Page 14 of Awaiting
“Yes, Ma’am,” Teresa said.
“Hello, Teresa. You look great.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” she replied with a smile.
“I will leave you two to talk. I need to rejoin your father. It was lovely to see you, Teresa.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. You as well.”
Then, Alex was left standing in front of Teresa in a room full of people.
“So… I see you didn’t bring anyone.”
“No, I didn’t,” Alex said.
“And I shouldn’t take offense to the fact that you didn’t ask me?”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Alex replied. “I’m sparing you from the rumors and speculation.”
“What if I don’t mind?” Teresa countered.
“You’ve never been through it. Trust me; you’d mind,” Alex said.
“I’ll have to take your word for it, I suppose. I was hoping I could pop over here and ask you when I’d get to see you again.”
“I’m not quite sure,” Alex replied. “But I promise to let you know. Things are a bit busy right now.”
Teresa nodded before asking, “And I shouldn’t take offense to that?”
“I might be going to Kleinland for a bit,” Alex stated simply. “I haven’t officially decided on when. I’m still working on arranging it, with everything else I have scheduled here.”
“How long is a bit?”
“I don’t know yet. I spend a lot of time there. One of my closest friends is–”
“Queen Alice. Yes, I know,” Teresa interrupted. “I remember those rumors about you two.”
“All rumors. We’ve always just been friends. Her babies are basically like my niece and nephew, so I want to spend time with them as well.”
“Very well,” Teresa replied. “I will wait for your call, then.” When Alex only nodded in response, Teresa added, “Your Royal Highness,” before she walked off.
Alex wasn’t sure what she was doing. Her mother was partially right: she was too old to still be dating around in her position. The country expected her to marry and have children, but Alex also wanted those things for herself, and she was starting to worry they might never happen. Of course, she could settle, as so many before her had done, but the thought of marrying someone she wasn’t in love with broke her heart. She couldn’t see herself sleeping with someone outside of her marriage – like, again, so many others had done before her – and if she wasn’t in love with the woman she married, she wouldn’t have the desire to sleep with her much, either. If that became her situation, she might be better off just joining a convent and asking her brother to step up for her. For now, though, Alex finished her drink, smiled, nodded, and made polite conversation as she caught Teresa staring at her more than once.
CHAPTER 6
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Alice said, hugging Bexley. “I missed you, Bex.”
“I missed you, too,” Bexley replied. “Now, where are they? They’re the real reason I’m here, obviously.”
“I knew you were using me as a ploy to spend more time with my children,” Alice teased. “And they’re with Nora in the nursery. She had today off.”
“What’s it like being married to a lieutenant colonelandbeing Queen?” Bexley asked.
“Your Majesty, please allow me,” a staff member said as he approached and took Bexley’s bags from Alice.
“Well, I’m still getting used to it. Now that things have calmed down, we’ve got the palace running more like a palace, which means I have more staff here to help. I didn’t really want a bunch of people here just for me, Nora, and the kids, but then I was reminded that the people here desperately need jobs. The palace provides them. Nora is currently working on a plan to revitalize the Royal Guard Service, specifically, but she’s also working with leaders across all the military divisions to make sure we’re able to recruit and get men and women trained. We’re hoping to just supply them with jobs, not that they’ll ever have a war to fight,” Alice replied.
“Here’s to that,” Bexley said as they walked through the main foyer, which did look a lot shinier and definitely brighter than it had the last time she was here.