Tomorrow she would become a princess, and future queen. Nights like this were now over, unless Maria came to the castle. What would Leopoldo say to that?
Anna set the tea on a tray and walked out with the cups. As she handed the tea to her grandmother, Grandma glanced at her and said, “Interesting. I’m starting to believe the story you came in with.”
Anna put sugar and milk beside Maria. The best way to get her grandmother on board was to make this sound like there was no wiggle room. So, Anna schooled her expressions as she said, “Here’s your tea. I was telling the truth. I’m marrying Leopoldo. Tomorrow.”
“His birthday is approaching.” Her grandmother fixed her tea like this was a normal every-day event. “He’s settled on you?”
Anna Camila’s lips pursed and her pulse spiked. She wasn’t entirely useless. She had talents, and for the past year he’d listened to her which was more than her last boyfriend had done. “Why would he besettlingon me?”
“We both know you weren’t on the agenda yesterday and his birthday is just around the corner.” Grandma eyed her with a knowing gaze. “You’re a better choice than that model he was in the newspapers with. No quality with that one.”
Francesca had seen a good-looking prince and wanted a chance. Perhaps if Anna hadn’t been so dependent on her salary this past year, she’d have worn tighter clothes and strutted around the office so Leopoldo would notice her. Instead she’d made herself indispensable in other ways.
What would life be like without worrying about her paycheck? It was a strange notion, as Anna had never thought about this. She noticed another small chip in the base of the tea cup and sighed. “We’re not better than anyone else, Grandma.”
Her grandmother shrugged. “True. I’m only saying that Francesca would sell her own soul to get what she wants.”
Neither one of them knew the model. Anna had given her a check on Leopoldo’s behalf, but that minute wasn’t enough to judge a life. Anna crossed her legs and let the evening air calm her. “You don’t even know her.”
Her grandmother raised her eyebrow. “Why are you defending the woman who wants to marry your fiancé? Or are you only marrying him for his title?”
The sting of that comment pierced her skin. Anna placed her hand on her heart. “I’m… I don’t know, other than I don’t want you talking bad about anyone. And I’m not…”
Maria put her cup down and folded her hands together like she was praying in church. “I’m seventy years old. I’ve lived my life, girl. I can say what I want and you should too. What good is a queen who doesn’t speak up?”
Her heart trembled. She was attracted to Leopoldo. His shoulders were made to rest her head against. She imagined his handsome face as he leaned down to kiss her senselessly, every day. His kiss lingered on her lips even now, causing a small tingle. She hoped she wasn’t blushing though her face felt hot as she shook her head. “I still hope you’ll be nice.”
Maria scooted her rocker closer, ignoring the sunset that turned the sky almost completely pink as she said, “I’ll be nice when you say ‘I do’ for the world to see—but only after you tell mewhyyou said yes to this.”
“Thank you.” Anna brushed her hair behind her ear. “I said yes when Leopoldo asked because yeah, I like him.” On most days he brought her a coffee into the meetings for his agenda and asked her opinion on what to do, which he then followed. He gave her a sense that her words and opinions mattered. “He’s easy to work with and even easier on the eyes.”
“So not for the crown then.” Maria pushed her rocker back, picked up her tea and nodded like everything was settled. Her sharp gaze made Anna straighten. “How did this happen? You’ve been polishing his shoes for a year now. What changed?”
Anna’s nose curled as she imagined actually polishing Leopoldo’s black leather loafers. Slightly defensive, she said, “I never once polished his shoes.”
“Humph.” Her grandmother pointed toward the living room inside, and the television. “I saw you holding his loafers.”
Oh goodness. Would that news clip play on TV tomorrow when she wore a dress she hadn’t picked out as the side-by-side comparison of a true royal, and his personal secretary? “He needed to get off his horse and visit the ambassador whose son had just died. I was being expedient. I didn’t know the polo team was being filmed.”
Her grandmother’s gaze narrowed. “Holding his shoes was just as bad.”
Being helpful wasn’t a horrible thing—and she was paid very well. “It is not the same thing.”
Her grandmother sipped her tea. “Mmhmm. So, what changed?”
Anna sat back and took in the glorious moment when the sun disappeared. “The king and queen, I think.”
“What?” Her grandmother stopped rocking.
How had that caught Grandma’s attention? Tomorrow Anna would wear a white dress to the church Leo’s ancestors had built with their bare hands, or at least the frame of it, and vow to be a faithful wife.
The vaulted ceilings would echo the trumpets and for once the joyous wedding bells would be for her.
She took another drink of her tea, then looked into the amber liquid as she said, “Leopoldo walked into my office with the king and queen. They’d had an appointment in the throne room and then they were all together. How could I say no when the royal family was united?”
Maria snapped her fingers and rocked again. “So the queen finally held up her promise to your mother.”
What promise? Her mother had been an amazing woman, but no lady of the peerage. She and Grandma hadn’t talked about her parents since she’d moved in with her grandmother after college. Their funeral had all been one big blur where her grandmother kept her close, but now… finally? Her mother, with the same light brown hair and brown eyes as Anna, who loved to laugh and joke, and resembled a younger version of her grandmother, seemed like she was on the balcony with them. Anna’s voice cracked as she asked, “Wait? What?”
