As they worked their way through the room, Issy skillfully made certain to mention the name and country for each of the dignitaries they spoke with. Somehow, she managed to slip in that each representative wore the color of their respective country.
Jake nearly did a double take when he realized those from Eastern Novigradia wore amethyst in one form or another, including himself. It shouldn't have surprised him given that it was their national gemstone.
Byron caught Jake's eye and gave a nearly imperceptible tip of his head toward the door.
Jake excused himself, set his glass on a table near the door, and slipped out.
"Ms. Stephens?" The blond woman was shorter than he would have expected, but dressed as elegantly as any of the other guests in the room he’d just left.
The actress turned away from the painting she'd been studying. "Good evening, Your Royal Highness." She dipped into a curtsy.
Jake gave a quick nod of acknowledgment then held out his hand to shake hers.
"Can you give me some more information about what exactly I'll be doing this evening, sir?"
"Of course. My wife is a big fan of yourSPACEshow and theNot-a-Christmas Carolmusical. If you could chat with her for a bit and work the room afterward, that would be great. Maybe sing a couple of songs?"
A look of incredulity crossed her face. "QueenCatherine is a fan of mine? She watchedStudents of the Planetary Academy for Cultural Exchange? Really?”
It surprised Jake that Elise was so shocked by that fact. She was a bona fide teen-turned-grown-up television and movie star. Why would it surprise her that the queen of her home country was a fan?
“I’m pretty sure she still does when she thinks no one’s watching.” The appearance of the teen show on the “continue watching” carousel indicated she did, anyway.
Suddenly, Jake turned to Byron and spoke quietly. "Would you find a way to have Catherine meet us in..." He tried to think of a space that would be good for the meeting to happen without an audience, even the relatively small group in the Amethyst Reception Room.
"I can have the queen meet you in the room to your left," Byron suggested.
"Thank you." Jake turned back to Elise and held a hand toward the door. "We'll wait in here for a few minutes."
The look on Elise's face reminded him of the look that had to have been on his own face for the first couple of months he lived in the palace. The kind of slack-jawed, wide-eyed awe that so many others did as well.
"What...?" Elise looked around, unsure where they were and why.
Jake didn't know what room they were in, but he did know why. "It occurred to me that Catherine might prefer to meet you privately first rather than in a group. We'll go into the gathering in a few minutes."
Elise nodded but turned in a circle, trying to take it all in.
The door whispered open. "Jacob..." Catherine stopped when she saw Elise, but it wasn't until Elise finished turning around and Catherine recognized who was there that confusion covered her face and her jaw dropped.
"Catherine, this is Elise Stephens. Elise, Her Majesty Catherine of Eastern Novigradia."
Blinking, Catherine snapped her mouth closed but continued to look confused. "What are you doing here?"
It tookeverything in Catherine to keep her jaw from dropping when she realized her favorite television and movie star was in her home.
“Good evening, Your Majesty.” Elise Stephens dipped into a curtsy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Catherine gave herself a mental shake and held out a hand. “It’ s a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Stephens. I do apologize for being so rude a moment ago, but I am curious as to why you’re here.” She glanced at her husband, who must know something.
“The prince knew I was going to be in town and invited me to visit with you and your guests for a while this evening.” Elise curtsied again. Some people seemed to curtsy at every drop of the hat.
“How wonderful.” Catherine rarely found herself at a loss for words but she didn’t know how to start a conversation with a bond fide celebrity brought in just for her.
Elise seemed to come back to herself. It was something Catherine had seen fairly often. Someone got a bit flustered in her presence then suddenly snapped out of it and acted more like their normal self.
Somehow, Elise managed to encourage Catherine to a set of chairs nearby and they both took a seat. With a skill borne of years of experience, Elise put Catherine at ease as they chatted aboutSPACEand her upcoming movie based on the reimagined Christmas Carol made popular as aBroadway musical.
"Where are you filming?" Catherine knew she'd read it, but couldn't remember.
