Appointing (Royalty Series Book 2), page 14
“Ma’am, I’m leaving the palace,” she corrected.
Elin’s smile disappeared instantly.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Why?”
“I think it’s time, Your Majesty.”
“Elin.”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am.”
“Just Elin right now, please.”
“Ma’am, we’re in the palace, in your office… It’s important that–”
“You’re really leaving?” Elin interrupted.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“May I ask where you’re going?”
“My stepfather has had a job for me for a while. I’ll be working in his company.”
“This is really what you want?” Elin checked.
Ingrid didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then, she nodded, but it wasn’t her usual, confident nod; there was hesitation there.
“Ingrid, name the job you want here. If you don’t want to be my private secretary or Mari’s, I will find you something. Whatever you want – I’ll find it.”
“Ma’am, that wouldn’t be fair.”
“Screw fair,” Elin said a little louder than she’d intended.
“Ma’am?” Ingrid asked softly.
Elin shook her head and said, “I’m sorry. This is just surprising.”
“My apologies, Ma’am.”
“Ingrid, I–” Elin didn’t know what to say.
“I’ve submitted my letter of resignation to Steven, but given our last conversation, I wanted to let you know as well. Working for you has been an honor and a privilege, Your Majesty. I appreciate every opportunity you’ve given me.”
Elin couldn’t utter any words in response. Her hands were sweaty as she attempted to grip the desk behind her to keep herself standing.
“When will I see you again?” she asked softly after a long moment.
“Ma’am?”
“Will I ever see you again?”
Ingrid smiled warmly and said, “I’m sure you’ll–”
“Your Majesty,” the attendant addressed her, pushing the door open.
“What?!” Elin snapped without meaning to.
“My apologies, Ma’am. The Queen Mother has asked for an audience.”
“I should leave you,” Ingrid said, bowing her head. “Your Majesty.”
Ingrid turned, and Elin couldn’t say anything. There was an attendant standing in the doorway, holding it open for Ingrid, who walked through it without turning back. A moment later, her mother entered Elin’s office, and the attendant closed the door behind them. Elin could no longer hold herself up. She crashed down onto the floor, and her hands covered her face as she tried to prevent the tears from escaping her eyes.
“Elin?” her mother asked with concern and worry in her tone.
She must have rushed to Elin’s side because she was instantly on the floor beside her.
“Elin? Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you injured?”
“No,” Elin replied.
“What happened? Why are you–”
“She’s gone, Mom.”
“Who is?”
“Ingrid.”
“Yes, I just saw her. Do you need her for something? I can call her back. Did she do something or–”
“I love her,” Elin managed out, letting the tears fall. “I love her, and she just resigned.”
“What are you saying, dear?”
Elin finally looked up at her shocked mother and said, “Mom, I’m gay. I should have told you and Dad a long time ago, but I didn’t. And now, I’m sitting on the floor crying because I love someone I can’t have.”
“You love Ingrid?” her mother asked.
“Yes,” Elin replied, wiping tears from her cheeks. “And I know you and Dad wanted me to find some man to settle down with and have children, because that’s what the monarchy needs right now – stability and a solid line – but, Mom, I’ve never wanted to be with any man. Right now, I can’t breathe because I don’t think I’ll ever see her again. She has no reason to come here now. And it’s not as if I’d have any reason to– I can’t breathe, Mom.”
“Oh, sweetie,” her mom said before she pulled Elin into her and wrapped her arms around her. “Your father and I want you to be happy. We want that for all of our children. I know you didn’t plan on this life for yourself and that your father’s illness and your brother’s decision have rather forced you into this, but I don’t care whether you marry a man or a woman; or not at all.”
“You don’t?” Elin asked, looking up at her with tear-filled eyes.
“Honey, I love you. I want you to be with someone who loves you and makes you happy. If that’s a woman, that’s fine with me. I do want grandchildren, and I know you don’t think you’ll have them. I don’t know that I fully understand why, but you’ve made that clear.”
