A Royal Entanglement: The Young Royals Book 2 (3 page)

I froze as I felt the heat of him on my back.
 
I knew who it was, how could I not?
 
I had been obsessing over the man for the last six months despite trying to deny it.
 
He had gotten under my skin from the very first meeting and, try as I might, there was no way for me to shake him.
 
And he seemed to know it.
 

"We need to talk," he whispered in my ear and I only just controlled the full body shiver that threatened to rattle my body.
 
His warm breath on my ear, his scent, his body so close to mine that if I leant back, just a little, I would be pressing up against his firm chest.
 

I cleared my throat, trying to get my vocal cords to work.
 

"I'm a little busy right now," I managed to squeak out.
 

"Tonight," he said, "As soon as you can get away."
 

"I hardly think it is appropriate..." I trailed off, my mind wandering to places that they shouldn't especially when I was in the middle of a coronation.
 

"You're going to want to talk to me," he whispered, leaning closer, his hand brushing my shoulder lightly, his lips skimming the shell of my ear.
 

I closed my eyes against the onslaught of sensation and swallowed hard.
 
The things this man did to me without even touching me.
 
I took a deep breath...bad move, my nose was now full of him, the smell of him overwhelming me.
 

"Meet me in the Rose Room," he said, "It's important."
 

I opened my eyes as he stepped away and noticed a change in the demeanour of the security personnel in the room.
 
It was subtle, but there was definitely a change and it was enough to put me on high alert.
 

There had been threats against the Queen, there were always threats, but in the lead up to the coronation, they had increased in both number and ferocity.
 
She had been kidnapped a few months earlier by someone that no one had suspected capable of such a crime and since then security had been overhauled and stepped up although to most people it didn't look it.
 
Most people assumed that now the immediate threat had passed, security had returned to normal, when in fact it had just gone more covert.
 
There were extra security around the castle, they just weren't the visible type.
 

I turned to talk to Freddie, to ask what was going on, but he had moved away and was conferring with his sister, Meredith, on the other side of the room.
 
She was also part of the Queen's security detail, but her role had changed somewhat over the last few weeks, not unlike everything else.
 
She now served as The Queen's second assistant as well as being part of her security.
 

The two women had been together a long time and Meredith knew the Queen better than anyone else, so it was a good match, even if it did leave me feeling a little like the third wheel at times.
 
Not that they hadn't tried to make me feel welcome and included, both Meredith and Alyssa (Queen Alyssa) had fully embraced me into their clique, along with the four other women that made up the Queen's Ladies in Waiting.
 
But there was a special bond between Queen Alyssa and Meredith that couldn't be replicated.
 

Freddie chose that moment to make eye contact with me and he gave me one of his secret smiles.
 
One that had my pulse rate skyrocketing and my skin flushing.
 
And he knew it too.
 
His eyes widened as he catalogued my response and his grin got wider.

He was incorrigible.
 

Not that I would have him any other way.
 
I might not openly admit to being flattered by Freddie's attention, but I couldn't lie to myself.
 
Not that it mattered.
 
Freddie flirted with anyone in a skirt and the fact that I hadn't fallen at his feet like most other single women (and some married ones too) only seemed to egg him on.
 
He liked the chase, he liked the thrill of cornering me and getting me flustered.
 
I knew that as soon as I started to respond positively to any of his advances, he would lose interest.
 

So while outwardly it looked to everyone else that I really wasn't swayed by his charm, inwardly I relished every little bit of it.
 
It may never go anywhere, but it did make me feel good.
 
And if playing hard to get meant that I remained in his sights, well then, that wasn’t such a bad thing.

Freddie winked at me and I turned away so he wouldn’t see the smile on my face or the flush that crept into my cheeks.
 
Meredith had warned me that Freddie was an irrepressible flirt, but it was one of the things I really liked about him.
 
He’d charmed me from the moment we met and even though I knew I needed to keep myself from falling for him, it was flattering all the same.
 
Freddie was a good-looking guy, and I liked spending time with him.

And he was a good distraction… and I needed that.
 
I needed something to keep me from thinking about the reasons I had come to Merveille in the first place.
 
The offer from the palace had come at a time when I had needed an escape and I had jumped at it.
 
Now I was waiting for the other shoe to drop because I knew there would be consequences for my actions.
 
It was just a matter of time before they caught up with me.

