Page 23 of A Foreign Crown
She should be happy for him. Shewas. She looked away from him and the princesses, determined to distract herself. She couldn’t figure out why it mattered at all what the prince did or with whom the princesses aligned themselves. It didn’t matter. She would prove it didn’t matter. She hardly knew the man.
Princess Mary laughed at something Prince Layton said, and the bite of chocolate Aribella placed on her tongue left a bitter aftertaste. All thoughts of the prince aligning himself with anyone rankled inside to such a degree that she astonished herself at the rising protective fear that had her stomach all twisted in knots.
But she couldn’t do anything about it; her loyalty was to the Queen, and if the Queen desired an alliance with Prince Layton for one of her daughters, then Aribella was duty-bound to support the effort and even encourage and manipulate events so that it came to pass. What a dreadful position to be in.
His laugh carried over to her, and just the sound of his deep bass sent fluttering thrills through her.
But really, she couldn’t have a tendresse for anyone outside of her estate. Being gone as long as she had was already too hard, and just the thought of it made her ache with an intensity that rivaled the discomfort of the new fiery emotion revolving around the prince. She’d heard nothing from her father. Though she’d been gone only a short amount of time, she longed for even the tiniest bit of news.
As Princess Mary leaned back to laugh overly loudly, she bumped into Aribella. Queen Charlotte cleared her throat, and the princess spoke in a more subdued manner. “But how long will you be here? You must come calling every day. I shan’t be without such amusements while it is in your power to provide them.”
At first the prince seemed uncomfortable; an awkward silence settled over the group.
The Queen gently cleared her throat once more. “Mary, we would love to invite Prince Layton to spend time with us when he is able.”
The general comfort of their conversation was restored while Aribella toyed with her food and tried to look elsewhere.
“And from whence does the lovely Lady Aribella come?” The prince leaned forward to include her in the conversation. Her heart warmed at the gesture, and she felt her face heat.
“Oh, well, I’m from an estate in the very northern tip of England.”
“She’s being far too modest.” The Queen smiled. “Hers is an ancient andalmostroyal line itself.”
Did Aribella imagine it, or had the Queen emphasized the wordalmostjust enough to draw attention to Aribella’s place? Well, as she should. She was in the rights of it. Their Majesties had hopes for foreign royals for nearly all the children, although they were odd about things, in Aribella’s opinion, for at the same time they wished for foreign royalty, they wished for their children to stay on England’s shores.
Aribella nodded at the Queen’s comment. “I thank you, Your Majesty. I am quite proud of my family and our estate. It was once a towering strength in all of England, I hear.”
“And your family some of the most highly respected here at court.” Queen Charlotte’s smile grew, and she nodded approvingly.
Aribella warmed under the Queen’s praise, all irritation and possessive angst forgotten. Her gaze caught Prince Layton’s during the peak of her pleased smile, and their gaze held for a moment before she thanked the Queen and looked down at her plate again.
“My family agrees,” Prince Layton said. “I believe my father counseled with yours when they met, and your father then went to great lengths to help him find solutions to our flooding issues; his idea of building a great dam is widely known. Flooding was once an issue on your estate, I believe.”
Aribella smiled, happy to hear another reason to be greatly proud of her father. “Yes, but now our problems are much more centered on drought. It has been a dreadful turn.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Prince Layton’s eyes were filled with the most sincere sympathy. “Perhaps we can in turn be of assistance to him.”
“He would appreciate the gesture, I’m sure.”
Princess Mary leaned forward so that most of the flesh above her low neckline was visible to Aribella and certainly to Prince Layton. “Do you enjoy lawn games, Prince Layton?”
“When you say lawn games, to what are you referring? I’ve heard the English enjoy a good game of battledore and shuttlecock or some such.”
“Oh yes, that one, but also bowls, and we have several others that are, I think, perhaps unique to Windsor. Would you like to come spend an afternoon with us?”
“I would indeed.” He cleared his throat. “Will your father be present as well?”
The princesses’ faces drained of color, and Aribella found their reactions very curious. Had the King experienced one of his fits?
Queen Charlotte also seemed unraveled, but she hid it better. “He does partake of the lawn amusements as often as he can, but only when matters of state aren’t troubling him.”
“Understandable. Does he often consult with his brothers or sons? We have a wonderful royal council that meets together to make most of the decisions of state.”
The Queen adjusted the position of her glass on the table for several seconds before answering. “I think you’ll find this royal court to be more spread out. Many of our sons, the royal dukes, are at their own estates, running things from where they are. We do see a bit of the Duke of Clarence.”
Prince George laughed uproariously from where he sat.
“And, of course, there’s Prince George,” the Queen added.
