Page 61 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
“It was all Henry,” she said softly.
The queen’s eyes narrowed, unconvinced.
“He loves Rose, and he’s a wonderful father,” Lacey continued. “Seeing her happy and thriving means more to him than anything else in the world. That’s all every parent wants for their child, right?” She cleared her throat. Why, oh why, did she want to curtsey again? “But I’m sure you know that already.”
Queen Elloise nodded, but her eyes had gone steely again. Lacey had either said something wrong or overstepped.
Shocker.
“Good night, Lacey,” she said.
“Good night.” Lacey gave her a little wave, but the queen didn’t look back.
She just let the door click shut behind her, echoing off the impossibly tall palace walls.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I’m Guessing She Doesn’t Show Up to Your Dates in Princess Clothes
Henry strode into his mother’s office the day after the parade, even though he’d had to practically wrestle a footman to get inside.
With preparations under way for the royal ball, the palace had been turned upside down. He’d seen Lacey for a grand total of forty-five minutes, and that had been at breakfast, where they’d been unable to have a single word in private. Henry had been inundated all day with last-minute details, so they still hadn’t had chance to finish talking about the photograph.
But that was fine, because Henry had made a decision.
“I can’t do it,” he said, muscles going tense, prepared to argue his case if necessary.
The queen looked up from the papers on her desk. Even today, the most important date on the royal calendar, she was busy reviewing the stack of daily briefings from her palace advisors, dealing with the necessary details of keeping Bella-Moritz strong and thriving.
She regarded him over the top of her reading glasses, and then carefully removed them. “Henry, you’re going to have to give me more information than that. Can’t do what, exactly?”
“I can’t issue a statement saying Lacey is just a family friend.” The moment the words left his mouth, he felt as though he could exhale for the first time in a week. “She’s more than that, and I can’t say otherwise.”
Queen Elloise sat back in her chair.
“Do you even know why she does what she does at Once Upon A Time?” Henry asked. “Her mother died when she was just a small girl, about the same age as Rose is now, and princesses from a theme park would come keep children company at the hospital where her mom was getting treatment.”
The queen nodded. “I know about Lacey’s mom.”
This came as a surprise to Henry, but he kept talking. Now that he’d decided he couldn’t deny his feelings a minute longer, he couldn’t stop. “I’m in love with her.”
“And is Lacey aware of your feelings?”
“Not yet.” He swallowed.
“Don’t you think she should have a say in whether the palace releases a statement?” His mother leaned forward with her hands loosely interwoven on her desk. “Your feelings aren’t the ones we should be concerned about, are they?”
For a moment, Henry was stunned into silence. He didn’t know which surprised him more—the fact that his mother didn’t seem surprised by his announcement or the fact that she was worried about Lacey’s feelings. Perhaps the queen was fonder of Lacey than she’d let on.
Fond enough to accept her as part of his life for good, though? For forever?
Henry nodded. “I agree, but the papers won’t go to press until after the ball. I want to tell how I feel tonight, and if she feels the same way, then that will be that. No statement.”
Henry met his mother’s gaze and held it, daring her to blink first. He had a duty to the Crown and he’d pledged his entire life to uphold it, but he shouldn’t have to do it without the person he loved at his side.
No one should.
Lacey and Ava spent the day exploring the town center beyond the palace gates. They bought macarons in floral varieties, like lavender honey and raspberry rose, with hand-painted flowers brushed on their delicate meringue surfaces and dusted in edible glitter. Lacey picked up a postcard for her dad. They stopped at a sidewalk café and ordered citron pressé, a French version of homemade lemonade, served with fresh-squeezed lemon juice in individual glasses, along with a pitcher of ice-cold water and frosted sugar. Lacey sipped hers and didn’t utter a word to Ava about the strange late-night visit she’d received from the queen.
