"Sweetheart, I am always up for this task. The day I'm not, wheel me to the graveyard, because I'll be on the brink of death." He bent to kiss me, swallowing my laughter which swiftly morphed to a gasp of delight.
I was very comforted.
Twice.
ChapterFive
" . . .and there are so many rooms at Gan-Gan's house. You won't even believe it, Auntie Bria. Once, Papa and Auntie Alex thought they were lost because they turned the wrong way. They met the king of—" Alice twisted in her car seat to look at her father who was sitting a row back in the chauffeured town car. "What was he the king of, Papa?"
"Spain," Nicky answered, grinning. "But you left out the best part—he was in his bathrobe, trying to find his bedroom." Lowering his voice, he added, "I believe His Majesty had had a little too much port with Grandpa after dinner that night. He wasn't exactly walking in a straight line, if you know what I mean."
Bria laughed. "You and your sisters had quite a few adventures growing up, didn't you? Running into royalty in the corridors wasn't a big deal."
"It's true. When Daisy was a toddler, her nanny turned her back for one moment, and Daisy vanished. A little while later, she was found in one of the receiving rooms . . . sitting in the lap of the prime minister."
"Sounds like your free-spirited little sister," I commented. "Daisy never met a rule she didn't want to break. Even when she was a baby." I loved Princess Daisy, the youngest of the three Westhampton offspring. She was probably my best friend in the Royal Family outside of my husband. I also knew that she had caused a great deal of angst to her parents, grandparents and siblings with some of her rebellious ways.
"I'm looking forward to seeing both Princess Alex and Princess Daisy again," Bria said. "I haven't spent any real time with your family, Nicky, since we were here for Alice's christening."
"Everyone is very pleased that you're joining us this year, too." Nicky's smile was broad and genuine. "Both of you, I should say. It's been far too long since Rhys managed to make it to a Christmas celebration with the family."
Rhys frowned slightly. "I was under the impression that I wouldn't be welcomed some of those years."
Nicky gripped his cousin's shoulder. "That's not true, Rhys. You know the family. There may be . . . words. There could be suggestions where there is perceived room for improvement. But you would never be turned away. You're one of us."
For the second time in a few days, I found myself blinking back unexpected tears. My husband was very wise, and also quite correct. In my experience with his family, while there was definitely an expectation that we would all do our best to represent Her Majesty and the United Kingdom in the best possible light, it was also true that the bonds of love trumped everything else. The Queen didn't hesitate to do what she had to in order to protect the crown and succession, but there was a carefully protected divide between the public face and the private relationships.
"You don't think anyone's going to be unhappy because of our elopement, do you?" My sister sounded slightly worried. "Maybe we shouldn't say anything."
"Oh, on the contrary," her husband replied. "It's better to be upfront and truthful. They'll find out anyway. Better that they hear the news from us, in case they need to spin it."
"But maybe you shouldn't use the wordelope," advised Nicky. "Instead, just tell the Queen that you two decided to marry quietly because you intend to maintain a low profile. She'll understand that. Then if and when the press picks up the story, the Palace will have a release ready to go. Not taking the Firm by surprise is a big plus in their books. Everyone—Her Majesty included—will appreciate that."
"Good advice, cousin." Rhys nodded. "And timely, too—because here we are."
All of us—even those of us who visited Windsor Castle on the regular—craned our necks to stare out the window as the impressive royal home came into view. We were used to Christmas at Sandringham—it was the Royal Family tradition—but for health reasons, Her Majesty had decided to hold our celebration here in Windsor for the past two years.
"Amazing," my sister breathed.
I happened to catch the expression on her husband's face just before the car made the final turn. It was a mix of yearning and happy anticipation.
"We're home," he murmured, and I thought I knew exactly what he meant.
It seemed to me that just about every member of the Royal Family who was expected to celebrate Christmas together had arrived on this day. Even as large as Windsor Castle was, there was so much hustle and bustle—so much near-bedlam as children ran about the halls, usually followed at close range by nannies shushing them. I passed the Princess Royal striding through the castle in her typical no-nonsense way, one of her grandchildren under her arm. Seeing her reminded me of her father, the late Duke of Edinburgh. I already missed the gruff but hilarious consort of the Queen. He'd always been particularly kind to me, and Alice had loved to sit on Grandpa's knee to play horsey.
When the Duke had passed away earlier this year, I'd been very sad along with the rest of the family. But now I felt his loss afresh, wishing that just once more I could hear his booming voice ringing through the rooms, demanding in pretended fury where thedevilall these blasted children had come from.
Alice and Penny were already in their rooms, as our nanny had announced that little girls who wanted to be rested and well for Christmas had to have naps. Rhys and Bria had disappeared somewhere—off for more honeymooning, I assumed—and Nicky had gone in search of his father and brother-in-law Jake as they were plotting some sort of post-holiday hunt. I was too restless to take a nap and too wired to settle down with one of the more staid groups enjoying tea in one of the many sitting rooms. So instead, I was roaming the castle, hoping that I didn't appear as aimless as I felt.
"Psst! Kyra! In here!"
Frowning, I paused and glanced around. I swore I heard my name, but where was it coming from?
"Kyra! Over here."
Finally, I spied a door opened just the smallest crack a few feet away. Stepping closer, I recognized my younger sister-in-law's bright eyes as she beckoned me inside.
"Hurry up. It's safe and quiet, and no one has found me here yet." Daisy shut the door behind me and turned the key in the lock. "I was watching for you, hoping you might happen to walk by!"
