The Indentured Queen

by Carol Moncado

  “Me too, sis. Is he treating you well?” Allen eyed his new brother-in-law. “I can roll over him and say my chair developed a mind of its own.”

  That made Katrín laugh as she pulled away. “There’s no need.” She stood and introduced her family to Benjamin. It hit her that Elise would have expected them to already know each other, but then she realized the other woman wasn’t in the room.

  Benjamin made certain it was just the five of them. She needed to thank him later.

  “As much as I hate to say hello and leave, I must do just that.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “Unfortunately, I have a phone call with Queen Adeline that has already been postponed more than once. I do hope you’ll join my family for dinner this evening.”

  “Your family’s back?” She hadn’t seen or heard them.

  “They arrived this morning. My mother is looking forward to this dinner.” He smiled. “I will see you this evening, if you’re able to stay.”

  “We would be honored,” her mother answered. “Nína, can you stay?”

  Nína hesitated. “Actually, I can’t stay long. My flight leaves this evening. I’m joining the prince and princess and their family in Serenity Landing for a few days.”

  “Give them my regards,” Benjamin told her then nodded to the group. “Until then.” He turned and left.

  Before she knew what was happening, Katrín found herself seated next to her mother and with her brother close enough she could hold his hand.

  “How are you?” her mother asked.

  “I miss you guys, but overall I’m doing good. I don’t miss working all the time, of course, but I miss seeing both of you.”

  “We miss you,” Allen told her squeezing her hand. “You got our letters?”

  “Every one.” As far as she knew. “I didn’t always have a chance to read them and get back to you right away. That’s why it didn’t always seem like I saw them before I wrote you back. I wrote when I could even if I hadn’t had time to read your later letters yet.” No sense in them knowing she didn’t always get them promptly.

  “We figured as much.” Her mother clasped her hand gently. “I know what life here can be like. It’s so busy you can’t think straight sometimes. Even worse depending on where you’re working.” She gave Katrín the look only a mother could. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you never told us where you were working. I guess you probably weren’t on the serving staff.”

  Katrín shook her head. “No. I washed dishes in one of the kitchens.”

  “Oh, sweetheart.”

  Katrín heard her mother’s tears before she turned and saw them. “It’s okay, Mama.” She reached out and wiped them off. “I didn’t mind.”

  Her mother took both of Katrín’s hands in her own and turned them over. “The callouses are still there.”

  “We haven’t been married long. I worked in the kitchen right up until the wedding.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about that. I want to hear all about you two and how you’re doing.”

  For over an hour, Katrín listened as her mother and brother regaled her with tales from the outside world. Her brother had started university the year before and wanted to be a lawyer, specializing in helping those like him with disabilities who were discriminated against or taken advantage of because of their condition.

  Her mother had been working at a local café for years but finally took a job that required her to be on her feet less. Katrín wondered when Benjamin would make good on his promise to make sure they were taken care of.

  Elise entered the room nearly ninety minutes after Katrín had. “Pardon me, ma’am, but there are a few matters that need your attention before dinner.” She smiled at all of them. “It won’t be long. It will take you more time to get to dinner due to the route your chair must take, sir.” She nodded at Allen. “Someone will be here momentarily to show you both the way.”

  Katrín hugged her brother and then her mother again. “Don’t you dare leave,” she whispered.

  She could almost hear the smile in her mother’s voice. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Benjamin had no idea who decided on the seating arrangements for such events, but someone had. Probably his mother, if she’d known about their guests in advance.

  Normally, his mother sat at the foot of the table. Now Katrín would often occupy that spot at a family meal. Instead, Benjamin was at the head, Katrín to his right with Mother in the second seat. To his left was his new mother-in-law and then his brother-in-law. With Darius absent, there was an odd number of people, and no one at the foot of the table.

  He took his seat and the rest of the table started to follow suit.

  “Oh, dear.” The mutter came from his left.

  “What is it?” his mother asked.

  “I’m afraid the way Allen’s chair sits, he needs to be on the end.” Katrín’s mother glanced at him. “I trust that won’t be a problem, sir?”

  Benjamin shook his head. “Of course not. I look forward to talking with him, and this will make it easier.” That might have been a bit of a stretch, but he was curious why Thor thought he could learn much from the younger man.

  Two of the stewards rushed over to help make the switch. It didn’t take long.

  After his mother said grace, the first course was served, and Benjamin focused on listening for the time being. He was learning that it was often better to listen than talk and certainly better than not paying attention at all.

  “You look familiar,” his mother told Katrín’s. “Have we ever met before?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Mrs. Jónsson shifted slightly in her seat. “I used to work in the palace.”

  “In what capacity?”

  Katrín’s mother held her head high. “I was the king’s server, ma’am.”

  “For my husband?” his mother clarified.

  “Yes, and briefly for your son.”

  Benjamin didn’t remember her ever serving him food, but did remember her standing in front of him facing the accusations.

  “May I ask why you left?”

