Authors: Carol Moncado
The next two weeks would be spent convincing his family this wasn’t the craziest idea he’d ever had.
Groom revealed?
People from several groups who visited the palace today mentioned a man joined the queen in greeting guests, but the identity of the mystery man remains just that - a mystery. Those in attendance said there was a definite spark between the two, even though the queen introduced the man as a friend and not as her fiancé. With the wedding now less than two weeks away, the groom's identity remains the biggest mystery, except, of course, what the bride's dress will look like and who, if anyone, will walk her down the aisle.
Chapter 3
“There is water damage throughout the chapel?” Christiana’s head began to throb.
Her fiancé, a word that still didn’t seem to apply to Alexander, sat in the chair on the opposite side of her desk. He looked completely at ease in her office though she could see worry lines between his brows. “Not only water damage but damage to the roof as well. It won’t be repaired in time for the wedding even if we work around the clock.”
Roll with the punches.
“Maybe this is a sign we ought to cancel the wedding.”
“We do have an alternative. There’s another facility on the property that we regularly use for wedding ceremonies.”
She could tell he did not want to tell her.
“But it’s the barn.”
Her incredulity could not be measured. “The barn?”
“It’s not a working barn. It’s been completely redone to serve as a wedding venue.”
“I have been there,” she reminded him. “Many times.”
“Never for a wedding,” he pointed out. “It has proper air conditioning, heating, insulation, and even bathrooms. We often have two weddings a day, one in the barn and one in the chapel, but because it’s your wedding the other venue wasn’t available to anyone else.”
“What will the people and the press say? The queen getting married in a barn?” Personally, she thought it sounded a bit charming, but it was not about her.
“I think the people care more about the queen being happy than where her wedding is, especially due to circumstances beyond her control.”
Perhaps he had a point.
“Your people adore you, Your Majesty. They care about
you
.”
“Every monarch for the last several hundred years has been married in the chapel.” She twirled a pen in her fingers. “I will be the first to be married somewhere else since the chapel was built.”
A buzz announced her next appointment had arrived. “Please put together some alternative plans? Both at the same location and others within a reasonable distance. I do not, however, want to push anyone out of a wedding venue.”
“I doubt there are many other weddings scheduled. The reception can go on as planned, but if there are other weddings that day, from what I’ve heard through the grapevine, they’re scheduled for the evening. Some will want to share your day with you, but they won’t want to have their ceremony at the same time.”
Christiana nodded. She stood as the door opened. “Thank you for your assistance, Alexander.” They smiled at each other as her next appointment walked in. No need for anyone to know who he was to her just yet. Not until the wedding in a few days.
* * *
“I know you’ve always had a bit of a crush on the queen, Alexander, but are you sure this is a good idea?” Christopher leaned back in his office chair half a world away.
It had been more than a bit of a crush, but even his twin brother didn’t know the extent of Alexander’s feelings for Queen Christiana. They’d texted and e-mailed a number of times since he’d told his family he was the one who would be marrying the queen, but this was the first video chat they’d found time for. “Just promise me you’ll be my best man.”
“Of course. Just because I think you’re making a mistake doesn’t mean I don’t want to be around to watch you do it.” The teasing tone of his voice only masked the sincerity of his words.
“You’ll be on the plane tomorrow?”
“Tonight, actually. At least tonight in Serenity Landing. Mom and I will take off as soon as we can, but Dad’s flying commercial tomorrow afternoon. He has a meeting he can’t miss or telecommute to.”
“If we need the royal jet, the queen has given me permission to use it. I don’t think it could get there in time to pick up you and Mom, but it could for Dad.”
Christopher shook his head. “Not necessary. Have it on stand-by in case there’s a plane malfunction or something, but commercial won’t kill him. He’ll still be there in plenty of time.”
Alexander switched subjects. “Are you bringing a date? The wedding planner is asking.”
“Nope. No girl is tying me down. Not for a long time.”
They’d both been hurt by women in the past, some when they were really too young to be in even a semi-serious relationship, but fame would do that to a guy.
“I have a surprise for you though.” Christopher grinned at him through the webcam. “Don’t bother asking, but if you can get married at the last minute, just be glad I managed to scrounge something up.”
Great. Who knew what it would be. Anything from a mud pie to one of those women the queen had mentioned the day he proposed.
And he still didn’t have a ring for her.
Who could he talk to about that?
“What is it?”
Of course Christopher could see the wheels turning. Sitting back, Alexander sighed. “I don’t have a ring for her. I don’t know where to get one. I’ve been thinking about it for days and a wedding band, sure. That’s simple. But an engagement ring to go with it is proving a bit more difficult. The longer I wait the harder it gets.”
“And they won’t buy that she just wanted something simple to forgo expensive jewelry?”
“People who know Queen Christiana well enough wouldn’t be surprised, but she’s very interested in making sure she gives the people what they want out of this. And the people, especially the women, have been wondering about her lack of engagement ring since the wedding was announced.”
“She’s a queen. You need something fabulous.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Alexander ran his hand through his hair. “I got nothin’. Any other girl I could buy anything, but just buying a ring isn’t gonna cut it for Queen Christiana.”
“Dude, are you seriously calling her that all the time? She’s your fiancée. Don’t you have some sort of nickname for her? Or at least drop the ‘queen’ bit?”
