Page 77 of A Foreign Crown
Chapter Twenty-Five
Layton sat at breakfast withhis family. His mother and father sat together at the head of the table, she at his father’s right. Some families had a parent on each end, but his parents preferred to be together. He watched the two of them. They cared for each other, didn’t they? For the first time in his life, Layton wondered if they had a love match. Had their marriage been arranged, or had they chosen each other?
Then his brothers took their usual spots around the large table where many generations of Wilhelms had taken their meals. The thick wood legs showed scratches from earlier generations. Rumor had it that the wood used to make the table had come from early Viking ships. The oldest two brothers, Hayes and Kristoff, sat on either side of their parents, and they had always sat in order of age going down the table: Frederick, Marc, Henri, Karl, Josef, then Layton. As the youngest, Layton sat on the opposite end. Servants waited to fill glasses and offer more food for their plates.
All sons were together again. Josef sat at Layton’s right. He had been studying the flora and fauna of a nearby island’s tundra and went on about it incessantly. Layton wondered if any of the other brothers heard him, for though Layton responded now and then, he heard very little. His mind was active in imagining Aribella with them at the same table. She’d get on well with his mother. The brothers would tease and cajole her, and he suspected she would respond with the same wit. He supposed he should be imagining Princess Mary at the same table, but her overly large, cheery smile and girlish fancies seemed out of place.
“So, Brother. Tell us of the English court.” Hayes lifted his glass.
The others chuckled, and Karl grinned. “Are the ladies as well dressed and mannered as they were the last time we were there?”
Layton considered them. “They are lovely. The pink on their pale cheeks is as bright as the energy in their dance steps. But their royal courts... I prefer ours in more ways than one.”
“As you should.” Hayes nodded in satisfaction. “Mother runs a tight ship here.”
“Your efforts shine in all regards, Mother. The manners and dress of our family and royal court are unmatched in their excellence.”
She placed a hand on Father’s arm, and the pleased smile on her face brought satisfaction to Layton. Sheshouldfeel pride in her efforts.
His father sat taller in his chair. “You do well to respect her. The Wilhelm name is esteemed because of each one of you.”
“Ah yes, I neglected to mention.” Layton grinned. “You are all highly regarded among the women there in London.”
The brothers all paused in their meal and turned to him.
“How so?” Marc’s lift of an eyebrow made Layton’s grin grow.
“From our one visit to London last year?” Josef’s frown showed he’d left the world of the tundra and had joined their conversation. Perhaps even he could be enticed by the ladies.
“They seem to be under the impression that we are somewhat of an elusive bunch—handsome, eligible, and highly sought-after.” He took a bite of his bread, watching the brothers digest that news.
“Did any have a particular interest in visiting our courts?” Marc threw the question out as though it mattered little, but the brothers watched Layton for a response.
“Well now, I don’t know. I’m certain they would, had they a good reason or an invitation. Perhaps each of you might spend some time visiting the English court.”
“So were you fighting off the attention of beautiful ladies while we navigated the shores of our country and handled matters of state?” Hayes’s tone was light, but Layton wondered if his eldest brother hoped to travel to London.
“I was indeed.”
“The princesses certainly took a liking to our Layton, and I believe their family hopes for an alliance with Princess Mary in the not too distant future.” The smile of victory on his mother’s face reminded Layton where his duty lay, but he bristled at the direction of the conversation and at another reminder that his position in the kingdom was apparently to woo women in England. And he felt that ignoring Aribella only served to bring her more powerfully to his mind.
“There were others, besides the princesses, who would make equally eligible matches.” Layton tried to keep his voice passive, neutral, but his mother’s sharp eyes watched him for a moment longer than usual, and he knew he’d be talking to her more after their meal.
“You might recall that my purpose in going had little to do with courting. I had to play nice with the English nobility, but I went to bring us some naval ships for protection.”
“Which you did admirably well. I am more than pleased, son; you must know that.” His fathers’ words made the whole of the frustration of dealing with the King and Prince George worth it... almost.
“But we’re curious. Tell us more.” The gleeful light in his mother’s face softened Layton’s heart.
“I did think you’d enjoy this bit of fame.” Layton pulled some fliers from his pocket. “A cartoonist took to drawing my antics in London—the attention I received from the Queen and whatnot—and then made this drawing of our family.”
“What? Let me see that.” Father seemed equally pleased and concerned.
Layton chuckled. “They are all made in good fun. The first one is here. It shows Prince George, whom they call Prinny. He’s a bit of a nonsensical kind of man, but he kept his word to our country, and when all was said and done, I found I liked the fellow. But the cartoonist does not, so he paints us as rivals for the ladies, and as you can see, I come out ahead.”
Hayes frowned, but Karl snorted when he saw the image, and each of the brothers in turn commented as it went round the table. The image showed Prinny tripping after Layton, who had a lady on each arm. He and Prinny had laughed over it one evening.
Then he passed around others, including the one with each of the brothers. The cartoonist had placed them in appealing poses, each one more handsomely fitted than the next, and the caption read,Royal Fascination: The Wilhelm Family.
