be my final resting place and I wondered what my legacy would be.
 
My father was a beloved King who had been known for his compassion and benevolence.
 
My brother had been known for his loyalty and friendliness.
 
He would've made an exemplary King.
 
But what would I be known for?
 
The fact was, the people of Merveille knew very little about me and that was the way I liked it.
 
Except now everything had changed and I was going to have to let go of my privacy in order to step into my father's shoes.

Jordan turned and began to walk back towards the car, his fingers letting go of mine as I remained where I was.
 
Benjamin turned also and in doing so removed the protection of the umbrella.
 
A gust of wind buffeted me, swirling around me and getting under the brim of my hat, forcing it from my head and blowing it away.
 
I reached for it, but was too late, so I turned to follow it and came face to face with Will who had plucked my hat out of the air.

His face was etched in grief as he handed it to me and I had the disturbing desire to burrow into his chest and have his arms wrap around me. I may have even leaned toward him before I came to my senses.
 
I took the hat from his outstretched hand, my hair tossed medusa-like around my head as the wind tore it from it's pins.

"Thank you," I said, looking up into his blue eyes.

He nodded to me, his mouth turned down and his brow furrowed.
 
We looked at each other for a moment that stretched into two and then three before the spell was broken by Jordan taking my hand.

"Come along Alyssa," he said, "You must be freezing."

Will turned without speaking to me and stalked away, leaving me to look at his retreating back and wonder what I had done to injure him so.

"Don't worry about him," Jordan remarked as he looked to where I was gazing, "He has always been a surly kind of fellow and it has only gotten worse since his father drank the family fortune."

I let Jordan usher me to the car and was grateful for it's enveloping warmth.
 
All I wanted was to go home, have a hot bath and crawl into bed, but I still had a wake to host.
 
I dropped my head back against the seat and closed my eyes as the limousine glided through the cemetery and back out into the streets of Calanais.
 
I was thankful for Jordan's silence and his comforting hand holding mine.
 

I don't know what I would've done without him today.
 
Normally it would've been Meredith propping me up, but due to the increased security risk she had been tasked somewhere else.
 
Jordan's military background had meant that he could step in and be an extra protection if need be.

He gently squeezed my hand alerting me to our arrival at the palace.
 
I lifted my head, opening my eyes and gave him a small smile of appreciation.
 
The car came to a stop under the portico and my door was opened.
 
I was helped out by the doorman and Jordan joined me, taking my elbow to escort me inside.

The large front doors stood open and were flanked by both security and footman.
 
One of my lady's maids stood by to take my coat and gloves, while another one fussed with my unruly, windswept hair.
 
With another coat of lipstick and a dusting of powder on my nose, I was released to face my waiting guests.
 
My steps echoed on the marble tiles as we walked toward the room where the wake would be held.
 
I took a deep breath, sliding my public facade into place as the doors opened and my arrival was announced.

Walking into the room was eerily similar to last night's reception, except today everyone wore black and the mood was quite a bit more sombre.
 
I just wanted it to be over, I just wanted a minute to myself.
 
But instead I greeted and glad-handed the titled and the landed and the close personal friends of my father's.
 
I looked up at Jordan and pleaded with my eyes.

"Drink?" he asked in a whisper, to which I nodded.

"Something stronger than wine," I whispered back.

Aiden stepped up to take Jordan's place at my side as I continued into the room.
 
The sentiments and sympathies offered to me were a blur and just when I thought I could not stand another moment a cool glass was pressed into my hands.

I sipped it gratefully tasting a very good craft ale.
 
I looked up to thank Jordan, but it was Will standing in front of me.
 
He also held a small plate of canapé's, an assortment of crackers and different cheeses.

"You seemed to enjoy the one you tried last night," he said haltingly, "I thought you might like to try the rest of our range."

"You produce all these?" I asked as I selected a creamy blue vein.

"Yes," he replied.

"I saw your cows," I said before biting into the cracker.
 
"Oh my, this is divine," I mumbled.

One side of his mouth quirked up quickly before returning to it's previous downward position.

"Darkly," Jordan said as he arrived with a glass of what looked like scotch.
 
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
 
"I see you found a drink in my absence," he said nodding at my glass.

"Yes," I replied swallowing the canapé and reaching for another, "Will brought it to me."

Jordan's lips thinned as he pressed them together.
 
Will handed the plate of canapés to Aiden and bowed to me before walking away, once again leaving me to watch his back retreating from me.

"Jacob was like a brother to me," Will's deep voice filled the cathedral as he stood at the podium to deliver his speech.
 
"We grew up together, spending many hours exploring the wonders of our beautiful countryside.
 
He loved Merveille and everything it had to offer and would have been a wonderful King had he been given the chance."
 
I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed harshly and felt my eyes fill with unshed tears.
 
"Jacob stood by me when I lost my mother and then again when I lost my father.
 
He was there through all the many trials that I fought in the aftermath.
 
His loyalty was unsurpassed and I treasured his friendship above all others.
 
I will miss him greatly, as I'm sure we all will.
 
Today we bury a man that could very well have been the best King this country has ever seen and we are poorer for the fact."

I could tell how much it cost him to speak without breaking down and my eyes tracked him as he stood down from the podium and returned to his seat.
 
A pretty blonde woman embraced him fiercely and he wrapped his arms around her in return.
 
The sight irritated me and I tore my eyes away and turned back to the front.

I tuned out the rest of the service, knowing that the words spoken now would not bring my brother back to me or bring the Crown Prince back to Merveille.
 
My spirit was low and I did not know how it would be possible for me to go on beyond this day.