“I love you, Imani.”
“Love you too.”
She didn’t know how long she waited for John, but she checked email, actually read more of the book she’d started on the plane, and was starting to nod off when John came in and motioned her forward.
“She wants to meet you.”
“Who?”
“Mum. The queen.”
She shook her head. “No, no, no. I couldn’t possibly.” Gemma looked down at her blouse and slacks. She’d made an effort to appear at the palace but not to meet the queen. “I don’t think I’m dressed properly.”
“You are perfectly acceptable. Besides, she doesn’t care what you’re wearing.”
“But I do.”
“I didn’t care what I looked like when I met your parents.”
She made a face and he laughed. “The king and queen of the card table? John, please, I love them but—”
“And I love my mum. She’s a royal, yes, and very formal, but Gemma, she wants to meet you.”
“You’re just saying that to get me to agree.”
He made a face, and she knew there was no getting out of it. The king consort suddenly appeared.
“What’s taking so long? She’s getting tired. Gemma, are you coming?”
“She’s refusing, Dad.”
“Come on, love,” Edric said, a confidence on his aristocratic face. “She won’t bite, I promise.”
Okay, fine. Gemma stretched and squared her shoulders.
This is nothing more than an audition. Nothing more than a movie role.Let’s see, what sort of character did she need to be?
A lady? A nobleman’s daughter.Maybe a lady’s maid if those still existed. Some sort of noblewoman? Oh, a businesswoman, an entrepreneur.
Stepping into character, she followed John and his father from the waiting room to the queen’s room.
Gemma’s illusions shattered when she saw a pale woman almost lost in a bed of white sheets and buried under white blankets. But her dark brown hair still had a lustrous sheen, an indication of life.
However, her attention was not on her latest visitor but on Scottie as she held her hand. Scottie’s cheeks were streaked with black tear tracks, a ring of mascara under her eyes.
“Mum,” John said, gently touching her shoulder. “This is Gemma, my friend from Hearts Bend. She traveled with Scottie.”
The queen turned to her, focusing, adjusting her position. “Gemma, yes, John’s spoken of you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.” She bobbed down and up in an awkward curtsy.
“Thank you for bringing Scottie to me. I know it made her journey lighter.”
“I did nothing, Your Majesty. She wanted to come.”
“Ma’am,” John whispered to Gemma.
“Ma’am,” she said. Was she sweating? Yes, she was sweating.