  His mother-in-law’s gaze flitted to Katrín briefly. “I was accused of stealing something from the palace. I could not prove my innocence.”

  “Did you steal it?”

  “No.”

  Benjamin jumped in. “You were caught before you could leave, if I remember correctly.”

  She held his gaze. “That was the accusation. Mine was the first accusation of that nature that you handled as king.”

  “I remember. You offered no defense. You stood there silently until I decided the penalty. Even then you said nothing.” Why were they reliving this?

  “What penalty?” his mother asked.

  Benjamin glanced down the table to find his siblings ignoring the five of them. “A fine commensurate with the fine imposed if convicted in a criminal cases. The amount and terms vary based on the value of the object in question.”

  “That had to be quite a sum.” His mother’s eyes had widened but she covered her feelings quite well.

  “It was. Your son took pity on me, though. Princess Louise made certain he knew about my three children at home, Allen’s challenges, and that I was a single parent. He arranged to have a small portion of my wages garnished until the fine was repaid.”

  Was she going to leave it at that?

  “Katrín took over the payments.” Allen jumped in. “That’s why she worked here.”

  His mother turned to look at Katrín. “Why would you do that?”

  Katrín shrugged. “My mother needed to be home more, helping Allen. I had no real job or schooling prospects, so I petitioned Benjamin to allow me to take over under much different terms. I could put as much of my wages toward the debt as I wanted, though there was a minimum amount required. When the debt was paid, I could leave the service of the palace.”

  “When would that be?”

  “Not for some time.” Katrín smiled sweetly at him, though he sensed something else lurking behind th
e smile. “But since I officially met Benjamin, and he proposed, the terms of the contract have changed quite a bit. You could almost say the new ones are to die for.”

  His mother laughed. “I wouldn’t go quite that far, I’m sure.” She asked Allen about his schooling.

  Allen grew quite animated as he told her about his dream but when she asked him why he so passionately wanted to help those taken advantage of, he grew silent.

  Katrín’s mother reached over and rested a hand on his shoulder. “About five-and-a-half years ago, Allen was in a rehab facility after a particularly nasty bout of pneumonia. He’s paralyzed from the waist down and confined to bed or his chair for his entire life. At this facility, they weren’t nearly diligent enough in helping him move. Given his weakened state, he couldn’t maneuver himself as much as normal, and they were no help. He’s always struggled with bedsores, but this one was the worst, by far.”

  Allen seemed to straighten his shoulders. His upper body bulk was impressive, though clearly not muscle tone. If he were as tall as he should have been while retaining his size, he would have been a formidable man.

  “It wasn’t entirely their fault,” he told them. “Some of them could have been better, but that wasn’t unusual in a place like that. Most of them cared deeply, but they were perpetually understaffed and the management kept them that way. They didn’t have time.”

  Benjamin found himself curious. “So why would you sue them? Who would you try to hold accountable and how?”

  “The management. They knew they were understaffed and couldn’t properly care for the number of patients they housed. I would have also sued for them to cover medical bills and lost pay, especially for my mother as my primary medical aide, as a result of the bedsores.”

  “Lost pay?” Benjamin’s mother asked.

  “That was when I left the palace employ,” Mrs. Jónsson said. “My new job was much more flexible with hours, but far less lucrative financially.”

  Benjamin’s mother turned to Katrín. “So you volunteered to take her place?”

  Katrín nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “You know, it wasn’t all bad.” Allen’s face lit up. “I spent an extra month in another facility after that, but that meant I had the chance to witness to a bunch of others. I earned my nickname during that time, and at least three people changed their lives through a relationship with Christ.”

  “What nickname?” Benjamin asked.

  Allen’s smile grew. “The Wheelchair Preacher.”

  22

  Katrín changed into her pajamas but wasn’t quite ready for bed. It had been a big day, one full of emotion. She wasn’t sure sleep would come easily.

  A knock on the wall caught her attention. “Come,” she called.

  The panel swung open to reveal Benjamin. She tried not to let her gaze linger on his bare chest, but instead noticed his pajama pants. Dark maroon like his shirt had been at the wedding and covered with the royal crest. “Nice jammies.”

  He looked down and grinned. “Thanks. They’re really quite comfortable.”

  “I can’t imagine you wearing something that wasn’t, Benji.”

  Benjamin walked all the way into the room and let the door close behind him. “Something has bothered me for years.”

  She didn’t want to know what. “Why InGen keeps making dinosaurs?”

  He blinked twice. “What?”

  “So we clearly need to add the Jurassic movies to our watch list. But really. Who thinks taking a T-Rex to a big city is a good idea?”

  “Sure. We can watch them too.”

  He barely acknowledged her comment, but something else occurred to Katrín. “You’re the king. Can you get new releases for the theater downstairs? The next Jurassic World movie comes out in June.” The first Jurassic World was one movie she’d managed to see, though not in the theater downstairs.

  “Maybe. I’ve never tried.”

  He was clearly preoccupied, so she didn’t follow up. Yet.

