Chapter 22

“This should be an interesting dinner,” Jordan said.

My cousin was lounging in my sitting room waiting for me to finish dressing for dinner. It was a formal enough dinner that I was struggling with a tie, which Allen would have tied for me if I hadn’t sent him off when Jordan appeared at my door.

My mother had invited the Prime Minister and his family to dine with us and meet Allison. Since this included Jessica and Emily I was somewhat nervous having all three of my potential consorts in the same room.

“How do I look?” I asked.

Jordan stepped up next to me and put her hand on my lapel. I felt my breath catch as she moved her hand down the jacket.

“Jordan...”

“Sorry. It’s those damn pheromones. I don’t know how Desiree ever gets anything done. Let’s go before we both miss dinner.”

Jordan waited beside me when I knocked on Allison’s door. Isabel opened it and the pretty maid winked at me as she moved out of the way so Allison could exit.

Like Jordan she was wearing a formal gown which hung way below her knees. The dress was split on her left side almost to her hip. The scoop neck went almost low enough to reveal her areola. Its half sleeves joined the shoulders before the back was plunged down almost to the crack of her ass. It was a very fetching design, and one in which it would be very easy to ravage the wearer.

I walked down the hallway with Allison on my right and Jordan on my left. When we got to the entrance of the dining room Jordan went ahead so that she could arrive before I did. It was generally considered bad manners to arrive after the monarch.

When Allison and I entered I saw that all my guests had indeed arrived. All were standing except for my mother the dowager princess, who by virtue of her status was not required to stand. There was Gian Bianchi the prime minister, and his lovely wife Sofia. On each side of their parents, separate were Jessica and Emily. Desiree was placed next to Jordan. Allison was next to Jessica, while I sat at the head of the table opposite my mother who was at the foot.

“Good evening James,” mother said when we had all been seated. Servants fluttered around pouring drinks into everyone’s glasses.

“Allison,” Emily said. “You don’t mind if we call you Allison do you? How very nice to meet you.”

“No I don’t mind,” Allison said, slightly taken aback it seemed to me.
“Now Emily, don’t you think that introductions would have been proper first,” I said to identify both twins to her.

“Now James, you’ve gone and spoiled our fun,” Jessica said.

“These two minxes like to keep everyone confused about who is who,” Jordan said. I knew she could no more typically tell them apart than Cecelia or their own father.

“Your Highness I don’t know how you do it,” Sofia said. “Typically I seem to be the only one who can tell them apart.”

“I know. It seems to drive them crazy,” I said.

“Allison, do you enjoy living in Boston?” Jessica asked.

“It’s very different than Washington, where I did my undergraduate work.”

“We spend most of our time in the States in either New York City or L.A.,” Emily said.

“I’ve never visited L.A.,” Allison said.

“Its big and dirty and noisy,” Jessica said. “Of course most of our work is in Hollywood or Beverly Hills.”

“It must be glamorous,” Allison said.

“I suppose,” said Emily. “It’s really just a hobby. We started while at university and it’s let us travel outside of Mariner more than most. We don’t expect to be doing it for much longer.”

“Oh really?” Allison said.

“Yes we’re hoping for something closer to home to come up.”

Jordan followed me to my room after I dropped Allison off at hers.

“I should strangle both of them,” Jordan said. “Their claws were out tonight.”

“I think Allison gave about as well as she got.”

“Considering it was two on one. What was with your mother and Desiree?”

“I think mother set it up to see what would happen. I have no idea where Desiree is on the subject.”

“That dear almost brother is obvious to everyone but you. You aunt would take you for herself if it was permitted. But she’s too closely related, even under Mariner law. I myself barely squeak by, and as much as I love you, I have no wish to be consort.”

“As you have made quite clear.”

“But the twins do, and perhaps now Allison too. She’s very competitive you know. Perhaps that’s why Aunt Cecelia arrange this. She’s very taken with Allison as a candidate and concerned about the political ramifications of you picking the twins. That whole hidden prince thing.”

“You seem very well informed for someone who lives four thousand miles away.”

“Well I’m a Mariner subject now, as well as a member of the royal family, though a somewhat distant member. Not to mention an employee. I try to keep my finger on the pulse of Mariner news and gossip.”

“I don’t doubt there’s plenty of that.”

“The twins have a Facebook page as well as Instagram. And there’s a Mariner in Exile page for Mariner expatriates. One on Reddit too. Though all the crazies are there.”

“Lovely,” I said.

“It’s called ‘Hospitality’,” Desiree said. “It’s an ancient Mariner custom.”

“So when you visit the home of a noble house they offer you their wife or daughter?” Allison said to me.

“Not every time,” I said. “It’s a formal visit. I mean it’s not just for me. Everyone in Mariner practices the custom. I mean people will visit friends or relatives and the host will offer Hospitality. It’s kind of a formal wife swapping activity, except children of age are in the mix too.”

“Children of age?”

“The age of consent in Mariner is sixteen,” Desiree said.

“Wow,” Allison said. “I guess I still have a lot to learn about Mariner customs.”

