“A title you are more than able to handle,” Theo says. “A title I’d be proud to see you wear. But how about this, instead of worrying about the future and what might come, focus on the now. She needs you, and I need you. Please don’t hurt her heart because you’re scared. She’s been hurt far too much.”
I nod. “I’d never want to hurt her. I love her, Theo, I truly do. But, sometimes, don’t you think love isn’t enough?”
“Never,” Theo says, straightening now. “Love is always enough. If love weren’t enough, then I wouldn’t be in a position where Katla is at my side. We’ve had our ups and downs, the history has written itself, and without love, I’m not sure we would’ve made it through all the tragedy we’ve faced. The first thing you need in a relationship is to like each other, and that’s then followed by love. You have both, so don’t be a fool and scare yourself away from that. Now, you go back into that drawing room and reassure that girl that her coming forward with the truth is not to be punished, but commended.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, standing from my chair.
“And, Keller?” When I turn to face him, he continues, “Thank you . . . thank you for showing her the true beauty of this country when I wasn’t able to. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed.”
“It was my pleasure,” I answer.
“And from now until the foreseeable future, Henrik will be staying on board as my secretary.”
My heart trips out of my chest. “Theo,” I say softly. “You . . . you’re just going to give away my job?”
He shakes his head. “No, you’ll be at Lilija’s side now. I don’t matter as much as Lilija does. I need you to stay close to her to continue to help her through this transition. Henrik is wonderful, but he’s not you. If you resume your position with me, you’d be wasted. Your responsibility now is to guide Lilija.” When I look down, he adds, “This is not a demotion; it’s a promotion. She’s our future, and I’m the past. You need to keep moving forward.”
“I understand,” I say, connecting my eyes with his. And although I understand his words and his sentiment, I’m shocked. I haven’t believed I could have Lilly, and now . . . now that seems possible. Not only that, I’ll have even more capacity to serve this country I love. This man, who has treated me like a son, has given me a blessing beyond what I ever thought possible. Fuck. “I’ll do you proud, Theo.”
“I know you will. And you’ll also make your parents proud, Keller.”
I nod humbly. What can I say to that?
I excuse myself and go back into the drawing room, where Katla and Lilly are huddled over quite a few table runners. Lilly is speaking quietly, running her hand over the embroidery work, her expression in complete awe.
Being here in the palace makes our situation profoundly different. It puts things into perspective. We don’t have our safety bubble anymore. There are eyes and ears everywhere. And I can’t be as candid as I want to be with her. Now that we’re here, now that she said she’d take the throne, everything has changed.
She glances in my direction, and when she sees me, she gives me a wary smile, and it nearly splits me in half. She’s unsure. She’s questioning herself when she did nothing wrong. And as Theo said, she needs to know what she said is not to be punished, but commended.
I close the distance between us, making sure to approach cautiously in case they’re talking about anything sensitive, but when Katla invites me to the conversation, I know it’s safe.
“I was just showing Lilija Margret’s beautiful stitches.”
I walk up right next to Lilly, put my arm around her waist, and bring her in close to press a kiss to the top of her head. It’s my way of letting Lilly know everything is okay. Katla smiles warmly as I reach down and pick up one of the napkins. “She did exquisite work. With more practice, I believe Lilly will be just as good, if not better.”
Lovingly, Lilly looks up at me. “You think so?”
“I do.”
“Okay,” Lilly whispers at the dinner table. “The cod cakes were actually really good.”
I chuckle softly. “See, nothing to be scared of.”
“I will always be scared of fermented cod.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Theo asks as he brings a goblet of water to his lips.
“The cod cakes,” I answer as Lilly grips my thigh under the table, giving me a warning squeeze.