Millie frowned. “I very much doubt that she’s as bad as you think she is.”
“She’s worse. She’ll hate me. By Lanconian standards I’m short and pale and—” She broke off to smile.
“What is it?”
“That’s what I told Graydon he was.”
Millie was watching her, seeming to be considering what she was saying. “I want you to stay here and calm yourself. Don’t go anywhere while I go check on the guests.” She turned away.
“Where did you get the blue flowers we used in the bouquets?” Toby asked.
“I told you. From New York.”
“Graydon seemed to think they were unusual.”
Millie had her back to Toby. “Did he? Did he ask about anything else?”
“No, just the flowers. Is something going on that I should know about?”
“What could there possibly be?” Millie said lightly and went inside. Once she was in the big tent, she turned toward the people, but at the last moment she went to the far side and stepped out into the surrounding woods. When she was hidden from everyone, she halted and waited. She put her shoulders back and her head up.
As she knew he would, Graydon stepped out of the trees. Instantly, he stopped in front of her and went down on one knee. He didn’t have a sword with him but he held his arms out, palms down, and he bent his head so that his neck was exposed in complete surrender.
“You may rise,” Millie said in Lanconian.
When Graydon stood up, his eyes were blazing. “What the hell are you doing here, Mother?”
“Nice dress,” Graydon said. “Looks familiar.” For the first time in his life he wasn’t showing his mother the awed respect her office commanded. But then, he didn’t think she deserved it given her trickery in showing up on Nantucket in disguise. She had on a gown her ancestress had worn in an official portrait. Had she come here to spy on Rory? “Can I assume that Father and … and my brother are all right?”
“If you’re asking about Rory, he is perfectly well.”
“Ah, so you know.” Graydon did his best not to let his shock show. His mother had been spying on him.
“Know that my sons exchanged places? Of course I did.”
“But you called and said horrible things about Rory to me. You—”
“You think I didn’t know that was you on the phone and that you and your brother had changed places? I don’t think I’ve ever been so angry in my life! I’m still angry about it.” Her voice was rising. “Wasn’t it bad enough that you were planning to marry the woman your brother was in love with? That was cruel of you! If you’d taken him to the dungeon and tortured him you couldn’t have hurt him more. He could heal from physical abuse, but he would never have recovered from what you were going to do to him!”
Graydon was looking at her in openmouthed astonishment. “But you chose Danna for me.”
“What else could I have done? I had two sons thirty-one years of age and neither of you was showing any interest in finding a wife. And you were completely blasé when I said you were to marry Danna. And Rory said nothing! He was going to let you marry the woman he loved.”
“Are you saying that you chose Danna because Rory was in love with her?”
“Yes, of course I did. I wanted to force your brother to speak up and declare for her. He needs to stop his life of running around the world from one dangerous sport to another.”
Graydon’s eyebrows were raised as high as they could go. “And what were your plans for me?”
“What I wanted was for you to fall in love with a young woman you could care for more than you love your country. I can assure you that that’s what a royal marriage needs. But I gave up hope on your thirtieth birthday. When it comes to women, even Rory is easier to deal with than you.”
Graydon had never been more astonished at anything he’d ever heard. All that he’d known about what was expected of him was being knocked out from under him. “Why?” he managed to whisper. “You sent Rory away when we were children. I don’t understand.”
The anger left Millie. “I know,” she said softly. “But someday you’ll have your own children and you will understand. I have had two jobs, one as your queen but another as your mother. I couldn’t coddle you and kiss away your problems. I had to train you for the job you were going to take on.”
She took a few steps into the woods, then turned back to him. “Trying to tame Rory was like trying to put boots on a fish. He would set a room on fire to get out of doing whatever he was told to do. But you, you thrived on discipline. You loved it. Your idea of misery was a day when you didn’t accomplish something. You thought fun meant learning a new language, or you and Lord Daire would try to kill each other. You can’t imagine the hours I’ve spent with your schoolmasters trying to find something that would make you laugh.”
“Toby does,” Graydon said. “I assume she is why you are here and not in the spa in Switzerland where I was told you were.”
“I admit that I wanted to see what kind of female you were involved with. I was so curious! Was she someone who was in awe of you and encouraged your … your, ah, perfection? Or did she make you laugh? Did she refuse to call you ‘Your Grace’ and tell you to make yourself useful and stack the chairs?”
“Toby certainly does that.” The anger was beginning to leave Graydon, but he couldn’t release all of it. “It seems that you have been manipulating my entire life.”
Millie’s face showed her puzzlement. “Of course I have. That’s the definition of my job.”
“As queen to a loyal subject?”
“No!” she snapped. “As your mother, which, by the way, is my first job. The more important one.”
“But I grew up so isolated. How did I need that?”
“Graydon, my dear son, you are a person who is loyal to the extreme. I wanted you to expand your friendships.”
“Is that why you sent Rory away and later Daire?”
“Yes.” She paused. “Who would have guessed that running off to be part of a wedding would do more than I had achieved in thirty-one years? I must thank your American cousin Jilly.”
“So you came here to find out about Toby?”
