“Hopefully not in bloody Greenwich?”
Ella chuckled. “No. Much closer. She's too cool for that.”
“Well, good. I am happy for you to have someone so close.”
Ella was an enigma. As much as she knew about my family, I knew nothing of hers. I knew she wasn't close to them and that was all. I needed to know more. I supposed I would have a lot more time to learn over the next couple of months. For now, I was happy Ella had a person on her side. She deserved that.
46
EXCLUSIVITY
ELOISE
Iwatched TV as Duncan returned from working a double. I began to see the appeal of the man-in-uniform thing. He was downright hunky. Unfortunately, despite his dashing appearance, his face pulled uncomfortably. Something wasn’t quite right.
“What’s up?” I rose to meet him.
“I just want to hop in the pool,” Duncan said. “I need a minute. We lost a good man and… it was a long day.”
“Someone died?”
He nodded. “Test pilot. When I left the entire air station was in a bad way. I had cadets in today, so I felt like an old man comforting a bunch of babies. I’m emotionally run down.”
“There you are,” Mandy said. “You look rough, love.”
“Just a bad day,” Duncan said. “Gonna hop in the pool. Be back in about forty-five.”
He departed.
Mandy shook her head. “He’s having a hard time of it. This place is not for him. He’s his father’s child.”
I cocked my head. “How so?”
“Takes it all to heart. Carries around everyone’s emotions. He’s very sensitive.”
“I knew that,” I said. “His father is the sensitive one?”
“Without a doubt. His mother’s safe place to land,” Mandy said. “I think he confides in you because he knows you can handle it. You are kind but firm with him. He needs that. He carries around too much. Feels a lot. People assume it is the opposite.”
“I always thought he was sensitive. Well, since I got to know him.”
“And you don’t beat him up about it.”
“Why would I?”
Mandy shrugged. “It’s hard. People assume you’ll be king someday and make decisions about you. He’s a lot like his grandfather—weight of the world on his shoulders but a real softy. King Robert was a good man, but people said he needed some direction. The Queen was good at keeping him on track.”
I nodded. “I can see that. He’s very protective. I told him people don’t perceive that genuine protectiveness as anything but anger. He needs to have a bigger range of emotions publicly. It’s something we’re working on.”
She smiled, “Good, good. Now, if I put the pot roast back in, will you be able to pull it out at 7?”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Sure. Go on. I can make sure to pull it at seven.”
“You’re an angel, darlin’!”
Mandy left and I baked cookies while watching the pool glow in its glass enclosure. I wanted it to feel like some sort of private homecoming. Instead, it was this. And now I considered the implication of holding any sort of happy celebration during Duncan’s departure from Valley. The plan was a promotion ceremony. However, if someone had just died, probably not the best look for Her Majesty to celebrate it.
Some might find it appalling that I would worry about such things when a man had died, but that was my job—to anticipate what people would think about a given action. I was there to manage the chaos and media hype. I was there sketching the beginnings of a painting on canvas.
