Page 21 of Falling for the Widowed Prince

"Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet my future wife. Madeleine Woodward."

7

What was this wedding going to be like?

She needed to call Liana to be her maid of honor and her parents needed to be notified, but they were out of the country until a few days before Christmas.

First, the Eastern Novigradians needed to be told. Their reactions might determine exactly how this went. Rather than watching in her office, where everything was recorded, Madeleine went to the suite she would use indefinitely. With her cup of hot cocoa, she watched the direct feed to the press room.

No one stood at the microphones just yet, but a timer counting down said they only had about thirty seconds until someone appeared. The late queen had always, always, been on time. No one quite knew why she was so fastidious, more even than most people were. Maybe Princ... no, Anthony. He'd insisted she call him by his name, something that would take quite some time to get used to.

Regardless, maybe Anthony knew.

The clocked ticked down to zero then started counting back up, this time in red to indicate the late start. When it reached a minute-and-a-half, the press secretary appeared with the PrimeMinister, Duke of Lancheshire, and Anthony standing behind him.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press and fellow countrymen beyond, a decision has been made regarding who will act as regent on behalf of Queen Catherine. The Prime Minister will provide further details." The press secretary stood to the side to allow the Prime Minister to take his place.

"Good afternoon. The short presentation I'm about to give will be available on our website shortly and is being provided to members of the press right now." The late queen's royal cipher, now pictured with black fabric draped over it and still in use until Queen Catherine had her own, disappeared and was replaced with the first slide. "As everyone is aware, Prince Anthony has been Acting Regent for Queen Catherine since the passing of our beloved queen. Parliament and the Council have been diligently searching for a the right person to fill the role indefinitely. We have agreed with public opinion - the prince consort should be able to retain the position, but by statute, it was unlikely he would be able to do so."

He went on to explain the circumstances under which they could - which basically meant absolutely no other acceptable candidate could be found. There was even a list of positions in Parliament and the Council to be considered before the widower could be a valid option.

"With assistance first from Royal Historian Madeleine Woodward and later from three other renowned historians, another option has been discovered. Full details about the investigation and the details uncovered will be made available via our website and are being distributed to news outlets at the moment." The screen changed to the Letters Patent. "As this correspondence indicates, a Letters Patent had been issued by King Fulke prior to his death, providing for his wife to be regent for their young son. Upon his death, the widowed regentwas forced to sign an addendum saying the widow had to be married."

Whispers started in the gallery.

The table of contents for the book appeared. "As you can see from this slide, a piece of our history has been rediscovered. Studying the relevant passages in the book as well as other documents, both contemporary to the time and from later periods, this information is believed to be the accurate history of the Armstrong Dynasty. More information on the other aspects of this discovery will be available at a later time. Intense research has led us to believe the Letters Patent has never been rescinded and, should the monarch's widow choose to remarry, he or she must be named regent."

The whispers grew louder.

"Given those two contradictory requirements and his desire to protect both his young daughter and the country as a whole, the decision has been made by Prince Anthony to marry prior to the Christmas Eve deadline. In due time, the bride-to-be will be introduced to the country. I personally have known her for some time and believe she will make an excellent help meet for the prince and be a wonderfully good influence on all of the late queen's children."

The picture on the screen changed again. "As outlined in the Letters Patent, myself and the longest serving member of the Council, currently Duke of Lancheshire, have approved the prince's choice of spouse. Details for the wedding and other relevant events will be also be released in due time."

He took a step back allowing the press secretary to take his spot.

"We will take a limited number of questions at this time."

The press secretary pointed to someone Madeleine couldn't see. "The prince will remarry less than sixty days after thepassing of his wife. What, if anything, does that say about the state of their marriage at the time of her death?"

Madeleine could see Anthony's face harden at the question.

"Nothing," the press secretary snapped. "The queen would want the prince consort to advise their daughter as she grows into the queen she will become. The only way to do that is to remarry." He pointed to someone else.

"What does this say about the woman he'll marry? Is she after a title? Money?"

Tears stung the back of Madeleine's eyes, though she'd expected a question along those lines. When she looked at Anthony, his face had hardened further.

"The prince has complete confidence that he has found someone with only the best interests of his children and the country in mind, in that order. Any suggestions to the contrary are baseless and will be dealt with severely should the need arise." Meaning the news organization could have their palace credentials rescinded.

He chose someone else.

"Will the prince's new wife join him for state functions? Will she act as an advisor, officially or unofficially?" This question came from a woman. Madeleine recognized her voice but couldn't quite remember who she was.

"That remains to be seen. Those details will be worked out as time moves on. At minimum, as many couples do - and as the prince often did for our late queen - the prince will likely turn to her for input on a regular basis. She will be an unofficial advisor, potentially, for anything that doesn't require security clearance beyond what she would already have."

Madeleine hadn't thought about that. There would be things he wouldn't be able to tell her about.

But there would be things he could - and likely would.

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