“Yes. I was intrigued by what you and your brother were doing. Your father and I sat in his hospital room and laughed about it. Using the cell phone with the Russian was particularly ingenious. We were very proud of you both for pulling that one off.”
Graydon was trying to absorb what he was being told. “Just out of curiosity, did you have anything to do with choosing Toby’s dress?”
“Of course. Aria and I decided which one would be best. And before you ask, your grandfather J.T. knows nothing about anything. He is as upright and honorable as you are.”
“Naive and trusting, you mean.”
“What is it the Americans say? If the shoe fits, Cinderella.”
For the first time, Graydon smiled. “I think you’ve been in this country too long.”
“I am ready to go home to your father. The question is, what are you going to do now?”
“Can I take by your tone that you approve of Toby?”
“Yes,” Millie said, smiling. “Nearly any girl could be trained to do the job, but what I wanted to know is if she loved you or the office.”
“And?” Graydon had one eyebrow raised.
“She loves you so much that she will sacrifice her happiness for yours. She will make you an excellent wife and Lanconia will benefit from having her as its queen.”
For a moment Graydon couldn’t speak. It was difficult for him to truly understand that he was going to get to spend his life with the woman he loved. “Danna’s father?”
“Don’t worry about him,” Millie said in a tone that was entirely aristocratic. “He hasn’t made his fortune without stepping on some toes. He’ll be content to be the father of a princess, not a queen, or I’ll show him some Lanconian justice.”
As Graydon ran his hand over his face, his mother was watching him. “I hav
e to tell Toby that she and I … That we can …” He looked around the area. “We started here near the chapel, with dinner and champagne. Maybe I can re-create that. I’ll get a cloth and candles and—”
“Chocolate-covered strawberries,” Millie said in a dreamy way that her son had never heard before. “Too bad you don’t have a black stallion, but that costume you’re wearing will have to suffice.”
“Of course,” Graydon said, blinking. He’d never before heard anything romantic from his mother.
“Go find her,” Millie said. “Give me thirty minutes, then bring Toby to this spot. I will have everything prepared.”
Graydon couldn’t think of anything else to say. He gave a bow appropriate to his sovereign, then went back to the tent.
As soon as Toby saw Graydon, she knew something had happened. In fact, she’d never seen him as he was. He strode across the big tent, paying no attention to the many guests, his eyes only on Toby. She’d often seen him look like The Prince, but this man was The King.
“What happened?” she asked when he reached her.
“In thirty minutes I’m going to take you out of here, even if I have to ride through here on a black stallion.”
Toby laughed. “You sound like Garrett—and like Millie’s husband.”
“What does that mean?”
As Toby handed out plates of wedding cake to a gang of children, she told him Millie’s story of a moonlight picnic.
“Slipped out a window, did she?”
Toby was looking at him. “Graydon, earlier you asked me to not leave you alone and I nodded, but nothing has changed. There are still insurmountable obstacles that we can’t overcome. We—”
Bending, Graydon gave her a quick kiss and the kids around them started to giggle. “Twenty-five minutes,” he said, then turned away and left the tent.
“Told you he was more than you could handle,” Lexie said from behind her.
She’d shown up with Roger Plymouth on her arm and a fat diamond on her finger. She’d looked apologetic, as though Toby was going to be shocked.
After a flurry of squeals and hugs, Toby said, “Alix and I knew since Daffy Day that this was going to happen. The way that man looked at you was irresistible.”
“I wish someone had told me,” Lexie said.
“You wouldn’t have listened. So tell me everything.”
But at that moment one of the guests asked if it was time to give out the costume awards. She was one of the well-known writers Victoria had invited and she had on a divine dress of red silk trimmed in dark piping.
“Go!” Lexie said. “Take care of everything. We’ll talk tomorrow. Where’d your prince go?”
“I don’t know. I think Millie went after him. She said she wants to meet him.” The crowd of guests were coming between the two young women, and Roger caught Lexie’s arm and was leading her away.
“Tomorrow,” Lexie called.
Nodding, Toby gave her attention to the prizes to be given out. Victoria, Millie, and Alix were supposed to help her, but Victoria had been dancing with her groom and they seemed oblivious to everyone else. As for Millie and Alix, they had disappeared. With a quick toss up of her hands in exasperation, Toby went to the awards table and began to decide who got what prize.
By the time Graydon returned to the tent, a lot of authors were carrying Lucite plaques and smiling. Toby didn’t think she’d be able to leave, but Millie and Alix appeared and they practically pushed Toby out into the night. “You are no longer needed here,” Millie said. “Not for the rest of the night. Go away.”
“It’s our turn now,” Alix said. “And I’m going to drag Lexie away from Roger and make her help. I do hope her gorgeous fiancé puts up a fight and we wrestle.”
“You better not let Jared hear you say that,” Toby said, smiling and backing away. “But if you need any help with Roger, I won’t be far away.” She very much wanted to escape the noise and the lights and go to Graydon.
“Go!” Millie said and shut the door behind her.
