My lips pull into a grin. The brat抯 entertaining桰抣l give him that.
The Queen抯 eyes darken like an approaching storm. 揌e抯 in the States桳as Vegas梬ith plans to go to Manhattan soon. I want you to go there and bring him home, Nicholas. I don抰 care if you have to bash him over the head and shove him into a burlap sack, the boy needs to be brought to heel.?
I抳e visited almost every major city in the world梐nd out of all of them, I hate New York the most.
揗y schedule棓
揌as been rearranged. While there, you抣l attend several functions in my stead. I抦 needed here.?
揑 assume you抣l be working on the House of Commons? Persuading the arseholes to finally do their job??
揑抦 glad you brought that up.?My grandmother crosses her arms. 揇o you know what happens to a monarchy without a stable line of heirs, my boy??
My eyes narrow. 揑 studied history at university梠f course I do.?
揈nlighten me.?
I lift my shoulders. 揥ithout a clear succession of uncontested heirs, there could be a power grab. Discord. Possibly civil war between different houses that see an opportunity to take over.?
The hairs on the back of my neck prickle. And my palms start to sweat. It抯 that feeling you get when you抮e almost to the top of that first hill on a roller coaster. Tick, tick, tick?
揥here are you going with this? We have heirs. If Henry and I are taken out by some catastrophe, there抯 always cousin Marcus.?
揅ousin Marcus is an imbecile. He married an imbecile. His children are double-damned imbeciles. They will never rule this country.?She straightens her pearls and lifts her nose. 揟here are murmurings in Parliament about changing us to a ceremonial sovereignty.?
揟here are always murmurings.?
揘ot like this,?she says sharply. 揟his is different. They抮e holding up the trade legislation, unemployment is climbing, wages are down.?She taps the screen. 揟hese headlines aren抰 helping. People are worried about putting food on their tables, while their prince cavorts from one luxury hotel to another. We need to give the press something positive to report. We need to give the people something to celebrate. And we need to show Parliament we are firmly in control so they抎 best play nicely or we抣l run roughshod over them.?
I抦 nodding. Agreeing. Like a stupid moth flapping happily toward the flame.
揥hat about a day of pride? We could open the ballrooms to the public, have a parade??I suggest. 揚eople love that sort of thing.?
She taps her chin. 揑 was thinking something卋igger. Something that will catch the world抯 attention. The event of the century.?Her eyes glitter with anticipation條ike an executioner right before he swings the ax.
And then the ax comes down.
揟he wedding of the century.?