Royal Matchmaker
Chapter Six
Paying no attention to what it was doing to the knees of his impeccably pressed suit trousers, Ianto Jones was crawling around on the floor, moving from one piece to another of the dozens of papers and photographs that covered the beautiful hand-knotted rug. As he muttered to himself, he scribbled another note on yet another of the colourful Post-It notes that littered the papers like bright jewels.
There was a knock at the door and as he rearranged several photos, he called out, "Come in!"
The door swung open and Jack was treated to the surprisingly enticing view of his matchmaker's pin-stripe-clad bottom waving at him as Ianto reached out and slapped an orange sticky note to a photo. Glancing over his shoulder, Ianto was startled to see Prince Jack standing there, grinning at him.
"Oh!" Ianto scrambled to his feet, "Your Maj… erm… Your Highness!" He was suddenly very aware that his tie was askew, his waistcoat was hanging from the arm of a chair and that he was in his stocking feet.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," the prince tore his gaze from Ianto and looked at the multitude of paper covering the twelve-hundred-year-old rug.
"No, no, of course not!" Ianto waved his arms around the room, suddenly realising that he had papers and pictures on nearly every surface. "I apologise for the mess. It just umm… it got really uh… drafty in here… and whoosh…!" His voice faded away and he could feel a blush climbing his cheeks as he heard how silly he sounded.
Jack tried to hide his smile; seeing the normally oh-so-properly buttoned up Ianto Jones decidedly dishevelled and discombobulated was actually quite endearing. "May I come in?"
"Yes, yes, of course!" Ianto flapped his arms again, fervently wishing they would stay at his sides where they belonged. "Please."
Closing the door behind him, Jack walked toward the centre of the room, looking around, seeing Tosh's map on the back wall. "My, you really have turned this place into a war room, haven't you?"
Embarrassed, Ianto nodded.
"Which is why I'm here. I am hoping we could start fresh; I realise I may have come across a tad curt," he admitted.
"Thank you," Ianto heaved a deep sigh of relief. "I accept your apology."
"That wasn't an apology," Jack shook his head. "It was an observation."
Ianto smiled, "So, you're taking back your apology?"
Prince Jack of Boeshane suddenly found himself at a loss for words and realised that he was doing a very good impression of a goldfish.
Thinking how cute Jack was when flustered, Ianto cut the man some slack. "Perhaps we were both a little prickly," he offered.
Taking the olive branch, Jack stepped closer to the fireplace, taking care with each step not to trod of Ianto's paperwork. "See, life as a prince," as he gathered his thoughts he unconsciously struck a perfect pose, one hand on the mantel, one in his trousers pocket, "can cause a person to live their life somewhat guardedly."
"Yes," Ianto agreed as he leaned back against the desk. "That's a very common thing for celebrities, public figures…"
"I don't expect sympathy," Jack explained, "it's just that my life is a different kind of normal, one I think unfortunately you will never understand." Sadness crept unexpectedly into his voice.
"Thank you for that, for this glimpse of who you really are," Ianto gestured with his pen. "It makes my job so much easier."
Feeling frustrated, Prince Jack stepped away from the mantel and sighed deeply, wondering if Ianto had truly understood what he had tried to say.
"So, does this mean you're willing to play ball now?"
Despite himself, Jack smiled at Ianto. "Let's take it one day at time for now, shall we?"
"Okay," Ianto was struck by an idea. "How about tomorrow? I could follow you around through your daily activities, sort of an informal tag-along?"
Suddenly finding the idea of spending the day with Ianto quite appealing, Jack grinned. "I think that can be arranged."
"Great!" Ianto threw his arms out and exclaimed, "Jack and Ianto's big day out!"
Jack's eyes followed Ianto's arms, noticing for the first time that he had his shirt sleeves rolled up and that his forearms were very… interesting. He laughed lightly. "You make it sound like a musical," and he laughed again.
"You should do that more often," Ianto told him softly.
"What, laugh?"
"Yeah," Ianto stepped closer to him. "It lights up your whole face!"
"Huh…" No one had ever said that to Jack before and he pondered Ianto's words, knowing he'd be thinking about them many times to come.
