"Then we have a plan." Catherine pushed her notepad away this time, hoping they were done.
"First, we need to decide what the press release will say about why the marriage took place as it did." Jessica pressed a button and a new slide appeared. "We leave it fairly vague. Long-forgotten regulations, ones that haven't been relevant since the last monarch with a regent, were scrutinized. They required the monarch be married before the regent fully hands everything over. The queen and prince consort met many years ago and recently became reacquainted. They chose to have a very small, private ceremony then share their joy with their beloved people prior to the ball."
"I think that sounds good." Catherine looked at Jacob. "What do you think?"
Jake felt certain he looked like a deer in the headlights. "I leave it in the capable hands of those who have far more experience in these matters. I'm better suited to look at it all in two hundred or so years and figure out what it all meant."
His father-in-law chuckled. "A very diplomatic answer."
The rest of those gathered joined in the laughter.
"I think this is a very good plan," Prince Anthony went on. "Please get it all written up and discuss the security details with Mr. Hopkins. Have him contact local authorities and the cathedral to make certain it can be done."
"Many of the roads near the palace will already be closed forthe ball," Jessica informed them. "I reached out, very quietly, to the Cathedral, and it doesn't seem like there will be any issues, but we'll need to confirm."
This time Prince Anthony pushed back from the table. "Excellent. I do have another meeting to attend momentarily. To quote my son-in-law, I leave it in hands far more capable than mine when it comes to these things."
With that he left. Jessica and her aide weren't far behind.
Jake found himself alone with Catherine. He reached over and covered her hand with his. "It's a great plan."
She gave him a half-smile. "I know. Doesn't mean I'm thrilled about it in general, though."
"I know." For the moment all Jacob could do was support her however possible. It would have to be enough.
The press releasehad been sent out into the wide world.
One thing Catherine didn't like to do was read stories about herself, her family, or anything else in the tabloid press. The regular press could be bad enough, so she let others send her articles to read rather than seeking them out.
Fortunately, plenty of aides spent part of their time trolling the Internet, watching video media, and reading print media.
Her private work email dinged. Very few people used it so it likely warranted a quick check.
The email was from her senior aide. Jessica and her assistant wanted to meet with her, Jacob, and her father as soon as possible.
She sent a note back to keep her updated on the time. After all, her aides knew her schedule much better than she did. There was a video conference with the king of Terralago, a country consisting of two main islands in theMediterranean, in the afternoon. They would be discussing trade and tourism. Her father would sit in on the meeting, but only intervene or give input if absolutely necessary.
A message came through on the palace's digital messaging system. They would be arriving in about fifteen minutes. That should give Catherine enough time to finish making notes on the document she'd been reading all morning. Only a couple of pages left to go.
Somehow, she managed to get engrossed enough that she didn't hear the side door open, but she did hear the snick as it closed.
"Don't let me interrupt." Jacob set his padfolio down on the conference table in front of the chair that had, somehow, become his.
"I'm almost done." She read the last half page and didn't see anything worth noting, but would likely need to reread it again later. Flipping the folder closed, she pushed back from her desk. "It shouldn't have taken me more than an hour to read that," she told him as she yawned and stretched. "I've had a very hard time focusing."
"I can relate." Jacob had moved to stand next to her and held out a hand to help her stand.
She took it, gratefully, noticing once again the electricity that seemed to crackle between them. When she made it to her feet, she didn't take the time to think about what she was doing, but instead leaned forward letting her forehead rest against the front of Jacob's shoulder. "Thank you."
The sound of his laugh made her smile. From the beginning, Catherine had found herself falling in love with his laugh, no matter what form it took - chuckle, guffaw, regular laugh - she loved them all.
His free arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She dropped his hand and linked both of hers behind his back.
One of his hands splayed against the small of her back while the other one rubbed small circles between her shoulder blades.
Another thing she could quickly and easily find herself getting used to.
Her messenger pinged at her again, but she didn't move.