Graydon was waiting for her just at the edge of the forest. She took his arm and walked with him. There on the ground was a setting out of a fairy tale: candles in candelabra set on a snowy white cloth, champagne, bread, pâté, cheeses, a silver dish full of chocolate-covered strawberries.
“How did you do all this?”
“I’m a prince and I have a genie in a bottle,” he said solemnly.
There was a light in his eyes that she’d only seen on the night when they’d been married. But then he’d been Garrett and she had been Tabitha and they’d had their whole lives before them. “What has happened?” she asked again.
“Come and sit and eat,” he said, “and we’ll talk.”
She sat down on the cloth across from him and while they ate he asked about what she’d been doing while he was away. He asked many questions about her new friend Millie, and Toby gushed. “I couldn’t have done this without her. She really is the kindest, most helpful person I’ve ever met. She did my hair, helped me dress; she let me cry on her shoulder.”
“I assume those tears were about me?”
“Of course,” Toby said as she spread pâté on a cracker and put it into his mouth. “What else makes a woman cry besides a man?”
“Not what I wanted to hear. So how did you find this paragon of all virtues?”
“You sound jealous.”
“I am envious of anyone who spends time with you.”
“Graydon,” Toby said, her voice serious, “nothing has changed. We can’t—” He put a bit of cheese into her mouth.
After they finished eating, Toby leaned against a tree, and Graydon stretched out and put his head on her lap.
“What would you do if I were a normal man?” he asked. “Would you marry me?”
Toby didn’t want to think about that. The champagne was going to her head and all she wanted was now, here and in this place. She stroked his forehead, her hand in his hair. “What would you do to earn a living?” she asked, teasing.
“I could be a chef. Or maybe a male stripper. I’ll star in the next Magic Mike movie.”
Toby wasn’t fooled by his lightheartedness. “You cannot abdicate and become a stripper.”
“This is a fantasy,” he said. “If I were a regular sort of guy, like my cousins, and I grew up in Maine, graduated from Princeton—”
“And had a sweet, kind mother who didn’t wear a crown,” Toby said.
“Yes. How about a mother like your Millie?”
“That would be very nice,” Toby said.
“Would you marry me then?”
“Yes. If you were Mr. Everyone I’d marry you in a second. I’d …” She paused. “If you weren’t to be king, I’d jump on you right now and hold on so tight you’d not be able to breathe.” She saw Graydon’s smile grow wider. “And I’d fight my mother for you, even if I had to use some of your Lanconian weapons. My father would be okay with it, but my mother—”
Graydon sat up. “What do you mean you’d fight your mother? What about me wouldn’t she approve of?”
“Well, I know this is a fantasy, but if you weren’t king what could you do for a living? You aren’t exactly trained in a profession, are you? I can’t see a want ad for a guy who can run a country. Maybe all the languages you speak could come in handy. You could—” She broke off because he kissed her.
“You do know how to take the royalty out of a man.” He reached into the little watch pocket of his vest. “I have something for you.”
He held out a ring that sparkled in the candlelight. It was an odd color and she knew it was a lavender diamond. She was unable to speak as he slipped it onto her finger. “I hope you don’t mind that it’s identical to the one Danna has, but then she’s going to be your sister-in-law, so—”
“Stop it!” Toby stood up. “Graydon, this isn’t funny. I was willing to play this game but this is too much.” She tried to take off the ring but it stuck.
Graydon got up, pulled her to
him, encircling her arms against his chest. He tried to kiss her but she turned her head away. “As far as I can tell,” he said, “the only thing preventing our marriage is the lack of approval from outsiders. You don’t seem to be repulsed by the idea of someday being the queen of a country. Please tell me you’ve at least thought of the idea.”
“Not at all. Never.”
“Did you know that when you lie, you blink a lot?”
Toby pushed away from him. “Okay, so I have thought about it. The idea of helping is an American curse. We’re born do-gooders. We care. Someone’s house burns down and we’re there with blankets and food.”
Graydon stepped toward her. “There’s room for lots of reform in my country. There are some places up in the mountains where the children can’t get to the public schools. I’ve thought of setting up some little one-room schools for them.”
“America used to have those. They were very successful.”
“It’s just a thought of mine, but I’m too busy to oversee it. You saw what I had to do through Rory.”
“Maybe Danna—”
“She likes animals. She wants to export our Lanconian sheep breeds. Toby, my love, the truth is that my country could use help in a lot of areas. If I can show that your presence would get approval from everyone, would you take on the job?”
She was frowning. “You know your fantasy isn’t possible. Danna’s father would withdraw and your mother—”
Graydon put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Do you love me?”
“Yes. You know I do. Like Caleb said, I’ve loved you throughout time.”
“Will you marry me?”
“Not if—”
“Forget that. Do you want to spend the rest of your life beside me? Together? Could you bear my Lanconian ways, my Lanconian friends?”
“I’ve made it this far,” Toby said. He was looking at her, waiting for her answer. “Yes, I’d marry you and stay by your side for always.”
He lowered his head and kissed her. It was a kiss of promise, a kiss for the future. When he raised his head, there was a light in his eyes that said a decision had been made.
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