The Indentured Queen

by Carol Moncado

  He relaxed a bit. “Chamberlain informed me.” Benjamin stared out the window and at the ocean in the distance. “There is something we need to consider.”

  “We? No edict for the rest of us to go along with?”

  Her sarcasm cut. “No.”

  With a release of her breath, Katrín slumped against the back of the chair. “That was uncalled for. I’m sorry.”

  “Forgotten. But we do need to consider your role as queen until such a time as you disappear.” He’d sort of ignored it, but this social media thing made it impossible. In the back of his mind, he’d known it wouldn’t work for things to go on as they had been the last several weeks, but asking Katrín to fully embrace the role of queen hadn’t occurred to him until minutes earlier.

  “What about my role? I stay in the background, do the minimum, the country mourns on your behalf but not for me which makes it very easy for your next wife to surpass me in popularity.”

  “No. I think you need to fill the role of queen as much as you feel you are able, just like you would if we were planning for you to stay forever.” He folded his hands together. “That means assembling a staff for you. For now, Elise can handle social media and teach both of us about its use. I have accounts. I’ve never written a tweet in my life.”

  Her smirk reappeared. “That will shock absolutely no one.”

  “I don’t think anyone uses it on my behalf except occasionally for events of great import. Congratulatory notes after elections, commemorating important holidays, things of that sort, using quotes from the official statements. It turns out that Marty is a web designer. He and Harry own an Internet marketing company where Marissa works as a graphic artist.”

  Her smirk softened. “Almost like someone knew what we needed before we did? Think maybe God might have arranged all of this?”

  Benjamin didn’t reply immediately as he thought it over. Finally, he answered. “I’m not sure. I think that might be pressing the issue a bit, but that God has a hand in our lives? Definitely.”

  “You think it’s a coincidence that I need social media help, you need public relations and marketing help, and we just happened to sit at a table with people who can do all of it? And knew the Heimlich maneuver? If you hadn’t choked, we all would have gone on our merry ways, and we wouldn’t be positioned to learn from them.”

  She made an excellent point, and he told her so. Benjamin stood and so did Katrín. “I will have Chamberlain make arrangements for a meeting with the four of them as soon as possible.”

  “Just let me know.” She curtsied again and turned to leave.

  “Wait.” It had bothered him some before because he knew it should bother him, but not because it actually did. Now, it bothered him.

  “What?”

  “Protocol only dictates that you curtsy the first time you see me on any given day.” That sounded awkward even to his own ears.

  Katrín crossed her arms. “So, this morning, I slip out of bed, curtsy and leave?”

  The snark made him smile. “Well, maybe the first time when I’m awake.”

  “Duly noted. I won’t curtsy every time I see you anymore then.”

  She started for the door as Benjamin went back to his desk. A yellow note caught his attention. “One other thing,” he called as she started to pull the door open. “My mother’s birthday party is coming up.” And the only reason he hadn’t suggested an even more extended vacation. “It’s a very formal event, and we will be expected to attend together. There will be dancing.”

  A look he couldn’t define crossed her face before she came back to sit across from his desk. “Then we may have a problem.”

  20

  Katrín couldn’t believe this.

  “What kind of problem?” Benjamin asked, sitting in what was surely a very expensive, custom made chair.

  “I don’t know how to dance.”

  Benjamin seemed to consider her words. “I don’t have time to work with you, but I will have Chamberlain see to it that someone does.”

  “Thanks.” She stood again. “I appreciate it.” She also appreciated not needing to curtsy every time she entered or left a room with him in it.

  When she reached the door again, his voice stopped her. Again.

  “Are we going to discuss last night?”

  Katrín didn’t turn around. “What is there to discuss? You had a near death experience. Emotions were running high. Things happened.” Things seared into her mind. Things she wouldn’t soon forget.

  She still didn’t turn but waited for him to respond. Finally, he said, “Excellent points. I must get back to work.”

  Katrín let herself out and headed for her suite. At least the coat provided by Thor meant she didn’t have to go the long way. Despite only working half a day, she was ready for a soak in the sunken tub in her bathroom followed by a nap.

  She did just that, awakening to a knock on the door to the lady in waiting’s room where she slept.

  “What?” she called, her arm flung over her eyes.

  “We have dinner plans.”

  Benjamin’s voice shocked Katrín, and she sat up fast enough to give herself a head rush. “We do?”

  “Yes. Both couples were able to come to dinner tonight. We’ll be meeting with them. You will also need an assistant and a stylist, though Elise may be able to fill the assistant’s role temporarily, and Rosalie will be your stylist until you decide if you’d rather have another one or not.”

  “You were a busy beaver while I slept, weren’t you?”

  All she could see was his backlit form in the doorway. “Pardon?”

  “I took a nap. You arranged dinner and for me to have staff members.”

  “No. I asked Chamberlain to take care of it. I doubt he even did it all himself, but rather made some calls.”

  “How long do I have until they arrive?”

  “About an hour.”

  “And we’re meeting where?” She didn’t know her way around most of the palace, but surely she could ask someone or call Thor.

