Royal Court

by Jenny Frame

  “I’ll ask to be moved.” Quincy couldn’t help but admire Holly, dressed in little denim shorts and a tiny strappy top. To Quincy, Holly’s body was just perfect.

  Holly put her hands on her hips. “Why do you want to be moved? Can’t stand to be around me?”

  “No, no, it’s not that. I just thought you would prefer that,” Quincy said.

  Holly gave her a slight smile and joked, “No, it’s fine. I’m sure we can keep ourselves from fighting and killing each other for a week.”

  Fighting and killing weren’t really what Quincy was frightened of—well, maybe fighting. An angry Holly strangely turned her on. Seeing the fire burning in Holly’s eyes made Quincy want to kiss her so badly.

  “You’re right of course.” Quincy’s eyes lingered on Holly’s chest a little too long, and she was sure Holly caught her, by the smile on her face. “Well, I better put my clothes away. See you later.”

  Quincy ran up to her room as quickly as she could.

  ***

  That evening, Holly was having girls’ night with Lali and Bea in the family room of the ranch house. They called Greta and made sure she knew they were missing her. This was the first girls’ night she wouldn’t be with them.

  Instead of a film they decided to play Scrabble, so they could talk.

  Holly put down her last letter on the board, and said, “Yes! Triple letter score.”

  “That’s not a word,” Lali said.

  Bea looked at the board. “Hurple? That’s definitely not a word, Holls.”

  Holly smirked. “I thought I might just get away with it.”

  “Not on my watch,” Lali said as she totted up the scores.

  Holly rolled her eyes at Bea. “Of course not.”

  “So who won, as if we didn’t know?” Bea said to Lali.

  Lali smiled. “Me.”

  Holly drank the rest of her glass of wine. “Do you have to be efficiently brilliant at everything?”

  “Yes.” Lali and Bea laughed and sat back on the couch.

  There was something Holly had been desperate to ask Bea all night, but it never was the right time, so she topped up their glasses and went for it. “Why am I sharing a house with Quincy?”

  Bea looked to Lali and said, “Talk about changing the subject.”

  “Well?” Holly took her glass and sat cross-legged on the couch.

  “There wasn’t enough room for all the security people in the barn,” Bea said.

  “I know that’s not true. What are you two playing at?” Holly said.

  “Well…” Lali was obviously trying to think of something. “So you can paint your little toy soldiers together.”

  Holly picked up a cushion and threw it at her friend. “You’re a terrible liar. The pair of you are trying to play at matchmaker, aren’t you?”

  Bea giggled. “Maybe. Quincy is so sweet and gorgeous, and she needs a good woman to make her smile. The only woman we’ve seen make her smile is you.”

  Holly took a sip of her drink. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Captain Quincy is not interested in a love affair. And apparently, she doesn’t want to smile. She doesn’t want to feel anything. That’s her trouble.”

  “Oh well, you’re both there now,” Bea said. “By the way, have you heard from Story?”

  “Yes.” Holly sighed.

  “That didn’t sound like a happy sigh,” Lali said.

  “It’s just a feeling. I mean, I should be ecstatic. A film star who I had a crush on is calling and texting me a lot.”

  “Had a crush on?” Bea said.

  Holly didn’t know if she could say she was crushing on Story any more. She should have, but she wasn’t sure. After meeting Story, and talking with her, there were more than a few things that bothered her, plus her crush had been eclipsed by her attraction to a moody marine, who hardly said two words. But she wasn’t going to admit that yet.

  “Have a crush on. It’s just that I’ve heard from her a lot since I posted the picture of me and Quincy, and she’s asked about Quincy too.”

  “Do you think she’s jealous?” Lali asked.

  Holly laughed. “I don’t think Story St. John does jealousy. No, I think more of a turf thing. She’s on social media a great deal talking about you, Bea, and that I work for you. I think she’s more interested in the publicity it would get her to go out with the Queen Consort’s friend. I might be wrong. I don’t know.”

