Chapter Seven
‡
Not knowing whatmember of the royal family would be entering the dining room first, Kat stepped away from the table. She didn’t want anyone to know she’d received a quick lesson on manners. With a deep breath, she forced the corners of her mouth upward.
You can do this.
She hoped Isaac was right.
Sophie entered first.
That brought a rush of relief.
She wore a stylish pink cocktail dress and silver sling-back heels. She held hands with Bertrand, who wore a suit and a big smile. The two looked good together, and Kat had no doubt their future children would be adorable.
“Here you are.” Sophie let go of Bertrand’s hand and gave Kat a hug. “We went to your room, but you weren’t there. I had no idea you’d beat us downstairs.”
“I was ready early,” Kat said.
“Early,” Bertrand repeated. “An interesting concept I’d forgotten about since meeting the love of my life.”
Sophie shook her head.
Kat laughed.
Smiling, Bertrand extended his arm toward Kat. “You’re taller than I expected.”
She shook his hand. A smattering of freckles covered his nose and cheeks. The reddish tint to his blond hair hadn’t shown up on screen, neither had the deep blue color of his eyes. But he was as handsome as his pictures. “So are you. It’s nice to meet you in person.”
“Same, though Sophie talks about you so much I feel like you and I are BFFs, too.”
His friendly tone soothed some of Kat’s nerves.
“Jamie will be down soon,” Sophie said.
Bertrand laughed. “My brother would be here now, except someone told him to put on a tie.”
Sophie shook her head. “You know my mother has certain expectations for dinner.”
No way could Kat live up to any royal expectations.
What composure she had mustered disappeared. Her mouth was so dry not even a pitcher of water would help. Her fingers and toes tingled. Much worse than the pins and needles feeling when an appendage fell asleep.
“Bertrand.” Queen Louise entered the dining with Gill at her side. Her elegant, royal-blue gown and tiara shimmered.
He looked nice in his suit—the same one he’d worn earlier—but he’d changed his shirt, now white, and his tie was red with blue stripes. He looked underdressed compared to the queen, but that didn’t make Kat feel any better.
“How delightful to see you,” Queen Louise said to her future son-in-law.
Bertrand bowed. “The pleasure is mine, ma’am.”
The queen greeted her future son-in-law with a hug.
That was the first public display of affection Kat had seen. A good sign, right?
“We don’t see you around here nearly enough,” Queen Louise said. “I’m so happy the Air Force let you have a day off.”
“Two days, in fact, and I fear that’s all I’ll get until right before the wedding.” He glanced at Sophie with a look of pure adoration. “I flew in as soon as I could. Can’t miss an opportunity to spend more time with all of you.”
