Free Seducing the Princess by Mary Hart Perry

less public moment to make his announcement then what were her chances of having any effect on the man?
    “Your Highness, do you wish anything to eat now, or will you wait for family breakfast?”
    Beatrice opened her eyes to find Marie standing over her bed, wearing a compassionate gaze. No doubt the woman had overheard most of her conversation with Henry the night before. Marie probably dreaded the day as much as she did.
    “I certainly can’t eat now. As to family breakfast, we shall see if I am able to choke down a bite or two.”
    Marie pursed her lips and lifted aside the coverlets for Beatrice to rise from bed. “Just because un monsieur asks the favor does not mean Her Highness must agree,” she said.
    Beatrice gave her lady-in-waiting a sideways glance. “I shall remember your advice. But now, you’d best get me dressed. I’ll go straight to my mother and, hopefully, reach her with the news before anyone else does.”
    “ Oui , Princess.”
    Beatrice accomplished her toilette in record time. She let Marie choose a day dress for her. As if reading her mind and hoping to lighten her mood, the young woman selected the least severe of her dark-colored dresses with a pretty ecru lace collar.
    “I heard the queen’s lady moving about next door moments ago,” Marie said.
    “Then we’d best hurry.”
    “I will accompany you of course.”
    “No,” Beatrice said, “that isn’t necessary. Better you stay behind in the room and wait for me to return. I expect I shall need your soothing words when this is all over.”
    Stepping up to the door that separated the two chambers, Beatrice drew a breath for courage and knocked lightly. The vibration of the wood against her knuckles felt almost painful. She swallowed, closed her eyes briefly, knocked again. Her mother’s lady-of-the-bedchamber opened the door with a smile.
    “Good morning, Your Highness. I hope you have slept…um, well?” The look she gave Beatrice said she had only then noticed the circles beneath her eyes.
    “Not very well, but that’s beside the point. Will you and the queen’s other attendants leave my mother and me alone for just a few minutes?” The woman blinked at her, uncomprehending. “Please.”
    “Of course.” The woman curtsied then efficiently cleared the room.
    Beatrice stepped inside the queen’s bedroom as gingerly as if the floor had been made of tissue paper, and she might fall through it at any moment. Her gaze turned to Victoria, seated at a dressing table. She was consulting a silver-backed hand-mirror, touching the string of pearls at her throat as if trying to decide whether they were too pretty for a still-mourning widow to wear.
    She shifted her gaze upward to consult Beatrice’s reflection in the mirror. “Is something wrong, my dear?”
    “Not wrong, exactly.” The words barely escaped her tight throat. “Some information has come to my attention. Happy news, actually.” She might as well try to introduce the duke’s plans in as positive a light as possible. “I thought you might want to hear about it before word got around to the Court.”
    “What news is this?” Victoria turned to fully face her but did not rise from her seat.
    Beatrice took a hesitant step forward. “Mama, you know how very much I loved my sister Alice.”
    “Of course you did, my dear. We still do—as if she were here with us at this joyful time for her precious daughter.” Already her mother’s eyes glistened with emotion. Not a good sign.
    Beatrice swallowed. Twice. “And I’ve come to love my brother-in-law, as I do my own dear brothers,” she added. “The Duke is such a wonderful, deserving man. Is he not?”
    Victoria’s plump face wrinkled in puzzlement. “Yes, he is a good man, though not an angel. It troubles me, some of the things he does in his private life. But we will give him a good talking to, and I’m sure he’ll come around.” The royal we, that is. Oh, dear, another bad sign.
    Beatrice pictured