Page 10 of The Rejected King
“Should we call in Miss Dutson, after all?” his mother asked.
Davin sighed. “By all means.”
Emree
“Samson?” a voicecalled from behind the door, a voice that could only be Queen Arillia’s. The lanky secretary slithered up from his chair behind the desk and pushed open the mahogany door, shutting it behind him.
Emree sat up straighter, waiting patiently in the silence.
The door opened again, but this time Samson held it open. “The queen mother will see you now,” he said in a deep, rich voice.
Emree stood, picking up her leather satchel and slinging it over one shoulder. She nodded at Samson as if they had some new, shared relationship—a relationship you could only have with those fit to serve the royal family. She took a deep breath then smiled as she walked through the door.
The light-colored room eased her nerves, and instantly Emree’s eyes were drawn to the artwork covering the walls. She turned her focus to Queen Arillia who sat regally on a floral chair in the middle of the room. She was lovelier in person than Emree could have imagined. She wore a baby blue dress with long sleeves and a pleated skirt that went to her ankles. Her brown bob was streaked with silver strands, and her smile was genuine.
Emree smiled at the queen mother. Then she noticed the other pair of eyes staring at her. His eyes held shock and his mouth was slightly ajar. His expression seemed confused, then it quickly melted into something like amusement.
It washim!
Thehimwho gave her the best kiss of her entire life. A kiss her mind had replayed an embarrassing number of times over the last three days.
His light brown hair was long and fluffy on top, but in a more styled way than it had been at the Morreck Inn; it was as if he had purposely situated each strand in a specific spot to show off the natural amount of volume he’d been born with. His honey-colored eyes held her captive, a playfulness dancing behind them. Emree’s mouth gaped open as she studied the man.
“Miss Dutson?” Queen Arillia asked, an obvious attempt to gain her attention.
Emree shook her head. What was happening? How long had the queen mother been staring at her? She couldn’t let either of them know how awestruck she was.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Emree awkwardly dipped into a curtsy, trying to mask her shock. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t prepared for how...” Emree searched around the room, trying to find something to say. “...exquisite your curtains would be.”
Curtains? Could I not come up with something better?
The queen mother smiled, flipping her body around to look at the curtains. “My curtains? Yes, I suppose they are quite lovely.”
Emree could feel the man eyeing her from the side. She decided to curtsy again. It was like a nervous tick. What if she couldn’t stop?
“It’s an honor to meet you,” Emree said.
The queen mother spun back around. “Likewise.” She gestured to the man. “This is my son, King Davin.”
Heat rushed to Emree’s cheeks. King Davin.
He’s the king. The. King.
Emree had kissed the king? No, she hadn’t just kissed him. She had practically mauled his face off with her lips. Embarrassment crawled up her skin as she met his eyes and curtsied...again. He nodded in acknowledgment, his face expressionless, though there was a hint of pleasure in his eyes.
The queen mother tilted her head to the open sofa across from them. “Please sit, Miss Dutson.”
Emree swallowed, deciding to ignore the king and the mortification rising in her chest. She took the queen mother’s offer and sat down on the edge of the floral sofa. Beyond the kiss, a glimpse of her last interaction with the king played through her mind. She had been rude, disrespectful, and had thrown countless objects at him.
Wonderful.
Emree wondered if she should leave now or wait for him to kick her out.
“Thank you so much for traveling so far for the interview.” The queen mother smiled. “My friend, Yvonne, has nothing but praise for you and your parents.” She held up a letter that no doubt was from Fennish and Yvonne Kemp.
Emree thought of her parents. They would be overjoyed to think that Queen Arillia had mentioned them. “Fennish Kemp and his wife have been wonderful to my family.”
“Yvonne said you are extremely bright for such a young woman,” the queen mother added. “At the age of nineteen, you’ve already completed all of your extended education.”
