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“I marry a man and pop out an heir and a spare so that my petrified younger sister doesn’t have to reign after I die, or that my crazy cousin Ernie doesn’t take the throne and run this country into the ground?”

“Your Majesty, Miss Palmer Honeycutt,” Jenny said.

Elizabeth stared at the door again where Palmer was standing beside Jenny, with both hands on the strap of her cross-shoulder bag.

“Rebecca, Jenny, can you please give Miss Honeycutt and I a moment alone?”

“Ma’am, your dresser and–”

“Send them in when they need me,” she interjected.

“Very well.”

Once Rebecca and Jenny were gone, with the door closed behind them, Elizabeth looked down at the floor.

“I assume you overheard.”

Palmer didn’t say anything for a moment, causing Elizabeth to look back up at her.

“Is this your room? I guess I should sayrooms, huh?” She walked into the small sitting area, which was to the left of Elizabeth’s actual bedroom. “It’s nice, but – I don’t know – doesn’t seem likeyouto me. That’s probably rude to say, though, isn’t it?”

“Palmer?” Elizabeth persisted.

“I didn’t hear anything, Elizabeth.” Palmer stared at her, silently telling Elizabeth that shehadheard something, but she wouldn’t say anything about it.

“Yes, these are my rooms.” She motioned with an open palm. “You’ve seen my office, which is through that door.” She pointed. “This is my sitting room. My bed is through there. The en suite is through the door on the right. The closet is on the left.”

“I’ve seen movies about royalty before. Is your closet as jam-packed with shoes and jewelry as all the rest?”

Elizabeth laughed and said, “Not as much, no. The crown jewels are locked up and only pulled out for formal occasions like tonight.”

“I wore jeans; I didn’t know this was formal,” Palmer said, looking down at her casual wear. “I didn’t bring a lot of clothes with me.”

Elizabeth laughed again, motioned for Palmer to sit on the sofa in front of the perpetually burning fireplace, and joined her moments later.

“I have a dinner tonight. It’s my first as Queen.”

“Tonight?” Palmer asked. “Should we have postponed?”

“I wasn’t sure how long you were staying,” Elizabeth told her.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m staying until I finish the story, however long that takes. I will have to move into a Holiday Inn Express soon because the paper won’t pay for the resort much longer, but I can talk any day.”

“I’m busy for the next several days,” Elizabeth told her. “Maybe it’s just best that we talk now. Would you mind talking while I get dressed?”

“Not if you’re okay with it,” Palmer replied.

Elizabeth glanced at the fire and said, “You’ll get to see the tiara.”

“I will? I’ve never seen a real tiara.”

“Yes, it’s customary for the royal ladies to wear tiaras to formal events after six.”

“After six?” Palmer asked. “It’sthatspecific?”

“It is.”

“Wow.”