  “I suppose you’ll find out when we get to LA,” Bea said.

  “I suppose.” Holly sighed.

  Bea leaned over and patted her thigh. “In the meantime you might as well paint toy soldiers with Quincy.”

  “Oh, stop it.”

  ***

  “Full house,” Cammy said with a huge smile.

  Both George and Quincy threw their cards into the centre of the card table. The house had a bar and den downstairs with a fully equipped gaming room.

  “She’s too good,” George said while Cammy pulled her winnings towards her. They were only playing for matchsticks and pride.

  “She is indeed,” Quincy agreed.

  Cammy began to shuffle the cards. They’d enjoyed a pleasant evening talking about old times, officers they had known, and some of Cammy’s exploits with the ladies she’d met, but all the time Quincy wanted to ask about the pool house.

  “George, why did you have me billeted with Ms. Weaver?”

  George and Cammy looked at each other quickly. “Uh, Bea didn’t want Holly staying there all alone. She supposed she and Lali would be spending most of their downtime with us”—George pointed to Cammy—“and you had been spending time together, so…I could have Garrett take your place.”

  “No, no, don’t do that,” Quincy said a little too quickly, she realized. “I mean, she doesn’t like Garrett, I don’t think. I’ll keep her company.”

  “As you wish,” George said.

  “You know, Quincy,” Cammy said, “you should take her out riding or something.”

  “What? Why?” Quincy asked.

  “Three cards, please. Well, model soldiers are excellent in their own way, but they don’t keep a woman’s interest in the long term.”

  “I don’t have any interest—”

  Cammy put her cards down. “Come on. Anyone can see how you look at her.”

  Quincy felt her cheeks burning, so she put her head down. “I can’t. It’s not possible for me.”

  George patted her on the shoulder. “I know how hard things have been, Quincy, but a lifetime is a long time on your own. I nearly lost Bea because I never spoke up and told her how I felt.”

  There was silence for a few seconds before Cammy said, “I didn’t have that problem with Lali. I told her how I felt from when I first met her—she just didn’t believe me.”

  They laughed and George recounted some of the stories about how Captain Cameron won the heart of Lali Ramesh that Quincy had missed.

  Could she do that? There was a burning desire inside her to do so. Quincy just didn’t know if she was brave enough.

  ***

  Holly was walking back to the pool house when she heard a voice behind her. It was Quincy.

  “Holly? I’ll walk you back,” Quincy said.

  She looked back and saw Quincy running towards her. Holly had to admit she loved her dressed-down look of jeans and checked shirt.

  When Quincy caught up she said, “Did you have a good time with the consort and Lali?”

  “Yes, you?” Holly asked.

  “Yes. Yes, I did. George, Cammy, and I played cards, and…chatted.” Quincy stumbled over her words.

  Things were a little strained between them, hardly surprising since the last time they talked they’d been arguing.

  Surprisingly Quincy was the first one to break the silence, with, “I wanted to talk to you about the last time we spoke—”

  “And argued,” Holly finished for her.

  “Yes. I apologize for what I said. I know you were trying to be kind, but I’m just no
t used to someone being so close. And when you touched me there, I became…Well, I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay. I made the mistake. I know you’re sensitive about your body there, and I didn’t think. I was trying to be your friend, and I don’t think of you as a project.”

  They arrived back at the front door to the pool house, and Quincy said, “I know—it was a stupid thing to say. I’m not good at personal relationships.”

  Holly led the way inside and flicked the kettle on. “Coffee, tea?”

  “Coffee, please.”

  Holly got the cups out. This was her chance to mend some of the damage she had done to their friendship. “Why don’t you go and get your soldiers, and we can paint while we drink our coffee?”

  A huge smile broke out on Quincy’s face. Bea and Lali were right. She did make Quincy smile.

  “I’d love that. Give me a second.” Quincy hurried to the stairs, then stopped on the first step. “Holly?”