  “Meet me outside our suites in an hour, and we’ll go together.”

  “Thanks.” That helped. “I’ll be ready.”

  She didn’t need a shower, but she did need to do her hair and make-up. Fortunately, by the time she climbed all the way out of bed, Benjamin had left.

  All of her clothes were in the main closet, so that’s where Katrín headed. Slacks and a nice blouse seemed safe enough. Benjamin hadn’t said anything about how formal it would be. Surely he would have if it required anything nicer than that.

  After spending longer than expected on her hair and carefully applying make-up, Katrín dressed quickly and left her suite. Benjamin already waited in the lounge area.

  He looked her up and down, and she waited to be found wanting. “You look nice,” he finally said. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” She let him take the lead, staying close, but still a bit behind.

  He reached back and took her hand as they walked into a small dining area. The skin-to-skin contact sent an electric vibe roiling through her. Was he as aware of her presence as she was of his?

  If so, her husband seemed surprisingly unaffected.

  The other two couples waited for them. They all stood and bowed or curtsied. Benjamin acknowledged them with a tilt of his head. Katrín wasn’t sure if she was supposed to or not, so she didn’t.

  “Can you tell us what all this is about, sir?” Harry asked. “Elise told us a little about her discussion with the queen earlier, but we’re not sure how it relates to the rest of us.”

  “It doesn’t directly,” Benjamin told him. “But in your background checks, your occupations came to the attention of my security team. When we discussed Elise’s new role, even if it turns out to be temporary, the rest of your professions suddenly became relevant.”

  “How so?”

  Benjamin motioned to a table set up nearby. “Why don’t we discuss this over dinner?”

  Katrín found herself on the f
ar end of the table with a server holding her seat for her as Benjamin seated himself on the other end. Salads appeared in front of each of them.

  “As we discussed yesterday, my family needs help in the area of public relations. I’m told our websites and social media presences are incredibly out of date, with the possible exception of Genevieve’s. We would like to hire your firm to do an assessment of what we need to do and perhaps help us do it.”

  Looks were exchanged between the four of their guests.

  “Elise, Katrín already discussed some of the social media with you.”

  Elise nodded. “I started to clear some things off my plate so I could devote most of my time to this starting tomorrow, but with this dinner, I’m afraid I won’t really be able to start until next week. I’ll spend most of tomorrow finishing up and handing some of it off to a friend who works for me when I’m out of town and such.”

  “That’s acceptable. What about the rest of you?”

  Marty and Harry exchanged a look.

  Harry didn’t look straight at Benjamin. “It’s actually a topic we’ve discussed a number of times before.” He sighed. “A few of us got together to see who could design the best website for your family. Winner got to be kings for a day. It was just for fun, but the competition was serious, not to see who came up with the biggest spoof or something. We won. We’d be happy to show you what we came up with, and if it’s not the direction you’d like to go, we can come up with something new.”

  Benjamin nodded. “I would like to see it. Yesterday, the four of you carried on a lively discussion on what the royal family could do to improve our image. If you are willing to work with us and we can come to terms, I would like to see an official proposal that focuses on what those of us over the age of eighteen can do.”

  Katrín listened far more than she spoke during dinner. The four of them knew what they were talking about. Benjamin was willing to admit he needed guidance and listened intently, asking pointed and insightful questions as the meal went on.

  She didn’t know enough to know what she didn’t know, so she’d do what seemed to be her new job. Sit quietly out of the way and let the others figure it out.

  By the time dinner ended, Benjamin was more convinced than ever that these four were the answer to a prayer he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt the need to pray.

  But he’d noticed Katrín remained very quiet throughout, only speaking if someone asked her a direct question. She likely absorbed it all, despite her silence.

  He returned to his office to make some notes while they were fresh in his mind. After a quick shower, he stared at the rosettes on the wall of his bathroom. Did he want to see her again?

  The answer was a resounding yes, but given the direction his thoughts were drifting, it probably wouldn’t be the best idea. Something made him think Katrín wouldn’t feel right telling him “no” even if she wanted to, not after the night before.

  Neither one of them said no then. He was absolutely convinced of that.

  But he did want to know her thoughts on what had been discussed at dinner. Finally, he decided just to send for her in the morning, have her come to his office and discuss it then.

  With that decided, he went to bed and slept fitfully.

  In the morning, he was greeted with a surprise that would keep him from meeting with Katrín longer than expected.

  His family had returned a day early.

  “Good morning, darling.” His mother breezed into his office five minutes after he arrived.

  Benjamin stood and walked around his desk. “Mother! When did you get here?”

  “We landed about half an hour ago. I asked them not to tell you, but I didn’t want to stay away any longer, even if it did give you and Katrín a bit of a honeymoon staying here alone, such as it were.” She extended her cheek for him to kiss.

  “I missed you.” It almost surprised him to realize how much.

  “And I missed you, but more so than that, I missed being able to get to know my new daughter-in-law.”

