A Royal Entanglement: The Young Royals Book 2 Read Free Page A

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    When the carriage pulled away from the palace steps, escorted by a bevy of police and other security, I herded the rest of the entourage into their respective cars.   We would arrive first, the royal carriage had to make a circuitous journey throughout the streets of Calanais letting the citizens know that a new monarch was about to be crowned, not that anyone was oblivious to the fact.
    Meredith, Savannah, Jeanette, Margaret, Priscilla and myself were driven to the church in a convoy of black BMWs bearing the royal flags and with our own police escort.   The streets were lined with the citizens of Merveille, many who had travelled from the outlying villages to be here for the coronation, and they waved their flags and threw flowers at the cars as we passed.
    Our cars bypassed the line of limousines that were waiting to disgorge their passengers on the steps of the cathedral and headed around the building to the back entrance.   I ushered everyone out and we moved into the church, taking our seats in preparation for the service.   We each had a job to do during the service and I made sure everyone had their itinerary at hand.
    The new Bishop greeted me, the original Bishop had been stood down due to his inappropriate behaviour that had come to light during the recent troubles in Parliament.   The new Bishop was younger, but I had every confidence in him.   I had met with him an interminable number of times in the lead up to today.
    I fidgeted and paced as the cathedral began to fill with the Lords and Ladies of Merveille.   The day seemed to both crawl along and race away unchecked.   It was like being on a rollercoaster.   At the moment I felt like I was in the front of the coaster as we climbed the steep incline, chugging along slowly, and yet I knew that when we reached the top, the coaster would speed down the other side and everything would be out of my control.   I just hoped that all the track had been laid correctly and was secure.
    The entrance music began to play and there was a rustle of clothing as everyone stood and turned to watch our almost Queen walk into the sanctuary.
    I exhaled as the world seemed to pause and with the next breath everything sped up and became a blur.

I watched Alex surreptitiously as the service progressed.   It was long, with many parts and traditional readings and speeches and oaths, but I couldn’t help the way my eyes were drawn to her.   Alex played the part of the puppet master, but to everyone else, she was merely part of the Queen’s entourage.   I knew better.   Like a really good puppeteer, she made you forget about all the strings she was manipulating and drew you into the action on the stage.   But I knew how hard she worked to pull all this together, and I was impressed.   The woman was amazing.
    And she looked breathtaking.   Alexandra was a gorgeous woman, petite, blonde hair, big blue eyes and full lips.   Her gown was a pale blue and strapless, leaving the creamy skin of her shoulders bare.   The skirt was long and full and the side was swept up to reveal an underskirt embroidered with flowers.   It suited her, the gracious and stately outer shell that had a hidden depth.   I really wanted to peel back her layers and find the woman underneath.
    By the time the last oath had been spoken, and the Queen had been crowned, Alex looked exhausted and a little shell-shocked, but there was still a whole lot more to go before the day was over.   We made our way to the carriage which had been changed while we were inside the cathedral and was now an open air carriage.   Will helped Alyssa to climb in and   I climbed in after them and sat beside the Queen with a grin.   It was a little squashed, but it was tradition.   Alyssa wore the crown and her crimson robes had been changed to the royal purple of her station.
    Will stole a quick kiss and I pecked her on the cheek.   I could only imagine how she must be feeling.
    “You doing okay?” I