  Holly turned around and said, “Yes?”

  “The night we went out in Chicago? It was the best night of my life,” Quincy said, then hurried upstairs.

  Holly was gobsmacked. Did Captain Stompy actually just say that? Or was she dreaming? Maybe Quincy was unravelling at last.

  ***

  “Finished!” Holly exclaimed.

  Quincy and Holly were sitting together on the couch, painting their model soldiers.

  Holly had finally finished her first one and was enormously pleased. Since they had started painting together, Quincy had completed about six, but Holly was only a beginner.

  “Well done,” Quincy said.

  Holly compared her soldier to one of hers. “It’s not nearly as good as yours, Quin.”

  “Don’t be silly. It just takes practice. In any case, when I set up my battle scene with these men, I’ll always remember the happy time I had with you painting them,” Quincy said.

  Holly, who was sitting right next to her on the couch, turned to her and smiled. “Have you really had a happy time?”

  “Yes. Are you ready for another one?” Quincy held up an unpainted soldier.

  “Thanks. What happens when we finish these?” Holly asked.

  Quincy smiled. “We move on to a different regiment. There were quite a few at the battle.” Maybe Holly would lose interest eventually, but she was determined to enjoy this time she had with Holly before someone who didn’t have a whole lot of demons to hide swept her off her feet.

  “Excellent.” Holly asked the computer to play a playlist from her phone through the speakers, and she sang happily while she painted.

  Quincy just adored how free and fun-loving Holly was. She was exactly how she imagined her real mother to be.

  “What were you thinking?” Holly said.

  “Sorry?”

  “You were gazing at me and looked as if you were thinking hard,” Holly said.

  What would she say? Quincy didn’t want to run the risk of upsetting Holly again and pushing her away. She had missed Holly when they weren’t speaking.

  “I was wondering if you were like my mother, actually.”

  Holly scrunched up her face. “The vice admiral?”

  Quincy smiled. “No, my birth mother. I was adopted, remember.”

  “Oh, that’s right—your adopted mother is your aunt, isn’t she,” Holly asked gently.

  She’s probably frightened I’m going to run. But Quincy didn’t want to. She wanted to talk about her mother, for the first time in her life. “It’s okay. You can ask about her. I’d like to tell you.”

  “Did you always know you were adopted?” Holly asked.

  “Yes, my aunt told me about my birth mother since I can first remember. She wanted me to know so she could teach me not to follow her example.”

  “Why?” Holly asked.

  “I told you about the normal career path for a Quincy? Boarding school, and then naval officer school? That was the way, as far back as anyone can remember. Well, my birth mother didn’t take that path. According to my aunt, my birth mother partied, drank, took drugs, and generally disappointed the family. My aunt called my birth mother the Quincy who got it wrong.”

  “What happened to her, Quin?” Holly pulled her legs up on the couch and sat cross-legged.

  Quincy kept painting her model in an effort to keep calm. She’d never talked like this before, but she didn’t want to run from Holly again.

  “My birth mother died when I was born. She had been at a party and got into a car with a drunk driver. There was an accident. I was saved, my mother was not.”

  Holly immediately put her hand on Quincy’s thigh. “I’m so sorry, Quin.” She could see the pain on Quincy’s face.

  “Thank you.” Quincy went quiet, then said, “I wished I could have known her, just to make my own mind up about her.”

  “Why, what did your aunt say?” Holly asked.

  “She used her as an example of what my life would be like if I didn’t follow rules and the path set out by the Quincys before me. When any part of my character showed any sign of being like her, like my anger, she warned me that I would turn out like my birth mother.”

  “You have a temper? Never!” Holly joked.

  Quincy smiled and then rubbed her face with her hands. “I try so hard to keep it in check, but you seem to disrupt my control.”

  Holly chuckled. “Good—like I said, you need to be ruffled up, Stompy. So your aunt adopted you at birth?”

