Queen Louise laughed. Though cackle might be a better description. “Step out of your perfect rose-colored world, Sophia. A wedding won’t make people behave differently. Most don’t care about being civil. Only pursuing their own agendas.”
The ballroom doors were open.
Kat stood in the doorway. She took a step and then stopped. Fear of the queen in the designer red skirt and jacket kept Kat frozen in place.
Queen Louise towered over Sophie, who kneeled on the floor next to the seating arrangement she and Jamie had been working on. “Take these two for example.”
The queen plucked two of the toothpick flags with wedding guest names written on them from a cardboard circle representing one of the many dining tables. She waved the tiny flags.
“These two countries have been bitter foes for centuries. If you seat these two leaders together, you’ll start a war.”
Sophie took a deep breath. And another. “Mother—”
“You don’t want your wedding to be known as the catalyst for international unrest.”
Sophie stared at the miniature dining room layout. She wasn’t a glowing bride now. Lines formed around her mouth. “The guests will be eating. No one is required to speak to each other. All they have to do is swallow, chew, and repeat. International unrest avoided.”
Kat’s heart told her to barge into the room to support her friend, who looked like she needed a hug, but logic said to wait. Perhaps the situation would calm down on its own. The last thing Kat wanted to do was make things worse, which she feared her presence at the castle had already.
“You’re much too naïve, Sophia,” Queen Louise said. “Not everyone gets along with others like you do.”
Sophie frowned. “It appears the aristocracy cannot be expected to behave better than toddlers who want the same toy.”
“Who’s winning?” Gill whispered into Kat’s ear. He stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.
Kat’s muscles bunched. The scent of his aftershave surrounded her. She forced herself not to inhale deeply.
“I wish I could say Sophie.” Kat kept her voice low. “But I think your mother’s ahead right now.”
“She never takes on a battle she can’t win.”
His warm breath against Kat’s neck sent her pulse into overdrive. Awareness of him buzzed through her body. The same way it had after he kissed her yesterday.
Kat needed to stay in control. He was just a man, not a slice of calorie free seven-layer chocolate cake. “I keep waiting for the right time to go in.”
“I love my mother, but there is never a right time when she’s trying to get her way.”
With him so close and wreaking havoc with Kat’s senses, this might be the perfect time to enter the ballroom.
“There’s only one thing you can do,” Queen Louise said.
Sophie looked up at her mother. “What’s that?”
“Start over.”
Sophie’s mouth gaped. She rarely seemed caught off guard, but she did now. “What?”
“Redo the entire seating arrangement and take into account political alliances and past love affairs.”
Her shoulders sagged. Shook. “Jamie and I have spent hours on this. Days. I wanted to have everything finished before Bertrand arrives.”
“Then it is a good thing you have a few more days until your fiancé is here.” The queen’s flippant tone wasn’t helping matters. “Have your animal doctor friend help you. She seems reasonably intelligent enough to manage searching the Internet for friends and foes of the various countries that will be attending.”
“Reasonably intelligent,” Gill whispered. “High praise from the queen.”
Kat bit back a laugh. The highest praise would be when she left the castle to return home. At least Sophie would be moving out once she was married, but she’d have both her mother and a mother-in-law to deal with then.
“I’m going in,” Kat said to him.
