by Banks, Evie
Brenda blushed and batted her eyelashes, but pushed Renee forward with a wink. “He’s not age appropriate for me, Sugar.”
Simon put his hand on Renee’s corseted waist. They danced a few moments without speaking. “The ceremony was beautiful, Your Majesty. You are beautiful, if you will permit me.”
Renee’s stomach was in a flutter. Her hair looked good, she didn’t need a cigarette, she was wearing an unparalleled dress, and she was dancing in the arms of a handsome prince. Then she laughed when she remembered that she was the queen and Simon was the commoner. Really, it was too much to believe sometimes. Simon looked at her quizzically, but they continued to dance. It was like a dream and Renee allowed herself to be swept away on it. They danced for two dances, parted when Renee simply could not be rude to a Bahraini prince, and then danced together again after she had dragged Owen Millthwaite out on the floor for a whirl. Despite her weariness, she was really beginning to enjoy the event and Simon was a big part of the reason for that. She could see people whispering to each other as she and Simon floated by.
Over Simon’s shoulder she caught sight of an enormous, burly and bearded man, who was unsuccessfully trying to suck in his stomach. It was Pyro! The dignitaries and gentlefolk cringed away from him, but Renee tore herself from Simon’s arms and ran to him. The crowded ballroom parted for her as she made her way to where he stood near the entrance, and when she was almost to him she saw that he wasn’t alone. Next to him and wearing a tuxedo and sling around his arm, was Chase, looking pale and shaking slightly, but on his feet and alert. Her heart swelled. Everything was perfect now that he was here and he was safe.
“Your Majesty,” said Chase when she came to a stop in front of him. He attempted to bow, but only made it halfway and grimaced in pain.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, but shouldn’t you be in the hospital recovering?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t miss this. They fished out the bullet and I kept it as a souvenir. It’s not everyday one gets shot by a Prin—” and then seeing the warning look on Renee’s face he broke off—“by a principle bastard like Bretton.” He raised a questioning eyebrow and Renee nodded subtly.
“You saved us,” said Renee.
“That’s what they pay me for,” said Chase and shrugged.
Damn the English and their mock diffidence! Renee was determined to make him take credit where it was due. Catching sight of the turbaned Indian ambassador gave her an idea. She abruptly walked up to him and asked if she could borrow his sword. The startled man immediately offered it to her. She returned to Chase and waved Villain over to join them, who had been watching from the crowd.
“Renee—I mean, Your Majesty—what are you doing?” whispered Chase, looking concerned.
“You’ll see,” she whispered back and then spoke in a loud voice that carried throughout the ballroom. “I want everyone present to be witness that these men have gone beyond the call of duty to serve the United Kingdom and preserve the monarchy. For their courage and their service, they will be honored. Gentlemen, please kneel.”
Chase’s lips pressed together angrily, but with Pyro’s steadying help, he lowered himself to one knee. Villain trembled, causing the chain attached to his wallet and keys to jingle, but he followed suit, bent to one knee and lowered his head.
Renee turned to Chase first. “For your unmatched bravery, willingness to put yourself in physical danger to protect and preserve the monarchy, and commitment to seeking the truth no matter where it leads, I dub thee Sir Phillip Chase.”
She tapped him on each shoulder with the sword and when he looked up, his eyes were resigned to his fate. She next turned to Villain who seemed overcome by the solemnity of the moment and was desperately wiping tears from his eyes. “And for your willingness to come to the monarch’s aid in her moment of need, I dub thee, um, what’s your name?” she whispered.
“Wendell Wofford,” he whispered back, looking mortified.
Renee considered it and then raised her sword again. “I dub thee Sir Villain. You are now knights of the realm. Arise, gentlemen, and go in peace.”
The ballroom burst into applause. Villain’s face glowed with pride. He got to his feet and puffed out his chest.
Chase, assisted to his feet by Pyro, looked mutinous. “My mother’s bragging will know no end,” he muttered.
“A terrible price paid in the service of your country,” said Renee. She tried to keep a straight face, but she caught Chase’s eye and they both began laughing. They laughed until Renee’s side hurt and Chase turned pale and grabbed his shoulder with his good hand. After the months of anxiety, Renee felt she had never heard anything so funny in her life.
“But you’re wrong,” he said, becoming serious. “You knighted me for the wrong reason.”
“What are you talking about?” said Renee, wiping away a tear of laughter.
“I didn’t do what I did to protect and preserve the monarchy.”
“Oh?”
“I did it for you.”
The hundreds of people dancing, the music, the pomp and all the circumstance, vanished. Renee didn’t see any of it. It was just her and Chase, like it had been that day in New York when he had put his arm around her and it had seemed that nothing existed in the world except them. She wanted to speak. To tell him how much she owed him and how much she had missed him when he had disappeared after her interview with Hutch. She wanted him to ask her to dance, but she was the queen now; perhaps she was the one that was supposed to ask. He was staring into her eyes, looking for something, but before she could determine what it was, she heard someone say “Ahem” and clear his throat behind her. It was Roberts. With difficulty she turned to see what he wanted. She didn’t want to break Chase’s gaze. Not now!
“Ma’am, some more guests are arriving. You are needed to receive them.”
Renee sighed. That man’s timing was impeccable. “Yes, alright.”
She turned back to Chase, but he was looking away from her and across the ballroom.
“I have to go,” she said.
“Yes.”
She felt he had been on the verge of saying something. She went to greet the new guests, but when she was finished Chase wasn’t there. She scanned the room and made two circuits, stopping often to speak with guests, but didn’t find him. She located Villain who was holding court with his gang and asked if he knew where Chase had gone. “Skipped out,” he said. Renee felt a little let down, but couldn’t fault Chase for wanting some time to recuperate, though in her heart she’d hoped that perhaps he might have waited for her.
The ball would go on all night, but Renee had had enough. She wasn’t even in the mood to dance again with Simon, who, in any event, was surrounded by a group of admiring women. Everything had worked out, though not strictly according to plan. She walked down a quiet hallway with Roberts, who was confident and happy to be back in the place he knew so well. He didn’t need to count doors or pull out the little brochure map of the building that had helpfully been provided to orient her to her new surroundings. He pointed out rooms, giving the history of them and the personalities who had stayed within, opening doors so she could see. Renee could barely keep her eyes open.
“Perhaps this can wait. You’ll have lots of time to explore,” he said after she had yawned for the twentieth time.
“It’s a good end to a crazy ride,” she said. She thought of all that had happened since the day when Chase and Roberts had knocked on her door. From an apartment to a Palace. Perhaps she would wake up tomorrow and discover it was all a dream.
“Oh no, it’s just the beginning.” Roberts opened a door wide and Renee could see that it was a large private suite with a fire crackling in a fireplace. “Welcome home.”
THE END
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