Unexpectedly Royal

by Jennifer Domenico

  “As you were,” I say. “I need someone to go to market. We need…” I pause looking back at Delaney. “We need a bloody recipe.”

  She laughs. “Do you have your phone?”

  “I do.” I hand it to her. “Will you call Chef Robert?”

  She laughs again. “No, silly. I’ll use the internet to search for a recipe.”

  “Ah. Very smart.” I walk over to Sarah, the woman in charge of the kitchen. “After we get the things we need, you and your staff can be dismissed for a few hours. We’re going to cook.”

  Sarah gasps, wide-eyed. “Your Highness will cook?”

  “Yes. I’ve done it before. If you’d provide a brief tutorial on how things function, that will be sufficient.”

  “Er, uh, yes, sir. Whatever you wish. Maricel can go to the market for you.”

  “Wonderful.” I turn to Delaney. “Do you have the recipe?”

  “Yes.” She hands me the phone, then I hand it to Sarah, who quickly looks it over.

  “We have everything but the clams, sir.”

  “Okay, well, if you can get that and perhaps you can decide on a dessert for us.”

  “Yes, sir. Would you also like bread to go with your soup?”

  “Yes, grand idea.”

  I watch as Sarah directs Maricel in our native language, then starts to pull out all the necessary equipment we’ll need. The remaining kitchen staff watches us with fascination, and I realize they’ve likely never had a member of the royal family attempt to cook for themselves, and many of them have never directly interacted with me.

  A while later, after we learn how the stove works, and set up all the items we need, Maricel returns with the ingredients, and Sarah dismisses everyone for a few hours, but continues to linger behind us.

  “We can take it from here, Sarah.”

  “Oh, yes, Your Highness. I won’t be far if I’m needed.”

  “I promise not to burn down your kitchen.”

  “Can you promise that?” Delaney teases.

  “It’s a good stone house. It’ll survive.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  Looking at all the ingredients on the island, I look up at everyone. “Shall we get started, Delaney?”

  “Yep. Onions or potatoes?”

  “I’ll take the onions. They don’t scare me.”

  “Anymore,” she says, nudging my arm and laughing.

  “Right.”

  “What are you making?” Ophelia asks.

  “A specialty from Boston where Delaney is from and where I lived for two years. Admittedly, it’s better when it’s cold outside, but it’ll be fine for tonight.”

  “Besides, it’s the only thing we can make properly,” Delaney adds.

  “Four weeks of cookery classes and this is what we have.”

  Ophelia laughs. “Can I do something? Please, cousin?”

  “Have you used a knife before?”

  She twists her lips. “No. Never. Is it hard?”

  “Yes,” Delaney and I say simultaneously.

  “I know,” Delaney adds, pushing the fresh herbs toward her. “You can pull the leaves from all the stems and make a pile.”

  “Lovely,” she replies, giggling.

  “What about me?” Tristan says. “May I have a task?”

  “Have you used a knife?” I ask.

  “Once I cut up some strawberries for Abigail. Does that count?”

  “It does. Would you like to cut the clams up? We need them in tiny bits.”

  “Ooh, the slimy part. I’d love to.”

  I laugh. “Right then.”

  “But what about me, brother. I want a task.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes, I’ve cooked for myself lots of times.” He grins. “Well, actually I learned how to use a microwave, but close enough.”

  I chuckle. “Close enough. Do you want to help chop the vegetables?”

  “I can do that.”

  I hand him a knife as Delaney watches over him. “Tuck your fingers under,” she says. “Like this.” She demonstrates. “We learned the hard way about that.”

  “We did indeed,” I say.

  Arlan doesn’t bat an eye at being commanded by Delaney, nor does he seem to care she isn’t addressing him formally. I suppose he got over that when she hugged him.

  Abigail and Harris find wine and fill glasses for us as we all go about our tasks, following the recipe closely, and making sure we pay attention to every step. After everything is in the pot, I sit on the kitchen stools across from my friends and family members and Delaney sits next to me.