"I may make a true believer out of you after all." Ianto's voice was warm as was his smile, and Jack noticed his eyes were sparkling mischievously. It occurred to him that until now, the Welshman's eyes had always been the colours of a storm at sea. Now, they were a clear sky-blue and his smile was the sun and Jack filed that image away to examine later.
Shaking his head, Jack opened the door and just as he left the room he looked back to see Ianto still smiling at him as though they were friends who'd just shared one of those 'ah-hah' moments he'd heard about. It gave him a sense of pleasure he'd not felt since his mother had passed away.
Jack slid his notecards together and turned toward the larger-than-life-size bust newly erected in the town centre. "And so without further ado, in dedication to this statue, I would like to thank the National Arts Committee for their continued hard work, vigilance and passion…" He glanced at his notes and then tossed them onto the lectern with a slight grimace. Leaning forward on his hands, he addressed the sparse crowd – mainly Committee members and press – in his own words. "A passion which was handed down to me from my mother, the late Queen Cristina, whose impact and memory has never faded from my heart or that of our beloved country."
As a face amongst the crowd, Ianto watched the change come over Jack when he decided to forego the officially prepared speech and speak from his heart; his face became more animated and there was a sparkle in his eyes that hadn't been there seconds before. 'He even looks a wee bit… relaxed, for want of a better word.'
"So, on behalf of the Royal Family, we remain in debt to the dedicated individuals…"
Ianto was so intent on watching Jack that when Tosh hurried up to him and grabbed his arm he barely concealed a small squeak of surprise.
"How's it going?" she mouthed and got a nod and big smile in response.
"…who time and time again put the greater good ahead of their personal interests." He smiled warmly first at the crowd and then at the statue, and Ianto was struck yet again by how open a smile made him look, how welcoming and even, dare he say it, younger.
As applause broke out Ianto noticed that Tosh was beaming at him and he became curious. "Did you find something?"
Toshiko clasped her hands together and tried to contain her excitement. "Yes!" She reached into her bag and withdrew a photograph, hand it to Ianto. "Thanks to some clues from our valet." She cast a shy but admiring glance at Owen, and while Ianto studied the picture, one of the two female journalists spoke up.
"Prince Jack, the world wants to know will His Highness be bringing a date to the upcoming Jubilee Ball?"
Slightly uncomfortable with the direction the questions might be taking, Owen paced over behind the prince, standing at his right shoulder, a move which told the press that the interview was over.
"Erm… there are no plans as yet," Jack answered, knowing Ianto was standing just twenty feet away but refusing to look at him.
"Thank you!"
Both women immediately began writing something in their notebooks without taking their eyes off him, both wearing the same besotted expressions on their faces, clearly saying that they had enormous crushes on him, and probably had since they were teenagers.
Jack barely refrained from rolling his eyes; 'I could have told them I'm bringing a twelve-foot-tall Q'Lactorian Pus Monster to the ball and they'd still think I'm the most marvellous thing in the entire quadrant.'
As another round of applause broke out, Ianto's brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed slightly as he thoughtfully considered the photo, and then he looked at Tosh. "Go back to the palace and we'll talk about the candidates later, okay? This is great work!"
"Okay," Tosh nodded her head and stole another glance at Owen and when he met her eyes, she offered him a shy smile. "Sounds good, thanks," and she rushed off again, hoping she'd soon see the prince's valet there.
Ianto hid the picture behind his back as he strolled over to where the prince and Owen had their heads together, talking about something in low tones and he respectfully cleared his throat, not wanting them to think he was eavesdropping. Owen quickly walked away while Jack turned to regard him.
"So, welcome to my world," Jack waved his hand around the square.
"You seem to handle them with ease," and he nodded towards the two journalists who were standing a short distance away, just watching Jack, as though he were going to do something absolutely amazing and truly newsworthy at any moment.
"I had a great teacher," Jack acknowledged with a brief bow of his head. "My mother seemed to know exactly how to charm the press." He smiled fondly as the memory of standing by her side as a little boy, watching as she addressed her people, radiating warmth and genuine pleasure at seeing them all gathered there popped into his mind.
In a more serious tone, he asked, "So, what did you think of my speech?"
"I liked it," Ianto nodded. "I was moved when you spoke about your mother – your love for her so evident – and…" he lowered his voice and stepped in closer to Jack, "did you ditch your notecards?"
