Page 10 of Falling for the Widowed Prince

“Yes, sir?” When she looked up at him, he realized how close they stood.

Clearing his throat, he stepped back.

“You have my deepest apologies, but I find myself unable to concentrate.”

She smiled brightly. “We can look at the original later. I have the transcription in the other room. It will be easier to read.”

Anthony didn’t think it would be any better, but nodded anyway. Their lunch had just arrived.

As they ate, Ms. Woodward chatted away about some of the more obscure history she’d come across in her weeks of searching for more information.

The details all went in one ear and out the other. He wouldn’t remember any of it, but he suspected she knew that. Otherwise, she would have started talking about the document in question again.

As his designated lunch time came to an end, Anthony’s phone buzzed. Ms. Woodward paused while he checked it. He stood.

“I just had a meeting added to my schedule. I need to get back to the office.” He tipped his head toward her. “Thank you for all of your hard work and for putting up with my distraction.”

“As ever, it’s my pleasure.” She gave him that bright smile again.

“Please email updates to me on your findings.” Then he could take his time to focus on what she said rather than trying to follow her rapid conversations.

Did her smile dim a bit? “I will. Thank you for lunch.”

He nodded and left. She’d ordered her own lunch from the kitchen. He’d simply adjusted the delivery time slightly to coincide with his arrival.

As he walked through the gallery, he noticed some of the portraits had been changed out to ones related to Christmas or winter rather than the more generic ones typically found. Ms. Woodward likely hadn’t changed them herself, but would havedirected those who did. He wondered if she was also in charge of the rest of the Christmas decorations that adorned the room.

Minutes after he returned to his office, the Prime Minister joined him. They went over the most pressing needs before the other man broached the subject they’d been avoiding.

“Do you have a suggestion for regent?” the Prime Minister asked gently. “I know it’s not your preference, but I don’t think we’ll be able to convince a near-unanimous majority of both Parliament and the Council that you’re the right person to do it, not when your grief is so fresh.”

Anthony tried not to let his frustration show. "I haven't found someone I'm comfortable with advising my daughter. She's the first queen to come after another queen in our history. She's also my child. Who can I trust to advise my child in life, much less have such influence over matters affecting her mother's beloved country?"

The Prime Minister nodded. "I understand, sir, but we will need to have a short list of names in the next week. There is a process we have to go through, and I think all of us would prefer not to do this on Christmas Eve if we can avoid it, especially if there could be conflict. Even a minor conflict would make everyone's Christmas more difficult."

"I'll work on it." That was the most he could promise. What he'd really work on was helping Ms. Woodward verify the information she'd found.

"Thank you. I don't expect we'll need to meet again until next week, but don't hesitate to call me if I can help with anything."

Anthony stood and shook the man's hand. He'd never had any reason to believe the Prime Minister had anything but the country's best interests at heart - and that always included the monarch's best interest as well.

Once alone in his office, he opened his email, scanning the senders and subject lines for anything he needed to deal with in a timely manner.

His brows knit together when he saw an email from Mrs. Norton, the head of housekeeping. If not for the name in the preview, it wouldn't have caught his eye.

Subject: Household Changes

Madeleine Woodward will be...

Opening the message, he felt relief wash over him. In the few seconds since he read the subject and preview, an uneasy feeling had begun to settle over him.

Madeleine Woodward, Royal Historian, will be staying in temporary housing, Suite 294, until further notice.

When was the last time he'd seen a notice like that? Maybe his wife had, but now that he was acting on behalf of the monarch, he received the notices?

The thought didn't answer his questions about why Ms. Woodward would be staying in the palace. He would ask her when he saw her next, though he didn't know if he'd join her again for lunch or not.

Wrapping up the last of the things he needed to accomplish for the day, Anthony locked up everything he needed to and went out a back way heading up to the family's quarters.

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