Royal Matchmaker

Chapter Eight

The parlour where Ianto chose to conduct his interviews was bright and cheerful, quite homey and welcoming, with a sense of warmth he hadn't really found in any of the rooms he'd been previously. Ianto had a small suspicion that despite the passage of time since Queen Cristina had passed away that this had been one of her favourite rooms. The walls were covered with rose-coloured water-shot silk with a subtle pattern that seemed to change depending on the angle it was being viewed. There were large windows which drenched the room in natural light and there was a distinct absence of the heavy floor-to-ceiling drapery found elsewhere in the palace. The furniture while fairly substantial was light in appearance, the wood painted in a soft cream while the upholstery fabric in a deep shade of rose complemented the walls. The carpeting on the floor was a stunning field of large flowers – some roughly a foot square – in every shade of red imaginable. All in all, it was a stunning effect.

Wanting to keep things casual and friendly, Ianto and the woman he was currently interviewing sat on the same side of the large table, facing one another so that there was no barrier between them. He wanted the women to feel like they were having a conversation with him rather than being interviewed.

"So, do you ever horseback ride, by any chance?" Ianto sipped his coffee.

"No, never," the woman admitted in halting English, "they… so big!"

They both laughed gaily.

Having finally wrestled the radiator free from its mountings and gotten the heavy thing onto a trolley, Jack was wheeling it out to the removal truck when Owen came running down the front steps of St James Community Centre. He thrust a sheaf of papers in front of Jack and handed him a pen.

"Just sign here…" he pointed, "and again, just there."

Rolling his eyes, Jack set the trolley upright and did as requested.

The moment he was done, Owen grabbed his pen back. "Yup, okay, thanks!"

Before Jack the chance to say anything, his valet was off and running, to where Jack had no idea. Shaking his head, he delivered the radiator to the back of the truck and then quickly stepped over to help the removal men lift a rolled-up old rug and other debris in there as well.

As he continued to interview his top nine candidates for Jack's princess-to-be, Ianto chose the area they strolled through in the palace according to the woman's personality; as they chatted amicably and he asked his questions, Ianto took careful note of how the women reacted to their surroundings, to the priceless works of art on the walls, the statuary on tables and pedestals scattered around the many halls. While he detected a slight amount of avarice in two of the women, all in all things were going admirably.

"Thank you for coming," he told the tall brunette, "you should hear something within a week or so." He waited a moment until the footman met her to escort her to the front door and when he turned around to go replenish his tea, he found Owen standing right beside him, as though he'd magically materialised.

"So," he nodded toward the receding figure of the brunette. "Are we any closer to finding a match?" He was dismayed to hear a slight tone of desperation in his voice.

"I hope so," Ianto sighed, "it is a bit of a work in progress," and his eyes suddenly got a wicked twinkle, "kinda like you and Tosh…" and he winked at Owen mischievously as he went back towards the lounge.

Stunned by Ianto's words, Owen couldn't do anything but stand there, trying to figure out how on Cibron Four the man could possibly know that he was developing feelings for Toshiko Sato.

"Mr Jones." Owen's words stopped Ianto at the door and he turned back. "Who exactly is the client here?"

Ianto smiled. "When the spirit moves, I like to offer my services for free."

"Ahh…" Owen pursed his lips, trying not to show his displeasure. "Even when it's not wanted?"

"Sometimes people don't recognise what they want."

"What I want, Mr Jones, is for you to find Prince Jack the woman he's going to spend the rest of his life with. Isn't that why you were hired, because you can find him his 'happily-ever-after'?"

"Well, yes, of course and we will, I promise you," Ianto frowned, "but don't you deserve the same?"

"I had my chance with love and now I have Rudy to love and care for." Owen straightened his shoulders. "But we're discussing the prince. Sometimes he just needs a push in the right direction."

"Well, he's not the only one," Ianto said softly. "What's stopping you from opening up your heart?"

Owen sighed deeply. "Since my wife died I have been wary of putting myself out there again," he reluctantly admitted.

"Of course you have, it's only natural. You want to protect yourself," Ianto agreed as he walked back over to the valet's side. "And protect your son so he doesn't get hurt… that's totally understandable!"

More than a little uncomfortable talking about himself, Owen shifted from foot to foot.

"Owen," Ianto waited until the man was looking him in the eye. "There's still so much more of you to share," and he could see the moment his words registered and Owen's attitude changed. Smiling again, Ianto reached out and clapped him on the shoulder before leaving him alone in the hall.

Owen stood there, a feeling of hope welling up inside him, something he hadn't felt since he'd buried Rudy's mother. Part of him wanted to go in and talk to Ianto some more, to have the man help clarify what he was feeling, but the bigger part of him wanted to keep to his schedule for the day, using his work as a way not to think about it at all. Finally, with a wry smile and a shrug of his shoulders, he hurried off down the hall towards the stairs that would eventually lead him to the kitchen.

Ianto straightened the photographs laid out before him and then grinned with delight. "Our top three candidates." He was inordinately pleased that they'd made so much progress.

"I know!" Tosh enthused and then, "Should I let the others down gently," she asked soberly.

"No!" He shook his head vigorously. "Not until the prince makes his decision. They're all still on hold."

