Questionable Queen

by Nancy S. Brandt

  "I'm sure this sounds worse to an outsider than it is," he said, turning to walk back to the carriages. "Things are different here than they are in Valborough."

  "Different enough that a family has to be alienated from everyone else because their son isn't considered perfect?" She knew her voice was raised, and several of the servants from Princess Evangeline's cottage were listening. "Who decides who's perfect and who isn't? You? Your mother?"

  Josiah faced her. "I never said I agreed with everything my mother says, but isn't it important that those who rule a kingdom be strong enough to keep the people safe? Heyton has always been the focus of enemies because of our location and resources. What benefit would there be if our King were unable to protect our people and our borders?"

  He strode away, not giving her the opportunity to respond.

  A moment later, Veronica came over, and Ursula could tell from the smirk on the Grand Princess's face that she'd heard the argument. "You'll be staying in Princess Evangeline's cottage."

  "I see," Ursula replied. "I thought I would be staying in Killian's house."

  "His daughters, Princesses by blood, have first claim on that cottage. Josiah will be staying in the King's cottage, and since you have never even met him, I'm sure you won't object."

  This was a power play by Veronica to put Ursula in her place, but at this point, the Queen didn't want to get into a confrontation, so she ignored it.

  "Thank you. I'm sure the servants are taking my things inside now." She turned away from Veronica. Walking toward Evangeline's Cottage, she kept her head up so as not to show the Grand Princess anything but dignity.

  "Tomorrow," Gideon said as he escorted Ursula from Evangeline's Cottage to the King's Cottage where the whole family was gathering for drinks, "Harriet and I are going to go swimming. I'm sure your maids packed something for you to wear, if you'd like to join us."

  "Oh." Ursula's face lit up. "That sounds wonderful. I haven't been swimming since I was much younger. My parents used to take us to an island." She furrowed her brows and bit her lip. "Wait. It might have been off the coast of Heyton. Is that possible?"

  Gideon shrugged. "Of course. The western shore is quite extensive. Some of it is along Ketztel Strait that connects the Vetiben and Laratue Seas. The Laratue contains lots of small islands within a few miles of the mainland. Many noble and royal families come from all over the world to vacation there."

  Ursula nodded. "So, I was wrong when I said I'd never been to Heyton before."

  "Well, maybe not. More than half of those islands are claimed by the Anamii. It was an issue in my great-grandfather's time. More recently, though..." He let his voice trail off as he realized what he was about to say.

  "You've been too busy because of the war with Valborough to worry about the Anamii."

  "I should be careful not to underestimate you, Your Majesty. You're quite astute."

  "It was fairly easy to figure out what you were referring to."

  He chuckled. "All that aside, may I assume you're interested in going swimming?"

  "I am interested in going to the shore with you and Harriet, at least. I would like to see if there are Anamii around."

  "I wouldn't get my hopes up. They rarely come to the surface and never associate with us."

  "But they did at one time, at least," she said, "if your great-grandfather had dealings with them."

  "That's true, but relations between our two peoples were strained even then." He shook his head. "No, they aren't interested in us at all anymore."

  Ursula nodded but wondered how the Anamii would feel about him. Surely, they would be interested in someone so adept at Water Abilities.

  They had reached the entrance to the King's Cottage. "I'll have Dashiel speak to Felecia about the arrangements," he said, and then he stopped, holding her arm to keep her from moving farther toward the door.

  "Before we go in, I should warn you. While this is, technically, a vacation, it is also a time when this family remembers those who have died. It started after Aunt Evangeline's death. Her birthday was a few weeks after that, so Grandfather ordered the family to come here. From what I've been told, she loved the ocean."

  He sighed and glanced over Ursula's shoulder to look at what little bit of the water he could see in the waning light from this distance. "Her husband was the grandson of an Anamii Princess. Did you know that?"

  "No," Ursula said, shaking her head. "I know little about either Evangeline or, to be honest, any other member of this family."

