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Dani winced. “Yes.”
“I’ll have to remember that one.” She gestured to the sofa Dani had vacated. “Can we sit?”
“Of course.”
Nerves quivered in Dani’s belly as she wondered what Calanthe wanted to talk to her about. Jameson had decided not to tell his mother about his newest deal with the queen because he didn’t want her to worry, and he knew his mother would never have allowed him to enter into that agreement on her behalf. But maybe Calanthe had her suspicions. It would take something major for Jameson to willingly step back into the spotlight and Calanthe was aware of the terms the first time the queen had called on Jameson.
Is that why she was here? To grill Dani for answers?
Calanthe settled next to Dani. “Your friends are quite accomplished, although I shouldn’t be surprised. Like attracts like.”
“Thank you.”
“The past few days can’t have been pleasant, with the tabloids and the headlines. How are you holding up?”
Dani appreciated the woman’s kindness. “I’m okay.”
“We’ve all been through it, some to a harsher and more relentless degree than others. I wanted to let you know how grateful I am to you. You’re subjecting yourself to this unfair scrutiny to save the monarchy’s reputation when you didn’t have to, simply because you love Jameson.”
Dani ignored the twinges of guilt that riddled her with Calanthe’s words. She did love Jameson, but it wasn’t the only reason she was doing this.
Calanthe continued. “He never wanted to be a Counsellor of State, so I was worried, but I needn’t have been. Since you’ve come into Jameson’s life, I’ve never seen him happier.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Watching the two of you interact while representing the queen and seeing you stay true to yourself, I couldn’t have asked more for my son. You let him be himself while still encouraging him to occasionally step out of his comfort zone. And he does because he knows you’ll be there with him. You’re exactly what he needed.” Calanthe covered Dani’s hand with her own. “So... be careful. Now that the media has turned, the queen won’t be pleased.”
First Catherine. Now Calanthe. That’s two people who felt the need to warn her. What in the hell was about to happen? Should she be worried about someGet Out–type shit?
Theydiddrink a lot of tea over here...
Dani frowned. “She places so much stock in how the press sees the family.”
Unexpectedly, she felt a moment of kinship with the queen. Apparently, in this new age they were in, even monarchs had to concern themselves with the external perception of their brand.
“That’s your first mistake, dear,” Calanthe said. “Thinking of us as a family. We’re a business. That’s why we call it the Company.Don’t misunderstand me, the Lloyds are capable of caring, familial relationships and no one could deny the love between her and Prince John. But her main duty, and the duty of everyone around her, is to ensure the survival of the monarchy... their monarchy. And if she has no problem exiling her own child for his poor decision-making, she won’t allow you staying true to yourself to get in the way of what she needs to do.”
Calanthe’s words were still buzzing in Dani’s head several hours later, as she and Yolanda sat in her private suite, wrapped in the pristine white terry cloth robes that bore the hotel spa’s insignia.
“God, I needed this,” Dani said, referring to more than just the treatments. She’d missed her girls. She needed to be with people who knew her and had her back.
“I could tell,” Yolanda said, sliding her fingers through her russet-colored coils. “At one point when you were in the other room you moaned so loudly that if I hadn’t known you were getting a massage, I’d have thought you were indulging in some self-love.”
“I remember that part of the treatment,” Dani said. “But I’m an excellent lover. Trust me, that moan would’ve been way more intense.”
They both laughed.
Dani stretched on the chaise lounge, feeling the languid movement required too much energy. “I’m glad you’re here. How have you been? I haven’t seen you since the exhibition.”
“I know, it’s been a minute,” Yolanda agreed from the chair next to her. “I gotta tell you, looking up at that box and seeing you... it was a moment.”
“Awww...” Dani reached out and clasped Yolanda’s hand.
“Oh. My. God,” Nyla said, drifting into the room.
Dani smiled. “All done?”
“Hmmmm,” Nyla responded, her arms stretched high overhead.
