Royal Matchmaker
Chapter Twelve
Even though the ball was more than a day and a half away, Tosh was excited. "Hey, Ianto, it feels like the Jubilee Ball is in few hours," she announced as she finished removing all the pins, sticky notes and string from her map and putting them away and as she carried the board over to set it against the wall she heard the definite sounds of sniffling and moaning coming from Ianto's room.
"Oh, you're not getting sick, are you!" she exclaimed as she entered the room.
Seeing her, Ianto pulled the covers up over his head.
"Hey, why are you still in bed?"
Ianto moved the sheet down just enough to look at her. "I'm in love with Prince Jack," he moaned pitifully.
Tosh was dismayed to see fat tears start spilling over from his eyes. His face was puffy and his eyes were red-rimmed; he'd clearly been crying for a while. She wanted to crawl into bed with him and hug him until the pain went away but instead, she nodded.
"Yeah," she responded matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean, 'yeah'? Is it obvious?"
"Yes…"
Ianto was horrified. "Does everybody know?" His eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, do you think he knows?"
Tosh tried not to smile.
"Oh, no, no, no!" Ianto threw his hands over his face. "This cannot be happening!"
"Why not?"
"Because this is what I do!" Horror changed to indignation. "Because I'm a professional!" Indignation was replaced by realisation. "Or at least I was a professional until yesterday afternoon when he kissed my hand and everything just went…!"
"Wait!" Tosh interrupted. "He kissed you?!"
"He kissed my hand but it was to thank me for introducing him to Petra, the woman that we found," Ianto gestured between them, "the woman that he loves. He loves her…" he declared and then he pointed at himself, "and not me!" A fresh flood of tears began as he flung his head back into the pillows.
Tosh gave him a look that if he'd seen it would have told him he was being an idiot, but instead she said, "Just because you're the King of Hearts doesn't mean you're not allowed to have one."
Ianto responded by blowing his nose loudly into the wad of tissue he held.
"Besides, it's not really your fault," Tosh twisted her fingers together nervously. "You have a ninety-eight-point-five index compatibility with him."
That got Ianto's attention. "What!" He threw his tissues at the wastepaper bin and had a mini-tantrum, kicking his feet beneath the covers and flinging his head back into the pillows again. "Why did you tell me that?!"
"Sorry," Tosh grimaced, "I was just so curious."
Unable to formulate a coherent sentence, Ianto pulled the covers up under his chin and decided he wasn't getting out of bed until it was time to leave, 'and even then, I might just go home in my pyjamas,' he silently declared.
"Ianto, you can't just leave these feelings bottled up inside," Tosh tried to be helpful.
That got his attention and he sat up. "Oh, yes I can and I intend to because I told Jack I want him to be happy and I really mean it." Ianto's voice began to choke up again.
Tosh sat down on the side of the bed and plucked at the duvet cover. "Listen, you always tell our clients they have to let their guard down if they want to fall in love, right?"
Ianto shrugged.
"Maybe it's time that you do the same," she told him earnestly.
Just as he was going to answer her, Ianto heard his mobile bleep, indicating that a text had just come in. Pulling it out from under his pillow, he activated the screen, read the message and chuckled ironically. Waving the phone at her, he explained, "He has just invited me to join him as he introduces Petra to the king."
Tosh gaped at him for a moment. "Oh…"
"Yeah."
"Well, what are you going to do?"
Ianto flung his arms out wordlessly, his face clearly saying, "What else can I do?"
Accompanied by Jack and Petra, King Franklin led the way as they strolled through the palace gardens. The day before the Jubilee Celebration had dawned bright and clear, and as the trio walked along, they breathed in deeply the crisp, clean morning air.
"Your Majesty, you seem to love the outdoors as much as your son," Petra broke the comfortable silence they'd been enjoying.
"I wish I could say I was as active as he is," the king smiled ruefully.
Jack chuckled. "He's being modest; the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
As they stepped onto a long wooden bridge with beautifully carved railings, the king let go a sigh. "His mother and I used to come to this very bridge to bask in the natural splendour of the lake." There was a note of sadness to his voice and for a few moments, his eyes lost their sparkle.
