She gave me a thumbs up for encouragement. Fern mouthed “You got this.” I gulped hard as I followed Auggie and the Queen out of the room.
We walked into a large office decorated in sunny yellow, with a window overlooking the sea. Neither Auggie nor I sat until the Queen took a seat.
“It’s good to see you again,” she told her grandson. “You look well, considering.”
“Considering I’m a depraved rock star, you mean?” he quipped. She did not look amused. “Of course, I mean thank you. As do you, Grandmother.”
She nodded and glanced between us. “This baby that is due in November. Is it a Quinn?”
My eyes shot to Auggie, who sat up straighter in his chair. “It is my son,” he confirmed.
“And what are your plans?”
“We plan to marry on the first of September.”
“And the baby?”
Again, I glanced at Auggie. He didn’t miss a beat. “Jack is due on November 24th.”
“Jack?” she echoed.
“Family name,” he nodded.
“I see.” She sat back in her chair and threaded her fingers together to a point to rest her chin upon. “And what of your promise to me?”
“Things are different now,” he stated simply. “I’m a family man.”
She chuckled. “Is that so?”
“I’m giving up the music. Everything. I want to be everything to my child my father could never be to me.”
“You have a responsibility to Aldayne, Augustine. We are your family, too. Or have you forgotten?”
“I haven’t forgotten anything, Grandmother. I simply don’t want the same fate to befall my son as it did yours.”
The barb hit the mark, but she recovered gracefully. I supposed that was what made her queen. “And what do you suppose will happen to your new family when Cillian Byrne takes over, Augustine?”
I couldn’t help but notice how his jaw clenched whenever the Byrnes were brought up in conversation. It made my stomach knot with dread. “I can start over in America,” he declared. “I have my own money. A lot of it.”
She scoffed. “You really think this is about money? This is about the freedom of your people, the ones who will not survive the change in leadership the same way you will.”
“The people who told me to go back to America? Are those the people you’re talking about?”
“My point exactly,” she said. Though she was clearly angry, her voice was even and controlled. Frankly, that made it that much scarier. “They feel rightfully betrayed. The Byrnes are ruthless. You more than anyone know that.”
He looked away.
“You left to find yourself or whatever it is you wanted to do. You got your happily every after. Good for you. The Aldaynean people are the ones who will have their lives change, and there is no escape. They don’t have your money or your title, just Aldayne. Now, they’ll turn to anyone, believe anything, even when it will turn out so much worse for them. For all of us, Augustine. Surely you haven’t lost your affection for us all?”
“Of course not,” he said softly. “But your choices are not my choices.”
Her gaze slid to me. “Clearly.” She hesitated a moment. “Leave me alone with the girl.”
“The girl’s name is Peaches,” he growled.
Her steely gaze met his. “Her name is irrelevant unless I decide otherwise. Now, let me speak to her alone.”
He glanced at me. I offered a small nod. “I’ll be outside,” he promised.
She waited until the door closed behind him before she turned back to me. “What is your plan in all of this?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Poppycock. Of course, you do. You have a child to protect. I’m a mother too, remember.”
I cradled my tummy. “I want the best for my child. Like any mother. But I want him to be happy, too.”
“Happiness,” she repeated with a humorless chuckle. She got up to look out of the window. “The last time I saw my son, he spoke of happiness. He was willing to die for it.” She turned to me. “Are you?”
Fear seized my heart. “I’d rather live for it.”
“Good,” she said as she rounded the desk. “That means you’re smart. I suspected as much. Surely, you are smart enough to know that Augustine needs to return to Aldayne. You’re an American. You see what’s happening outside these walls. You know what will happen if sovereign rule falls into the wrong hands.”
“You mean Cillian Byrne.”
“Like I said. You’re a smart girl.”
“I can’t change Auggie’s mind.”
“Maybe not,” she conceded. “But you can force his hand.”
“And why would I do that?”
“For your son. Look around you, Peaches. This is the