Page 41 of Stay Close
Edie
The tap on thedoor wakes me, and I yawn, mechanically sliding out of Lucas’s warm embrace, padding to the door before he’s roused from sleep. Sun makes the curtains glow, and I glance at the clock with a tiny yelp.
It’s horribly late.
“Who is it?” I call, performing the protocol as Lucas taught me.
“Her Majesty Queen Helena requests an audience,” comes Caroline’s voice.
Oh, no. I yank the wedge out of the door and throw it open. “Caroline—”
Not only Caroline.
The queen of Sondmark stands at her side, chin up, terrifyingand formal.
“Ma’am,” I clutch my pajamas at the throat, bobbing into a motion that might be a curtsey or a nauseous convulsion. “Come in.”
Having invited her inside, I’m horrified by the picture I must present—hair every which way, rumpled pajamas, and, damage notwithstanding, an extremely good looking man in my bed.
“Edie,” Lucas murmurs. We turn, and I watch in horror as his hand explores the pillow where my head used to be.
Queen Helena must have seen many upsetting things in a reign spanning thirty years, and I force myself to remember that this is only the top ofmylist. She’s a pro, and her smile is set. “I brought flowers and my deep apologies that you have been so ill done by while in Sondmark. It does not reflect our typical warmth and hospitality, I assure you.”
By now, Lucas is stirring, awkwardly working himself into an upright position. I can practically hear his bones creak, but he nods respectfully, his dark hair falling into his eyes.
“He’s very hurt,” I say, my voice louder than it needs to be, but I manage to choke off a flood of words.
We definitely weren’t having shenanigans in your palace, ma’am.
The queen’s face doesn’t move a muscle as she wanders near the bed. “You are well?” she asks Lucas. She looks like a medieval warrior-queen, touring the battlefield hospital, taking the blood-soaked soil in her stride.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be on my feet by noon.”
“No hurry,” she says, glancing at Caroline who is dealing with a disturbance at the door.
“The Vorburg delegation sends flowers,” Caroline says, carrying a large bouquet into the room.
“How kind of them,” Queen Helena says, holding a finger under her nose. There is the tiniest drop of sourness in the smile she gives me.Isn’t that like a second-rate country? Flowers. Obviously insufficient. Some monarchs visit the indisposed.
“We hope this upsetting event won’t influence the boundary recommendation,” she says, pressing a diplomatic point. I see this visit for what it is. The negotiations are over, but her maneuvers are not.
“I wouldn’t dream of allowing anything of that nature to influence me,” I counter.
Queen Helena tips her head in acknowledgement. I don’t take bribes, and I don’t accept commands, not even when they’re delivered by an impressive monarch while I’m reliant on her hospitality and standing in my bare feet.
The queen stays for five minutes, thanking Lucas for his quick thinking and brave actions. Though he’s in bed with a creased dress shirt and a bandage over one eyebrow, I’m impressed by the queen. If she had a sword, I suspect she would offer him a knighthood.
“Order of the Dragonslayer,” Lucas says when she goes. “This country doesn’t have knighthoods.”
“How did you know what I was thinking?” I ask, crawling over the coverlet to get to him.
My phone buzzes with a text notification, and I overshoot his arms, reaching to take it from a side table. He kisses my neck as I pass.
“Who is it?” Kiss, kiss, kiss.
“Knickerbocker, Gouss & Astor,” I groan, rolling onto my back. The text is short but direct.As negotiations have wrapped up and your safety is at risk, we are recalling you to Virginia. The travel itinerary will be sent to your inbox for yourself and your Black Swan protection officer. Boundary report may be written and filed from here.
“I’ll send it to your phone,” I say, navigating the screen.