It was indeed a beautiful place, the lake placid in the absence of any breeze, its mirror-like surface reflecting the sky and clouds above; the lake shore was full of trees, some still holding on stubbornly to the last of their fall colours while others were bravely budding out in the spring sun. Lake Boeshane itself was immense, oval-shaped and thousands of feet deep.
"They say the heart may heal but the scar never goes away." Franklin gazed out over the water, unable to meet his son's eyes.
Determined to lighten the suddenly gloomy mood, Jack paused his walk and said, "Like Mother, Petra is a supporter of the arts and a humanitarian."
Petra turned to the king and with a very smug look on her face which the monarch found a tad unpleasant, told him, "I believe it is my duty to use my title and position to help those less fortunate."
'Well, doesn't that just sound a tad rehearsed.' The king smiled at her, although this one didn't reach his eyes. "Ahh… putting the 'noble' into 'nobility'." He patted her on the shoulder. "Petra, would you excuse us for a minute?"
Unsure whether this was a good thing or a bad, Petra nodded graciously. "Of course, Your Majesty." She began walking back toward the edge of the lake while the king and his son continued across toward the boathouses.
Checking over his shoulder that Petra couldn't hear them, Jack asked, "So…?"
"Well, she's an absolute delight," the king began, "seems positively taken with you." He stopped and looked his son in the eye. "Tell me, though, can you see her as your future queen?"
Jack hadn't been expecting such a direct question and he hedged, "This is all so new to me, and I'm still trying to work things through. But I won't lie to you, my head is in a bit of a spin."
Franklin nodded in agreement. "Love has a way of doing that. At times it makes fools of us all." He smiled warmly at his son as he tapped Jack's chest, right over his heart, "but the real fool is the one who fails to heed its calling."
Summoned by Owen's almost-but-not-quite-frantic phone call, Ianto and Tosh walked quickly through St James Community Centre to find him, Rudy and Gwen standing in the back hallway staring up at the ceiling.
Looking up as well, they saw a large patch of discoloured plastering that had been pulled away, revealing the wooden slats above, some of which had been broken away by the workmen. "What happened?" Ianto exclaimed.
"One of the workers found some rot in the attic space," he smiled at her. "They've sent an inspector to check it out; I think he's in the basement now."
"Well, how bad is it?" Tosh smiled back, tickled by the warm feeling he gave her.
Working hard to hide her sudden dislike of the woman she now realised was her rival for Owen's affection, Gwen crossed her arms over her chest. "Worse than you can imagine. They say there's so much structural damage that the place has been deemed unsafe."
"Unsafe?" Rudy turned to Gwen, filled with the fear of a child that he might lose his second favourite place in the kingdom, home being first, naturally. "How?"
Gwen turned a cloyingly sweet smile on the little boy, hoping Owen would see how good a parent she could be to a motherless little boy. "The roof is in danger of collapse, so until repairs are made, we have no choice but to shut down."
"What!" Truly alarmed by this horrible turn of events, Rudy turned to his father. "You can't let that happen! Dad, Prince Jack promised to help us."
"Yes, and he has," Owen shrugged, feeling Tosh's touch his arm briefly in support. "But somethings are out of even his control."
Tears prickled Rudy's eyes as he declared, "Well, if he can't help us, no one can!" and he pushed between Ianto and Tosh to run off down the hall.
With a deep sigh of helplessness, Owen turned to follow his son only to be stopped by Toshiko.
"Let me go?"
Owen gave her a silent nod and as he looked at Ianto, he missed the death-glare Gwen sent Tosh's retreating figure.
"Isn't there anything Jack can do?" Ianto asked, although he was pretty sure the answer would be no.
"Well, he has tried to convince the Board of Governors, but they won't budge." Even as Owen spoke, a chunk of plaster, partially dislodged by the inspectors earlier, fell from the edge of the ceiling's hole, as if proving that the Board was right.
"But he's the prince," Ianto protested.
"Yes, he is," Owen nodded, "but this is a constitutional monarchy, which means that Parliament controls all the properties in the kingdom."
Ianto shook his head. "I cannot imagine Jack just letting all this slip through his hands." He pulled out his mobile to check the time.