“Mom, I–”
“No, you don’t have to explain it anymore. I won’t ever understand, Elin. I have you. I have your brother and your sisters. I can’t imagine a life without the four of you. That’s why it’s so hard for me. I don’t know how you couldn’t want that. But I respect that you don’t. It’s your life. Your father does, too. Right now, he’s just trying to do what’s best for the country, and he thinks that’s finding someone for you so you can fall in love and change your mind about children because it makes things less complicated, but you don’t have to do anything you don’t want. You’re Queen now, Elin. You outrank both your father and me. If you want us to stop with the recommendations and parties – you just have to say so. If you want us to switch from bachelors to bachelorettes – you can tell us that, too.” She gave her a kind smile.
“Mom,” Elin said, laughing a little.
“Well, should we?”
“No, I don’t want Dad to know yet. Is that okay? I’ll tell him in my own time. I wasn’t planning on breaking down and telling you right now. I thought I’d tell you soon, but not like this.”
“Because Ingrid is leaving?”
“I know she doesn’t feel the same way about me, but I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do without her. Since she started working with Mari, I’ve seen her less and less, and that was hard enough. Now, she won’t be here at all. And it’s not like I can just run into her at the coffee shop; I might never see her again.”
“Honey, have you ever told her how you feel?”
“What? No. Why would I do that?”
“Because you just broke down on the floor at the prospect of never seeing her again. That’s a pretty big deal, Elin. You told me you couldn’t breathe, sweetheart.” Her mom wiped a stray hair from her face. “You need to tell her.”
“Why? What’s the point? I already feel rejected professionally. She’ll just reject me personally, and I’ll feel even worse.”
“Ask yourself what’s really worse, Elin. Is it that you tell Ingrid how you feel, and she says she doesn’t feel the same way, but, at least, you know? Or, is it that you don’t, and you never know?”
“Are those my only two options?” Elin asked.
“I’m afraid so, baby,” her mom told her, kissing the top of her head.
“I guess it would be better to at least know.”
“I agree.”
“Mom, you really don’t have a problem with me being gay?”
“I think part of me knew.”
“What? Really?” Elin asked, surprised.
“I don’t know how big of a part, but you’ve never really dated, and you don’t seem interested in any man we’ve introduced you to.”
“I haven’t been,” Elin replied.
“And there was that girl when you were at that horseback riding program when you were sixteen.”
“Oh, Astrid.” Elin remembered.
“Yes, Astrid.” Her mother laughed lightly. “You brought her over to dinner once and would not stop talking about her for months. Then, suddenly, you stopped, and I wondered what had happened.”
“Astrid got a boyfriend,” Elin explained.
“I see,” her mom said. “Well, I don’t think I had it all figured out until you just told me, but I’m glad you did, Elin. I want to know all of my children. I’d give you anything in the world if I could. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do,” Elin replied, smiling up at her.
“I’ll keep this from your father for now, but I can’t forever.”
“I know. Can you just give me a little time?”
Her mother nodded.
“Thank you,” Elin said.
“Are you going to talk to Ingrid?”
“I’m terrified,” Elin admitted.
“You’re in uncharted waters right now, so I can understand why, but if anyone can handle this, it’s you, my dear. I’ve long believed that while Christian was my firstborn, you were built for this job.”
“You’ve never said that to me before.”
“Well, I couldn’t, could I? Your brother was going to inherit.” Her mom winked at her. “But now, it’s yours, and you’re going to make an amazing Queen. When you’re ready, your country will stand behind you when you tell them.”
“You think so?”
“Just remember one thing: if they don’t, they’re still stuck with you.” She laughed, and Elin joined her. “But yes, I think they will.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Elin said.
“I am a mother first. And I will always be your mother first, Elin. No matter how many titles you have; I’m your mother.”
Elin nodded at her. Then, her mother kissed her forehead, and Elin felt safe and comforted for the first time in a very long time.
