“In Chicago?”
“Yes. CNU. I’m doing psychology.”
“And you pay your own way through college?” Queen Emily affects an interested voice, although I can discern the brittle iciness in it. We may be from the same country but we are worlds apart. I can drop any notions of her warming up to me just because I’m a fellow American.
“Yes.”
“Admirable, isn’t she?” Alex says. He has already finished his soup. He looks at mine, still untouched. “You OK, Liz?”
“I am,” I say hastily, dipping my spoon into the soup. Can’t let the royals know I’m being terribly affected by their coolness.
“And how do you pay your way through college?” Claire challenges, her eyes dancing.
“Oh come on, Claire,” Alex cuts in, “don’t you pretend that Jasper hasn’t briefed you already. You’re just trying to embarrass Liz, though she has nothing to be embarrassed about. Just because she works as a hotel maid doesn’t mean she’s going to be a maid forever. And even if she was, there’s no shame in that.”
“I never said there was,” Claire declares.
Alex shoots her a deadpan gaze as if to say, “Come on. I know you better than that.”
“The circumstances of how you two met are rather bizarre,” Emily says. She glances at Claire. “For your sister’s sake, I won’t recount it at the dinner table.”
Claire rolls her eyes. “Mother, I’m not a child, and yes, I’ve heard the details.”
“Are we going to talk about this all night?” Alex says, putting down his spoon. “Because if you both are going to make us feel uncomfortable, we’re better off leaving.”#p#分页标题#e#
I gasp. I feel like standing up and cheering for Alex. Did I mention how much I love this man? Well, I love him even more, if possible, and he doesn’t even know it.
“There’s no need for histrionics, Alexander,” his mother says. “I believe we can resolve all of this in an amicable manner.”
“There’s nothing to resolve, Mother. Father made an announcement that I was not consulted on and not privy to. I’m an adult, not a chess piece.”
“Not here, Alexander.” Emily looks pointedly at me.
“But that’s exactly what happened.”
The waiters come in to clear the soup bowls, and the heatedness is momentarily put on hold, though I’m pretty sure they were listening to every word behind the curtains. I barely knew what I ate anyway.
They serve the next course, which is a chicken breast in some sort of orange sauce, garnished with parsley.
“As royals, we have a commitment to the people.”
“You mean we have a commitment to Tatiana’s father – something we can do without, thank you very much.”
The Queen cuts through her chicken with the knife, which clatters sharply on her plate. “We’ll discuss this later.”
“I wish we could have discussed this a lot sooner, then there would be no need for all this unpleasantness.”
“Alexander, that’s enough. End of conversation.”
Looking mutinous, Alex clams up. The next few minutes are followed by scrapes and the chinks of silver cutlery against bone china plates.
“Are you going back to the hospital after this, Mother?” Claire asks.
“Yes. Would you like to join me, Alexander?”
Alex’s expression becomes more conciliatory. “I will. Are you going to stay there tonight, Mother?”
“Yes, I’ve been staying in the royal suite since your father has taken ill.” The Queen’s eyes soften. A tiny pang squirms within my chest. She clearly loves her husband, and I can sense that this is not a show. “It would be wise for you to spend as much time with him as possible before . . . ”. She almost imperceptibly shakes her head. “I trust that Elizabeth can look after herself.”
I nod. “Yes, I can.”
“Good. We’ll put Jasper at your disposal.”
“I can help look after Elizabeth,” Claire interjects with a cheeky smile.
“No,” Alex says shortly.
“Why ever not?”
“I don’t need looking after,” I say to Claire. “Though it would be great if we could spend some time together.”
OK, I’m just being polite. Claire is the epitome of every girl who made my life a living hell in high school, and she’s a princess to boot.
“Splendid. I’ve always wanted to know how the other side lives. You’ve always been telling me that I should socialize more with the commoners, Mother.”
My spirits sink. Can I retract the offer?