Page 133 of Reign
It was a fair question. There had never been a king consort before, at least not in America. In England, the man married to a queen was styled as a Royal Highness—like Prince Albert had been—but Beatrice and Teddy were carving out new territory. And the question still remained of what he would actuallydo.
“These are all questions that Teddy and I will decide together,” she said calmly. “As a married unit, and as a team.”
Everyone in the room kept trying to catch her gaze, but Beatrice’s eyes had drifted to Helen Crosby, the reporter who’d asked her that question about the League of Kings months ago—the question she’d flubbed.
“Miss Crosby,” she said, and the reporter nodded.
“Your Majesty, you may be aware that there is a bill in Congress that calls for your removal. Among other things, it claims that you suffered severe psychological and neurological damage from your accident and aren’t capable of reigning. Do you have a response to those who would say you’re unfit to rule?”
Well, Helen certainly didn’t mince words.
Beatrice could dodge the question, say that she was only here to talk about her wedding; or that she wouldn’t darecomment on a congressional bill before it became law. But she suddenly felt so weary of all the evasions and falsities.
Who said that being queen meant she had to hide all her flaws? She was human; she was allowed to show weakness. Men didn’t pretend they were perfect. Why should she?
Dimly she was aware of Anju standing in the wings, wincing, but she would face Anju’s consternation later.
“As you all know, I was in a car accident,” Beatrice began. “I suffered extensive head injuries. Since the accident, I have been under the care of Dr.Malcolm Jacobs, who is treating me for retrograde amnesia. I have lost some of my memories of the past year.”
Everyone stared at her with wide eyes. Beatrice tried not to think of all the people watching the live coverage of this, gasping in shock or calling her nasty names or telling one another,I knew she was a liar!
She forged ahead.
“I may not remember all the specifics of the past year, but there are many things I could never forget. The sense of duty my father taught me as a child. My love of this country. My desire to help create a better America, to the best of my ability. To anyone who has concerns about my abilities, I assure you that I am up to the task.”
Her voice rose as she added, “History matters, but the future is far more important. And I promise you that I will be with you for the future, whatever comes.”
EPILOGUE
DAPHNE
Six months later
There was a rap at her door and the sound of a voice calling out, “Daphne!” With the French accent it came out more like Dahff-nay.
“Dix minutes, s’il vous plaît, Marie, merci!”Daphne replied in a single breath, then glanced back at her phone. “Ethan, I have to go.”
He leaned forward, causing his dark hair to flop into his eyes. Afternoon sunlight illuminated his face, the Gothic buildings of King’s College behind him. He was currently enrolled in a rigorous course of summer classes, hoping to get back on track with his premed requirements after his time in Malaysia.
“Have I mentioned how hot it is when you speak French?” Ethan asked.
Daphne rolled her eyes affectionately, leaning her elbows onto the heavy wooden desk. She was in the small room adjacent to Louise’s office that had become, lately, her home—or at least the place she spent the majority of her time. “Have fun later. And take some photos for me? I want to see the city!” The coronation wasn’t until Friday, but from what Daphne could tell, America seemed to be taking the entireweekoff to celebrate. Tonight Ethan and some of his friends were headed to the bars on Embassy Row, which were all offering “Coronation Specials” and which were certain to be filled with hyped-up tourists wearing red, blue, and gold.
“Washington is chaos right now, Daph. Worse even than it was for your canceled wedding.” The fact that he could say this without an ounce of awkwardness—as if he’d had nothing to do with that canceled wedding—was so very Ethan. “Some of my classmates in the summer program are actually renting out their dorm rooms. If you live in Randolph Hall, third floor or above, you can see the parade route. The kids with balconies are charging extra.”
Daphne smiled at the thought of tourists coming to town and renting college dorm rooms just so they might catch a glimpse of the queen. “You could go to the coronation if you wanted to, you know.”
“You could, too. He did invite both of us.”
Byhe,of course, Ethan meant Prince Jefferson.
Ethan was slowly, tentatively, trying to rebuild his relationship with his best friend, though it would take time. As for Daphne, she’d texted with Jefferson once or twice, but that was it. Someday, when she saw him in person again, she would apologize properly for everything she had done. She knew she owed him that.
For now, she was content to focus on this—whatever it was—between her and Ethan.
After the wedding debacle, she hadn’t dared reach out to Ethan. It felt unfair to Jefferson, and fundamentally wrong. She had no desire to slide one man out of her life and slide another into his place, as if they were interchangeable paperdolls.
Misguided as it had been, she and the prince had been about to getmarried.Daphne was determined to do things differently this time around. She and Ethan hadn’t even discussed whether they were dating; they hadn’t seen each other in person yet, just begun these video chats that had become increasingly frequent.
