Royal Court

by Jenny Frame

  When she looked up, Holly was gazing at her with a certain look that she couldn’t decipher.

  “It must bring you all so close together,” Holly said.

  Quincy could only nod and think about Jacob. Put me out of my misery, please, Quincy. I can’t be the man I was.

  She closed her eyes and tried to dismiss the memory.

  “You said the best bit was setting up camp.” Holly filled the silence again—she always seemed to. “Did you have to eat bugs and stuff?”

  Quincy chuckled. Again Holly had pushed away her sad thoughts, with just her words. What else could she do? Her heart started to thud, and she had the urge to touch Holly and run her fingers through that reddish-blond hair of hers.

  “Yes, we had to eat the odd bug, the odd fish eye—”

  “Yuck,” Holly interrupted her, “you didn’t have to tell me in detail.”

  “Sorry, but I loved camping out overnight. Whether in the wet Highlands or the stifling dry heat of the Middle East. The night always ends the same, making a fire and having a cup of tea.”

  “That sounds nice. I’ve never been camping, but my gran had a real open fireplace, and I always lay in front of it and watched the flames. I was fascinated.”

  “There’s something about a campfire that connects with somewhere deep inside the human soul, I believe. It heats us, gives us hope. It’s primal somehow.”

  “That was beautiful,” Holly said breathily.

  The atmosphere in the room had changed and she never even realized it. Holly’s lips were slightly parted, and her chest was moving more rapidly.

  She’d never intended her words to have such an effect, but they had. If she was a braver woman, she would go over to Holly and kiss her, but she wasn’t, so she just put her attention back to her model figure.

  After about thirty seconds Holly said, “When we get to the ranch in Kentucky, will you show me how to make a fire?”

  Quincy wanted to say no. She was already too close, and Holly had the ability to get her to talk about things that she didn’t want to. But Quincy couldn’t say no.

  “Of course I will.”

  “Excellent. Quin? Did you always want to be in the marines?”

  “Yes, I was in the marine cadets at boarding school. My mother wasn’t too happy,” Quincy said. She’d done it again. Said more than she should.

  “Was she worried about you getting injured? Fighting on the front line?”

  “God, no. It was a bit beneath the family name, that was all. My family has a long tradition in the Royal Navy, but we captain fleets of ships, not fight like common soldiers, as mother put it.”

  Holly furrowed her brow. “I think you’re brave choosing the Royal Marines. Can I see a picture of you in your uniform?”

  Quincy was not expecting that question. “Erm, I don’t think I have—”

  Holly put her brush down, came over to her chair, and crouched down beside it. “Come on. I know you’ve got to have some, and I’m not leaving you alone until you show me.”

  The smell of Holly’s perfume was intoxicating, and she couldn’t tear her eyes from her breasts that she could now see, up close and personal.

  Just show her. Then she’ll leave you alone.

  She reached over to her bed and picked up her computer pad and opened up her photos. “This is me, during officer training.” She was dressed in full fatigues, with green beret, gun, and black war paint on her face.

  Holly scooted closer and leaned her arm on Quincy’s leg—for balance, she assumed, but it sent heat throughout her body.

  “God, you look so butch I could eat you all up.” Holly giggled.

  “Excuse me?” Quincy said with surprise.

  Holly smiled that cute way she had that wrinkled her nose. “Just a figure of speech. Next pic, come on.”

  Quincy’s hands were starting to tremble slightly, but it was nothing compared to how hard her heart was thumping. How could something feel so exhilarating, turned her on so, and at the same time make her want to run.

  “Do I scare you, Stompy?” Holly asked with the sexiest smile.

  Yes. “No.”

  She flicked onto the next pic and it was of Quincy in her dress uniform, meeting and leading the Queen around the parade ground.

  “Soon after the Queen took the throne, she visited all her regiments, and I was given the honour of accompanying her to inspect the men.”

  Holly gave her a strange look. “You really believe that Honour for Queen and Country stuff, don’t you?”

