Page 55 of Royal Catch
“We’re here.” He steps forward and knocks on the door. I hadn’t realized we were standing right outside the king’s private room. I would’ve kept my voice down.
A maid opens the door, does a quick curtsy, and steps aside.
I follow Gabriel in. His mother sits next to her husband’s bed, her gaze on their joined hands. I see immediately the king’s terrible condition. He has a large wide-shouldered build similar to Gabriel’s, but he’s too thin, shrunken and pale. Gabriel’s ascension to the throne will happen very soon. The significance of Gabriel making the right choice is staring me right in the face.
I bow my head to the king and curtsy. “Your Majesty, thank you for seeing me.”
I turn and do the same for the queen. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
I’m not sure which of them I was supposed to acknowledge first. It doesn’t matter. They both look down their noses at me like I’m a cockroach trying to climb up the throne.
I ease back a step. Gabriel’s large hand immediately pushes against my lower back in a show of support, or to keep me from bolting, I’m not sure.
A tense silence descends. I’ve been summoned, and I dare not speak further and blurt the wrong thing. The king must have something on his mind.
Finally, the king speaks. “Gabriel is the right leader for Villroy.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I say immediately.
“Good,” the queen says. “Then we have an understanding.”
Gabriel’s voice growls from behind me, a rough authority to it that has me standing straighter. “Let me remind you that when this competition first began as your own version of a reality show, you said fresh blood with fresh ideas was needed to ensure a future for the kingdom. Anna has both. Her idea for helping Villroy may just save us. The fact that she’s not royal matters nothing to me.”
“What idea is that?” the king asks.
Gabriel squeezes my shoulder, silently urging me to speak.
I’m so nervous, the stakes are so high, I can barely get out the words. “It’s a weeklong royal fantasy experience for women or maybe for a honeymooning couple.”
Gabriel speaks in an animated voice. “It’s more than that. There’s room for expansion on the idea, a full spa could be built for day-trippers from the Continent, and a cosmetics line with native ingredients could be used at the spa and sold to guests. Think of the employment opportunities for construction, staff for a spa, small-scale manufacturing—”
“Even the fishermen could get involved.” I can’t help but interrupt because now I’m getting excited about the idea again. “They could gather seaweed, sponges, grow algae, or extract fish oil. There’s a lot you can do with high-end cosmetics. And if the day spa is a success, along with the beauty product line, you could close the palace again and reserve the royal fantasy suite for special guests. Or maybe even use it as a fun bonus for the servants!”
They all stare at me. I clamp my mouth shut.
Gabriel shifts to meet my eyes. “Your ideas are brilliant. I can already see a way forward, working carefully in stages to the ultimate goal of a new sustainable industry for the fishermen.”
My chest expands with pride. “Thank you.”
The queen waves a hand dismissively. “Francesca’s idea was better. She understands the traditional history of Villroy.”
“Francesca offers more of the same,” Gabriel snaps. “And that’s beside the point.”
The king studies me for a long moment, his sharp aquamarine blue eyes assessing, and I try not to squirm. Finally, he asks, “Who are your people?”
“She’s part French,” Gabriel answers for me. “The islanders will like that.”
I shake my head. I need them to know what they’re getting with me. “I’m an orphan, Your Majesty. I’ve never asked anyone for anything. Everything I’ve gotten has been through my own hard work. Only recently I found out I had any people at all.”
“Who are your people?” the king asks impatiently.
“Polly. She’s my sixth cousin. We have a great-great-great-great-great-grandfather in common. My father’s family was part of an emigration to Louisiana from Beaumont during a revolution there in the 1800s. She found me on the AncestryWise website, looking for an American family member for her undercover life.”
Gabriel shifts me to face him. “Anna, why didn’t you tell me this before? You have royal blood.”
“Polly says it doesn’t count. I’m too distant. It’s like one drop.”
“She’s right,” the queen says, sounding victorious. “Anna is still a commoner.”
