Honestly, Jake was surprised he’d made it a full week without letting something slip to Catherine.
The state dinner to celebrate the Sargassian Treaty of Friendship wouldn’t be until the next night, but the royal families from those countries and a couple of others would have a much smaller dinner the night before.
And there, he hoped his surprise for his wife would be a good one.
One thing he detested more than anything about being the prince consort was the seemingly -constant requirements for formal wear, but he tugged on the sleeves of his shirt where they peeked out from under the sleeves of his coat and knew he had to grin and bear it. He’d worn these sorts of things more in the last month than he had in his entire life prior to his return to Eastern Novigradia.
The room he occupied now had another purpose the rest of the time, but he had no idea what it could be. A sitting room? A formal meeting room of some kind? He only knew it had been transformed into a dressing room for the evening, as it had been several other times. Could it be that was actually its sole purpose - a dressing room for those who weren’t staying or living in the palace?
Maybe he should ask Byron for a detailed floor plan of the palace - if such a thing existed outside of the security offices. Maybe a basic one could be found online. That could suffice. Probably.
“Sir?”
Jake looked up to see Byron waiting for him to finish primping in front of the mirror. “Yes?”
“They’re ready when you are, sir.”
Jake gave a single nod. “I think I can be ready now. As ready as I’ll ever be anyway. Will I ever get used to these things?”
In the mirror, he could see Byron smirk. “Not according to Prince Anthony. He claims he’s still not used to it and never will be.”
“Great,” Jake muttered as he turned away, satisfied it was as good as he could get it on his own. Someone else would look him over before they entered the dining hall.
He also doubted he’d ever get used to staff members sort of scurrying out of the way as they bowed or curtsied his general direction as he walked through the same corridors consorts - usually queen consorts - had walked for centuries. He should ask Anthony about that, too. Catherine had confided that she still wasn’t used to it and it had been part of her life to some extent or another since she was born.
No one was being announced at this dinner, which was part of the reason Jake didn’t understand the formal wear. The next night would be even worse. He’d have to make sure he wasn’t tugging at his bow tie or sash all night.
Thankfully, when he entered, he knew several of those already present.
A minute later, Catherine entered the room. With that unspoken cue, everyone started for the tables.
But not Jake.
Instead, he couldn’t take his eyes off his wife.
She didn’t wear a tiara, but the evening gown fit her perfectly and her hair had been piled on her head in a mass of curls, with a few hanging down around her face.
Mentally shaking himself, Jake followed the crowd toward the U-shaped tables. The only seating could befound along the outside so everyone could at least sort of face each other. No conversations could be held across the open space, not without yelling, but being able to see each other had to serve some purpose.
He seemed to be the only one who didn’t know where his designated seat was. Everyone else moved with a sense of certainty and purpose Jake didn’t share.
“You’re with me, mate.” One of the princes from Northern Santiero clapped him on the shoulder.
At least he now knew where he was going to sit, even if he had no idea what the other man’s name might be. He knew a few members of the family from Southern Santiero, but not their neighbor. As far as he could tell, King Frederick was the only family member present.
As Catherine took her seat, everyone else began to as well. Jake found himself at the far end of the table, nearly as far away from his wife and her family as he could be.
At least he wouldn’t have to converse with someone across the table from him. Really, he only needed to concern himself with the persons on either side of him. Both of the princes introduced themselves, but Jake feared he’d never remember their names.
For the entirety of the meal, he answered questions and even asked a few of his own, but he had no idea what kind of impression he was making.
As the entrees were taken away, an announcement was made that they would now move to the Amethyst Room where dessert would be served after they’d had a chance to mingle.
Dessert would be Jake’s moment. He’d sneak out to find Elise then bring her in to surprise Catherine and the rest of them with a meet and greet, and possibly a private concert.
Fortunately, Issy found him almost immediately, putting him much more at ease. They’d spent a fair bit of time together in the archives, though Jake suspected his time in there would be diminished greatly before long. A waiter, dressed nearly asformally as the rest of them, walked by with a glass of champagne for each of them. He didn’t normally indulge, but didn't feel like he could turn it down either.
Issy clearly had the royalty thing down. She might not like being "on" any more than her sister, but they both excelled at it.