  “Of course. The Queen was and is my boss. Everyone in the military feels the same. We aren’t the prime minister’s forces—we are the Queen’s.” Quincy continued, “It’s been ingrained in me my whole life. It’s my greatest honour to serve my country, as a Royal Marine, or as a protection officer.”

  There was a silence before Quincy turned to the next picture. She was in desert fatigues in the Middle East, standing with her friend Jacob.

  Don’t ask, Quincy said to herself.

  “Is that Jacob?” Holly asked.

  Quincy nodded, and Holly didn’t say another word, or push her further. She got up and walked back to her chair.

  “I want to finish my little soldier man before bedtime.”

  Quincy didn’t say anything, and they worked on in quiet companionship for another hour before she started to yawn.

  “You better get some sleep, Quincy,” Holly said to her.

  “I need coffee, more like. This camomile tea makes me too sleepy.”

  “Isn’t that the point?” Holly said.

  Quincy was sure it wasn’t the tea. It was Holly’s company. She felt more at ease just sitting in silence with Holly than she could remember with any other person. She had no need to hide from her. Holly seemed to have backed off from the really personal questions, and that made Quincy able to just enjoy her company, which she did immensely.

  She was able to hold a conversation herself it seemed, and Quincy found Holly’s chatter soothing. Yes, this she could cope with.

  Quincy could admire from a distance and not feel the fear of getting closer. Because any closer was the unknown, and the unknown frightened her.

  ***

  The next day Queen Georgina took an early flight to an event in Cleveland, Ohio, and Quincy led a team of protection officers to the aquarium Queen Beatrice and Princess Edwina were visiting. She and Clayton hovered a few feet behind Beatrice, Lali, and Holly, who were looking at the fish in the tanks, with five other members of her team, including Garrett, spread out behind them.

  There was a carnival atmosphere at the aquarium. They happened to arrive on the one day a month that the aquarium put on a special event for school excursions. Busloads of kids made the place much busier than expected and made Quincy nervous.

  Quincy looked over to Clay and saw she was very focused and surveying the scene. She then looked behind and said through her body mic, “Stay alert, everyone. It’s getting busier.”

  They all nodded. Quincy disliked this busy environment. Children and their parents would edge closer to try to get a look or a word with the consort.

  Queen Beatrice was so open and approachable that she would drop down to one knee with the princess and talk to anyone and everyone. Quincy had lost count of how many hugs she had given to the little children she met. Hugging seemed to be Queen Beatrice’s thing, but it made Quincy nervous.

  Everyone seemed like a threat. Staff members wandered about in shark and whale costumes, entertaining the kids by juggling, making balloon animals, and goofing around with them.

  Compared to a normal royal event, this was chaotic, but Quincy had to try and remember this wasn’t an official visit, rather a private day out, although not so private. The people around them had their phones out filming them.

  They made slow progress along the tanks. At one point Holly looked back at her and smiled. The tension that she was holding was eased for that moment, and she smiled back. Holly’s smile could melt any heart. />
  She was so caught up in Holly’s smile that she bumped into someone as they walked along. She’d been distracted again. This was becoming a dangerous habit.

  ***

  “Do you see the big blue fishy, Teddy?” Bea said to her daughter.

  Teddy pressed her hand against the glass of the fish tank. “Fishy.”

  Holly couldn’t resist looking back over her shoulder. The last time she did, she was rewarded by a smile from Quincy. Quincy so rarely gave out smiles that it seemed all the sweeter.

  But this time she wasn’t smiling. She was looking around the room nervously. It was getting very busy, and people were getting quite close. Holly knew how much that stressed Quincy out. Maybe she had given Quincy too much of a hard time when she’d resisted these days out for Bea and Teddy.

  “Caught you looking,” Lali said to her.

  Holly nudged her. “Stop it. I’m just looking around.”

  Lali smiled. “Of course you were.”

  They looked down when Teddy said, “Fish, fish,” and started to pull Bea.