"Okay, then I'll…" Tosh was interrupted by a knock the door. "Come on in," she called out as she and Ianto turned in that direction.

The door opened slowly and King Franklin stepped inside. "Mr Jones?"

"Oh, Your Majesty!" As Ianto hastily straightened his tie he noticed from the corner of his eye Tosh disappearing at a quick march into the other room. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Pardon the intrusion," the King nervously smoothed the front of his jacket. "I was hoping to catch a glimpse of our matchmaker at work." He approached the table and perused the three photos. "So, I presume one of these lovely ladies might strike my son's fancy?"

"Oh, I really hope so. The prince has been quite a challenge…" The King looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Ianto quickly amended his words. "I mean in a good way!"

"Oh, it's all right," Franklin smiled to show there had been offense taken. "So, you are confident that you can find Prince Jack his one true love?"

Ianto turned to face the king head on. "Yes, Your Majesty. If I wasn't I would never have taken the job."

"Good." The King spun on his heel and headed for the door, tossing over his shoulder, "because we are running out of time."

Acutely aware of that fact, Ianto gripped his hands together tightly and clenched his jaw, swallowing down the quick comeback that sprang to his lips.

In the hall above the entry way, Ianto paced anxiously back and forth, back and forth, fiddling with his tie over and over again, and fanning himself with a file. "Oh God, why am I so nervous!" he muttered.

"You are?" Jack appeared startling Ianto. "I am the one going on a date."

Ianto spun to look at him and knew his jaw dropped just a wee bit. Jack looked like a film star headed for the red carpet. His tuxedo was bespoke, naturally, but his tailor had made the suit look like it had been painted on, its fit perfectly emphasising Jack's broad shoulders, then nipping in at the waist, and for some reason, Ianto thought the man's legs were longer than ever. Prince Jack looked every inch the regal heir that he was, and he made Ianto's mouth water.

"You look great," he finally managed to say.

Jack shot his cuffs and walked over to ianto. "So why are you so nervous?"

Ianto shrugged self-consciously. "My whole business is kinda riding on this, on getting this right."

One royal eyebrow shot up. "Silly me, and I've just got the future of the entire kingdom riding on you getting this right."

"You win." With a deep sigh, Ianto forced a smile on his face. "Are you ready?"

"I think so."

"Okay," Ianto gestured for the prince to walk towards the left hall. "Normally, I'd have you do three separate dates, but since we're pressed for time, we're having a cocktail party. Just a simple, get-to-know-you affair, to see if we can find a natural spark." He opened the file and handed Jack the first CV complete with photograph of a handsome brunette. "This is Lillian, she's a countess, happily involved in various charities."

Jack glanced at her picture and was about to read her CV when Ianto handed him the next paper.

"This is Juliette, she is a duchess and uhhh…"

Juliette was blonde, striking the perfect model's pose for the camera.

"…and a poly-sci major," he seemed to rush those words, and "this…" he gave Jack the last paper, the photo attached showing a second brunette. "This is Sascha, she is a sports enthusiast, comes from a very good family…"

"These are all very nice selections," Jack waved his hand at the trio of papers, "but how will I know which one is right for me?" and he gave the papers back to Ianto.

Ianto shrugged. "You'll just… know."

"Says the man who's never actually been in love." He saw the look of sadness pass over Ianto's face and quickly added, "but you've seen it on the faces of your clients, yes, I know."

Into stepped in front of the prince. "It's about butterflies!" he blurted out.

"Butterflies…" Jack repeated slowly, wondering if his matchmaker had just snapped his twig.

"You know, butterf… when you get excited and you meet someone and you go 'errrr'," and to his eternal embarrassment, Ianto waved his arms around and just knew between the weird noise and those flapping arms that he looked like a girl… a really crazy girl. To make matters worse, he couldn't stop himself from reaching out with his finger and poking Prince Jack in the belly as he said, "you know, that 'errrrr', right there?"

Sure that Ianto was either having him on or else he'd had popped off to Crazy Town, Jack tried to appear agreeable. "You mean like indigestion?"

For a split second Ianto considered that answer. "Well, yeah, but no. But happy. It's happy indigestion!"

"Okay, okay… I mean… okay." Jack had no idea what Ianto was talking about but he quickly agreed. "I'll be on the look-out for butterflies."

Relieved beyond measure that he'd made some kind of sense to Jack, Ianto sighed happily. "But don't overthink it, just be yourself and let nature take its course."

"You make it sound so easy." Jack narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Ianto.

"It is easy," Ianto reached out and adjusted Jack's bowtie. "You know, everybody's always asking me, telling me, what is the secret? What is the secret to falling in love and you know the secret? There is no secret." While he was talking, he spun Jack around, settling the shoulders of the tuxedo jacket, brushing down the arms, and then he spun him back and gave him a good once-over look.

"You just open up your heart and let it come to you."

Jack squared his shoulders. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need it, you're going to have fun."

Jack gave him one last look – one which Ianto couldn't decipher – before Prince Jack straightened his shoulders, lifted his chin and opened the door to the lounge.

"Good luck," Ianto added softly, feeling like a proud parent sending his son off to prom. 'All that's lacking is the awkward photo.'