She pulls back, hands firm on my shoulders. “This is a lot. So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to eat dinner. And then we’ll talk it through over dessert. Because you cannot solve a crisis on an empty stomach.”
I swallow hard, the panic still humming under my skin. “We’re not telling your parents, right? Please tell me we aren’t.”
She hesitates, looking thoughtful, before she adds gently, “No. But I do think we should tell Art. He’s my voice of reason, and he’s remarkably good at finding the exits in rooms that seem locked.”
I nod slowly. If anyone knows how to navigate a threat, it’s a man who’s a policeman and former royal bodyguard.
As we reach a set of heavy double doors, a familiar, savory scent hits me. I pause, sniffing the air. “Is that... Chinese food?”
Alice laughs, doubling over. “Thelookon your face right now.”
“I just thought dinner would be, um... more formal,” I admit, gesturing to my black dress, stockings, and nude pumps that are already biting at my heels and sure to leave me blisters.
“Nope,” she says cheerfully. “I told Mum and Papa to keep it relaxed. This is how our monthly family dinnersusually are, believe it or not. Chinese was Papa’s pick. I voted for pizza, but Mum and Amanda teamed up with him. Majority rules.”
A soft breath leaves me. My shoulders sink half an inch in relief.
“And don’t worry,” Alice adds. “Without Eddie here, we’ll actually have enough food to go around.”
If Theo and Leon could see us right now, I wonder what they would make of this. If they could see me now—standing in Buckingham Palace, about to eat takeaway with the king—would they run for the hills? Or would they just pull up a chair? I wonder what they’re doing this very moment. Talking shop? Making fun of each other? Talking about me?
“Kaori.” Alice nudges my elbow softly. “You with me?”
I blink, snapping back. “Yeah, sorry.”
The doors open, and warm light spills across polished wood. A round dining table sits at the center, crowded with bamboo steamers, glossy stir-fry platters, bowls of jasmine rice, and porcelain plates trimmed in gold.
The king and queen look up, not as rulers, but as parents. Alice squeezes my hand once.
“Kaori, it’s good to see you again. We’re pleased you could join us tonight,” the king says.
We step inside. “So am I, sir. Thank you for the invitation.”
Alice’s father laughs. “We’ve spoken about this before. Please, call me Reg.”
I incline my head. “Sorry, sir.”
Alice snickers. “Good luck, Papa. It’s going to be like trying to get Art to call you Reg—impossible.”
“Care to make a wager on that?” her father teases, winking at me as he pulls out a chair.
“No. Only Eddie is foolish enough to bet against you,” Alice says, handing me a plate.
As we sit down, my body finally begins to relax. I watch the two of them banter, the easy rhythm of their voices filling the room. Tonight isn’t a state dinner with the King and Queen. It’s a shared meal with some of my parents’ oldest friends—my extended family.
Nineteen
Alice and I make it to her flat just past eight. The moment she unlocks the door, the heavenly scent of caramelized sugar and cinnamon hits us. My knees buckle a little on the welcome mat. Think the smell you’d encounter walking past a Cinnabon, only ten times better.
Alice tosses her keys on the entry table next to a massive bouquet of pink hydrangeas. We toe off our shoes and head straight for the kitchen at the end of the hallway, following our noses to the scene of the crime.
Art is hunched over the oven, his focus so absolute, he doesn’t even look up as we walk in. He’s still in his police uniform shirt, sleeves rolled back to his elbows, but he’s sporting an apron that saysCAT DADDYin bold pink letters above a cartoon tabby. I make a mental note to ask Alice about that the second we’re alone.
“Welcome home, ladies,” he says, straightening just enough to tap the oven glass. “The cinnamon-cardamom pull-apart bread with brown-butter glaze will be ready inapproximately two minutes. I’ll remind you now not to crowd the chef.”
I turn to Alice, mouthing,“You are so lucky.”
She mouths back,“I know,”with a smug wink.