"Sometimes it is better to speak from the heart." That was another lesson he'd carried away from his time spent with his mother.
"Yes, especially when it's someone you care for, I get it."
"Scripted formal speeches make me feel confined," Jack confided.
A little lightbulb went off in Ianto's brain. "Is that the reason you travel so much perhaps?"
Jack smiled, as though knowing exactly what Ianto was thinking. "I also make official appearances when I'm out of the country."
"Yep." Ianto popped the 'P' in a way that Jack suddenly found quite endearing. "Yes, I do know that and you make some unofficial ones as well." There was a coy, teasing tone to his voice. "I've discovered something else that you do from the heart…" he pulled the picture from behind his back and showed it to Jack. "This is a photograph of you putting a roof on a schoolhouse in the Southern High Himalayas of the Locathran Province last year…"
Jack saw a picture of himself surrounded by children as he held his mobile phone high and took a selfie of the group. He was almost unrecognisable, looking scruffy and rumpled and thoroughly relaxed and happy.
"…and you did the same thing in West Monooga and there's plenty more where this came from, I hear. Honestly, it's a miracle you kept this out of the press."
Suddenly very uncomfortable with the subject at hand and more than aware that the ladies of said press were hovering nearby, Prince Jack reappeared. "Yes, that is the tricky part, but I've learned to keep under the radar."
Ignoring the warning look on Jack's face, Ianto lightly slapped Jack's chest with the photo. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded. "This is the kind of stuff I need to know!"
Jack frowned deeply and narrowed his eyes. "I am a little perplexed about how all this factors into finding one a mate."
Slipping the picture into his inner jacket pocket, Ianto explained, "The more I know about you the easier it is for me to find out who you belong with. It all factors into who you are."
"Is that so?" Jack regarded Ianto for a moment and then noticed Owen returning to stand just a few feet away. Turning and beginning to walk away, making Ianto quickly join him, he sighed, "So, tell me, what do you see?"
Ianto took a moment to compose his thoughts. "I see someone who is empathetic, who likes to work with his hands, and who really does want to help people."
Behind them, Owen collected the discarded notecards from the lectern and slipped them into the small leather binder he always carried with him when the prince was out in public; it contained Jack's schedule, notes on who he was going to meet, topics to discuss with them, and even a few titbits to use if conversation lagged. He was prepared for every eventuality; after all, he'd been looking after Jack since he was eighteen years old and he'd been formally assigned at the prince's valet shortly before they went off to university together. In addition to earning a degree in Fine Arts, Owen had performed all his proper duties as the prince's valet. Now, he followed Jack and Ianto at a discrete distance as they strolled along the cobblestone street.
"Mmmm," Jack agreed, "it was one of my mother's passions," and the light was back in Jack's eyes. "When I was young I travelled the world with her, visiting impoverished villages, trying to draw attention to the plight of the less fortunate." They were approaching the Hover and the chauffer quickly opened the door and then stood waiting.
"That's admirable, but why don't you do that in your own backyard?"
Jack snorted in a very un-princely-like way. "Because whenever I attend it becomes less about the cause and more about me." There was a slightly resentful tone to his voice. "If I'm halfway around the world, no one knows who I am." He dismissed his driver with a nod and held the door for Ianto.
Ianto paused before getting into the Hover. "So why don't you not call the press and don't put it on your schedule but just show up and make a difference?"
"You make it sound so easy," Jack cocked an eyebrow at him. "Try walking a mile in my shoes…"
"I would, but the Hover is so close," Ianto interrupted teasingly as he slid into the vehicle with a wicked smile, leaving Jack standing there holding onto the door with a bewildered but intrigued smile on his face.
Suddenly Ianto popped back out of the Hover, exclaiming, "Wait! Let's make an unscheduled stop!" and then he was gone inside the vehicle again.
"Erm… where are we headed?" Jack tried to get in as well only to find Ianto occupying his half of the bench seat.
"It's a surprise!" Ianto announced with an almost irritating cheerfulness, sliding over and settling into his seat.
Frowning deeply, Jack entered the Hover and fastened his seatbelt as the driver rushed around the Hover and closed their door.