Except for the one time, he’d never called her anything but “Your Majesty”, “Queen Christiana”, or “ma’am”, but he supposed his brother was right. After he moved in, lounging around their apartment, chilling at the end of the day, those titles might feel a bit off. Or maybe he’d just worry about it after the wedding.
So he stuck with the subject at hand. “It’s too late to have something commissioned. I’m afraid at least some of her family heirlooms are gone because of her uncle’s treason. But even if there was a family ring she wanted, how would I get my hands on it without asking her for it and that takes some of the romance out of it?” He amended his statement. “No. That takes
all
the romance out of it.”
“Is there
any
family member or staff who could help you? What about someone from her mother’s side of the family?”
Who could get him into the family vault? What about the ring her mother had worn? Could he get it? Would Christiana want it?
How well did he really know his fiancée?
Not well enough, but he already knew that.
A beeping sound startled him out of his thoughts. Alexander looked up in time to see Christopher looking at his phone.
“I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” Christopher reached for the keyboard just before Alexander’s screen went black.
Even if they weren’t completely certain he was doing the right thing, his family was being supportive. Queen Christiana had never really had a family. He knew enough about her history to know she’d spent many of her growing up years at boarding school in nearby Montevaro. Her holidays were often spent with the Montevarian royal family, but she hadn’t had a good old fashioned family Christmas since she was four, if ever.
Leaning forward, he pulled up the itinerary she’d sent him for their wedding trip. Two nights at the exclusive honeymoon cabin on the Baicampo property, a week on the royal yacht visiting the more populated islands, then eight weeks traveling the country. He gave a slight shake of his head. You could drive around both main islands in less time than it took to drive from his childhood home in southwest Missouri to Los Angeles, California where he spent most of his teen years. The next page had the schedule broken down further. Two or three stops a day in different towns, spending the night at local establishments.
A good will tour. It wasn’t so much a honeymoon as it was a tour of the country trying to foster her relationship with her people. Though most of them were sympathetic to her plight, some were talking about using her weakened status to get rid of the monarchy all together. As much as he admired and respected the queen, Alexander wasn’t opposed to a non-monarchy government, in theory, but the most vocal members of the movement advocated a weird cross between anarchy and communism. He couldn’t advocate that.
A quick shake of his head brought him back to the question at hand. When would they return to the palace? With a flip of his finger, he scrolled through the detailed, dated itinerary. The day before Christmas, they were scheduled to return to the capital city.
In the meantime, he still had to figure out what to do for an engagement ring for a queen.
* * *
Christiana’s heels clicked on the rustic wood floors of the barn, the staccato rhythm keeping time with her tripping heart. She looked around at the high ceilings, rustic chandeliers, and white chairs in rows.
Alexander walked next to her. “What do you think?”
What was the right way to say it?
“It’s better than you feared based on the other events you’ve been to here?”
Christiana turned to see the grin on his face. She blushed as she nodded. “Yes. I am afraid I did fear the worst.”
He leaned closer to her, until he could whisper in her ear. “We know what we’re doing here, Your Majesty.” The warmth of his breath on her skin sent chills down her spine.
But would he ever call her something else?
Just once, she wanted someone to be comfortable enough with her to let their guard down, to lose the veil of formality, and be themselves with her.
He
never had, unless he was being snippy and rude. Would Alexander?
“It is lovely, Alexander.” Not what she had pictured in her mind, but it was more than acceptable. “How will this work? The reception is to be held here as well, yes?”
“It is. Unfortunately, the wedding coincided with some renovations to the main hall. They were already underway when it was scheduled. Try as we might, we are unable to have them completed by Saturday.”
“How will that work?” She gestured to the room. “The entire room is taken up with seating. What will people do for the reception?”
He reached for her hand and tucked it into his elbow as he escorted her around the perimeter of the room. “Only about half of those invited to the ceremony are invited to the reception, mostly friends and those considered more important. Like other heads of state, certain members of Parliament, ranking members in other parts of the government, people like that. Once the ceremony is over, we’ll be taken to the mainland for the parade around the city and the presentation on the balcony of the palace. Those invited to the reception will stay here. There will be several alternatives for them to choose from, but most will likely head over to the small ballroom for mingling and appetizers. By the time we return, this will have been transformed into a fairytale ball wonderland, and the guests will be waiting.”
She nodded. “Very good.”
“The reception will last until about seven-thirty. Dancing will be followed by dinner, toasts, and the cake, then more dancing. At that time, a carriage will be waiting to take us to the cottage on the east coast of the island.”
Right.
The cottage.
Christiana had been looking forward to that night. Excitement and trepidation warred for control of her emotions whenever she thought about being a
wife
. Now, she did not know what to think. From under her lashes, she glanced up at the man walking beside her. What would he expect? What would she be able to give?
The minister and several other people walked into the room, drawing her attention away from her questions. For the next half hour, they walked through the wedding ceremony. Melancholy swept over Christiana. Her parents were not here. Her father would not walk her down the aisle.
She was queen of her country, but she had no one.
No family.
Only her people.
In eighteen hours, she would become a part of Alexander’s family, but that still did not give her anyone on her side specifically. Her first meeting with his parents and brother over an early dinner had gone well. Stiff and formal, but well. Given several decades, perhaps they would warm toward her. Her fiancé’s slightly younger brother’s eyes twinkled when they met. Christopher was greatly amused by the whole situation.