  “This is a bit odd,” Arlan says. “All of us together again like when we were children. We’re only missing one.”

  We all nod.

  “Guinevere?” Delaney asks.

  “Yes, that’s right,” Arlan says. “She is missed.”

  “By none more than me,” Ophelia whispers. “She was my sister.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Delaney says.

  “Thank you. She was loved so. She was very beautiful, the most in Havendon I think. All the boys wanted her, but she wanted her books and her dreams. She swore she would never marry because she was not willing to give up her freedom. I admired her spirit so much.”

  “She sounds amazing.”

  “She was,” I say. “She was vibrant and smart and kind.” I smile. “But you are wrong, brother. She is with us still. I know this because…” I pause, glancing at Delaney. “This incredible woman beside me gave me something for my birthday. It was her favorite book, which happened to be Guinney’s favorite book.”

  Ophelia gasps. “The Book of Love?”

  “The very same. It moved me so much. I had to believe that perhaps out of the hundreds of thousands of people that live in Boston, Guinney made sure I found this one.”

  Delaney looks at me with teary eyes. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  I lift her hand to my lips and kiss it. “I believe it.”

  “I do too.”

  “So do I,” Ophelia says.

  “And I,” Arlan adds.

  “Well, so do I,” Tristan adds. “It has to be.”

  Delaney smiles and stands. “I’ll stir the soup now.”

  As I stir the chowder, I smile to myself. How sweet to think his cousin is his guardian angel and led him to me. I whisper a ’thank you’, in case she can hear me. Turning back to everyone, I smile. “It’s almost done.”

  “Wonderful,” Lathan says. “Will you do something for me, my darling?”

  “Of course.”

  “I can’t help but think back to good times in Boston.” He flashes a mischievous grin. “Will you demonstrate your accent for us?”

  I laugh. “No. I’m embarrassed now.”

  “Please.” He looks at me with puppy dog eyes. “I do so love it.”

  I exhale. “I’ll try, but just carry on talking, and I’ll throw it out there.”

  “Perfect.” He turns back to everyone. “So, in Boston, it’s a bit like our downtown. The streets are lined with shops and restaurants and all sorts of interesting historical pieces.”

  “Historical like what?” Ophelia asks. “Tell us, Delaney.”

  “Oh, like the Paul Revere walk,” I say, exaggerating my accent on the word Revere. “Of course, there’s Boston Hahbor, the site of the infamous tea pahty.”

  Ophelia giggles. “Oh, that is delightful.”

  “Then of course, there’s Faneuil Hall and Quincy Mahket. They’ve got wicked good chowdah stands there. If you want to see where the pilgrims landed, you can head out to Plymath Rohk, but it’s kind of underwhelming. Personally, I love going into Cambridge and stopping by Hahvard. It’s wicked nice there.”

  “That is amazing,” Tristan says. “You’ve became someone else in front of our eyes.”

  I laugh softly, stirring the chowder. “I grew up speaking like that. My best friend, Fallyn, still does, and it’s hilarious.”

  “You all will meet Fallyn,” Lath
an says. “We’re inviting her out for a visit once Delaney is publicly introduced.” He smiles. “I like her a lot.”

  “Yeah, she’s great. Bit of a potty mouth, but we’re working on that.”

  “Potty mouth?” Arlan asks.

  “She swears like a sailor.”

  “Ah, a problem I share with her.”

  “You swear?”

  Lathan laughs. “I think he invented it.”

  Arlan chuckles. “It’s true. I’m terrible.”

  “So funny,” I say.

  “Tell them what Fallyn calls you.” Lathan says, smiling.

  Glancing around, I reply. “Should I say it?”

  “Yes, it’s fine.”

  “She says I’m propah as fuck.”

  Everyone laughs while I just grin.

  “I think I’ll get along fine with Fallyn,” Arlan adds.