  “I think she likes it here,” Bea said. “Great idea, Holls.”

  Teddy kept pulling, and they looked up to see someone in a cartoon shark costume coming towards them.

  “You want to see the shark?” Bea said.

  “Uh-huh,” Teddy said.

  They all started to move. As they got closer to the costumed staff member, the shark lifted its fin to reveal something small and black. Before Holly could even see what it was, Quincy shouted, “Gun!” then ran over just as it was fired, and a cascade of silver glitter fell.

  Bea already had Teddy up in her arms, and Clay was in front of them, shielding them both from what Quincy had shouted. A gun.

  Quincy held the staff member to the floor while he shouted, “It’s just a glitter gun. It’s just glitter.”

  The rest of the protection squad surrounded them, and she heard Garrett say, “Hair trigger again, Quincy?”

  Everyone around them had their cameras trained on Quincy and were laughing, as she stood up covered in glitter.

  Oh no, thought Holly.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As soon as they got back to Bea’s suite, Holly said, “I need to speak to Quincy, Bea.” The clip of the glitter explosion had gone viral on social media. Holly’s stomach sank as she imagined everyone laughing at Quincy, especially Garrett. Bloody idiot.

  She asked around but all anyone knew was that Quincy had left the hotel. Without any clues, Holly got the elevator downstairs and walked outside. Where would she go? Most people in emotional distress would head for a bar, but Quincy didn’t drink—well, except coffee.

  Then she spotted a diner on the corner. On a hunch Holly went in, and there in a booth up at the back wall of the dinner sat Quincy, staring into her cup of coffee.

  Quincy looked more emotional than she had ever seen her, and that was probably because she didn’t know anyone she knew was watching her. Holly’s heart ached for her. She was isolated enough as it was—apart from Cammy and Queen Georgina, she didn’t seem to have any real friends, and she didn’t think tough military people like them talked about feelings. Plus, she didn’t have any friends in the protection squad. Clay hero-worshiped her, but that wasn’t the same as having one of your peers to confide in.

  Quincy needed someone, and like it or not, Holly was going to be the one she would confide in. She slipped into the booth and faced Quincy. “Buy me a coffee?”

  Quincy appeared astonished to see her.

  “Holly, what—?”

  “Why did you run off? The Queen Consort and I wanted to speak to you,” Holly said.

  “Funnily enough I wanted to be alone,” Quincy snapped.

  Holly held up her hand and said, “Snappy, tight jaw—uh-oh, Captain Stompy is here.”

  “Look,” Quincy said, gesticulating. She appeared about to lose her temper, show anger and emotion at last, but then she took a breath and laid her hand flat on the table. “Could you just leave me alone?”

  Holly saw the tremor in Quincy’s hand. She covered it with hers and squeezed. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to be your friend, and you’re not going to scare me off. I know you’re embarrassed—”

  “Embarrassed? The whole aquarium was laughing, the whole world was laughing at the protection officer who bravely jumped in front of a gun, a gun that fired silver glitter. I’m a laughing stock. Everyone already thought I had a hair trigger.”

  “Maybe Garrett, and people like that, but the people who know you, who care about you, Bea, me, Lali, we’re all grateful and proud of what you’ve done.”

  “Proud? How could you be?” Quincy said.

  “That glitter gun could have been a real gun—”

  “But it wasn’t,” Quincy interrupted.

  “But it could have been, and you heroically stepped in front of it. It was a stupid thing for their staff member to use when royalty were visiting.”

  “I’m no hero.” Quincy tried to pull her hand back, but Holly wouldn’t let go. “Let me go, Holly.” Quincy’s jaw was tightening more than ever.

  Holly just smiled at her and put her second hand on top of Quincy’s. “Remember, Stompy, I don’t do what I’m told. I’m not a soldier-marine-type person. I’m Holly Weaver, and I don’t do well with authority.”

  Holly’s statement appeared to confuse Quincy. “What do you want from me?”

  “This is our last night off in Chicago. The next few days are packed with visits, so come out with me tonight and forget that today ever happened.”

