Chapter 21

When Bianca appeared that evening to return us to the palace mother pretty much looked like death warmed over. Desiree, Emily and Jessica seemed marvelously relaxed. I got a dirty look from Cecelia when I laughed at her. We dropped the twins at their villa, which I still had not really visited. After that Cecelia and Desiree huddled together leaving me free to listen to some music for the rest of the short journey.

St Nicholas Day started the Mariner Christmas season. The country was not much of a resort destination but around Christmas time many of the expatriate population returned to the homeland to celebrate with their families.

Jordan and Allison would be taking the royal jet, but many of the visitors, including the latest crop of foreign university students, would be catching chartered flights run by Winthrope Air. Princess Eleonora Field would be busy with all of the extra flights.

“So how did you do this semester?” I said into the speakerphone. I had been sitting in my office reviewing some contracts when I got the call.

“It’s not like I expected,” Allison said. “It’s so different from what I did as an undergraduate. Case studies and discussions and speakers. I don’t even have text books!”

“Ready for an unforgettable vaca?”

“I just hope Jordan hasn’t oversold it.”

“Oh I think that’s not likely,” I said. More like there’s no way to oversell it.

As Bianca pulled the limo up to the skirt of the runway I saw a late model Jeep already waiting there. “Thanks beautiful,” I told her as she opened the door. She laughed. Some things never get old.

I immediately recognized the man in the leather flight jacket.

“Huston!”

“Good afternoon Your Highness,” he said giving me a slight bow.

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to meet my great niece finally.”

“You mean Jordan?”

“Who else? I actually saw her at the Coronation Ball, but she was ... occupied.”

“I can just bet.” I thought a minute. This could get dicey. “Huston there is a woman on the plane who doesn’t know who I am yet.”

He gave me a look.

“I’m going to tell her in a few minutes, but not here.”

“She’s someone you knew in the States?”

I nodded.

He stood and thought for a minute. “Alright.”

“I can still introduce you to Jordan, just no ‘Your Highness’ until we leave.”

“Is that why Desiree and the troops aren’t here?” he asked speaking of my security detail.

“Yes. And I guess you can suppose how hard it was for her to accept that.”

“Yes she’s as stubborn as her mother.” Now there was someone I wanted to meet.

I saw the plane approaching the far side of the runway. The pilot landed flawlessly.

“He’s good,” Huston said. “One of my best.” I knew the crown leased the plane from Winthrope Air.

The plane taxied up and I saw Holly open the door and lower the stairs. She hugged both Allison and Jordan as they made their way through the door.

Both girls were wearing coats. The temperature was still a little warmer than they had probably had in Boston. Allison saw me standing next to the limo and ran across the tarmac to me. Her enthusiastic kiss was most welcome. When Jordan reached us her kiss was no less inspiring.

“James,” Allison said when Jordan finished her greeting. “What’s with the limo. You working as a chauffeur now?”

“Not exactly.” I looked over at Huston and Jordan and Allison’s eyes followed mine.

“Jordan I’d like to introduce you to your Great Uncle Huston Winthrope. Your mother Jennifer was his niece.”

Like a true Mariner girl Jordan jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I’m so glad to meet you Uncle Huston.”

Huston was smiling like a loon. Not an idiot he. Jordan whispered something in his ear and his smile got even bigger, as he blushed. Maybe Jordan he noticed him at the Coronation Ball.

I cleared my throat. “We should get going,” I said.

“We’ll catch up later Uncle,” Jordan said. “We can do lunch or something.” Huston was just bobbing his head at this point.

I let Jordan get in the car first. Then Allison slid in beside her. When I slipped in next to Allison Bianca closed the door. The partition was already up and I had asked Bianca to take the long way home. As soon as the bags were transferred from the plane to the boot we left.

“Wow. This is really nice,” Allison said looking around the interior of the Rolls. “Who does it belong to?”

“The ruling prince of Mariner,” I said.

Allison got a kind of strange look in her eyes. “Why is he letting you borrow it?”

“He isn’t.” I said. I paused for only a few seconds and then plowed on. “Allison, I’m not really Jordan’s brother. Her parents were my guardians in the United States. My real mother is alive and I am, in fact, the ruler of this country you’re in.”

Allison’s eyes looked a little glazed and her face had gone white. It was warm in the limo and her coat was still buttoned up. I remembered how I had responded to getting the news and reached for her hand.

“Jordan, can you get Ali a water please?” Jordan reached into the minifridge which was on her side and pulled out a water. Opening it she handed it to Allison, who without thought raised the bottle to her lips and gulped down some liquid.

“Allison when last we saw each other I did not know what I am telling you now.”

“So you weren’t lying to me?”

