Looking at you, Rex Childress. And you, Your Majesty, Queen Catherine II.
She’d loved them both. And they rejected her. But it’s how she handled the rejection that really mattered.
Turned out, Rex was a pinhead, and Daffy was well rid of him. She didn’t miss him at all. But the queen? She’d been like a favorite aunt. A friend, really. She’d invited Daffy to tea or to sit with her in her lounge. She would often reach out and stroke her hair. Then their relationship was over in the span of an afternoon and Daffy was banished.
Today…today she’d not let her past define her affection for Thomas. Or her future. She was going to break out some romance. Stop being the practical girlfriend, the practical couple, and say, “I love you.”
In the meantime, there was the business of the chair. When Gus arrived, he slipped inside like some royal secret agent. “I heard voices down the corridor, but no one saw me.”
“Let’s pack this up and go.” But he didn’t move. Just stared at her for a long moment. “What?”
He blanched. “Nothing.”
“Enough with that routine. Tell me.” She patted her face. For first time, she could tell she wasn’t blushing. “Is something amiss?”
“No, you just, I’m sorry I was curt with you last night.”
“No, I was being pushy. I’m the one who should apologize. I just hate that you think you’re worthless because of what Coral Winthrop did.”
He smiled. “It warms my heart to hear you say it. And I don’t think I’m entirely worthless. I’ve grown up a bit the last two years.”
“If you talk to her I’m sure she’ll say something you never imagined.”
“Maybe. Shall we get the chair? Did you see it snowed last night?”
“Our carpenter is also a weatherman.”
In the dressing room, Gus knelt beside the chair, which was still swathed in the pink blanket. “Hello, mate. Time to haul you to surgery.”
Spreading out the blanket, they rearranged the pieces to make their task easier. There were two main pieces. The two right-side legs, and the rest of the chair. The tall, flat back of the chair had snapped from the seat rail but remained held in place by the fabric, which was untorn.
The back right leg was the worst. It snapped in half and broken away from the seat rail, which fractured a section of the back post, which now poked against the purple cloth. The front right leg was partially splintered and needed to be reattached to the base.
“What do you think?” Gus helped her rewrap theTitusin the blanket. “It doesn’t look so bad, does it?”
“It doesn’t look good, either. If it’s not repaired properly, we won’t have a choice but to confess. Keep an eye on this carpenter. Also, the chair needs to be covered with the blanket and a tarp. Do you know the condition of this workshop? The longer the chair is exposed to the elements, the more damage we risk. Be sure to lock the workshop when you’re done.”
“I’m not entirely an idiot, Daffy. I’ll protect the chair.”
“Sorry, I’m just nervous.”
“Yeah, me too. I had a nightmare Mum surprised us and came up early for the ball. Ready?”
“Now I’ll have the same nightmare.” Daffy pulled on her coat and reached for a satchel. “Ready. Try not to bang the pieces about.”
“What’s in the case?”
“The chair specifications to help you and Emmanuel put it back together. It was last inspected with minor repairs in 1922.” Daffy hovered next to him. “If we make it to wherever we’re going without being seen, I’ll kiss your muddy boots.”
“My boots?” He arched his brow and gave a look. The kind that pinged her heart. “Surely you can do better.”
“Ha ha. You know what I mean.” Why did she say that? Of course she wouldn’t kiss his boots or his lips. Not even his cheek.
Gus peeked out the suite door. “Coast is clear. To our secret stairs.”
They’d have to walk across the Grand Gallery, but the dresses she and Lucy set up would act as frontline guards, hiding them from the view below.
They entered the hall with the blanket swinging between them like a hammock. Eyes forward, Daffy moved in time with the prince’s long stride. Adrenaline turned her legs to jelly, but she pressed on and they slipped through the dresses without a word, then all but ran through the back half of the open gallery.
