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But then, she didn’t have time to contemplate it.
“I am off to see to some business,” Adonis said. “Miriam will look after you.”
Which was how she found herself being whisked through gleaming halls with the other woman just in front of her.
“I can’t wait for you to see your room,” she said cheerfully. “It’s stunning. Adonis had it outfitted in a way he thought you would like.”
How would Adonis even know what she would like?
It didn’t make any sense to her. Miriam opened gilded double doors, to reveal a bedroom that was so airy, so light, so soft, she could scarcely breathe. It was all shades of blue. The colors of the sky.
Soft layered fabrics on the bed, around the bed, acting as a canopy.
Simply glorious. Everything was soft and indulgent, and nothing like the cabin. And yet, somehow, it was her. Entirely.
She didn’t know how he had figured that out. Or maybe it was a lie. Maybe he hadn’t been the one to decorate the room at all, but it was…wonderful.
“I will draw you a bath,” Miriam said. “You must be tired after the journey. There will be a dinner tonight in your honor.”
“Oh,” she said.
“And I know your family is due to arrive tomorrow.”
“Are they? That’s the first I’ve heard about it.”
“Yes. Everything is being prepared for them. Your sisters will all have their own rooms.”
She felt…stunned by that. And whatever the reasoning behind her agreeing to this, she knew resolutely that she had made the right choice. Because all of her sisters would be getting something so wonderful out of it. And her dad would be getting peace of mind.
“Your father will have medical staff on hand to see to his needs. And he will have a room with everything he could possibly want.”
“I’m… I’m still quite stunned about all this.”
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Miriam. “That the Prince has chosen to marry someone who’s more like… More like all of us. Someone who knows what it means to work and to struggle.”
She nodded. “I do. And when I am princess, I promise you, I won’t forget about it. I promise that I will advocate for all of you.”
“We’re lucky. We have good leaders. But… How can royalty ever really know what it’s like for normal people?”
She shook her head. “They can’t.”
And she made a vow then and there that she would never forget what it was to be a normal person. Even amid all the silk, and all the finery.
The bath that was drawn for her was amazing. The water was scented, the tub itself sunken into the floor, and placed next to a window, which offered incredible views of the sea. She loved Montana. But of course… It wasn’t by the ocean. And this was extraordinary.
When she got out of the bath, there was a beautiful dress laid out on the bed waiting for her. And once she had put it on, she was… She was ambushed by a team of people who did her hair and makeup.
When she was done, she didn’t recognize the stranger in the mirror. Her eyes looked brighter, her skin perfection. Her hair was tamed in a way she was certainly never able to manage on her own.
And when she was ushered into the dining room, she didn’t know what she expected, but it hadn’t been…him.
Resplendent in a suit, the table set just for the two of them.
“I thought that it was meant to be a welcome dinner,” she said.
“It is,” he said. “But I felt as if it wouldn’t be fair to spring my father on you just yet. Or indeed, a significant crowd.”
She was quite tired. Though she felt like she was in a dream, which made it difficult to really say how she felt.