She scooched to the edge of her seat, now animated.
“What you did today, with his royal highness, was very brave.Andif you don’t mind me saying so,Ipersonally think very beautiful.I’mnot sure how the males will react to it, but many females have been conned by—” she cut herself off.
“I understand,”Isaid quietly.
She squared her shoulders and got over it.
Good for her.
“We felt for her,” she said. “It’sall over the tapes.Andthere were some who were getting upset that it wasn’t made clear that she was also a victim in that mess, and she paid the most of anyone,” she continued.
“We do have aPRDirector, leading a rather large team, who guides the royals in such issues,”Allainput in.
Nata sat back, now seeming dejected. “Iknow.Ididn’t mean to inferI’doverstep my bounds.”
“Actually,”Isaid, “I’mnew to this too.It’salready been a ton of learning, and it’ll be more.Nomatter who’s selected for this role,I’llbe relying heavily on his highness, andAllain, and so will she.Itake your point.Theprince andAllainare old hands at this, they know it inside and out, but fresh perspectives never hurt.”
She brightened.
“It must be asked, considering your field of study and the work you now do, would it not be a disappointment to shift gears like this?”Iinquired.
She stared a second before she glanced meaningfully aroundAllain’soffice and came back to me.
“I haven’t had very much time to think about it.I’vealways had a passion for history, but it’s never occurred to meImight have some small part in making it.SinceAllainapproached me,Ikeep asking myself that same question,MistressLaura.Butevery timeIthink about it, allIcan think is that it would be exciting.”Shegave me a tentative smile. “Andthe hike in salary would meanI’dbe in a position to buy my own flat in a year, rather than the three my current saving schedule would allow.”
Future-thinking.Thoughtfulwith her money.Considered.Forthright.Ambitious.
All right then.
“Okay, now,I’llturn it over toAllain, who can describe some of the duties involved and we can chat about them,”Isaid.
We did this for half an hour, butI’dalready made my decision beforeAllaineven got started.
If we could get around the king,IwantedNatato be my aide.
She had just over four hours to prepare for an important interview, and she made it clear she used them well.Shespoke her mind.Shewanted the job and let that be known.Andshe was right.Insteadof the two of us bumbling along, she was sharp, motivated, would help me forge my path, but as she andAllainspoke, she gave clear indication she respected him, was eager to learn from him, and would defer to his experience when necessary.
When we were winding down, a sharp knock sounded at the door, and then it opened.
Aleksei strode in.
We all rose.Weall curtsied (well,Allainbowed).
Aleksei ignored this, came right to me and kissed my cheek whenIrose.
“Hello, darling,” he greeted.
“Hey,”Ireplied.
He turned toNata. “Nata, lovely to see you.”
At first, she gawped.
She got it together, bobbed and replied, “Youas well, your highness.”
“Allain,” he said last.
“Your royal highness,”Allainreplied.