“No.” I hesitated. “I have known since last spring, but it’s not something I wanted to break to you on the phone.”

She turned to look at Jordan. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jordan looked guilty. “I did find out before James, but I was sworn to secrecy. I couldn’t even tell him. I actually work for the Mariner government now, sort of.”

“Allison one of the reasons you were invited here this Christmas was so I could tell you.”

She hadn’t jerked her hand out of mine and her color was looking better now.

“So tell me about Mariner,” she said.

“Well,” I started. “About twenty-two hundred years ago Hannibal crossed the Alps...”

It was very late in the afternoon before Bianca reached the road leading to the Palace.

“There’s something else Allison,” I said ready to drop the last shoe.

She turned her deep brown eyes on me.

“This is an official visit. We will speak about that after we get you settled in your rooms. But that means a certain amount of ceremony when we arrive. The staff will be formally introduced to you and after you’re settled you’ll be formally introduced to my mother Princess Cecelia. Before dinner.”

“Don’t worry,” Jordan said to her. “We eat pretty late. Dinner won’t be before eight.”

As we pulled up to the palace I saw that Benson had the full staff out. Unlike my own rather sneaky entrance to the palace mother was pulling out all the stops for Allison. I wondered if that was because she preferred I not marry the twins or was she just going for a more even playing field?

Bianca pulled the car up before the grand entrance and got out to open my door.

“Thank you beautiful,” I said getting out. Bianca gave me a wink.

As Allison slid over I saw that she was checking out my driver. I suspected that she had not noticed her at the airfield, likely only having eyes for the Rolls. Bianca was wearing a heavier black leather jacket. Black tights covered her shapely legs rather than the fishnet stockings she wore in warmer weather. She still wore the heels that made her ass look so good in the short skirt. The jacket’s zipper was pulled down low enough to display her awesome cleavage.

“Allison this is Benson. He runs the house.”

The old man gave her a stiff bow while clicking his heels together. “Miss,” he said. He then preceded to introduce just about every member of the household to her. When he finished he handed her over to Isabel.

“Lady Jordan, Marie will show you to your rooms,” Benson said.

“Isabel, I’ll escort Allison to her room. Why don’t you check on her bags and then come on up?”

“I doubt the prince escorts every guest to their room James. What’s going on?” she asked as we walked the long hall after entering the residency.

“We have some more to talk about. Let’s wait until we get to your room.”

“Okay. What’s with all the security?”

“Well. The public rooms are easier to get into, but this is a state building. The residency is where we live and so the security is higher, to keep us safe.”

“You’re not, like hated by the people or something? Like a South American dictator?”

“No. The people pretty much like me. But we still have enemies. Hell the Dalai Lama has enemies.”

We got to her door.

“Wow,” she said looking around. Though she was a trust fund baby Allison wasn’t a Du Pont. The palace was just as overwhelm to her as it had been to me.

I helped her off with her coat, but threw it on one of the couches in the sitting room. I led the way into the bedroom.

“Sitting room. Bedroom. There’s a walk in closet. Isabel will give you the grand tour when she gets here. Jordan will come down to help you get ready to meet mother.” I led her back out to the sitting room. I went over to the bar.

“Is port alright?”

“Sure.”

I poured her a glass and one for myself. And gestured to two chairs arranged in a conversation nook. After she sat down I handed her the glass and she took a sip.

“There’s more, you said?” she said looking at me with those big brown eyes.

“Allison do you follow the royals very much? I mean the British ones, since those are the ones most likely to hit the American news.”

“No not really. I mean I know about Megan Markel.”

“What about William and his wife Catherine?”

“Not really. He’s the Queen’s grandson or something, isn’t he. I guess he’ll be king some day.”

“Yes and they have three kids. One of whom will probably be King someday too.”

“Well sure,” she said and I could see the light coming on in her brown eyes. “You need a wife?”

“Yes.”

“So why am I...” Her eyes got real big. She went white again.

“Yes. Drink your port.” She took a gulp of the strong fortified wine.

“There’s more Allison.”

“Oh God. What else could there be?”

I sighed. “Allison, Mariner is a little different from any place you’ve ever been. The sexual mores are a little bit looser than you might be use to.”

“James are you forgetting college?”

“No. I’m not. I’m going to let Jordan explain it to you when she gets here.”

She looked a little shocked. “James...” she started to say and then looked worried. “Should I be calling you that?”

“Sure. In here between just the two of us. Or in front of Jordan. But you’re right. In public ‘your highness’ or ‘highness’ is the correct way to address me.” I stood. “I’m going to leave now since I’m sure Isabel and Jordan are waiting outside for me to do so. They’ll help you get ready to meet mother.”

She stood to escort me to her door. Just before I opened it I hugged her.