  "Of course. Uncle Everett died about six months before she did. His death was the result of a hunting accident. The son of a minor noble from the Duchy of Edicendro was trying to impress my grandfather with his hunting ability, apparently in the hopes of winning the hand of some woman in the court. When he found out that Grandfather preferred to hunt with throwing knives, he said he was experienced with them."

  "Oh, no," Ursula said, her face draining of color.

  "Exactly. He thought he saw an elk in the trees, threw a knife, and hit Uncle Everett in the heart."

  "How horrible for Evangeline. The poor woman."

  "Anyway, she hadn't told him she was pregnant, and the whole family worried that she might lose the baby when she heard what happened." Gideon saw the butler coming their way. "We should go in, but I wanted you to know that tonight could become maudlin. It might be uncomfortable for you."

  He offered her his arm again, and they started toward the house. "I know it will be for me."

  Chapter 29

  Maudlin and uncomfortable were mild words for the atmosphere in the King's Cottage that night.

  For the first hour, Ursula sat with Gideon on one side of her, Damien on the other, and Josiah pacing back and forth in front of her. Killian's sisters, with their children, sat in family groupings around the room.

  While a low murmur of voices filled the room, it was only family members speaking to each other, not to any of the other groups. Ursula wondered if she were being protected or kept in her place by her male companions.

  At eight o'clock, half a dozen footmen entered the room, each carrying a tray with glasses of wine. When everyone took one, even the younger girls, Veronica stood.

  "Every year, on the anniversary of Evangeline's birth, we come here as a family, to a place she loved, to celebrate her life and to honor our connection as a family."

  At this, Damian coughed, but Veronica ignored him.

  "Family is the most important thing in the world," the Grand Princess went on. "Thank you all for coming."

  Princess Delthyn stood. "May I say something?"

  Veronica blinked as though no one had ever interrupted her, but she relaxed. "Of course. This trip is about family, Del. As my sister, you are welcome."

  The words sounded formal to Ursula, and from the expression on Delthyn's face, she was surprised as well.

  "Thank you, Veronica. This is a hard year. We lost Killian, and soon, a new generation will take the throne of Heyton. Evangeline's child, killed so many years ago in the fire, would have been King. Our family has experienced too many deaths. We need to keep each other close. We're the royal family, and we have a responsibility to the people, but we can't forget our responsibility to each other."

  Veronica nodded. "Well said."

  Delthyn ignored her and continued. "Our responsibility to this family is to support each other regardless of our talents and limitations."

  Ursula felt Gideon tense beside her.

  "All our children are wonderful and unique," Delthyn went on, looking at Veronica. "All of them. I am appealing to the Grand Princess and the Exarch to allow Oriana to remain with the family after the coronation instead of taking Elemental vows."

  Gideon didn't relax as Ursula expected. Instead he started to his feet.

  "Leave it, Gid," Damien murmured. "Your mother is right.”

  "And if she has a child?" Veronica asked, frowning at her sister. "If the baby is male, what then? My son gives up the throne? Is that
what you want?"

  "This isn't about me," Delthyn said, shaking her head, "or what I want. It's about family. Oriana is family. She shouldn't have to forswear marriage and a family of her own against her will."

  Gideon took a step forward, but Damien stopped him. "Let them work it out."

  Gideon turned to his cousin. "I don't think this is about Oriana."

  "What do you think it's about?" Ursula asked.

  Princess Delthyn continued, "Haven't we lost enough of us? Why should we send people away or treat them like they don't belong because they or their lives aren't perfect?"

  Suddenly, Ursula felt waves of unease from multiple places in the room. Something akin to outright fear came from Oriana and Isabel, and other family members were emitting discomfort and embarrassment.

  "You're not interested in Oriana's welfare," Veronica said, taking a step toward her sister. "This is about your son. You want Josiah to give him the rank of Knight Prince."

  Delthyn blinked. "I do care about Oriana." Her voice was weak, however.

