Everyone either knows or correctly guesses the answer to that one, but I don’t confirm or deny. “Thank you so much for your time, Agnes. I will pay you for an additional two months while you’re looking for something else.”

  She narrows her eyes and looks at me as though she can see right through me. Without another word, she turns on her heel and walks away, taking a giant piece of my heart with her.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Queen Charlotte

  “Well, that doesn’t look good,” the queen says while lowering her glasses.

  “Do you think he fired her?” Jacqui gasps.

  “My poor baby,” Amelia says.

  Turning away from the window, Charlotte shakes her head. “That was quite a scene.” She walks over to her regular chair and pushes the intercom button. “Simpson, please find Miss Dupuis and bring her to me immediately. She’s currently walking toward the palace from the fountain.”

  Sitting down, she tells her guests, “I’m not going to let Andrew fire her.”

  “You can’t force her to work for him,” Amelia says in alarm.

  “No, I can’t, but I can offer her a job working for me.”

  Jacqui settles on the loveseat next to her friend. “And let’s face it, you’re the acting monarch. Your recommendation is far better than Drew’s.”

  “Exactly.” Charlotte nods her head once.

  Several moments of silence pass before Amelia joins Jacqui on the settee. “I don’t know what happened out there, but I can’t imagine Agnes is going to want to work anywhere near Prince Andrew.”

  “Be that as it may, your daughter is a fine secretary and I think I can make her an offer she can’t refuse.” Charlotte looks toward the door impatiently. “Where is Simpson?”

  “Relax, Char. Give the man a minute to do his job,” Jacqui says. “In the meantime, what kind of offer are you going to make Agnes? It’s going to have to be big to overcome whatever humiliation she just endured.”

  The door opens before the queen can answer. A somewhat disheveled and sweaty Simpson announces, “Miss Dupuis is here.”

  “Thank you, Simpson.” Charlotte stands, and says, “Agnes, please come in.”

  Agnes makes eye contact with everyone before asking, “What are you all doing here?”

  Agnes

  I have never been so insulted and mortified in my whole life. I cannot believe Drew just fired me, and in front of that horrible woman. But more than that, I can’t believe I acted like such a lovesick fool. He told me that nothing could ever happen between us, and I should have taken him at his word. But seeing him with Chantelle caused me to see pure red. That woman is the very devil.

  “Your Majesty.” I curtsy to the queen. “What can I do for you?”

  “What happened out at the fountain, dear?” Her expression is so kind and caring, I feel my eyes fill with emotion.

  Even though our luncheon was clearly observed by the occupants of this room, I decide playing dumb is the best way to keep dignity all around. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I don’t understand what you’re asking.”

  The queen raises one eyebrow in question. “We know that you couldn’t have been expecting to see Miss Bain at lunch. It looks like things didn’t go well.”

  A lone tear trickles down my face. My throat feels like I just swallowed a tennis ball. “I …what I mean to say is … things …” And just like that, the dam bursts and I’m full-on crying. “Prince Andrew has let me go.”

  The queen claps her hands together like I’ve just pulled a coin out of my nose. “Have no fear, I’ve found you another job.”

  “While I’m glad for an offer, I cannot work in the palace for another day,” I tell her. “Your son has become a royal pain in my backside, and I don’t think I can be within ten kilometers of him, or I might commit violence.”

  “Agnes !” My mother is clearly not impressed by my manners.

  “Mum.” I turn and look at her. “You’ve raised me to believe in myself and stand up for myself. You have to trust me when I tell you Prince Andrew does not respect me, and I cannot work in an environment like that.”

  “I respect you,” the queen says. “And while working for me would mean that you must occasionally still see my son, I can assure you that if he offends you again, you have my permission to punch him in the nose.”

  Now that’s a tempting offer. “Tell me more.”

  “My housekeeper has taken some time off to help her daughter with her new baby. With Mrs. Cartney away, I need someone at my beck and call for the next two weeks to fill in for my personal needs.”

  “So, it’s a temporary job?” I ask.

  “To start. I’ll only need you to stay here at the palace for two weeks, but once Mrs. Cartney comes back, she will be on call during the night again. At that point, I’ll move you to something else.”

  “You want me to keep sleeping here?” I’d easier sprout wings and fly her to Paris on my back.

  “Mrs. Cartney is available should I need anything during the night. That’s why she lives here. But I promise, I rarely need a thing, so I most likely won’t be disturbing you.”

  Gah! Living across the hall from Andrew—I’m not sure I can do it. “Ma’am,” I start to say, but she interrupts me.

  “If you are able to help me out, I will personally write a recommendation letter to the bank to get you your business loan.”

  “My mother has told you about that, has she?” I turn to offer my mum a stern look. So much for not being a gossip.

  “And …” the queen ignores my question, “I will offer your new agency a year-long contract to fill the palace’s domestic needs. If things work out well, we’ll increase the length of the contract as well as the scope of the staff we hire through you.”

  “And all I have to do is stay here for two more weeks and be available to you during the night?” While it sounds excruciating, it also sounds too good to be true.

  “That and perform whatever duties I require of you during the day.”

