Page 11 of The Heart of the King

It was a very nice one-bedroom apartment, at nearly eight hundred square feet and upgraded finishes, including a soaker tub in the bathroom, but it couldn’t begin to compare to an actual palace.

Oh, well. It was hers, and she loved it. In fact, once she packed her things for this extended vacation, she’d tell her landlords they were welcome to rent it out as a KrazBnB, but she wanted it back when she returned.

If she returned.

On the plane, as she’d closed her eyes, but before she’d drifted to sleep, she’d decided that’s what this was going to be.

An extended vacation.

Like one of those six-month round-the-world cruises.

Where you come home later.

She wanted to ignore the “marriage” aspect of the whole deal. It needed to be a business partnership, where her business partner needed protecting from an undesirable marriage and the women in his country needed a champion.

She could do that.

Right?

“This is... homey,” David told her as he looked around the living area. “Is that the right word?”

Jazz shrugged. “It’s as good a word as any. Wait here. I’ll pack my clothes.”

“Ma’am?”

She turned to see one of the security guards standing there. Or was he David’s assistant? She wasn’t sure. “Yes?”

“Once you’ve packed your clothing and whatever else you need immediately, I’ll have you make a list or point out what you’d like to have shipped to you later. Mr. Langley-Cranston will see to it that it’s taken care of.”

Jazz hadn’t thought about that. She should probably just throw all of her clothes into big trash bags or something, to make it easy. She’d need to go shopping anyway. Spend money she didn’t have. Her wardrobe was fine for Trumanville and trips to the city for a week here and there, but not to be in the public eye on a daily basis.

Maybe that needed to be a perk of being married to royalty, even temporarily. A new wardrobe from a soon-to-be king.

She had a roll of big, black lawn bags in her room. Normally, she used them for things that were leaving her house - going to charity usually. This time, she basically dumped almost everything from her drawers and closet in them. She set a few outfits to the side so she could pack them to wear over the next couple of days.

It didn’t take long for her to pack it all up. She put pictures and other mementos in a second suitcase. As she worked, she wondered what David and his team were doing in the living area besides judging her space for its simplicity. When she opened the bedroom door, they were all just sort of standing or sitting around.

David sat in the chair with his tablet, but looked up when she walked into the room. “All done?” he asked.

“I think so. Almost everything in my room is packed into the black bags. Most of the rest is in the suitcases.” She held up a couple of black bags. “I’ll pack up some stuff from in here into these.”

He looked around. “Mr. Langley-Cranston can pack it all for you and have it to you by the end of the week.”

Maybe that was best. Did she really need her DVD collection in the next few days? Surely the palace had every streaming option ever - if she even had time to watch anything. She needed to talk to him about this.

Suddenly she turned to David. “Maybe I should just stay here. I’m not sure about this.”

He frowned. “I don’t believe you staying here is an option. The press release has already been sent out. A photo call and press conference is set up in a couple of days. What about making a difference for the women of my country?”

“You’re going to be king. You be the one to make a difference.” Even as she said it, she knew it wouldn’t be the same.

He set his tablet on her coffee table. “Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. My countrymen - and women - need to have a strong female leader to look up to. That’s you.”

“I’m not a leader. I won’t be a leader. I’ll be a consort. You’ll have power and leadership. Not me.”

David simply raised an eyebrow at her. “I believe many would argue the Duchess of Cambridge has power and is a leader, though she has no legal role or authority. Or take a look at the late Duke of Edinburgh. Do you believe that, in his prime and even beyond, he had no impact on British society?”

He had a point. Jazz sighed. “I suppose you’re correct. My suitcases and the big black trash bags in the bedroom need to come.” She looked around. “I think that’s all Ineedto have with me today if Jonathan will be sending the rest soon.”

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