  They walked toward the grouping of chairs near the windows. “Then you’ll be happy to know that Katrín will be working on your social media team. We have a new young woman hired to help her learn to use social media and teach the rest of us as well. I know you have Clari, but she’s unavailable for the moment.”

  “Good. But Katrín doesn’t know how to use social media?”

  “Not effectively for what we need to do.” He motioned for her to sit in the seat Katrín had occupied the night before. Rather than sitting, Benjamin leaned against the window near her. “We did something a bit unorthodox the other night.” He told her how they managed to spend some time at the Festival unnoticed and what he’d learned.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Mother, but the truth is, when Father died, the family did as well, at least as an entity visible and relatable to the public. We all need to change that.”

  “Genevieve has been saying that for years,” his mother told him. “And I know much of it is my fault. I didn’t know how to breathe without your father. By the time I’d pulled myself together, I had an infant and far less influence over you. I certainly didn’t have any desire to be in the public eye after a year of grieving so deeply, I almost wished I’d died as well.”

  “I, for one, am quite glad you didn’t.”

  She reached out and grasped his hand. “I know. I am, too, really, but it took a long time for me to reach that point. I am interested in seeing the proposal they put together. I have some ideas of my own. That was one thing I realized during this trip away. I miss being with my peo... with your people.”

  A wry grin crossed his face. “I’m fairly certain you’re far more popular with the people than I am. They still see themselves as your people, despite the coronation when I turned eighteen.”

  “Will Katrín have a coronation?” She dropped his hand and folded hers primly in front of her.

  “I don’t see why. She’s not the regent.” In truth it hadn’t occurred to him if she should or not. “If we were already married when I was officially crowned, then she would have been crowned at the same time. Weren’t you crowned with Father?”

  “I was. How does she feel about that?”

  Benjamin gave the only answer he could. “I have no idea. We haven’t discussed it, but it would surprise me if she expected one. I can barely get her to stop curtsying every time she sees me.”

  His mother smiled, but it faded quickly, though she didn’t say anything else. Something likely went through her head, but she wouldn’t say what it was until she was ready.

  “Now, is everything on schedule for your birthday party?” A change of subject seemed just the ticket.

  She shook herself out of it. “I believe so. I did adjust the guest list to include your new in-laws.”

  Benjamin merely nodded. Why hadn’t that occurred to him? When was the last time Katrín had spent any real time with her family? Given what she’d told him about her indenture, likely it had been quite some time. He’d put Chamberlain to making arrangements for them to come visit. He also needed to see about making sure they were financially comfortable.

  His mother stood. “I am sure you have plenty of other things to be doing, so I will leave you to them.”

  After a long hug, she left and Benjamin called Chamberlain in. “In a moment, could you have Katrín come at her earliest convenience, but before you do that, I have something else I’d like you to see if you can arrange.” He outlined his plan.

  Chamberlain nodded. “I will see that it’s arranged as soon as possible, perhaps even this afternoon?”

  Benjamin nodded. “I would like to be there as well, if at all possible, but if that can’t be arranged easily with the rest of the schedules involved, make it happen anyway.”

  “Yes, sir.” Chamberlain took his leave and promised he’d send for Katrín.

  Certain he’d done the right thing for once, Benjamin went back to work feeling lighter than he had in quite some tim
e.

  21

  “Where exactly am I going?” Katrín stood at a fork in the corridor.

  “I have no idea.” Elise had surprised her by showing up around noon, saying she’d managed to get everything wrapped up for the time being. “I went to a conference in the States once. This hotel had an app that would tell you where you were and give you step by step directions on how to get where you wanted to go. You’d think a place this size would have something similar.”

  “It would be handy,” Katrín admitted. “But how many people are left to wander around without an escort? At least those who don’t know their way around anyway.”

  “Good point. It would still be nice. Maybe there’s a basic floor plan or map that Thor could get us. Nothing over classified, just enough to figure out how to get where we need to go.”

  Elise tapped on her phone. “They’ve already set me up with a palace email. The email was copied to me.” She held out the screen for Katrín to look at. “Is that the room where we were the other day? With the piano?”

  Katrín nearly melted in relief. “It is. I know how to get there.”

  In an effort to be less late than she would be otherwise, Katrín hurried forward, leaving Elise to catch up.

  “There you are.”

  She looked up to see Benjamin waiting for her to arrive. Had she already seen him? Did she need to curtsy? Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Elise do so.

  He leaned down and kissed Katrín on the cheek. That was new. She wasn’t sure how to react. She settled on, “Good afternoon. What’s going on?”

  Benjamin looked like a he was about to burst. “A surprise.”

  “My very own red grand piano?”

  To her shock, he actually chuckled. “Actually, I think you might like this better.”

  She blinked. “Okay.”

  He motioned for her to go ahead of him. “Go on.”

  Puzzled, she pushed the door open then stopped, her jaw hanging open. “Mama? Allen? Nína?” With a gasp, she bolted across the room, clinging tightly to her mother for a long few minutes, then hugged her sister, before kneeling next to her brother’s chair and holding onto him like her life depended on it. “I am so glad to see you, brother.”