  “Yes, of course.” What’s the catch? I mean, seriously, Queen Charlotte barely knows me. Why would she go to such lengths to help me like this?

  “So, what’s it going to be?” the queen asks. “Are you in?”

  I nod my head slowly. “Yes, ma’am. I’m in.”

  “Excellent. Your first duty will be accompanying me to the Legacy Ball tonight at Symphony Hall. The king has another engagement and I find that I hate arriving to these things alone.”

  “You want me to go to a ball with you?” I had envisioned myself fetching her a paracetamol if she needed one, not dressing up for a night out. “I’m not sure I have an appropriate gown, ma’am.”

  “You have that beautiful dress you wore to your senior formal at university.” Excellent. My mother has decided to join the conversation.

  “That was almost a decade ago, Mum. Styles have changed quite a bit since then.”

  The queen fans her hands in front of her like she’s trying to stop traffic. “I’ll have dresses brought here to the palace for you to try on, Agnes. My seamstress can make any alterations needed.”

  “Let me get this straight,” I say. “As a booby prize to getting sacked by your son, I get to choose a new dress and go to a ball?” To quote Hamlet, Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

  “I may also need you during the night, as well as small tasks during the day.”

  “Ma’am.” I curtsy to my queen while pushing all questions to the back of my brain. Sometimes the world really does throw you a good turn, and I would be an idiot not to catch mine.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Queen Charlotte

  As soon as Agnes leaves the room, Charlotte turns to her friends and barely stifles a squeal of delight. “They’ll be as good as engaged by the time Mrs. Cartney returns.”

  “I highly doubt they’ll be engaged,” Jacqui says.

  Amelia uncrosses her legs and shifts on the loveseat she’s occupying. “The prince went out with a girl for over two years at university, and he didn’t propose.”

  “Fine,” Charlotte says. “They may not be engaged by that time, but they will be so in love they won’t know what hit them.”

  “Char …” Jacqui picks up a mint out of a sterling silver bowl and pops it into her mouth. “You’re a romantic, and I applaud you for it, but Andrew is a tough nut and I’m guessing you’re going to have a harder time cracking him than you think.”

  Charlotte shakes her head slowly as her smile broadens. “I know what I’m doing, Jax. And believe me when I tell you, Agnes’s job will not be as easy as she thinks it will be.”

  “How so?” There’s a definite note of worry in Amelia’s voice.

  “I may have insinuated that she might run into Drew on occasion, but the truth is, I hired her as my interface with him. She will personally carry all of my messages to him, and she will be my guest at every event that Drew and I are scheduled to attend. They’ll see more of each other now than they did when Agnes was his secretary.”

  “You frighten me,” Jacqui says in awe.

  “I’ve learned a thing or two while helping Alfred rule our little country.” Charlotte determinedly adds, “Sometimes you have to force people’s hands to get the result you’re after.”

  Amelia stands up and begins to pace around the room. “But what if they truly aren’t meant to be?”

  With a short shrug, Charlotte answers, “Then they’ll only have to suffer for the next two weeks.”

  Prince Andrew

  I spend the next hour listening to Chantelle blather on and on about all the ways we can fool the public into thinking we’re a real couple. By the time we’ve—rather, I’ve—finished dessert, I’m ready to rip my hair out.

  “I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but I feel the need to confirm that you know this is all a farce, yes?”

  “Of course, darling.” She rests her hand on mine and squeezes it. “Just think of me as your right hand.”

  Pulling my right hand out from under hers, I say, “I trust that you will leave Agnes alone and not mention her to anyone?”

  With a look of total affront, Chantelle gasps, “I would never be so cruel. Now that I don’t have to worry about her trying to molest you, I will never mention her again.”

  Like there was ever any worry that Agnes would molest me. She, on the other hand, plays like a loop in my brain from morning to night. The truth is, she was in much more danger from me than I ever was from her.

  Lost in my thoughts, I only hear half of what Chantelle says next. “… should I meet you there then?”

  “I’m sorry, my mind drifted. Where are we meeting?”

  “The Legacy Ball at Symphony Hall. I just told you that I have a dinner engagement before, but I could meet you there afterwards.”

  I wonder why she’s not trying to get me to join her for supper. I’m relieved she’s not; I don’t dare put the idea into her head. “That would be fine. I’ll arrive at nine and meet you inside.”

  Standing up, Chantelle leans over and kisses my cheek. “I’m off. I have a full afternoon before tonight.”

  Standing up, I ask, “Would you like me to walk you out?”

  “Not at all. I’m perfectly capable of finding my own way.” Again, it’s unlike Chantelle to pass up time with me, but I don’t want to force myself on her.

  Taking the reprieve offered, I bow to her. “I’ll see you this evening.” As I walk away, I wonder if Agnes has already moved out of the palace. A heavy sense of sadness washes over me and temporarily roots my feet to the ground like I’ve been planted there.

  I don’t want to go inside and find that Agnes is no longer there. I loved having her across the hall from me. I loved dropping in for a chat or taking a stroll in the garden together. Had I only kept my lips to myself, she would still be here.

