Meredith smiled. “I was.”
“Papa says words liketheeandthywhen he says a blessing,” he explained.
“Well, it’s okay to pray like that. But God is my friend. And that’s how I talk to him. Like a friend.” But both children were still looking at her like she had two heads. Her smile remained fixed as she stared down at the place setting. “Can I make a confession to you two?”
They looked surprised, but both nodded with curiosity.
“I don’t know how your place settings work or which forks to use for what. Can you both help me?”
“Are you serious?” Katerina’s scowl looked skeptical.
“I am.” She briefly told them how she’d been raised by a dad who didn’t put much stock into table manners. “But he’s a goodman. And he knows how to survive in the woods. Right now he’s on an outdoor adventure.” She explained a bit about the PCT trek. Katerina looked almost impressed. But then she explained to Meredith how to use a small fork for salad, which made no sense, and what looked like a soup spoon she said to use for dessert.
“That’s not right,” Mishka argued. “Kat’s trying to trick you.”
“I suspected as much.” Meredith winked at him. “But that’s okay. I probably would’ve done the same thing when I was her age.”
“Really?” He looked worried.
“How old are you, Kat?”
“Almost thirteen,” she answered with a smug expression. “Nearly grown up.”
“Well, thirteen is quite old. But you have a ways to go yet.”
“Mary, Queen of Scots, became queen when she was only six days old,” Mishka announced.
Meredith laughed. “I don’t see how that relates too much. Goodness, a baby couldn’t rule a country.”
“Maybe not, but Victoria was only eighteen when she became the queen of England. That’s only six years older than me.” Katerina held her head high, as if Queen Victoria were some kind of role model.
“Why all this talk about royalty?” Meredith asked them. “You both seem slightly obsessed by the subject.” She watched as the children exchanged slightly confused looks.
“Don’t you know who we are?” Katerina asked with a somewhat sincere expression.
“Not very well, I’m afraid. I only met your father today. And I was hired rather abruptly to come here to work. Is there something I’m missing?”
Katerina rolled her eyes. “So you don’t know that I am Princess Katerina Anastasia Badura Malikov Novosad the Third, direct heir to the Rotslavic throne?”
Meredith blinked, trying to think of a response to this audacious child’s pranks. She was obviously trying to pull her leg, just like she’d done with the forks and spoons. “Well, I am the queen of Eureka,” Meredith proclaimed with a sly grin.
“Really?Is that true?” Mishka’s dark eyes were wider than ever now. He seemed to be buying it.
Meredith laughed. “Well, in a way it’s true. I went to Pleasant Hill High School in Oregon, and I was elected homecoming queen during my senior year.”
Katerina looked unimpressed. “Well, my titleistrue. My grandmother isQueenKaterina Anastasia Badura Malikov Novosad the First. My mother wasPrincessKaterina Anastasia Badura Malikov Novosad the Second. I am my mother’s firstborn direct descendent. Therefore, if my grandmother were to… Well, should she get sick, or become unable to rule, I would have to accept the crown. Even though I’m not quite thirteen. Fortunately, Grandmama is in good health.”
This time, Meredith felt truly speechless. She looked at Mishka. “Is this the truth?” she quietly asked him. He nodded.
“Why would I make up a story about it?” Katerina picked up the correct fork and began to eat with a slightly smug expression.
“What was the name of the country you mentioned?” Meredith asked, partly to test this startling admission and partly out of interest.
“Our homeland is Rotslavia,” Mishka said as he chewed a bite.
“Please,” Meredith corrected him. “Don’t speak with food in your mouth.”
“Sorry.” He continued to chew.
