The Queen Revealed (8 page)

Chapter Eleven

“The Next Adventure in Love”

The night had passed so quickly. Again.

Adele opened her eyes and watched as the grey wash of dawn lightened the room. She was positive she hadn’t slept at all. Adele felt Aaron settle himself at her shoulder and start playing with her hair. “Are you awake, Monkey?” she whispered and pulled him into her arms for a cuddle. He allowed her to squeeze him for a moment before he shifted away and sat up, staring down at her.

“Your eyes are different, Mummy, aren’t they?” he whispered. “You have shiny rings in them, and diamonds, too, I think.”

Adele smiled. “I have
diamonds
in my eyes? Are they pretty?”

Aaron frowned. “You are beautiful, but I don’t like you being different. You should make your eyes the same as before.”

Adele reached up to stroke the hair off her son’s face and tried to smooth the little worry lines that creased his brow with her thumb.

“We are all a bit different on this world, my darling,” she said. “I’ve got glitter in my eyes because of the Magic that is inside of me now, but I am still your Mummy and nothing will ever change that. I love you, my sweet boy.”

“I had a dream last night, didn’t I Mummy?” said Aaron. “The man came and held my hand. He said that I was his family, that I had a light in me. Is that like Magic, too?”

“What man?” asked Adele more sharply than she meant to and pushed herself up on an elbow. “Did he wake you up?”

“He wasn’t really a man,” replied Aaron and pursed his little lips, thinking hard. “He was floating on the air, and I could see the window through his body. But I wasn’t scared, was I Mummy? I knew he was a nice ghost,” Aaron finished proudly.

“Mum-mee?” Stella was awake now. “Hung-gee.”

“Yeah, me, too!” said Aaron and his shout woke a grumpy Natalie.

Adele refrained from asking Aaron any more about his dream, as the nannies woke up with the chatter of the children and the puppies roused themselves from under the bed. Adele threw a robe over her nightdress and followed the children out to the dining room. A plain, but generous, buffet had been laid out for them:  boiled eggs, platters of sliced ham, fresh rolls, and bowls of soft, creamy cheese, jugs of syrup, and piles of sweet, tart apples.

Once again, QG Bear was stuck with puppy duty, as he took the dogs out on the terrace for some exercise and morning poops. Despite his sour expression, Adele got the feeling that her guard actually enjoyed the chore and watched as he played with the pups, throwing sticks and chasing them about. Adele told herself to remember that Bear must have a softer side if he could be so gentle with the puppies. She just rarely got to see it behind his narrow-eyed glares and muttered cursing.

As soon as the children were finished with their breakfast, they wanted to be out playing in the snow too. Seraphina and Caitlin took the children out and left Adele to drink her cup of tea in peace.

As she poured another cup, General Ohrig made his way over to join her at the table, standing stiffly to await permission to sit down. Adele smiled and waved for him to relax. “General, please. We don’t need to be so formal when it’s just us.”

General Ohrig nodded as he sat down, but said nothing. The General was freshly showered and dressed in a clean white shirt under his pressed jacket. Adele noticed a touch of shaving cream by his ear and resisted the urge to wipe it off. General Ohrig would not appreciate the contact. He, like all the men of her Queen’s Guard, treated Adele with a formal chivalry that she had never experienced before. It was polite, but made her feel lonely, too, and never failed to remind her that she was the Queen and, therefore, different to them.

“Sleep well, General?” asked Adele as she buttered another warm roll and attempted to lighten the dark mood the General had brought to the table with him.

General Ohrig gave Adele a sharp look, his pale blue eyes watching her intently. “Well enough, Your Majesty.” His answer was clipped, almost brusque, a sure sign he was unhappy about something. “As I understand it, you had a rather long night with His Highness, the Prince?”

Adele shoved the roll in her mouth and nodded, hoping Ohrig didn’t notice her blushing cheeks, as he continued to stare at her, his eyebrows beetled low down over his eyes.

“Your Majesty, though it is not my place to ask what was discussed with the Prince, you did mention to Captain Lucky that the Prince raised the issue of reparations for the Marchant Family, or that the Crown owed the Marchant Family in some financial way. Is that right?”

Adele nodded again. Yes, she had told Lucky that lie.

The General stiffened in his chair, his hands unconsciously clenching and unclenching into fists on the table. Adele could tell that Ohrig was trying to be diplomatic in this conversation and for such a straight-talking man, this was almost painful for him. She took a sip of her tea and braced herself.

“Spit it out, General. What do you want to say?”

“Frankly, Your Majesty?”

“Please.”

“Your Majesty, I don’t think it has been made clear to you yet the danger we have put you in by agreeing to stay in the Grey Palace as guests.” Ohrig’s voice was low and his tone was serious. “The Marchant Prince is not only in political exile from the Court of the Golden Palace and St. Lucidis society, but he is also a bachelor. Just as you are unmarried.” Ohrig cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable with what he was about to say next. “If anything should… If he were to force himself upon you, well the consequences could be disastrous.”