  I exchange glances with Lathan who winks at me.

  “Should we taste this and make sure it won’t kill anyone?” I ask.

  “Yes, definitely.” We each take a taste and smile. “It’s perfect.”

  “Yeah, it is. Just like us.”

  “Just like us.” He kisses my mouth. “We are a great team.”

  “I agree.”

  “Ahem,” Tristan says, causing us to laugh. “We’re still in the room, dear Prince.”

  “Right. I forgot.” He smiles. “Well, chowder is done. What do you say we package it up and bring it to hospital so we can eat? I’m sure my mother hasn’t had anything for hours.”

  I look around at the mess we left, then glance around the otherwise immaculate kitchen. “We may need Sarah unless you know where the serving dishes are kept.”

  Lathan laughs. “I know where no dishes are kept.”

  “Right. Get Sarah, Your Highness.”

  “As you wish, my mistress.”

  I laugh, shaking my head as Lathan walks out. Suddenly, I’m left alone with the others.

  “I want to say something while we’re alone,” Tristan announces.

  “Okay.”

  “I know Lathan knows that the three of us support him no matter what, but you must know it too. We are happy for him, we are glad you are here, and we look forward to having you as part of our lives and families. No matter what happens with the King, or anyone else, you have our support. Right?” he asks, looking at the others.

  “She knows how I adore her,” Ophelia says.

  Arlan nods. “I just met you, but I know my brother, and if he has chosen you, you are worthy to be chosen. I will love you as my own sister.”

  My eyes start to tear up, so I try to blink them away. “Thank you,” I say, as my voice cracks. “It means so much to me. I was worried that no one would accept me here being a foreigner and a commoner too.”

  “You honestly don’t seem like it,” Arlan says. “Besides your unusual accent, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were definitely royalty.”

  “That’s super nice of you to say.”

  Ophelia brushes her fingers across her chest. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  I laugh. “As you should. I had excellent training.”

  “Joking aside,” she continues. “You took to this whole royal business far quicker than I imagined you would. I’d say you were meant to be a princess your entire life.”

  “Maybe because I always acted like one. In America, when a woman is posh, she’s called a princess, and I am definitely posh.”

  Everyone laughs. “See? Meant to be,” Ophelia adds.

  We look up as several staff members file into the kitchen, pulling dishes out and setting a cart up to easily transport our meal to the hospital. Sarah and Maricel quickly prepare a salad to add to the bread and chowder, while others fill pitchers of different beverages. Someone else adds dishes, glasses, and utensils to the cart.

  “We’ll have it to the hospital within a few moments, Your Highness,” Sarah states.

  “That’s fine,” Lathan says. “Please leave some for yourselves. We have more than enough.”

  Her eyes widen. “Thank you, sir.”

  “You’re quite welcome.” Her turns to the rest of us. “Shall we return to my mother?”

  “Can we send some to Havendon House? For Olivia and the others.”

  “Of course, my darling. I’ll let Sarah know.”

  As he finishes the conversation, we all step outside from the kitchen entrance. I can appreciate cooking so much more knowing that I’ll never actually have to do it. It’s a luxury to cook for one’s self here. I shake my head. Weird.

  “Everything alright?” Arlan asks, as he stands beside me.

  “Yes, definitely. I was just thinking about how I haven’t had to prepare a single meal or snack while I’ve been here and how nice it was to prepare something for others. I hope I get to do it again in the future.”

  “You will be able to do as you wish. This place will be yours.”

  “Where will your mother go? Will she live her too?”

  “Oh no, definitely not. She’ll move to the country home most likely.”

  “But this house is so big. There’s room for her.”

  “There is, but that is the tradition.”

  “Won’t she be lonely out there?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Hmm. I’ll have to talk to Lathan about this. We all climb on the pseudo golf cart and ride the short trip to the hospital. When we walk inside, and into the waiting room, everyone looks up with smiling faces.

  Lathan and Arlan rush to their mother’s side. “What is happening?” Lathan asks.

