Royal Ruse - Emma Lea Page 0,82
she thought the palace would expect her to do it for nothing.
“It’s not about the money,” she replied. “Although the money would be good.”
“So what is it, then?” I asked.
I really didn’t understand her reticence. Nearly every person I came into contact with supported the monarchy and what they were trying to do. The people loved Jamie. So many of them thought he’d died with the rest of his family, and having him come back and take his place on the throne was a dream come true. In all my contact with Callie, she’d never once hinted that she didn’t support Jamie and his monarchy.
Callie sighed. “It’s a long story and not really mine to tell.”
“That can’t be true. If it’s stopping you from taking this job, then it definitely is your story to tell. If you’re worried I’ll blab to the palace about it, I promise I won’t. I can keep a secret.”
“You’re really nosey, you know that?” Callie said with a small smile.
“Oh, I absolutely know,” I replied with a grin. “It’s why I’m so good at what I do.”
“And what exactly is it you do?” Callie asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.
“I get people to tell me their secrets,” I replied with a wink.
She smiled and then sighed; the grin falling from her face. “My grandfather was part of the old king’s court,” she said. “It didn’t end well for him, or my parents, and I’m not sure I want to get tangled up with the royal family. I don’t think it would be much good for me either.”
“So your grandfather was Lord Dimakos?” I asked.
She frowned quizzically at me. “How did you know that?”
“It wasn’t hard to extrapolate,” I said and when she didn’t accept my brush off I sighed. “Okay, Elena may have mentioned her parents were friends with a Lord Dimakos.”
“Elena Manolis? Oh yeah, her parents were friends with my grandfather, although frenemies was probably more accurate.”
I fidgeted with my fingers. “You don’t think Elena’s parents had anything to do with…you know?”
Callie shook her head. “No. I know they didn’t. There might have been a friendly rivalry between the members of the court, but they wouldn’t have betrayed one another. The court was tight and loyal.”
“So why won’t you take the job? It would mean enough money for you and your grandmother so you wouldn’t need to keep working constantly doing all the hundred things you do.”
Callie shrugged. “I enjoy doing little things for people. It helps me remember that even though my grandmother and I are doing it tough, there are people who are a lot worse off than us. I like to help where I can and make their lives a little easier.”
“Maybe you could enlist the help of some of the people you know to help you with the job at the palace and then split the money with them?”
She turned her large brown eyes on me and I saw the moment the idea took root. “I never thought of that,” she said.
“So you’ll do it?” I asked.
“I’ll think about it,” she replied.
“Come back to the palace with me this afternoon and meet Meredith—”
“Meet the queen?” Callie asked askance. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of meeting the queen,” I said with a smirk.
“It’s easy for you. You’re engaged to a markissios. Mixing with royalty is an everyday occurrence for you.”
“It’s really not,” I replied, feeling a heavy weight press down on me.
“You have been living in the palace for the last few weeks,” Callie said. “Living in the palace and eating meals with the king and queen. That’s not normal.”
“No, it’s not, and it’s not my normal life either.”
“You and the markissios have been friends for a long time, this can’t be all that unusual for you.”
“The markissios and I, that sounds like the title of a romcom.” I shook my head and smiled sadly. “Back home in Boston, he wasn’t a markissios, he was just Lucas, and while the brownstone I live in with my parents is kind of amazing, a palace it is not. This was just as intimidating for me as it is for you and believe me when I say, you have nothing to worry about. Meredith is lovely and down to earth and I think the two of you would get on like a house on fire.”
“That doesn’t sound like a good thing,” Callie said.
I laughed. “It’s just an expression, and it means you would be friends, probably best friends.”
“You’re not going