Andre moved to intercept her, his bodyguard following him like a determined shadow. When Juliana saw who it was she stopped and looked up at him. He was so disconcerted by the pale blue color of her eyes, different from her normal violet hue, that at first he couldn’t say anything. He slid his right hand into his pocket, feeling the small box there, and the reminder grounded him. Conscious that whatever he said would be overheard, he spoke a few carefully chosen words. “I need to talk to you.”
Juliana blinked a couple of times. “Can it wait? I need to get out of costume, get this makeup off, and I really need to take my eyes out—they’re starting to bother me.” It was so unexpected he chuckled, and so did she. “I didn’t word that quite right,” she said, still laughing softly. “I need to remove my contact lenses. That’s what I meant to say.”
“How long will all that take?”
“A half hour? Maybe less. I need a shower, too, but if it’s urgent I can wait for that.”
“It is important, but not urgent. Have your shower. I will wait for you in the little library.”
* * *
Even if the cast and crew of King’s Ransom hadn’t been shown over most of the palace in the early days, Juliana would have known where the little library was on the second floor, not far from Princess Mara’s suite. She and Mara had often studied there when they were young. Mara had been a much better student than Juliana in just about every subject, but especially in math—Juliana had been hopeless and Mara had been gifted. Mara had tried to tutor her in math, but it was a lost cause.
The only area Juliana had excelled in was in recitation. She could speak blank verse as if it were simple English, and at one point had dreamed of being a Shakespearean actress like her famous mother—the mother who’d had a whirlwind romance with Juliana’s ambassador father and died when her daughter was barely four. But the demand for Shakespearean actresses being what it was, when Juliana had decided to forget college and become an actress she’d headed for Hollywood.
Dressed in a floating sleeveless pale primrose summer dress belted around her tiny waist, sandals on her slender feet, her hair piled atop her head for coolness and held in place with a pair of cloisonné butterfly clips, Juliana hurried toward the little library forty minutes later. Andre’s bodyguard was standing in front of the closed door, but he opened it and moved aside as she approached—he’d obviously received orders to let her pass without challenge. Then the door was quietly closed behind her.
“Little library” was a misnomer. It was little only in comparison to the Royal Library on the main floor. Andre was ensconced in one of the large, comfortable easy chairs scattered around the room, reading what looked to be official dispatches. Juliana remembered him doing something similar years ago while she and Mara studied, their books spread out on the antique table in the center of the room.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said. “I couldn’t resist taking a bath instead of a shower. The suite I’m in has the most amazing marble bathtub.”
“The Queen’s Suite,” he said easily, closing the portfolio of dispatches with a snap. “Yes, the bathtub there is the biggest I’ve ever seen—it is bigger than mine.”
Startled, she said, “The Queen’s Suite? I didn’t realize... Mara once said your father had that sealed off after your mother died and no one was allowed inside. We never even dared to sneak inside for a peek.”
“Yes, it was closed for years, but it was reopened at the time of my coronation. I believe the Queen of England occupied it at that point, but no one since.” His voice dropped a notch. “Eleonora’s suite has been waiting for you, Juliana.”
Something in his tone disturbed her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. For something to say, she asked, “Was it really Eleonora’s?”
“So legend has it, but all the queens of Zakhar in recent memory have occupied it. It has been extensively remodeled numerous times over the years, of course. Candle sconces replaced the torches. Then gaslight replaced the candle sconces. What was then modern plumbing was added, although a plumber today would laugh at it. Then electrical wiring replaced the gaslight. And truly modern plumbing was added in my grandmother’s day. My mother loved it—I have vague childhood memories of her in that suite when I was very young—and she added her own touches.” He smiled at her, a smile of singular sweetness. “You are comfortable there?”
“Incredibly. I’ve felt like a queen since the very first day.”