  “The King is awake,” Caterina says. “He has asked to see you, Lathan.”

  I notice how Arlan’s face falls. Lathan nods. “Should I go in now?”

  “Yes. He is waiting.”

  Lathan nods again. “Food is on the way, Mother.”

  “Wonderful. I’m very hungry.”

  I watch Lathan disappear down the hallway. A few minutes later, the doors to the waiting room open, and an entire crew of people walk in carrying a large wood table, chairs for everyone, and the cart with our meal on it. I watch in awe as the room is transformed into a very nice dining room. A tablecloth is laid out along with a full table setting for everyone. I’ve never seen anything like it, and certainly not in a hospital waiting room.

  Everyone else seems to find this quite normal. Ophelia moves besides me, holding her beautiful baby.

  “I can’t wait to try the soup.”

  “I hope you like it.”

  “I will. You made it.”

  I tilt my head. “You’re so sweet. Do you ever get angry?”

  “Yes, of course. Everyone does.”

  “When’s the last time?”

  She thinks about it for a minute. “Harris?” She calls for her husband. “When’s the last time I was angry?”

  “It was certainly two months ago when I left the bedroom window open and you woke up cold.”

  “Ah, yes I think that’s it.”

  “How did you react?”

  “Husband?”

  “She kicked me awake, demanded I close the window and get her an extra blanket, and that I snuggle with her until she was warm again.”

  “Not so bad.”

  “Except for the constant stream of obscenities spewed at me while I completed my tasks.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. If Grace had woken up in the process, it would’ve been far worse. My sweet wife has a decidedly unsweet mouth when she wants to.”

  I laugh. “That’s awesome.”

  Ophelia shrugs. “I do not like to be cold.”

  “You should never come to Boston then.”

  “Is it always cold?”

  “No, we have summer.”

  “Then we’ll go when it is summer. We must tell Lathan.”

  “Sure.”

  “Oh, we must do it. It would be great fun.”

  “Definitely.” As I watch the table be set up, I smile, realizing these peo
ple are my life now. I could do a lot worse.

  I knock softly then enter my father’s room. He’s sitting up, but his eyes are closed.

  “Father?”

  He opens his eyes and actually offers a faint smile. “Hello, son. We have much to discuss.”

  “Shouldn’t you rest? We can talk tomorrow.”

  “I am not promised tomorrow. We must talk now.”

  I nod. “Okay.”

  “I’ve discussed with your mother the decision to make a public announcement that due to health reasons, the process will begin for you to take my place.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “I am too weak to continue on.”

  I glance at the floor, fighting back emotion. “I understand.”

  “I want you to make sure your mother is cared for. She does not always say so, but she is very lonely. She needs her children around her. I hope you will be there for her.”

  “Of course.”

  He’s silent for a moment as he averts his eyes. “I am in a situation where things need to be said before they cannot be heard.” I nod as he looks up at me. “Meeting Delaney was a shock for me. I think that is obvious.”

  “Yes.”

  “My initial reaction was because you hid her from me. You didn’t tell me you had chosen a woman, and I didn’t understand why.”

  “I was going to, but—”

  “But, I’ve been a difficult father to talk to. I’ve been judgmental and cold. Why would you trust me with such news? If I were you, I believe I wouldn’t have told me either.”

  I am speechless as he speaks.

  “I will admit, she is not what I expected, but I should have. Why would I expect you to pick a girl from Havendon when you’ve never once in your life followed the expected path?”

  His voice is softer than I’m used to, and I don’t know how to react.

  “Your mother and I had a long talk. She tells me Delaney is perfectly suited for you and will make a fine princess. She tells me that this foreign woman has lived in Havendon House alone over a month, learning everything she can about our country and royal life. This woman has left her friends and family behind to move to a foreign place. She does all of this for you.”

  “That is true, Father.”

  “Your mother tells me you love her deeply and plan to marry her.”