“What?” Adele choked on her tea. “Are you saying you think the Prince would, or could, do that? That he would force himself on me… sexually?”

General Ohrig leaned forward and looked Adele directly in the eye. “We are in the Grey Palace, Your Majesty, on Marchant land. This property does not fall under the authority of the Crown. If anything should happen to you here, then the Court would have little or no recourse to detain the Prince. On his land, Prince Rainere is the King.”

Adele chewed her bottom lip. Rainere had said much the same thing to her last night, but she had been too distracted to really pay attention to him.

“If the Prince should decide to, he could take you to his bed and claim the act as a betrothal agreement. He could then marry you without even needing your consent and lay claim to your Throne as your legal husband. Such is the way of Marchant law.”

“You make it sound so simple for him,” whispered Adele, feeling guilty and horrified all at once.

General Ohrig nodded grimly, and stood up, satisfied that Adele had understood his warning. “Your Majesty, we are dealing with a man who is not only a Prince of the Realm, but also an Immortal Wizard, not to mention the rumors about his lack of sanity and morals. We must be vigilant at all times in his company.”

“Right,” agreed Adele wanly, dismissing Ohrig with a small wave, and he took his leave. “Vigilant.”

Adele felt ill. The cup of tea went cold in her hands and she stared hard at the breakfast things, as if they might be to blame for the turn the morning had taken. Yet again, Rainere was painted as a horrible villain and her as the innocent Queen to be caught up in his schemes.

But she knew such a different side of him.

And yet… Rainere
had
insisted on her marrying him as soon as possible. Was it because he wanted more than her love? Would he really be happy sharing the Throne with her or did he want it all for himself? She looked over at the moth-eaten curtains which framed the French doors and saw in the light of day just how old and ragged the suite was. The servants who cleared the table were surly and unkempt, their aprons stained and tattered.

It was clear Rainere could certainly use the money their marriage would bring him.

But he won’t just get money if he marries me,
she thought
. He’ll get my children, the Kingdom, and probably a civil war when the other Royal Families learn what I have done.

It was a lot to risk if she was making the decision for the wrong reasons. The marriage itself was still a thorny issue for Adele. After having her heart shattered by divorce back on Earth, it was tough to think about giving her trust and commitment to another man again. And he wasn’t just a man; he was an Immortal Wizard. And she wasn’t just a woman anymore; she was now a Queen. She had a bigger responsibility than just to her heart.

The surety she had felt in Rainere’s arms last night had dissipated in the cold light of Ohrig’s warning. Adele rose from the table and went to dress. She had so much to think about and no time to do it in. She had to prepare the children to meet Rainere today. Though he made her body tremble with a look, Adele was very aware of how cold and intimidating Rainere appeared to most people and she had no idea how the children would respond to him. Hopefully, he would love them as much as he loved her because if he couldn’t… well, then there was no future for them, regardless of all the Royal Laws and Crowns in Evendaar.

Chapter Twelve

“Lunch in the Glassroom”

“Natalie, do
not
pull your hair out!” ordered Adele as the Royal Family followed Grotto down the dark hallway to the Glassroom, where Prince Rainere had invited them to take lunch with him. The Queen’s Guard followed close behind them, while Tilburn skipped ahead, struggling to keep up with Grotto and his much longer legs.

“But the pins are poking me,” whined Natalie, scratching at the braids pinned to her head. They were all back in their travelling clothes of pants and shirts, as they had nothing left that was clean, but Adele had made an effort with the children’s hair for this special occasion.

Adele tried to calm her racing pulse with a deep breath and resisted the urge to snap at Natalie again. It would do no good to yell when her daughter was determined to be contrary.

“Remember we all need to be on our best behavior today,” Adele warned the children as she watched Natalie unwind her braids and pull out all of Caitlin’s hard work in seconds. “Anyone who is naughty will be in very big trouble with me later.”

When the party finally reached the Glassroom, Grotto flung open the double doors with such force that they banged against the walls making everyone jump. “The Glassroom,” he announced. “Also known as the Queen’s Orchid Room.” He sent Adele a poisonous glare to let her know that she definitely wasn’t the Queen he was referring to.

Ignoring Grotto’s patent displeasure, Adele stepped into the room and looked about for Rainere, but it seemed he hadn’t arrived yet.

By the looks of it, the room had once been a rather glamorous greenhouse. The shelves and pedestals decorating the walls were littered with the dead descendants of, what would have been, a magnificent display of orchids. Thin irrigation tubes were pinned to the walls and shelves, and fed into hundreds of empty vases. But despite the grey and dismal appearance of the withered vegetation, the air was perfumed with a floral earthiness that was quite pleasant. Crystal candelabras, dotted about the room, had been lit to help brighten the weak sunlight that filtered in the dirty windows.