CHAPTER 19
“Can you get that? I’m at a pivotal stirring point here,” Sarah Anne said.
“Are you expecting someone?” Ingrid asked.
“No. You?”
“No.”
“Maybe it’s a package or something.”
“Why wouldn’t they just leave it at the door?”
“I don’t know, Ingrid. Why don’t you open the door and ask them?”
Ingrid rolled her eyes at her sister and then opened the front door.
“Elin?” she said. “Oh, shit… Your Majesty.” Ingrid cupped her hand over her mouth at her outburst.
“What?” Sarah Anne said from their kitchen.
“Hi,” Elin greeted as she stood there on the other side of Ingrid’s apartment door. “May I come in?” she asked.
“Of course. I–”
“I have to let them come in first just to make sure it’s safe, but they’ll leave right after,” Elin added.
“What?” Ingrid asked, still not fully grasping the fact that the Queen of Norway was standing outside her door.
“Security,” Elin explained, pointing at two men who were standing behind her and off to the side.
“Oh, my God!”
Ingrid looked behind her to see her sister standing there, gawking at Elin.
“I’m sorry. I should have called,” Elin said. “You’re busy.”
“No, this is just my sister.”
“Hey,” Sarah Anne said.
“It’s nice to meet you. Sarah Anne, right?” Elin asked Sarah.
“Yeah. I mean, yes, Your Majesty.”
Elin smiled at Ingrid and then said, “Well, can I come in, or should I come back another time, or–”
“Come in,” Sarah Anne answered.
“Come in, Ma’am,” Ingrid added.
The two security guards walked in first. They made their way around the apartment, looking inside both Sarah Anne and Ingrid’s rooms – which, Ingrid realized, weren’t exactly clean, and then left the apartment after nodding to Elin. She walked into the apartment, and Ingrid closed the door behind her.
“Oh, shit!” Sarah Anne yelled and rushed back into the kitchen. “Sorry, I meant to say, ‘Your Majesty’ after that.”
“What’s going on?” Elin asked.
“She’s cooking dinner, and she’s at a very pivotal stirring point or something. It’s a chef thing, I think,” Ingrid replied.
“Oh, I should let you eat your dinner. I really should have called. I don’t know what I was thinking, honestly.”
“It’s okay. Admittedly, I never expected you to come to my apartment, but is everything okay, Ma’am?”
“Everything’s fine, yes,” Elin said.
“Would you like to sit down? I can make tea. I have Earl Grey, I think.”
“I drank the last one!” Sarah Anne yelled from the kitchen.
“Then, I have no tea to offer you,” Ingrid added. “I have coffee, though. I know you normally don’t drink it, but–”
“We have wine. I brought a good bottle home from the restaurant last week,” Sarah Anne said. “Don’t worry, I paid for it, Your Majesty.”
Elin laughed a little at Ingrid’s sister and turned back to Ingrid.
“I’ve interrupted dinner with your sister; I think I should go. But I was hoping to talk to you, Ingrid.”
“You didn’t interrupt. I’m making enough food for an army. That’s a chef thing. I can set a plate for you,” Sarah Anne said.
“No, I couldn’t intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be; I just invited you, Your Majesty.”
“You can say ‘Ma’am’ now, Sarah,” Ingrid told her.
“What?”
“It’s ‘Your Majesty’ at first and then ‘Ma’am’ after that,” Elin explained. “But I’m in your home, and I stopped by unannounced, so feel free to call me Elin.”
“Ma’am, we–”
“Please, Ingrid,” Elin interrupted.
“If I call you Elin, will you stay for dinner?” Sarah Anne asked.
“Only if Ingrid agrees, too,” Elin replied, smirking at Ingrid.
“I’ll open the wine,” Ingrid stated.
“Great,” Sarah Anne said happily. “I just need five more minutes, and we’ll be ready. Have a seat anywhere.”