  "Aunt Delthyn." Oriana stood, bringing everyone's attention to her. "I will go to the Elemental Order after the coronation."

  "But you shouldn't have to," Delthyn said. "You're part of this family."

  "Any child I have could threaten Josiah," the Princess said. "She won't let that happen." Oriana glared at Veronica.

  Now, Damien scowled at Gideon. "What is your mother trying to do? Oriana has no intention of marrying now. Is this about you, in fact?"

  Gideon sighed. "The truth is, I should be a Knight Prince. Until Josiah weds and produces his own heir, I am next in line, then you. Your mother doesn't want me to be a Knight because of my deformity. My mother is using Oriana as a decoy. If she is allowed to bypass the law, there's no reason for me to be kept out of the line of succession."

  "I thought you didn't care about that."

  "I don't. My mother wants yours to accept it, though."

  Veronica continued to glare at her sister. "You would have us go against the laws and risk a larger break in the family, even a war, should Oriana or Isabel have a son."

  Killian's younger daughter gasped. "Are you saying that I am to enter the Order as well?"

  "If you reach the age of twenty-five without producing a son, that is the law." The Grand Princess spoke without looking at her niece.

  Josiah stood. "I think we've gotten off the subject. Tonight is about Uncle Killian and Aunt Evangeline. Does anyone want to say anything about either of them?"

  "I miss Evangeline every day." When Delthyn spoke, she remained seated. "I know that Killian is gone, and I miss him, too, but he was always a bit removed from us, being heir to the throne and all. If she had jumped out of the window with the baby, she'd still be here today." The Princess sniffled.

  Oriana wiped a tear from her cheek. "She would never have left that inn without first knowing her child was protected. I'm sure that she did everything she could to keep him safe, but it wasn't enough."

  Veronica said nothing. Ursula saw her watching Delthyn, a strange, curious look on her face.

  How had she known there was a window? Veronica paced her bedchamber, grateful that Zebulon chose, as he always did when they came to Shore Palace, to sleep one floor down in the valet's bedchamber. Years ago, he'd given up, against her objections, having a valet, saying that he'd been tying his own shoes since he was a child and wasn't about to let someone else do it for him just because he was a Duke now.

  Veronica didn't care where Zebulon slept. In fact, if he chose to leave the palace altogether, she probably wouldn't even notice. He'd done what he'd needed to do. He'd given her children. Sons, specifically, and most importantly, he'd given Heyton an heir.

  All the things Veronica had done to ensure that Josiah would become King passed through her mind, as they often did, but she had become an expert in pushing unwanted thoughts out.

  One thought in particular was especially troubling tonight.

  Delthyn had said that Evangeline should have jumped out of the window, holding her baby. How had she known there was a window in Evangeline's room?

  Veronica continued pacing, remembering that time.

  Evangeline, still in mourning over her husband's death, decided to travel to the estate belonging to her in-laws. Her son, six-month old Carsten, the Heir Presumptive, had never met his father's family.

  The Grand Princess, who was merely a Princess at the time, had given birth to Josiah only a few weeks earlier, and having a son had clarified her plans. She would do what she had to do to see that Josiah one day sat on the throne of Heyton.

  That was when she first began talking to Yamina about poisons and their use. Their first test had taken place a week later when Princess Charlotte, Killian's wife, gave birth to their son, David. The poor thing had died in his sleep only a few days after he'd been born. No one ever believed it was anything more than bad luck.

  Evangeline had not been supposed to die on that trip to see her in-laws. There wasn't supposed to be a fire for her to die in. The guard who had carried a vial of poison hadn't worked fast enough.

  Frustrated and confused, Veronica rang for her private maid, Chandra, who arrived only a few moments later.

  "Send someone for Thane," the Grand Princess said. She'd need the head of her private guard for what was to come.

  Josiah walked Ursula to her cottage when the evening was over. "I'm sorry you had to witness the disagreements between my mother and her sister."