  Benjamin sat near her. “I remember your mother being brought to my office. I’d been king for a couple months, at most. The accusations were made. I asked her what the truth was. I gave her several opportunities to defend herself.”

  Katrín’s head fell as she turned away, but she didn’t speak.

  “But she never said a word.” His hands were warm on her shoulders, even through the thin material of her pajama shirt. “I always wondered why. Something tells me you know.”

  “What makes you think that?” She couldn’t keep the tears from her eyes or the crack from her voice.

  “Because you know why, don’t you?”

  She didn’t want to tell him. Didn’t want him or anyone else to know why she’d worked her fingers to the bone for several years.

  “I won’t make you tell me.” His hands slid down her arms and he pulled her backwards into an embrace. “I could order you to, but I won’t.”

  Katrín felt warm, safe, despite the burden she carried. “I can’t,” she whispered.

  His hold tightened. “Whenever you’re ready, whenever you trust me enough, I’m here.”

  “And if I’m never ready?” Fear gripped her. Would he force the secret from her?

  “Then you’re never ready.”

  They stood there, in the consort’s sitting room. The weight continued to lift from Katrín’s shoulders.

  “Thank you for today.” She leaned her head back against his chest. “I’ve missed my family.”

  “When was the last time you saw them?”

  “The day before I moved to the palace.”

  “That’s a long time.”

  “There were reasons.” She’d lived with it because she felt she had to.

  “I know.” Benjamin let his arms drop before he grabbed one of hers and led her to a large chair. He sat down and pulled her next to him with one arm pulling her close. His nearness unsettled her.

  “I have a proposal for you.”

  “Didn’t you already do that?” He hadn’t, not really. No king of Eyjania would get on one knee before anyone.

  “A different kind of proposal. There’s a groundskeeper’s cottage on the property. No one is living there at the moment. I would like to offer it to your family. There’s room for both of them and it will need minimal modifications to be accessible for your brother’s chair. I’ll make sure he has whatever assistance he needs. A home nurse or aide or whatever.”

  Katrín didn’t know what her mother would think. It would be a relief in some ways, but it would also mean a loss of independence to a degree. “Would you charge her rent?”

  “Of course not!”

  Katrín had never heard such indignation from Benjamin before.

  “That would be ridiculous.”

  “Would my mother be required to work in the palace in exchange for room and board?”

  “No, but if she would like a job in the palace again, I’ll see that she has one.”

  But what kind of job would it be?

  “A good job,” he continued. “Whatever job she wants that has an opening and she’s qualified for. I won’t fire or demote or move someone who doesn’t want to just so she can have a position or give her something she’s not qualified for.”

  “She wouldn’t expect you to.”

  “Would you like to speak with her or would you like me to?”

  “Can they come over for dinner again tomorrow and we can tell them together?”

  “I don’t see why not.” She felt him stiffen next to her as his hold on her shoulders tightened. “No. I’m sorry, but I have a meeting to prepare for a dinner with some members of Parliament that I have coming up. In fact, it would be good if you were at the dinner in a couple weeks. I’m sorry. But we could do a movie after dinner, if you wanted to.”

  She didn’t know how she felt about it, but she couldn’t say no. “That sounds good.”

  Benjamin chuckled. “No one is happy to have dinner with members of Parliament. Not usually. Maybe your
family could come for lunch after church on Sunday.”

  “That would be nice.”

  He kissed the side of her head, a move that shocked Katrín. “I need to get some sleep. I’ll talk with you tomorrow and make sure Chamberlain tells whoever he needs to that you’ll be accompanying me to the dinner.”

  He stood and left, leaving Katrín to stare after him as he walked away.

  Katrín pulled a blanket off the back of the chair and covered up with it, trying to retain the warmth of having him so close. What she didn’t want to do, but knew she could easily fall prey to, was wondering if what transpired between the two of them was why he’d done something nice for her.

  No. She chose to accept that he’d done something nice because he could be nice. He wasn’t always the grump everyone thought he was.

  Was he close to his siblings? He was seen in public with his twin sisters regularly, but she hadn’t seen him spend time with either one in the last couple months. She reminded herself they’d been gone with the rest of his family for several weeks. How could he have seen them?

  Katrín finally heaved the blanket off in a quick motion. Otherwise, she wouldn’t want to move and would sleep in the chair all night. That wouldn’t be good for her neck or quality of sleep, so she headed for the room she used.

  As she did, Katrín passed the main bedroom, paused as she stared at the rosettes on the wall. With a shake of her head, she continued to the lady-in-waiting’s room and curled up under the blanket to wait for sleep to claim her.

  As Benjamin flipped the page over the top of the file he was reading, he noticed Katrín sit awkwardly in the chair next to him.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Montevaro.”

  “You didn’t think to mention this last night? While we watched Back to the Future, you couldn’t be bothered to tell me I’d be woken at the crack of dawn to fly out of town? You know, sometime before you kissed me then ran off?” Princess Bride had been postponed in favor of the time traveling flick.