  Quincy nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, the admiral has always given me everything I needed. I wanted for nothing, but she tried to mould me into another version of her, like I was one of her junior officers on deck, but I was different from her. I handled things differently.”

  Holly guessed those differences were the way Quincy handled emotion. Despite her protestations to the contrary, Quincy did feel, and feel strongly, and that was why she was so scarred.

  “The admiral?”

  “My mother. I’ve always called her that,” Quincy said.

  “She must have been so proud that you got the Victoria Cross.”

  Quincy smiled. “Yes, I was only the second Quincy to win a VC. Mother was very proud, until…It doesn’t matter.”

  Holly decided to let her off with that. Quincy had opened up enough for one evening. She could talk to her more through the week.

  They continued to paint in comfortable silence, then Quincy said, “I didn’t mean I thought you might be like my mother because of the drinking and partying, but because I thought she would have been fun-loving, just like you.”

  Holly bumped her with her shoulder. “I know that, silly. Look at my guy’s horse.” She held up her model. “Do you think that’s the right colour for him?”

  “It’s perfect,” Quincy said. “You just reminded me, Holly. I wondered if you would like to go horse riding tomorrow? I’m fishing with Clay in the morning, but after that I’m free.”

  “Me? Ride a horse?” Holly said with shock. “I don’t ride horses. I’m a city girl.”

  “I’ll teach you. I thought if you practised with me, towards the end of the week we could ride out with a picnic, and I could show you how to make a fire like you wanted me to.”

  Holly couldn’t believe the change in Quincy. She was being so open and friendly. Holly wondered if the Queen had said anything to her.

  She put down her model and rinsed her brush in the glass of water. “Quin, has the Queen asked you to keep me company or something?”

  “No, not at all. I want to—you gave me such a nice night in Chicago—but if you don’t want to, I’m not the best company, and—”

  “Shut up, you. Of course I want to. I’m just scared of the horse part.”

  Quincy had the biggest grin on her face. “I’ll look after you, I promise.”

  Holly was genuinely scared, but if Quincy was offering to actually do something sociable, she wasn’t going to turn her down.

  “I’ll agree if you let me cut your hair.” Holly winked at her.
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  Quincy appeared terrified. “My hair? But I…”

  “Those are my terms,” Holly insisted.

  Quincy let out a breath. “Okay, but nothing like a Mohawk or anything.”

  “I promise. You just need to be ruffled up and unravelled. It’s a date, then,” Holly said.

  She watched Quincy gulp and her eyes dart around the room. Holly knew she was thinking about it being a date. That thought probably scared her as much as the haircut.

  They painted their models for a while longer, and Holly noticed Quincy yawning. “You tired? We can stop for tonight.”

  “No, I’m okay. You go if you want,” Quincy said.

  She never slept properly, because of those bloody nightmares, Holly thought. She wished she could slip into bed, take Quincy in her arms, and soothe her to sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn’t on the cards. Maybe she could get Quincy to relax on this big, sumptuous couch.

  “Why don’t we put a movie on and put our feet up on this rather expensive-looking coffee table?” Holly suggested.

  “If you like,” Quincy replied.

  They put away the model kits, and Quincy got them drinks while Holly chose a movie.

  When Quincy returned she was surprised that the lights were off, but Holly explained it was nicer that way, like a movie theatre. But she was really trying to set everything to help make Quincy dozy. She wanted her to fall asleep and get some rest.

  Quincy seemed to accept that, and they began watching. Holly kept glancing to the side and caught Quincy’s eyes getting heavy.

  Holly decided to be bold and took Quincy’s hand. She initially stiffened and looked at Holly, but Holly just smiled back and squeezed Quincy’s hand.

  She relaxed and they continued watching, Holly rubbing her thumb rhythmically on the back of Quincy’s.

  Eventually Quincy dozed off. Holly carefully put her arm around her shoulder and eased her head onto her lap. Holly stroked her fingers through Quincy’s hair, and it felt so good. So good that she dozed off herself.

  Chapter Seventeen