“I’m really glad you’re here. I’m sorry with ambushing you with this. I just didn’t think it was something I could tell you over the phone. I promise you’re going to have a lot of fun. Well I hope so, once we get the formal stuff over.”

Before I could release her she kissed me. The heat of it left little doubt in my mind that she was going to hold my secrets against me.

She reached down and touched my instantly sprung hard on. “He seems glad to see me too, James.”

Then she stepped back and let me open the door. Sure enough Jordan was there waiting in the hall with Isabel.

Cecelia had decided that setting the introduction in her formal parlor would probably be the least stressful for my guest. We would have tea, a Mariner tradition that came from the British.

“I feel almost obscene in this outfit,” Allison said.

She was wearing standard Mariner society fare for formal tea, which meant something pretty sexy. Her top was sprayed on with the neck only slightly higher than her areola, the lush tops of her breasts fully visible. The sleeves were three quarter length, longer than they would have been in another season. Because it was winter her skirts went almost to her knees, though they would show when she sat. Thigh length stockings and four inch heels rounded out the ensemble. Isabel had done something amazing with her hair. It was swept up and perfectly framed her pretty face.

“Mariner clothing does tend to sexualize women,” I admitted. “How are the shoes doing?”

“I feel like I’m on stilts.”

She was holding my arm as I escorted her.

“I wish Jordan could have joined us.”

“Me too,” I said.

“Jordan said you and your mother...”

“Yes its kind of a Mariner tradition. Did it shock you?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ve been pretty flexible about sex.”

“Here we are,” I said as we arrived at the door to mother’s formal parlor. “Remember ‘your highness’.”

“And curtsy. Jordan reminded me and we practiced.”

“Ready?” I asked. She nodded.

We entered. The room was set up for tea. There was a low table with several chairs around it. Mother was already seated in one. Her outfit was very much like Allison’s. In her hair she wore two combs decorated with diamonds or some other clear gem. The tea set itself was of silver, highly polished. It sat on a tea trolley on which were also assembled a collection of cakes and other snacks.

“Mother, may I present Miss Allison Blake of Philadelphia.”

“Your Highness,” Allison said executing a reasonable curtsy.

“Please sit down, my dear,” mother said.

Marie was in the room and proceeded to pour three cups. “Would you like sugar?”

“One lump please.”

Marie handed mother her cup with its two lumps of sugar. She then put a single cube in Allison’s cup and handed it to her. Mine came to me with a touch of cream. She then picked up a tray of cakes and made the rounds. Once all had been offered she withdrew.

“Allison, James tells me you are at Harvard.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I am at the Kennedy School.” Something which mother already knew. She had showed me the report on Allison before she let me invite her.

“That sounds very interesting. I’m so glad you were able to join us this year. I know James has a number of very interesting diversions planned for you both.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’m sure James is too. In many ways you will be discovering them together. I’m sure James has explained that we were force to hide his existence for many years. It has only been recently that he has been able to publicly take his place on the throne.”

“So I’ve been informed, Your Highness.”

“Allison. Please don’t let this overwhelm you. If I didn’t think you could handle things I wouldn’t have urged James to invite you.”

Well she can’t have been clearer than that, I thought. Mother obviously liked Allison or at least was impressed with her enough to consider her a serious candidate.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

The rest of the tea consisted of mother explaining some of the activities that were traditional in Mariner at Christmas.

Allison sighed as we entered the hallway. “How badly did I mess up?”

“Not at all,” I assured her. “Mother is taken with you.”

“Tell me about Jessica and Emily,” she said out of the blue.

“The Bianchi twins. How do you know about them?”

“Jordan. She says they are my competition. Is this like a season of the Bachelor?”

“No. Not exactly. Jessica and Emily and I have become fairly close. They are potential consorts.”

“Both of them?”

“Well they’re sort of a special case. But that doesn’t mean I’m not serious about courting you.”

“Wow. I never thought I’d hear someone seriously use the word ‘courting’ in a sentence. Do I have time to go to my rooms and have a major meltdown before supper?”

“I know this is a little sudden and quite a bit to take in.”

“My acceptance to Harvard was quite a bit to take in. This is completely overwhelming and verging on totally shocking.”

“You seem to be handling it well,” I said as we approached her door.

“Well Jordan and that little maid managed to include a series of mind numbing orgasms in my preparation for my introduction to your mother. When I walked into the tea my endorphin level was so high I was practically love drunk. I’m about to get the shakes now so why don’t you kiss me goodbye so I can call Jordan and tell her how it went?”

I took her in my arms and kissed her. I could feel her trembling and knew she was being honest about her emotional state. When I ended the kiss she quickly opened her door and slipped into her rooms.