just after you for your title. When she told me to shove it, and up my ass, no less,” she says, emphasizing the word in an American accent, “I knew she had the backbone required to survive in this life. Not to mention quite a sense of humor.”
“Sense of humor?”
The ghost of a smile plays on her thin lips. “No one has ever spoken to me in such a disrespectful way as your fiancée has. Not only did she tell me to shove it, she also stormed off, but not before stopping to curtsey.”
I bark out a laugh, able to picture Nora doing that with striking clarity. It’s one of the things that drew me to her from the beginning — her somewhat twisted and irreverent way of doing things to make a point.
“But last week, you encouraged her to leave,” I argue, confused. “Made her think there was no other option. Why are you changing your mind now?” I wave my hand toward the large windows to my right. “Is it because the so-called circus has finally moved on?”
She pulls her brows together in contemplation, then says, “Walk with me for a minute, Gabriel.”
When she offers me her elbow, I loop my arm through it. Creed nods, retreating to my old room to give us privacy. We walk together in silence for several minutes, the only sound that of her evening dress rustling with her steps.
“Watching your grandfather in his role as crown prince, then king, I’ve learned quite a bit. One of the things that stuck out in my mind is that part of being an effective ruler is knowing when you’re wrong and being able to admit your mistakes. When that interview aired and I heard that woman talk about Nora, I knew she was full of shite, pardon my language.”
“Trust me. I understand how difficult controlling your language can be when talking about her mother.”
She smiles, then faces forward once more. “The problem with being groomed almost from birth to hopefully marry someone of royal blood is that we’re not trained to think for ourselves. Once you enter this life, we’re told what to do. If someone were to ask why these rules are in place, they’d say—”
“That’s how it’s always been.”
“Precisely.”
We walk in silence, heading in the opposite direction than we need to be. Or at least my grandmother needs to be. For the first time in a long time, I know where my place is. And it’s not here.
“These past few days, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the game of chess I played with Nora. She’s quite a good player. For an amateur, of course.”
“Of course.”
“As you know, I’ve always loved chess. When I was a little girl, I would watch my brothers and father play. I’d asked to learn several times, but my father refused to teach me. Refused to allow me anywhere near the board. Told me it wasn’t something for girls, especially girls of noble background. I was supposed to study piano, practice my needlework, learn different languages. Things like that to make myself more ‘marketable’ to a husband.”
“It’s so antiquated, like something you’d hear about in the 1800s, not the twentieth century,” I remark, glancing at the centuries-old portraits of the royal family eavesdropping on our conversation.
“This was the 40s and 50s, so gender stereotypes were still happily embraced, particularly in upper-class society. When I asked why, I’m sure you can guess the response I was given.”
“Because that’s the way it’s always been,” I say in an even voice with a hint of annoyance.
“Precisely. But that didn’t stop me from learning about the game in other ways. After everyone went to bed at night, I snuck into my father’s study and read the books he had on chess. Learned about strategy. About different techniques. But since my father didn’t want me to play, I was never able to practice.” She stops walking and faces me. “When I married your grandfather and he shared his enthusiasm for chess with me, I was finally able to put everything I’d read into practice. But do you know what I learned?”
“What’s that?”
“That you can study theory, can study past games, can study openings, mid-games, and end games until your eyes bleed, but there’s always a move you don’t foresee. Some things you can’t prepare for. So yes, when that interview broke and I foresaw the potential ramifications to not only you, but also the monarchy if you were to come forward