"Unfortunately, his hands are tied." Owen shook his head sadly; no one knew better than he did how much pleasure and fun the children had at the centre. As a child, Owen had spent many, many hours at St James; it had been a home away from home when his father had been too busy serving as the king's butler to spend time with him. He'd vowed back then that one day his own children would enjoy visiting the community centre but it would not be a substitute for the companionship of a loving parent.
He noticed the frown on Ianto's face. "Let me guess, the prince awaits?"
"Yes," Ianto put the phone back in his coat pocket, glanced up at the hole in the ceiling and offered Owen a grim smile. "Yes, he does, and impatiently. Excuse me." He hated to leave Owen and the centre but duty called, and one did not ignore a royal summons from the prince.
As he passed through the arts and crafts room heading towards the exit, he noticed that Tosh had calmed Rudy down and they were seated at one of the tables while Rudy drew on a large piece of card stock. Catching Tosh's eye, Ianto nodded toward the door and kept walking albeit slower than a moment ago.
"I think you have enough time to finish your picture before you have to come home," Tosh told him softly, "so, at dinner tonight, you can show me, all right?"
Rudy nodded as he continued to draw, using dark crayons and coloured pencils rather than the bright cheery colours he normally favoured.
Gwen was hovering nearby, and after giving her a quick smile – she still had no idea the woman hated her very guts – Tosh reluctantly stood and followed Ianto, her eyes roving everywhere as she walked, making memories just in case she never returned.
It was cold and dark as Jack paced the upper garden, his breath soft white clouds as he exhaled. A sound on the steps had him turning to see Ianto approaching.
"You wanted to see me, Your Highness?"
"Yes." Jack's face had a severe frown.
Ianto gave him a brief smile. "I realise I was… uh… missing today."
"And at a crucial juncture in my romantic future," he scolded.
"I'm sorry," Ianto shook his head. "I didn't think it was my place."
Jack didn't understand. "I needed you there for the introduction to the king!" Seeing the look of surprise on Ianto's face, Jack realised he'd been a little too emphatic. "I'm sorry if that sounded a bit cross but… Erm…" He turned away and waved his hand towards his head. "I'm… my head is just spinning!"
"Why?" That was one of the last things he expected to hear the prince say. "I thought things were going well with Petra."
Jack spun back around to face him. "They are, but come on, Ianto! I am about to make the biggest decision of my life."
Seeing the scared little boy, the unsure teenager, the sceptical man looking at him Ianto had to fight to keep from rushing forward and wrapping his arms around Jack, giving him a big comforting hug. Instead, he tried to reassure him, hiding his own emotions behind words.
"Yes, and I've given you everything I can!" Ianto stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and clenched them into fists. "I've given you personality indexes and charts and chemistry and beyond that it's really just up to how you feel inside."
"But you're the expert." The prince struggled for the right words. "I need your advice," Jack implored him.
Unable to speak Ianto could only stare into Jack's eyes. His little voice was screaming at him to tell Jack how he felt, consequences be damned but at least he'd have tried. 'Tell him! Tell him!'
"Ianto, please, just tell me what to do."
"I can't," Ianto whispered past the enormous lump in his throat. "Jack, even if I wanted to, I'm your matchmaker. That's my job." Traitorous tears sprang to his eyes. "I want what's right for you."
Jack could feel Ianto's pain and his own heart clutched for a moment; he felt as though something very precious was slipping through his fingers. Swallowing convulsively, Jack shoved his own tears and pain down as he smiled gently. "I thought you'd say that."
Ianto couldn't tear his eyes away from Jack's. He could see that they were becoming red-rimmed, he saw the way Jack pursed his lips as though trying not to say something, and there was a definite downturn to the corners of his mouth. He knew what Jack was going to say before the man even opened his mouth.
"Well then, I've made up my mind." Jack nodded decisively. "Tomorrow at the Jubilee Ball I'm going to propose to Petra." The prince did not look happy in the least little bit.
"That's wonderful, congratulations." Ianto smiled brightly at him, not noticing the one stray tear that slipped down his cheek but Jack did and it took all the self-control he had not to reach out and wipe it away.