Elin sat down on the sofa, which Ingrid wished was in better condition.
“What are you doing?” Ingrid whispered to her sister in the kitchen as she opened the wine.
“What are you talking about?”
“You just invited her for dinner, and now she feels obligated to stay,” Ingrid scolded.
“She doesn’t seem obligated to me. What did she come here for?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know because you were too busy asking her to stay for dinner and offering her wine.”
“You offered her tea first.”
“Which you drank, apparently,” Ingrid muttered, popping the cork. “Is this even good wine?”
“It’s the second most-expensive at the restaurant. It’s my favorite, so I bought it for myself, and I’m being kind enough right now to share it with you and the freaking Queen on our sofa right now.”
“Oh, God… There are rings on our table from when you don’t use coasters,” Ingrid remembered.
“The magazines are covering them up, though,” Elin said from her spot in the living room. “I actually have really good hearing. I probably should have warned you.”
“Oh, my God!” Sarah Anne laughed.
“And I don’t need fancy wine,” Elin added. “Water is fine for me.”
Ingrid glared at her sister and turned to head into the living room to hand Elin a glass of wine. She sat down next to her with reddened cheeks.
“You can probably tell we had no idea you’d be coming over and that we’ve never had anyone important in this apartment before, huh?” Ingrid asked.
“Ingrid, it’s my fault,” Elin told her, shrugging a shoulder. “I really should have called. I just don’t think I’ve ever called you before, and I thought showing up would be better. I knew you lived with your sister, but I thought she was a chef and she’d likely be working.”
“I have tonight off!” Sarah Anne yelled from the kitchen.
“Like I said, I can come back another time,” Elin said to Ingrid.
“Dinner’s ready,” Sarah announced. “I hope you’re not a vegetarian.”
“No, I’m not. I don’t think that’s allowed in Norway,” Elin joked. “Every other meal is herring, isn’t it?”
Ingrid loosened up and laughed a little at Elin’s joke. They moved to the kitchen table, with Elin carrying her wineglass with her. Ingrid watched as Elin set her glass down on the table and then pulled out a chair Ingrid assumed would be for herself, but then she motioned for Ingrid to sit there instead.
“This is your chair, isn’t it?” Elin asked.
“How did you know I usually sit here?” Ingrid asked.
“That chair has coffee with cream in it in front of it, so I assumed it was Sarah Anne’s,” Elin replied. “And this one has the newspaper sitting in front of it. I assumed it was yours.”
“Move the paper, Ingrid. I’m bringing over hot plates here,” Sarah Anne said.
Ingrid picked up the paper and placed it on the kitchen counter before she sat down in the chair Elin had pulled out for her. Elin sat in the chair next to her at their small round table. Sarah Anne placed plates in front of both of them at the same time. Then, she sat down herself, moved the old coffee cup, and poured a glass of wine for Ingrid and one for herself.
“So, what brings you here?” Sarah Anne asked.
“To be honest, it’s something I need to talk to your sister about in private.”
“I can eat in my room,” Sarah Anne offered.
“No, of course not,” Elin replied. “We can speak later,” she said, turning toward Ingrid.
Ingrid nodded at her, wondering what the Queen would want to talk to her about. It likely had to do with Ingrid’s resignation, but if Elin was here trying to get Ingrid back at the palace, Ingrid wasn’t sure what she’d do. This was really going out of her way to try to get Ingrid to be her private secretary again.
“Well, I’m not the royal chef, but I hope you like it,” Sarah commented.
And Ingrid thanked the Lord for her sister because she was carrying the conversation that Ingrid couldn’t seem to find a way to participate in. They ate for several minutes while Sarah asked Elin a million questions about being a Princess and now, a Queen. Ingrid mainly just sat there in silence and watched Elin, finding her jawline striking, her hair perfect, and her eyes mesmerizing. Her smile was infectious, and her laugh made Ingrid want to be the one responsible for it.
