"That's not the last thing I was told, but I suppose you could be right." She didn't like that idea. If she hadn't heard about it at all, neither would those gathered closer to the palace. They would be annoyed as they wouldn't have had achance to change their viewing location if they wanted to.“A quick one?" she asked him.
"That works. If we do end up on the balcony at the palace, we can do it there, too."
She nodded and looked up at him.
He leaned down and gave her a brief kiss, much to the delight of the crowd gathered.
The whole thing seemed a bit ridiculous to her, but she supposed it made sense to those gathered below.
After another couple of minutes, Jessica called out a reminder that they had only another minute or two before it was time to turn around and go back to the palace.
Catherine made sure to look beyond those immediately below and outside the cathedral. She waved to those in the distance down the street, hoping they knew she was trying to include them.
Jessica called to them softly. The other members of their families turned to go back inside, leaving the two of them to turn away last.
"One more?" she murmured, hoping Jacob could hear her.
"Sure."
As soon as she turned her face upward, Jacob kissed her again - a little longer this time, but not overly so. Nothing even her rigid great grandmother would have objected to.
They turned to go back inside, Jacob helping her with the voluminous skirts. Someone had the brilliant idea to put a covering of some kind on the stone balcony so it wouldn't catch on the train of her dress.
When the doors closed behind them, she realized their families had already left the area, as had the government officials who had joined them. There was no reason to linger, so they went down the stairs, with Jacob holding her elbow, making certain she remained steady.
Their families did wait for them outside of the mainentrance. She wasn't quite sure who would ride with who, but she did know the families would intermix for the drive back.
Jacob entered the carriage first then turned to help her in and arrange the skirt so it didn't hang out the door or cause her to sit oddly.
The families and officials immediately went to their vehicles and left while she and Jacob were getting situated.
Once they were out of sight, four mounted guards joined them and created four outer corners of their little caravan. The driver clicked to the large draft horses and the clopping of hooves began.
Catherine waved to the first spectators a few seconds later. For the next fifteen minutes, they both waved and smiled and she blew kisses to those gathered. Jacob didn't do that.
Many of those gathered held signs wishing them well, congratulating them, and more than she would have expected referenced her late mother.
By the time they reached the palace, tears ran freely down her face.
Happy tears, but tears nonetheless.
Once through the gates, they were taken to a side entrance that led to the balcony on the top of the front wall.
"Are we going on the balcony here?" Jacob asked. "I thought the plan had changed."
Jessica shook her head. "I'm not sure why you were told that, but your families have just exited up there."
That would explain the increased volume from those gathered outside.
Going up the stairs in the front wall were more difficult than the ones at the cathedral. These were narrow and curving along the inside wall of the turret. With Jacob's help, she held the hem of her skirt up so it wouldn't drag on the stones placed nearly a thousand years before.
If possible, the mood on this balcony was evenmore jubilant than the one at the cathedral. They stayed there for about five minutes, just as they had at the cathedral. This time, there were three kisses, all a little bit longer than the ones earlier.
She refused to think about anything that could come after a kiss.
That was too much at the moment, just as it had been for the last few weeks.
With one final kiss blown to the crowds gathered, they followed their families back inside. The others were whisked off to the left when they reached the ground floor. She and Jacob were led back outside for the walk through the courtyard. While they were on the balcony, palace staff members formed a line on either side of the path from the front gate to the main portico.