Adele dropped Stella lightly to her feet and gestured for Tilburn to come closer so she could whisper questions to him, but he refused.

“Your Majesty, I was not invited to enter the Glassroom, nor to take lunch with the Prince, despite being the highest-ranked servant in your entourage. I shall take my leave if it pleases you, and see you back at the suite afterwards,” he turned with a sniff and left, stumbling a bit in the gloomy hallway.

Adele sighed and rolled her eyes. As if there wasn’t enough drama in the day without Tilburn getting all upset about protocol, again. General Ohrig assembled the Queen’s Guard by the doors, half of them facing into the room and half facing the hallway. He gave Adele a loaded look and when she turned back to watch over the children, she was surprised to see them talking to Rainere who had entered through a door in the corner of the room that she hadn’t notice before.

Rainere looked up when he felt her eyes on him. Their gazes locked across the room and Adele felt desire sweep through her with a deep, ripping need. Blushing, she let her eyes drop and tried to focus on her little ones. She smiled as Stella put her arms out and scooped up her baby girl.

“You look like somebody I know, don’t you?” Aaron was staring at the Prince, fascinated.

Prince Rainere turned his dark eyes on the little boy. When he spoke Adele barely registered his words as his sonorous rasp spread shivers all over her body.

“As we have never met previously, I cannot answer that for sure, Prince Aaron,” replied Rainere, regarding Aaron seriously. Which is why it was such a mystery when Aaron broke into giggles.

“He’d said you’d say that, that you can’t answer my questions, didn’t he?” Aaron went pink with private mirth.

Grotto announced that lunch was served and servants pulled back chairs as the Royal Family and Prince Rainere sat. Soup was served immediately.

“As much as I would wish to answer you, Prince Aaron, it is very difficult for me to understand if your remark is a statement or a question.” Rainere’s tone wasn’t severe, but his manner was firm. “Perhaps you could just say what it is you mean.”

“Yes,” replied Aaron, sitting up straight and immediately knocking over his water glass with the effort. A servant loped over to tidy the mess. “Yes, you are right, aren’t you? I like to say what I mean, don’t I?”

“I think that indeed you do,” agreed the Prince.

“I say what I mean all the time,” interjected Natalie, casting a superior look at her brother. “I never ask silly questions when I speak, and I always mean what I say.”

“Interesting,” mused the Prince, turning to the little Princess. “I wonder how it is that you ever learn anything of importance without asking questions of others?”

“Why?” added Stella, enthusiastically slopping her mushroom soup about.

“Quite,” agreed Rainere, raising an eyebrow in the baby’s direction. Stella smiled broadly at him.

“Well, it’s because I already know most things about the things I want to know,” replied Natalie with the supreme confidence of a six-year-old diva. “And things I don’t know, don’t matter to me.”

“Then that makes you a very dangerous person,” said Rainere crisply. “It is only by asking questions that one learns how very much one doesn’t know. It is those who live in ignorance who bring darkness to our world.”

“What’s ignorance?” asked Natalie.

“Ignorance is when one doesn’t know enough about a subject to understand it at all,” replied the Prince.

“I don’t want to bring darkness to our world.” Natalie’s eyes went wide and her expression serious.

“Well then, you must ask each and every question you can think of to better understand the world about yourself.”

Aaron started giggling again at his private joke and wriggled about on his seat.

“I will, I promise,” vowed Natalie, dropping her soup spoon on the table as she gestured it in the Prince’s direction.

Adele sat silently, in shock, as her children happily interacted with Rainere, his presence and gravelly voice commanding their full attention. Even Stella was beaming at the Prince and throwing him coy glances from her chair. Adele had no explanation for their comfort with him, except perhaps that he didn’t talk down to them, or try to amuse them. He spoke to them as if they were adults, or equals.

Which I suppose they are
, thought Adele in surprise.
My children and Rainere are all Princes of the Realm. Equals, like no one else is here.

The thought disconcerted her more than she would like. They were political equals, sure, but could he be a father to them?

The meal continued with the children and Rainere chatting like old friends while Adele sat quietly. The only other person who watched the children with the Prince as intently as Adele was Grotto. At times the manservant waited on the table and skulked around the edges of the room, supervising the other servants as they brought in dish after dish on silver trolleys. At other times he stood frozen in the doorway, as still as a statue, only his darting eyes betraying any movement. Occasionally he would catch Adele’s gaze and instinctively she would glance away. His hatred of her was almost palpable, and Adele waited in protective readiness for him to dare send her children one of the deathly glares that he gave her.

“Your Majesty, Queen Adelena,” called Rainere from the other end of the table. The children giggled when she started in surprise. “I was just asking if you would perhaps like to accompany me on a tour of the Grey Palace. The Prince and Princesses have suggested that they would enjoy the experience.”

“Of course. That would be wonderful. Thank you,” Adele forced her dark thoughts away with a smile. She shouldn’t be looking for trouble when everything was going so well at the moment.