“It does, doesn’t it? Far better than those Spanish paintings. Are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Does that mean I have your permission to return home?” James wanted to hear it directly from his lips so there could be no misunderstanding, nothing Prinny could later hold against him.
However, the Prince Regent again sipped his champagne, raising a royal eyebrow.
“As if you needed my permission.” Yet his eyes said otherwise, and James was glad he’d seen this ordeal through from Paris to Brighton. Regardless, the next time Prinny asked him to do a quick favor, James would move mountains to avoid doing so.
“I noticed Miss Talbot came in with one of my trusted councilors. Have you been derelict or did Payton outflank you, wot-wot?”
James bristled. “Not at all, sir. She prefers Lord Payton’s company, and thus, he is escorting her. I trust him with my life.”
Prinny laughed at James’s ruffled feathers. “And with your lady, it seems.”
“Miss Talbot is not—” he cut himself off when he realized the Prince Regent was teasing him.
“My mother is here,” Prinny announced. “She’s inside, enjoying my new gallery. Unlike you, Nash exceeded my expectations.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I shall go pay my respects at once.”
“When you come back next year,” Prinny added, “the other rooms will reflect my new taste, too. Lots more dragons and such. And the exterior will start to look very different. Nash assures me I can have as many minarets as I fancy. I look forward to your compliments.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” James said again, bowed, and walked away. Apparently, he was being summoned to Brighton next August, too. Perhaps Glynnis and Payton would remain and be welcoming a babe by then.
That depressing thought had him snagging a glass of champagne before he went in search of Queen Charlotte. As Prinny had guessed, she was in the new oriental-inspired gallery.
Approaching the small group paying her homage, he realized the vision in rich amethyst silk and gold was Glynnis. His breath caught while his heart squeezed, and he wondered how he would carry on without her when his longing grew daily. The purple feather attached to her mask was wagging this way and that as she talked animatedly about something that had captured her interest, or maybe merely an amusing tale for the queen. At her side was Payton, looking like the luckiest man at the party.
“Your Majesty,” James greeted, bowing before the aging queen with her friendly face, half concealed by a silver mask with real gems pasted to the upper perimeter, giving her the effect of colorful, jeweled eyebrows.
She turned to him, and he quickly added, “It’s Hargrove, ma’am.”
“Lord Hargrove, my son’s faithful friend! How lovely to see you here.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. It’s an honor to see you in Brighton.” She didn’t often leave London any more. “You look well indeed.”
The queen smiled a little sadly. “I wish my husband was with me, but I came to see the happiness of my eldest. I haven’t always agreed with his choices, but my son knows how to follow his heart, which keeps him often in good spirits.”
James considered that. Following his heart would demand he tell Glynnis she must not marry Payton.
He turned to the pair. “Payton.” He nodded. “Miss Talbot.” He nodded again.
They greeted him, although Payton more warmly than Glynnis’s somewhat stiff curtsy.
“You all know each other?” Queen Charlotte asked. “Miss Talbot tells me she was presented at court two years prior, but I am sorry to say I do not recollect. So many young ladies come out each year.”
“No one would expect you to remember any one of us,” Glynnis said. “But Your Majesty makes an indelible impression on each who is allowed to come before you. I will never forget the moment I saw you at the palace.”
James heard sincerity in her voice. He imagined such a day in a young lady’s life bore the bell of exception. The only thing better might be her wedding day.
His romantic thoughts were becoming tedious, and he should very much like to drown his head in the ocean.
“It is a pleasure to see you, Your Majesty.” James took his leave of Queen Charlotte, and after a glance at the other two, he sauntered off, realizing the trip back to London was going to be a hellish one, alone with his regrets.
