Page 21 of Appointing

Elin had fallen in love with her the first moment Ingrid had walked into the room after having been assigned to her, and she still felt that way every time Ingrid walked into the room now, which was why the carpets of the palace and now Coburn Cottage were littered with beverage stains. She couldn’t be a clumsy Queen in love with her secretary, so she’d talk to her father to see if Ingrid could work with Mari. Then, she’d see about trying to get over these feelings and finding a way to love someone else one day.

CHAPTER 7

“Ingrid, may I speak with you for a moment?” Steven asked.

“Of course,” she replied, walking into his office instead of down the hall and to the other side of the palace toward Elin’s office.

“There’s been a change,” he announced before she had a chance to sit down.

“A change with what?”

“Her Royal Highness will be maintaining her current private secretary.”

Ingrid took a moment to think through what he’d said since he’d worded it so strangely.

“I’m to remain on with–”

“Oh, my apologies,” he interrupted her. “It’s been quite the day around here already. I meant Princess Lillian; Katrin will continue on as her secretary.”

“So, I will be working with the Queen after all?” she asked, still confused.

“No, the King has seen fit to make you private secretary to Princess Mari upon her return from military service shortly. She doesn’t have a secretary yet, so no one will be displaced.”

“What about The Princess Royal?” she asked of Elin.

“She will have Markus, as we discussed. There’s no change there.”

“But I’m senior to Katrin,” she reminded him.

“Yes, but it seems that Princess Lillian threw quite the fit and begged her sister, who then went to the King, and he made the final decision.”

“The Princess Royal went to the King and asked for this?”

“She did,” Steven said with a nod. “I trust there won’t be a problem. From where I sit, the youngest Princess is the far better option for you anyway. And when Markus retires, if the Queen feels as if you’d be the proper option for her at that time, she may promote you to her service again.”

???

Ingrid was very confused. As she proceeded down the hall and back on her way toward Elin’s office, she wondered what the hell had happened. First, she’d been told Markus was senior, and that had been the only thing that mattered. Now, she’d just been told that, despite her seniority to Katrin, she’d be placed with the lowest ranking royal in the household while Katrin would remain where she was with the soon-to-be next in line to the throne once Elin took over from her father.

“Ma’am?”

“Oh, no,” Elin’s voice came from behind the door Ingrid was opening.

“What?”

Ingrid walked in and noticed Elin standing, looking into a floor-length mirror in front of the wall.

“Are you okay?” Ingrid asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. I was just trying on my dress for the gala. They dropped it off for me, and I thought I could just put the thing on for myself since I’ve never liked having dressers dress me, but I was zipping it up when you knocked and scared me, and now the zipper is stuck,” Elin replied.

Ingrid smiled at her softly, walked over to her, and stood behind her, looking over Elin’s shoulder at the Princess’s reflection. The dress that had been chosen for her was indigo, which was a common color for royals to wear, given that it matched the color of the Norwegian flag and they often had to wear their official sashes, medals, and other regalia. What they wore couldn’t clash with any of that. Elin, as the current second in line for the throne, had to wear a white sash with indigo and red ribbons. She also had a medal from her two years of military service, which all royals wore these days. Elin would never become first in line like her twin, but Christian would wear his Royal Air Force uniform with a red sash indicating royalty with the same ribbons. He had more military accoutrement as well as a Scandinavian Cross medal that indicated he was next in line for the throne. Soon, he’d have to remove that from his uniform.

Elin’s dress made her blue eyes look darker somehow, and Ingrid recalled how those eyes had looked at the hot springs when they’d relaxed there together and she’d called the Princess by her first name. Ingrid smiled at her, nodded politely, and took a step forward, examining the zipper that was stuck at Elin’s lower back.

“Shall I help, Ma’am?” Ingrid asked.

“Please,” Elin said.

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