“Most couples only do it a couple of times a year. It’s considered gauche for a single relative to make the rounds just to get laid, though I understand some particularly favored young men and women are often encouraged by friends and relatives to visit often.”

“Yes,” Desiree said. “For some reason I seem to get a number of invitations every month.”

Allison looked at the lovely tall woman like she was cracked. “I can see why that would be so.”

“Really?” Desiree answered.

“Oh come on Desiree,” I said. “Isn’t it also used to encourage courting?”

“Well yes it is. I suppose...”

“So,” I said. “I’m scheduled to tour the south. That will mean a visit to Meridale and a visit to Talschloss, the ancestral home of the Count and Countess Merid.”

“And when you go they’ll be offering ‘Hospitality’,” Allison said.

“Yes,” I answered. “As my official guest you’ll be expected to participate.”

“I almost hesitate to ask. How?”

“I’m sure you’re basically familiar with the term hot sweaty monkey sex?”

“Damn you guys don’t fuck around when comes to sex do you.”

“Well actually...,” I said.

“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m in.”

“I’ve already done visits to Setten and Ovest the other two Mariner counties. We save Merid because they have a Christmas festival in Meridale.”

“That should be interesting,” Allison admitted.

I picked up Allison at her room. Of course she had spent last night in my bed. I was getting comfortable sharing it with her. She had been in the Principality for a week and it was still a week until Christmas.

A rare snowstorm had graced us the previous evening. Typically snow only fell in the upper altitudes. The Alpine zone was glacial and snowfall exceeded the amount of runoff each year, but not by much. The prevailing weather pattern was for the valleys to experience rain when snow fell in the higher elevations and for temperatures to be in the single digits Celsius, forty to fifty Fahrenheit for those who still use that system.

Bianca held the limo door for us. As Allison slipped into the Rolls I said, “Hello beautiful,” to my driver.

Allison checked out the blond. The partition was up and Allison had no hesitation in saying, “Yummy. Does she always drive you?”

“Yeah,” I teased. “She’s taken me around the world.”

Allison was smart enough to know I was being naughty.

“I saw Desiree in the car in front of us.”

“That’s the point car. It goes in front of us. There’s a chase car behind too. Both cars have security people in them. When we get to Meridale they’ll get out first and make sure the area is secure. In Mariner we really don’t have much to worry about, but Desiree and mother are a little paranoid.”

“Because of the people that tried to kill you?”

“Yes. How did you know about that?”

“Jordan.”

“I need to spend some time with her. It seems like you and I have been spending a lot of time together. I feel like I’ve been neglecting her.”

“I know she’s missing spending time with you. We spent time in the gardens yesterday while you were at the House of Lords.”

“It’s not far now. Mariner isn’t very large. Only about the size of the District.”

“Without the traffic.” Allison said.

When we got to the outskirts of Meridale I saw that the buildings were a mixture of classic Mariner architecture, as in Setten and more modern structures. I did not see any buildings more than a couple of stories tall. We passed a livery, several restaurants or taverns, and some stores. Eventually we got to the town square.

“Look James, A carousel.”

“It’s suppose to be one of the best in Europe. It was originally built in 1897 and was steam driven. Lord Merid’s grandfather had it converted to electricity back in the 1950s. The organ is still steam, though it uses a modern steam engine and not the original, which pre-dated the original carousel.”

“Can we ride it?” Allison was practically bouncing like a little girl.

“Well I don’t know...”

Just then Bianca stopped the car and half a dozen security people descended on the area outside the ride.

Allison saw them. “You meany! You planned for us to ride all the time.”

I laughed at her. “You know the price, right?” Allison leaned over and planted the kiss on me that would melt glass. “Paid in full,” I said as Bianca opened the Roll’s door. “Thank you beautiful,” I said to her.

“You really are,” Allison said to her climbing out of the vehicle. Bianca smiled and winked at her.

Allison took my hand and whispered to me, “I am so going to tap that before I go back home.”

“Oh God. You so fit in here,” I said to her.

The figures on the carousel were magical. Besides horses, outfitted in splendorous tackle, there were winged unicorns, carriages and other animals. All located in a carousel house alight with thousands of sparkling points. Huge spans of glass made the interior visible. The steam organ played as the ride spun.

We took a private ride on the carousel. We rode side by side, the wooden horses rising and falling as we spun. Laughing faces watched us and I could see a number of cameras and mobile phones recording our ride. I wondered how many would end up on the local and international news. Allison was likely to receive more attention than expected, no matter what happen after her Christmas vacation.

“That was wonderful,” she said as we stepped off of the ride. “What now?”

“A school visit.”

We made our way back to the Rolls and Bianca was there with the door open. As Allison passed by her I saw Bianca pinch her ass. She jumped. “James!”

“It wasn’t me,” I said laughing.

“You naughty girl,” she said to the blonde. “You and I are going to have a talk when we get back to the palace.”

We pulled up in front of the school building.

“It looks pretty big,” Allison said.

“Its the only high school in Merid. It pulls students from all over the county.”

As we got out Desiree appeared.