I held my breath as I looked at the Queen, refusing to let myself cry at the sight.
 
She wore a white, floor-length gown that was unadorned.
 
Over the gown was a simple, white garment that fastened in the back.
 
Over that she wore a floor length, crimson velvet coat with a train and an ermine cape.
 
Her hair was piled on top of her head in soft, loose curls and her makeup was understated.
 
Princess Alyssabeth looked regal, if a little nervous.

“Wow,” I breathed as I walked towards her, “You look amazing.”

She grimaced and Will laughed beside her.

“She’s not a fan of all the layers,” he said in explanation.

“It’s heavy and hot,” she said and I smiled.

I had learned that working for Alyssa was not what one would expect when working for a reigning monarch.
 
She hated the fussy traditions of her office and no doubt removing those that annoyed her the most would be the first thing on her agenda as Queen.

Benjamin, Alyssa’s head of security came into the room.
 
“Are you ready?” he asked, and I nodded.

I moved forward to usher Alyssa out of the room.
 
We paused at the top of the stairs, forgoing the elevator for the sake of tradition, while the royal photographer immortalised the moment for posterity.

Will stepped up and took her arm as we made our way down the stairs and into the foyer.
 
The walls were lined with the palace staff and I was pleased to notice a few of them with handkerchiefs blotting the tears from their eyes.
 
This was a big day, and not just because it was a coronation.
 
Alyssa would be the very first female Head of State in the history of the Merveille monarchy.

Outside the palace doors an ornate gilt edged carriage waited.
 
Two white horses were harnessed to the front of the carriage and the tall crimson plumage attached to their heads shifted delicately in the breeze.

Will took one side and Frédéric took the other side and together they escorted the Princess down the stairs.
 
A footman opened the door and Will handed her into the carriage.
 
Both Will and Frédéric where dressed in full royal regalia, as was I and the other members of the Princess’ entourage, which included sashes and stars and coronets.
 
It wasn’t very often that we got to break out all the fancy stuff, and it was a sight to behold.
 
Freddie looked particularly appealing in his sharp tuxedo with the red sash of the Order of St Catherine and his medals of service.

He turned and winked at me before climbing into the carriage after Will.
 
The two of them, the Duke of
 
Camphrey and the Earl of Avonlea, would conduct the Princess into the cathedral for the service.
 
The Cathédrale Saint-Etienne de Calanais had been the sight of every single coronation in Merveille, having pre-dated the monarchy by several decades.
 
It was an impressive sandstone building with large stained glass windows, tall spires that reached up to the heavens in supplication and hand worked wooden beams and archways.

When the carriage pulled away from the palace steps, escorted by a bevy of police and other security, I herded the rest of the entourage into their respective cars.
 
We would arrive first, the royal carriage had to make a circuitous journey throughout the streets of Calanais letting the citizens know that a new monarch was about to be crowned, not that anyone was oblivious to the fact.

Meredith, Savannah, Jeanette, Margaret, Priscilla and myself were driven to the church in a convoy of black BMWs bearing the royal flags and with our own police escort.
 
The streets were lined with the citizens of Merveille, many who had travelled from the outlying villages to be here for the coronation, and they waved their flags and threw flowers at the cars as we passed.

Our cars bypassed the line of limousines that were waiting to disgorge their passengers on the steps of the cathedral and headed around the building to the back entrance.
 
I ushered everyone out and we moved into the church, taking our seats in preparation for the service.
 
We each had a job to do during the service and I made sure everyone had their itinerary at hand.

The new Bishop greeted me, the original Bishop had been stood down due to his inappropriate behaviour that had come to light during the recent troubles in Parliament.
 
The new Bishop was younger, but I had every confidence in him.
 
I had met with him an interminable number of times in the lead up to today.

I fidgeted and paced as the cathedral began to fill with the Lords and Ladies of Merveille.
 
The day seemed to both crawl along and race away unchecked.
 
It was like being on a rollercoaster.
 
At the moment I felt like I was in the front of the coaster as we climbed the steep incline, chugging along slowly, and yet I knew that when we reached the top, the coaster would speed down the other side and everything would be out of my control.
 
I just hoped that all the track had been laid correctly and was secure.

The entrance music began to play and there was a rustle of clothing as everyone stood and turned to watch our almost Queen walk into the sanctuary.

I exhaled as the world seemed to pause and with the next breath everything sped up and became a blur.