Chapter 3
I'd never seen anything like it. Remember, I'd been to some pretty amazing places, but this… this was a whole new level of classy. Well, it was Buckingham Palace, after all.
"May I take you coat, Ms Bishop?" a saggy faced butler bowed his head slightly as I entered what seemed like a massive lobby. I hadn't a clue what it was actually for.
"Thank you." I muttered as he slid it off my shoulders and carried it away, out of sight. I almost smiled at the thought of the Queen's cloakroom.
"That's what I call good service. Even Marcus draws the line at that." Hale slung his arm around my shoulders lazily, and together we followed a very smartly dressed man through a big archway into what looked like a vast, empty room. We walked straight across to the doors at the end, through corridors and hallways and more massively pointless rooms to finally come to a stop in front of two grand, oak doors. The fact that I had no idea where I was in the building and that I had no idea how to get out again made me uncomfortable, but my curiosity of what was behind the doors was too strong to walk away from.
"Here we go." Hale's arm tightened around me as they swung open to reveal another empty room.
But it wasn't empty.
"Ms Katerina Bishop, Your Majesty. And Master Hale the Fifth." The man announced as – weakly – we stepped forward onto the carpet, facing… that's right… the Queen.
"Your Majesty." Awkwardly, I gave a little bow. Hale snorted beside me, but he went quiet when I discreetly gave him a dead arm. No one moved. No one spoke. It was safe to say, it was the most awkward experience of my life.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms Bishop. I've heard all about you and your… adventures." The Queen turned to the smartly dressed man, "We will be requiring some tea and biscuits, please, James." With a polite nod, he left the way we came.
"Ms Bishop, Master Hale the Fifth… we have a lot to discuss. Do you like scones?"