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“That’s…nice.”
“Don’t get me wrong. You’ve no connections to speak of, and we’ll have our hands full training you in the next few weeks, but Mother and Father are really just eager to get him settled already. He’s been so much better behaved since you’ve been in the picture.” Imelda led them into a sitting room where tea had already been laid out. “I think perhaps they are both a bit put out that you are such a civilizing influence on him. After all, they could have had this tamed version of Emrys for years if they hadn’t tried to marry him to Miranda.” She gestured for Caitlyn to sit. “Of course, the king does not make mistakes, you understand.”
“I, uh, right.” Caitlyn considered trying to get Imelda to let her retire to her rooms. She was tired and a little nauseous from the flight still, but Imelda wasn’t asking, really.
Once she was in her chair, Imelda lifted her chin, straightened her back, and motioned for Caitlyn to sit up straight as well.
“When you are in company, you must not slouch or fidget. You should assume that every eye is upon you, waiting for you to make a mistake,” Imelda instructed.
“Well, they are, aren’t they?” Caitlyn sat up straight, self-consciously trying to suck in her stomach a little, although the empire waists she was fond of tended to hide the bit of softness she’d gained during the vacation.
“Yes,” Imelda said seriously.
A pair of servants entered the moment she rang a little bell. One of them poured tea for each of them, and the other servant placed a few pastries on their plates with silver tongs. Caitlyn stared at the food. She was incredibly hungry, but she looked to Imelda to lead. This was obviously part of the “training” she was expected to complete.
Imelda gave her an approving nod. The way Imelda held the cup, how she gave a delicate sip, how she took small bites and dabbed the corners of her mouth—each move was calculated. Caitlyn tried to mimic her, but her sips were too loud and her bites too large. She got sticky glaze on the corner of her mouth, and Imelda gestured empathically to her napkin.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Just try again. You don’t have to be perfect, just not embarrassing.”
Was she embarrassing? It had never occurred to Caitlyn before that Emrys might have any opinion about the ways of moving and eating that came most natural to her. Was that one of the reasons he didn’t want her on set? Had she embarrassed him in France, here, and finally in Greece? She knew she had embarrassed him at the jazz club in New York…but it wasn’t as though Emrys was any authority on what was appropriate. Plus, he could be kind of a snob, when he was in a mood.
When she was finally allowed to go back to her rooms, Caitlyn was drooping a little. Though she was full. A benefit of lessons in decorum.
***
“Your mother is back early.”
Emrys smiled as he heard Caitlyn’s annoyed voice over the speakerphone. He sat very still in a chair while the studio’s hairdresser Jodie shaped up his long, curling locks. It had grown out over his vacation, but at least he’d kept off a beard, unlike some of his disheveled costars.
“When did she get in?” he asked.
“Yesterday. She and Imelda are on a mission to teach me how to be a lady and stuff me with teacakes.”
‘Well, good on that account. I’ve thought you looked a bit skinny since we started up again.”
“I try very hard to keep my figure!” Caitlyn snapped.
Emrys held back a laugh. No point in irritating her when she was already suffering through his family. “I’m kidding, Cait. You look fabulous. Enough so that the tabloids thought you were some kind of girl on the side. Just humor Mum and Imelda. As long as they feel like you’re making progress, they’ll leave you alone.”
“It would be easier if Adora were here. She’s gone back to school, and who knows where Elsa is.”
“Off making her own headlines,” Emrys joked. “Are you feeling any better? Tell them to lay off, if your stomach is still bothering you. Did you see the palace doctor?”
“Oh, no. Um, I started feeling better when I got here.”
“It may have just been travelling. Mother gets that sometimes.” Emrys narrowed his eyes and looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Don’t go too short on the sides. They have me wearing-black rimmed glasses in a few scenes. I want to look lady-killer, but not like a lesbian.”
Jodie chuckled.
“What?” Caitlyn said incredulously.
“I’m teasing my hairdresser.”
“That’s probably not a good idea. I’m sorry for his behavior!” Caitlyn called out.
