"Did you..." Catherine couldn't finish the question.
"No," he answered quickly. "I didn't tell them anything, just that I'd had dinner at the palace and talked to most members of the family at one point or another today."
They talked about a variety of things for the next half an hour, but didn't broach the elephant in the room.
"I had an idea," she finally blurtedout.
"What's that?"
Lying back on the bed, she stared at the ceiling. "There's a cottage on the grounds. It's situated in such a way that it's virtually inaccessible from outside. It's on the outer wall, on a cliff next to the water. To get to it, someone would have to cross the entire property or scale a large wall without being noticed."
"Okay," he replied slowly.
"It's only about four or five rooms," she went on. "It's been a couple of years since I went through it, but I think there’s a living area, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, half-bathroom, and study. No one is using it right now."
"I'm not sure I'm following." His cautious tone didn't exactly worry Catherine, but didn't really comfort her either.
"We can move in there for a while. It's away from my family, but not too far away. The commute will be a little farther, and outside, but it would give us a bit of privacy to figure out our lives."
He didn't say anything for several seconds. "That sounds like it could be a really good idea," he said slowly. "If you're sure you want to go through with this."
"You're the one who needs to be sure," she countered. "I have to get married to keep my job, as it were, you don't."
"I told you I was committed to making this work. I don't know exactly what we want to do as far as announcing it to the public or what kind of wedding to have, but I'm committed to a marriage with you, to serving you and your people however I'm needed."
He'd said as much several times over dinner, though not always in those words. Catherine knew she'd continue to question him until it had been made official - and probably after as well.
"We'll meet again tomorrow with my parents and whoever else they deem necessary." She let her arm flop over her eyes, shutting out the ceiling above. "Then we can make some decisions, but I think I'm comfortable with the plan to live in thecottage. I've thought for a while about how I could live with a little less family around but hadn't come up with a good plan yet, not without making my parents feel unnecessarily guilty, but this serves a dual purpose. It gives us a place to live as we start our lives together, but also gives me a chance to move out without that guilt for them."
"That's a very good idea." She could hear a hint of admiration in his voice. "This is why you're already a good queen. You've found an unconventional solution that works for everyone. I'm proud to be able to support and assist you however I can."
"Thank you," she whispered. Hearing his affirmation meant more than she would have expected.
She'd heard from everyone, for years, about what a good queen she would be, how her mother would be proud of her.
Maybe this time she actually believed it.
At least a little bit.
5
There would be no carrying of the bride over the threshold.
Or any other tradition typical of weddings the world over.
Jacob had asked Catherine at least a dozen times if she was certain she only wanted a small ceremony and not something bigger like she might have dreamed of most of her life.
Each time, she'd shaken her head and said there were enough celebrations coming up. If the public felt the need once the news was released, they could incorporate a celebration of their wedding into one of the other events already scheduled.
She pointed out that there were already a few rumbles about the expense for her birthday ball and the coronation on back-to-back weekends. Adding a wedding to the mix, even if they were married in the small ceremony prior to her birthday with a much larger celebration later, there would be a school of thought, which would be as loud as those who would be disappointed if they didn't have a ceremony.
Fiscal responsibility vs. public pageantry
There would be no winning.
With her father still acting as regent, he was able to performa small ceremony near Catherine's office. Her family was there, of course, along with his grandparents and parents, who'd made the long flight as soon as they could get one scheduled.
Jake had worn a suit, but wasn't awarded any honors or titles by the regent. Catherine insisted she would be the one to do so after she officially, fully took over. He was inclined to agree. It was one thing to be awarded the Order of Light for Service to the Crown by the regent when the queen at his side was eleven or twelve. It was quite something else when the queen would be able to do so on her own in just a couple of weeks. He knew the ceremony for others in the same situation had been scheduled further out than normal for that very reason.