  "I'm not," she replied. They had reached the front steps, and she climbed one then faced him. "I'm part of the family now, and it would be dishonest to hide those from me."

  "Yes, but unlike the rest of us, you could leave after the coronation."

  She tilted her head as she looked at him. This was the last thing she'd expected to hear from him. "I was under the impression that the Exarch had asked me to marry him."

  To her surprise, she saw him blush under the torches that hung on either side of the door.

  "I haven't actually asked you, have I? The proposal came from the Ministers' Council. Not the most romantic way to do it, is it?"

  She shrugged. "Your uncle's proposal wasn't romantic either. Perhaps it is unrealistic for royals to expect romance. Shall we have Gideon perform the ritual between us by proxy?" she asked.

  He laughed. "I didn't know you had such a sense of humor."

  Her siblings had all had romance in their marriages, but she pushed that thought away. This was not the time to think about what she could have had with George Evan.

  Josiah took a deep breath. "Queen Ursula, if you do decide to marry me, and please, as far as I am concerned, it is your decision, I promise that I will do whatever I can to make you happy."

  "I appreciate the sentiment, Exarch Josiah, but if you can do what you can to get the prisoners released, that is all I want."

  He bowed. "You have my word." Then he walked toward the King's Cottage.

  Ursula watched him, wondering what kind of man he was. In recent dealings with him, he'd been nothing but polite and proper, but she'd been witness to his interactions with his mother, and they were generally contentious. How would he be to a wife?

  "So, are you going to marry him?" Gideon stepped out of the shadows, Dashiel behind him, carrying a bundle.

  "Have you taken to spying on me?" She raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

  "If I have to to keep you from making a mistake." He came up on the porch beside her.

  "And what mistake do you think I'd be making?" she asked.

  The butler for Evangeline's cottage, Jamison, had been standing inside the front door, waiting, and now he opened the house. She spoke to Prince Gideon and Dash.

  "Come in and tell me all about this great mistake."

  As soon as they'd come into the casual sitting room, Ursula instructed Jamison to bring them some tea and cake.

  One wall of the room was made up of three windows that went from the floor almost to the ceiling
. Crisp white draperies, trimmed in sapphire blue and embellished with heavy matching tassels, were tied back from the view, making the room feel as though it were open to the outside.

  The blonde wood floor had been polished to a high shine, and three rectangular rugs, woven in shades of red and brown, marked distinct areas of the room.

  Perpendicular to the windows sat a table that could accommodate eight to ten people with a white shallow bowl full of stones and seashells in the center.

  On the other side of the windows was a fireplace. Facing it was a long plush sofa upholstered in an abstract blue and yellow print, which was echoed in the cloth that covered the low square table in front of it. A tall-backed easy chair sat on either end of the sofa, angled toward both the table and the fireplace. These were covered in a solid blue fabric.

  Over the fireplace was a painting of a man, dressed in the same kind of garment Josiah and Damien had worn at Killian's funeral. He stood on the edge of a cliff, his back toward the high, raging waves of the ocean.

  His hair was white, but his face showed him to be in the prime of his life. Deep blue eyes and a slightly curved mouth showed intelligence and humor.

  In front of the windows, near the center, were a small red love seat and two matching chairs. When Ursula had arrived, these faced into the room, but she moved them so she could enjoy the view of the sea.

  Gideon moved to sit near the fireplace.

  "No," Ursula said. "Let's sit by the window."

  "It's dark, Your Majesty," the Prince said.

  "I know, but I love seeing the stars reflecting on the water."

  "As you wish." Gideon took the seat she indicated, and Dashiell set the bundle he carried on the floor.

  "I brought my bowl," Gideon said, indicated the bundle. "I thought you might want to see it."

  "I do, but I thought it wouldn't work if there was only one."

  Gideon shrugged, but he didn't meet her eyes. "There won't be anyone on the other end, but I thought maybe we could at least play with it, and, I don't know, talk."