Order dispatched, I headed for the sideboard. Someone had restocked a full selection of brownies, cookies, and two orange bars. I put all of those on a plate, made two cups of tea, and then returned to my desk. If he was willing to eat, I’d ply him with anything at hand.
I handed the plate down to him, then the tea, and he accepted both, sitting up to eat properly. It meant he sat half out from underneath the desk—surely an awkward position. Still, he seemed intent on staying in there. For some reason.
I made a show of sipping tea and then biting into the orange bar to encourage him to keep eating. Which he did, still making happy munching noises.
Prince James had put a stack into my inbox, and I riffled through the binders there. Ah, excellent, he had done almost everything before reverting to his six-year-old self. In fact, all I had to do was put these on the right people’s desks tomorrow, as it was now in their court instead of ours.
“You did very well,” I complimented him. “That was not a short stack of work to get through.”
He paused in munching. “You make me very happy saying that.”
“It’s the truth. I thought I’d be here another two hours, but because you plowed through it, I think I’ll only need another hour. What—” I cut myself off when the door abruptly opened.
Ah, excellent, our supper had arrived. I helped arrange the tray on my desk, then shooed the runner away before he could get an eyeful of a prince under my desk. Once he was gone, the door shut once more, I held out a hand demanding the cookies back, and exchanged his plate for one of actual food. Prince James dove into the rather delicious noodle dish with its varietyof seafood and cool cucumbers. When the cold dishes were made, then we knew we were sliding into summer.
Prince James ate every bite. Pleased, I gathered up the supper dishes from him, returning the tray to the pickup spot on the buffet table. Now, how to get him situated under the desk to actually nap?
I returned, took a seat, and pulled a blanket out of a lower drawer. That should aid him into sleep, hopefully.
The office door abruptly opened, startling me, and I looked up sharply.
Ramsey entered, looking rather harried. One couldn’t easily tell, as his hair was immaculately combed back as usual, collar still upright and stiff, but I’d worked with him for fifteen years. The flat, pinched line of his mouth showed he was at the end of his rope.
“Ramsey,” I said. “Shouldn’t you be done for today?”
“You should as well,” he snarked, coming to a standstill right next to my desk. “Why do you have a full plate of cookies?”
Thank gods and goddesses I’d already handed James the tea. That would have been much harder to explain away. “I’m hungry. Plus, I need the sugar to get through all of this. What brings you here?”
“Her Majesty wishes to know if Prince James is angry with her. Her Majesty has been beside herself all afternoon, crying in fits. She is now drinking herself into a state of stupidity. I don’t know how to snap her out of it.”
I could not for the life of me think of why I was getting this question. “Does he have cause to be?”
“They apparently had a tiff earlier in the hallway.”
“Oh.” For fuck’s sake, I had enough on my plate. Why did I have to manage the queen’s emotions as well? “What about?”
“She said training with his knights was beneath him, and he apparently tore a strip off her hide in response.”
I snorted, not the least bit surprised. “She was stupid to even suggest so.”
Ramsey’s head canted to the side. “That’s a bold statement I didn’t foresee coming from you.”
“Ramsey,” I said as patiently as I knew how, which admittedly wasn’t much, “Prince James has made it clear he is a devout follower of Vuheia since the very second he entered this palace.”
Enlightenment dawned on the man’s face as he mouthed a silentoh. “Nimus bless. No wonder he responded so strongly, then.”
“They will forever butt heads if she even suggests that not all human life is equal. I know she’s not a particularly religious person, but try to get it through her head, will you? Tell her I’ve seen this man visit Vuheia’s temple, wear her symbol, and the maids tell me he even has Vuheia’s symbol hanging above his bed. He will not take kindly to anyone telling him to ignore his goddess’s teachings.”
“Absolutely understood. She might not apologize, but hopefully she’ll be smart enough to back down.”
I resisted the urge to glance down and check with Prince James to see if that was good enough. He could tell me later. “Hopefully it will. Go home, Ramsey. You’ve been here too long today.”
He groaned and turned toward the door. “I know it.”
I didn’t breathe easy until he’d left, the door shut behind him.
Prince James picked up his teacup as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Which told me something, right there. I leaned down enough to meet his eyes.
