“I hope we all get along well, Molly,Moreen.” She turned from the two fair-headed maids to Sarena. “Iwould like the least fuss possible. I just want to change intosomething appropriate for a dinner with friends and family. Leavemy hair as it is, remove the crown and change dresses. Is thatokay?”
Sarena nodded, and Kambry cringed at the ideashe had just asked permission of her dresser. But the woman’ssoftly spoken words eased her embarrassment. “We will do exactly asyou ask. We’re here to assist you. If you don’t like the dress wechose, please choose another. Your demands will not unsettle us.They will guide our future efforts.”
Kambry looked at the dress hanging on thedoor a second time. “It will do fine, but I would like to wear asimple pair of low-heeled shoes.” She added, “That match the dress,of course.”
Sarena nodded at Molly, who jumped intoaction, searching a series of drawers holding neat rows of shoesbefore turning with a pair of pale-green, low-heeled pumps forKambry’s approval.
“You found those fast,” Kambry said.
“She will improve as we all learn yourwardrobe and where everything is.” Sarena looked around. “It won’ttake us long, you don’t have an extensive selection.”
Kambry chewed her lip. Was she expected tohave an extensive selection?
“Shall we start with your crown?”
“I have more than one?”
Sarena seemed to hold back a smile. “I’m sureyou do, but I assumed you didn’t want to wear a crown to aninformal dinner.”
Kambry couldn’t help but sigh. “No, I don’twish to wear a crown. You may start with removing this one.”
“Please, sit here.” Sarena pointed at a plushround stool.
Kambry sat, taking care not to wrinkle herdress. All three women surrounded her, working together to removethe crown without damaging the arrangement of her hair. After aminute of whisperings and gentle tugs, Sarena backed up with thecrown in hand. She passed it to Moreen, who lay it in the velvetbox Lady Laurents had opened for her earlier. How long ago thatseemed, but it was mere hours previous.
“There,” Sarena said. “Let me just fix thisone lock.” Her fingers gently pressed and pushed. She removed oneof the amethyst hair pins and then returned it to its place.
Kambry sighed. “You did that without scrapingmy scalp. I’m keeping you.”
“I will inform Mrs. Kauper,” Sarena said,giving a quick curtsey, her voice laced with quiet amusement. “Ithink the jewelry you are wearing will suit the dress. Shall weleave it or would Your Majesty also like it removed orreplaced?”
“I’ll wear the jewelry and put them awaylater.”
There was an audible snap as the coronationjewelry case shut.
“If you will stand, Your Majesty, we willremove your dress.” She gazed at one of the young maids as sheapproached to help. “Molly, prepare the tissues.” The girl backedaway and opened a long white box on a nearby counter.
Moreen and Sarena undid the fasteners in theback of Kambry’s dress. “Raise your arms over your head, YourMajesty.”
Kambry did as asked, and through the mufflingfabric being lifted off her said, “Sarena, is there any chance youcould stop saying ‘Your Majesty’?”
“Perhaps only every third or fourth time,Your Majesty.”
“All right. Then I don’t expect to hear itagain for another three times you speak.”
“As you wish, Your.... As you wish.”
Molly and Moreen carried the dress to thecounter where they began folding it over shaped tissue as theylowered it into the box by sections.
Sarena waited a moment until they folded mostof the dress into the box. “Molly, come help me.” She removed thedinner dress from the hanger, and the two women helped Kambry intoit.
“Your other items,” Sarena paused. “Would youlike to have your ring or this....” She stared at the queen’sscabbard. She seemed uncertain what to call it.
“I will keep both the ring and the lady’sgauntlet on. I wear them every day for all events. The gauntlet isa gift from the king.” She hoped calling it a gauntlet wasaccurate. Burty had not corrected her when she had called it thatbefore she learned that it was a scabbard.
“As you wish,” said Sarena. She promptedKambry to sit down, removing the delicate lace on her feet beforehelping her put on her shoes. Kambry held the hem of the dress outof the way.
Molly and Moreen finished putting away hercoronation dress and placed it in a cabinet.
Kambry stood and said, “Thank you, ladies.You may leave now. I will manage on my own this evening.”
The three curtsied and left quickly, the twoyoung maids sighing almost simultaneously with Kambry’s own sigh ofrelief. When the maids exited, she straightened her shoulders andprepared to step into the bedchamber.
Chapter Four
Russal rose from a chair byhis changing room. A smile warmed his face. “You are very muchworth the wait.”
“Were you waiting long?” Changing had seemedto proceed quickly. She bit her lip.
“I expected to wait a great deal longer andwould have been as pleased had you taken minutes or hours. I’vewaited a long time to see you come out of that room.”
He strode to her, his hands held out to takeher own. “Kambry.” His voice thrilled through her. “I’ve yet tokiss you since you became queen. May I?”
“I understand I’ve been queen for sometime.”
“But now it is official, and you’re standingin our bedroom. This will be a very different kiss.”
Her breathing picked up. Her fingers trembledin his, and he raised them to his chest, pressing them to him. Hisblue eyes softened, and a smile quirked his lips. “Perhaps I shouldwait till after dinner.”
“Should you?”
“Don’t say it like that, Kambry. We mightmiss dinner.”
A giggle broke free from her throat. “Do youthink they’d wait for us?”
Russal's smile turned rueful. “No. Amilywould stomp up the stairs and demand we come down at once. I thinkwe’d have reason to be embarrassed.”
“We would?”
“Oh, Kambry.” Russal took one hand andreleased the other. “Let’s get ourselves down there.” He tugged heralong fiercely behind him toward the stairwell.
“Russal, are you angry?”
“Angry?” He stopped on the second step,turned and pulled her into his arms. His lips hovered above