  “No, I can’t. I—” Quincy flustered.

  Holly raised her eyebrow in suspicion. “Why not?”

  “Because I have my models to finish, and security plans to finalize,” Quincy said.

  Holly rolled her eyes. “No, you don’t. You can play with your toys another night—I’m helping you, remember? Anyway, I know you and Lang already have your security plans sorted out. You’re coming.”

  Quincy had no answers for her. Holly presumed she wasn’t used to being told what to do.

  “Good, that’s settled then.”

  “What will we do? Won’t I need to book us a table somewhere, or try to get us tickets for something?”

  Holly chuckled. She knew what a planner Quincy was, and a stickler for keeping to times and plans.

  “What I’m going to say is going to shock you to your very core. We are going to go out and just see where the night takes us. No plans, no preparations, just get dressed and go out into the Chicago night.”

  Quincy gulped. “We won’t get in anywhere in a big city like this.”

  “So then we get a hot dog in the street and walk through the park. We’ll find somewhere. Come on.”

  Holly finally let Quincy’s hands go, and they got up from the booth. Quincy still appeared to be startled by this new turn of events.

  I’m unravelling you, Stompy.

  Holly brushed some glitter from Quincy’s suit jacket. “Tonight, we tell the world and that bloody arsehole Garrett that we don’t care what they think.”

  “I don’t know if—” Quincy’s words died away as Holly started to brush Quincy’s cheek.

  “You have some glitter here.” Holly looked into Quincy’s eyes and saw more than she ever had before. Quincy’s barriers were dropping. She could see intense sadness, confusion, hurt, and want in those beautiful blue eyes. She was mesmerized by Quincy’s eyes. They weren’t like any shade of blue she had ever seen, almost like the colour of the deep, dark blue of the open ocean. The whites surrounding them were so milky she felt she could dive into them. Holly realized she was still touching Quincy’s cheek, only now she wasn’t brushing away the glitter, she was caressing. She pulled her hand away and said, “Let’s go and get ready.”

  ***

  Quincy stood in front of her mirror on the wardrobe, trying to come up with excuses why she couldn’t go out with Holly tonight. The last thing she wanted to do was go out into the public after being m
ade a fool of today, but strangely, as awful as that sounded, the thought of being with Holly gave her tingles of excitement in her stomach.

  She straightened her grey tie and said to her reflection, “Ms. Holly, there’s a security matter that—No, she won’t buy that.”

  She then picked up her comb and, even though her hair was sitting perfectly combed to the side, did it again.

  Quincy racked her brains, but nothing was coming to her. She jumped when she heard a knock at the door.

  “Just tell her no. Look her straight in the eye and say no,” Quincy told herself.

  She opened the door ready to say no, and Queen Georgina was standing there. Quincy quickly bowed her head.

  “Your Majesty. Please come in.”

  George walked in and said, “I can’t stay for long. I’ve just gotten back from Cleveland, and I want to put Teddy to bed.”

  “Of course, ma’am.”

  “I wanted to talk to you about today,” George said.

  Quincy’s heart sank. “George, I’m so—”

  George stopped her and put her hand on Quincy’s shoulder. “No, Quincy. I know you’ve had to put up with a few jokes and laughter today, but I can’t thank you enough. You put yourself between a threat and my wife and child without thought for yourself. It might have been a misunderstanding, but it could have been so much worse.”

  Quincy let out a breath. “I think some of my team think I’m overly cautious.” Overly cautious were the only words she could use without telling her friend about the threats she’d had and betraying the chain of command. “Both Your Majesties are extremely popular, but there are a lot of bad people out there. Pockets of Thea Brandt’s organization still exist all over the world. We still need to be ready for anything.”

  George nodded. “I agree with you. I can’t imagine the pain that Queen Rozala went through. If I lost Bea or Teddy I—” George’s voice cracked. “I don’t know how I could go on.”

  “I promise you, George. I will protect them with my life.”