Page 53 of The Beach Hut on Plum Island
Upon arriving at the hotel, the tension in the atmosphere was palpable. The lobby buzzed with a subtle undercurrent of urgency as they made their way to the elevators. Harriet noticed at least five undercover agents mulling around, trying not to stand out.
“Great!” Harriet muttered as she and Finn clasped hands. “We’re surrounded.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing,” Finn pointed out. “Especially while your uncle’s here.”
“There are going to be a lot of A-listers at Alex and Daniella’s wedding celebration week as well,” Harley informed them. “So we did need to beef up the security, and the introduction of your uncle’s team has been a really great help.”
“That’s because my uncle brought his best guys,” Harriet said, looking at Murphy. “Murphy’s been with my uncle since he was twenty-two and worked his way up to the head of security.”
“Thank you for the reference, Princess,” Murphy said, grinning and looking at Finn and Harley as they stepped into the elevator. “I started with King Titus around the year Princess Harriet became the Rebel Princess, and it was the year I had to have my first ever rabies shot.”
“Because of a lynx?” Finn asked Murphy as the elevator started to rise towards its destination.
“Yup.” Murphy looked at Finn. “If I might be so bold as to give you a bit of advice, Mr. Shaw.” Finn nodded. “Don’t take the princess to any kind of zoo or farm where she can get near to the animals because you may end up finding a fewrescuesin the back of your vehicle.”
“I didn’t steal that lynx,” Harriet told Murphy. “Like I told you, he followed me, and when I didn’t want to leave, and you tried to make me…” She gave him a smug smile. “He thought you were hurting me… and well… that story ended in stitches and weeks of rabies shots.”
“Noted,” Finn said, nodding and trying to hide a smile. Harriet saw a flash of pride in his eyes as he looked at her. “Maggie’s done that once or twice at petting zoos. Only she took a tortoise, meerkat, and a duck. After her third offense, which was the duck, Maggie had to agree to be given the once over before she left the farm or get banned.”
“Maggie is a great kid,” Harriet said as the elevator dinged to a stop on the top floor where her, Dawn, and her brother Gray’s suites were. “Wanting to rescue animals from dreadful situations proves it.”
They stepped out of the elevator, and as Harriet took the path she had many times in the past year, a feeling of anxiousness gripped her. Harriet glanced at Finn, who gave her hand a gentle, encouraging squeeze and she realized it should be her giving his hand the squeeze. She was more nervous about Finn meeting her uncle than he was.
“Remember to address the king as Your Majesty,” Harley repeated what Murphy had said earlier. “Give a slight bow and tip of your head.”
“Thanks,” Finn said, taking a breath and nodding.
“You can still back out,” Harriet whispered for Finn’s ears only. “It’s still not too late because it’s going to be harder once we cross that threshold.”
“I told you already,” Finn whispered back, kissing her forehead to seal his statement. “I’m in this until the end.”
“Excuse me,” Murphy apologized as he stepped around them to knock on Gray’s suite door.
Gray’s door was opened by another bodyguard who greeted Murphy and bowed respectfully as Harriet and Finn entered. When the forest of bodyguards cleared, Harriet and Finn faced King Titus, sitting in the center of the living room on a high-backed armchair. A few of the dining table chairs had been moved into the living room to accommodate all the guests, including Harriet’s parents, her brother, Gloria Gladstone, Dawn, and Estelle.
“I’ve ordered some refreshments.” Faith Vanderbilt walked in from the kitchenette, making Harriet’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, hello, Princess Harriet.” She greeted Harriet with a slight curtsy.“It’s good to see you. Dawn told me to order ginger root, lemon, orange, and honey tea for you and Mr. Shaw.”
What the heck were Dawn and her aunt doing here?Her eyes found Dawn’s, who pursed her lips and gave Harriet a look that clearly said,I’m just as baffled as you are.
Harriet gave Faith a tight smile. “Thank you.”
Faith gave another slight curtsy and slipped off to an armchair near King Titus, bringing a curious frown to Harriet’s brow. How odd that Faith would be positioned near Uncle Titus and to the right of him. She shrugged it off as it was an informally formal setting.
Her parents, Julie and Pat, looked unusually somber. At the same time, Gray seemed on edge as they each greeted her with a soft hello while King Titus watched them approach expressionless. This usually meant he was seething or amused. Still, Harriet was betting it was not the latter, as she’d managed to thwart yet another of his plans by throwing a spanner in the works.
Harriet suppressed a grin as she and Finn stopped in front of her uncle.
Titus’s eyes locked on Harriet. “Princess Harriet, it’s good of you to join us,” he began, his voice carrying a commanding tone that left little room for argument as his eyes fixed on their clasped hands. “Please introduce me to your partner.”
“Your Majesty, may I present myfiancé, Finn Shaw,“ Harriet said, turning to Finn and refusing to let go of his hand. They were in America now, and she’d never conformed to their archaic rules before. Harriet wasn’t going to start now. “Finn, this is my uncle, King Titus, the reigning king of Joyce Isles.”
Her eyes filled with amusement, and her lips twitched as she stared into Finn’s eyes and turned to her uncle.
“Your Majesty,” Finn greeted King Titus, doing what Murphy and Harley told him to do. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
“Mr. Shaw, you’ve caused me a lot of problems by proposing to my niece without warning her parents first,” King Titus informed Finn.
“Oh, hogwash!” Harriet breathed, having had enough of all the royal pomp and ceremony. “I’m a grown woman, and I can decide for myself who I wish to marry and when. This isn’t the bygone era where we had to post bans all over the place. And I most certainly no longer have to get the man I choose to marry to getyouror anyone else’s approval.”
