Finally I got up and threw away the yogurt cup and poured some more coffee. I turned to look at them and sipped from my cup. “Okay.”
“That’s her way of saying tell her what’s going on,” Jess explained.
“Well, I brought you some more information about your arrival in Lilaria. There will be a ceremony to welcome you home. After that there will be a delegation to bring you to the palace to meet Queen Felecia. You’ll be spending the night there before being given a small reception the next day where you will be introduced to some of the other nobility and members of parliament.” She took a breath and I waved my free hand in the air.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m going to be presented to the queen after flying across the Atlantic for hours and hours? What type of plane are we taking? Will I be able to take a shower? I mean, I’m supposed to go meet the Queen of Lilaria just like that?” I turned around and fished through the cabinets. “Shit. I need a bigger cup.” I grabbed the giant mug with the saying I said good day, sir!
“It’s customary that the queen welcome visiting dignitaries or nobles. The fact that you are ‘coming home’ is an even bigger reason for her to invite you to the castle. Prince Alex also asked that you stay at the palace before being taken to your lands. I believe he wants to escort you to your home.” Sarah smiled politely, but I caught the twinkle in her eyes. Apparently my moment with Alex hadn’t gone unnoticed yesterday. Or maybe it was because he had spent the day before with me.
“That’s not necessary. I’m sure he has more important things to take care of.”
Jess glared at me, her nose wrinkled and her mouth pressed into a firm line.
“He was quite adamant.” Sarah smiled again before turning back to her notebook. “Chadwick is going to the Rousseau estate today to make sure everything is ready for your arrival. There has been a steward appointed to the lands while your family was away, so I’m expecting everything has been kept in good shape.”
“What is the Stewards name?” I grabbed the grocery notepad off of the counter and looked in a drawer for a pen.
“Stanley Wessex.” Sarah looked over her notes. “He is in his late fifties and has been in charge of the estate for the last twenty years. I’m sure he will be an extraordinary help when you take over.”
“Or he’ll hate me for taking his job,” I muttered under my breath while scribbling down his name.
“I’ve also set up a secure e-mail for you and arranged for a new cell phone.” She reached into the bag next to her and pulled out a white phone. She rattled off the new number while I quickly copied it down in my notes. “I’ve set it up so the monthly payments will be deducted from your primary account.”
“Will I be able to use this worldwide?” I looked at the iPhone and frowned. I’d been an Android user for years.
“Yes, ma’am. It’s a Lilarian number, so you will have to use the country code when calling a number in the States.” Sarah pulled out some more paperwork. “I e-mailed you the press release we sent out this morning—have you seen it yet?”
“Yeah… That would be a no.” I frowned at her. Apparently I was going to have to start getting up at the butt crack of dawn to keep up with these people.
“Well, here is a copy for you to look over. I also went ahead and sent a contingent to your father’s house. It’s likely there will be some reporters sniffing around for a story.” Sarah looked at me carefully. “Once they realize your father has cancer, I fear it will be a bigger story.”
“I see.” And I did. The Cinderella comment from yesterday would be blown out of proportion when they found out my stepfather was sick. “How do I go about hiring people to stay with him?”
“I’ll take care of that. How many do you think would be appropriate?” Sarah held her pen ready over her pad of paper and looked at me expectantly.
“Um, two?” I swallowed. “So they can take turns and stuff, I guess?”
“That sounds like a good plan. While he will likely have to deal with some of the media, it won’t be as much as you. Not to mention it should calm