Page 118 of Ascending

“This was my father’s office,” Elizabeth explained.

“You’re not usingyouroffice anymore?” Palmer asked, moving around the desk to kiss Elizabeth on the cheek. “Also, hi.”

Elizabeth smiled and met Rebecca’s eyes. Rebecca was kind enough to then look away.

“Thisismy office. It’s the monarch’s office. It became mine when my father died. I just wasn’t in a good place to use it.”

“And you are now?” Palmer asked, placing her hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder.

“I had to for the Christmas address, but after that, I’ve been able to see it more and more as the office of the King, or in my case, the Queen, and nothisanymore.”

“That’s great,” Palmer replied. “Should I leave you two alone? They said I could come in, but I just wanted to check on you.”

“No, you can stay. We were just talking about options for the palace staff if the vote goes against the monarchy. Have a seat.” Elizabeth motioned to the empty chair next to Rebecca.

“The staff?”

“Yes,” Rebecca said.

“But you pay them, don’t you?” Palmer remembered. “They’re not paid by the taxpayers.”

“That’s true, but many of them, including Rebecca, took their jobs to work for the royal family because they believe in the institution of the monarchy. If the monarchy no longer exists in St. Rais, some of them might not want to work here or just for Victoria and me.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Palmer said.

“We’re trying to find ways to make sure that those wishing to leave because of that, land on their feet with jobs. Victoria and I, for example, wouldn’t need security; or, at least, not as much if we’re no longer royals.”

“Would you still livehere?” Palmer asked.

“No, I’d move into the house,” Elizabeth replied. “Or, perhaps, somewhere else,” she added with a shy smile.

Palmer smiled back and said, “What would you do with this place, then? It’s yours. You own it.”

“We’d explore our options, but I wouldn’t want to keep it as a residence.”

“Museum?” Palmer asked.

“Perhaps.”

“But not to the royal family,” Palmer continued. “Maybe to St. Rais in general, with only a small mention of your family. That could be good, right?”

Elizabeth smiled and said, “Could be, yes.”

“If you did that, you could keep everyone on staff that wants to stay. Museums need security. They need curators. They need cooks for the cafeteria.”

“You’re right,” Elizabeth said, turning to Rebecca then. “We don’t have a national museum in St. Rais. There are village museums, but nothing at this scale.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Rebecca replied.

“And Palmer’s right: the staff could stay on if they chose to.”

“All of this is assuming the vote goes against you, Ma’am. It might not,” Rebecca replied.

“We still have to plan just in case it does. It would make sense for me to make a speedy exit from both the palace and my position.”

“I hope you don’t have to worry about any of this,” Palmer said.

Elizabeth stared at her, trying to figure out if Palmer was telling the truth or trying to make Elizabeth feel better about the situation.