  Forcibly picking up my feet, I try to convince myself that Agnes leaving is the best thing for all. She was a constant source of temptation that I no longer have to concern myself with. This must be a good thing, even though it feels so bad.

  When I get back to my office, the first thing I do is to call the Master of the Household and ask that he send me a temporary assistant. “Not Jonathan, though,” I tell him. That man is so monotone he can bore the paint off the walls.

  The next thing I do is sit down at Agnes’s desk and try to figure out how much she’s done to prepare for Filly’s arrival. I click open the file folder marked “Felicity” on her screen and find that everything looks to be in order.

  I pick up the phone again and call my friend’s mobile. “Yes?” she greets distractedly.

  “Fill, it’s me. Are you all set to come up? Are you sure that I can’t send a car for you?”

  With a drawn-out sigh, she says, “Hey, Drew. I would love for you to send a car, but I’ll need a car to drive to the hospital and back once I’m there.”

  My poor friend has so much on her plate that I’m nervous she’ll be a hazard on the road. “I’ll send a car and both it and the driver will be at your beck and call while you’re here. I don’t want you worrying about a thing.”

  “Other than my dying husband, you mean.” The hitch in her voice almost undoes me.

  “Other than that,” I tell her. “Have you spoken to Agnes about any special needs you have?”

  “I spoke with her earlier, but I don’t need anything other than what you’re already providing.” Before I can tell her that Agnes is no longer with me, she adds, “I have her cell number if I need her though.”

  “As to that … Agnes is no longer working at the palace, so I’ll have my new assistant send you their number when they arrive.”

  “She finally got sick of you and quit, huh? I can’t really blame her after you made her come out to supper with us and then sent her off to eat alone. You can be a real prince sometimes, can’t you?”

  Her sarcasm is not lost on me. “You know I can, Fill. Listen, I have a ball this evening but if you need anything, call my cell and I’ll do whatever I can for you.”

  “Thank you.” My friend’s voice is so sad that I wish I could pull her through the phone and give her a hug.

  “I love you, Fill. You’re the last person in the world who deserves to be going through what you’re going through. Life isn’t fair.”

  “I’ve had nearly fifteen years with Sebastian. We have two beautiful daughters. While I agree my situation really blows, there are a lot of people who never get the gifts I’ve been given. If it’s my turn for good fortune to leave, then I hope it visits someone who desperately needs it.”

  “You’re a prize, Fill. I could take some lessons from you.”

  She laughs. “Yes, you could. The question is, will you?”

  “What are you alluding to?” I ask.

  “How about the fact that you’re thirty-six years old and you won’t go out with a woman more than three times before you dump her?”

  “So, you want me to settle just so I can get married and have kids?”

  “No one said anything about settling, you dolt. At least half the women in this country would bang down your door with their bare hands and prostrate themselves at your feet if you’d let them.”

  The first image that comes to mind is Chantelle. She is doing just that, and I find the attention unbearable. The second image that comes to mind is Agnes, who is doing everything but actively pursuing me.

  Too bad Agnes is the only one I want.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Amelia

  As soon as Amelia and Jacqui leave the palace, Amelia declares, “I’m going home.”

  “Have you heard from Ralph?”

  “I haven’t, but I did talk to Georges this morning.”

  “And?” Jacqui looks at her friend, briefly turning her attention from the road leading out of the palace gates.

  “He told me that my husband was only doing what I instructed him to do. He said that men are often more literal than women, and that I can’t be mad at Ralph for following the rules I set.”

  “I suppose he’s right. I’ve spent a good deal of my married life feeling frustrated that Georges couldn’t read my mind. He needs things spelled out for him like a child.”

  Pushing the button on the automatic window, Amelia leans toward the opening and breathes in the fall air. “I’m going to make supper for Ralph tonight, and we’re going to sit down and talk this all out. I need to know if he really thinks as little of me as he’s implied.”

  “And if he does?”

  “Then I’ll take your lead, Jacqui, and tell him I deserve more. If he’s able to give it to me, I’ll think about staying. If not, I’m prepared to go.”

  “You’d think we would have been set by the time we reached this age.” Jacqui shakes her head slowly.

  Sighing, Amelia says, “I think there are growing pains at all ages.”

  “Should we stop off for a glass of wine before we go home?”

  “We should stop off for a bottle. I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been in my life and a I could certainly use some help relaxing.”

  Jacqui pulls off at the exit before theirs. “I know just the pub.”

  A turn or two later, they pull down a charming street outside the hustle and bustle of city streets. Jacqui pulls up to the curb and puts her car in park before pointing out the window.

  Amelia pulls her door handle and steps out of the car. “Le Relax, huh? Let’s hope they live up to their name.”

  “With enough wine, anyone can relax,” Jacqui says while joining her on the sidewalk.

  Once they walk into the pub, it takes a minute to adjust to the dark lighting. Jacqui looks over at the bar before yanking her friend’s arm and pulling her back toward the exit. “Let’s go to my house, instead.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Jacqui. We’re here now.” Turning around, Amelia scans the restaurant until her eyes land on the very thing her friend was trying to keep her from seeing. “What in the hell?”