Chapter Fourteen: Rain and Showers
"Burning wood releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide," the king's daughter proclaimed, huddling under an umbrella held by a royal guardsman. So far it had rained every day in Scotland. "Fireplaces are less efficient than natural gas, because most of the heat goes right up the chimney!"
There was a spattering of applause, but Queen Jane drew laughter and cheers when she joked that on a day like this a stiff drink in front of a roaring fire sounded quite lovely. Jane had a way with large crowds, and ordinary people adored her. The rainy weather made everyone seem to warm up to her even more.
"Don't worry, Mary. You'll get used to all this in time." A long and luxurious limousine was waiting for the two royal ladies. The moment they were away from all the flashing cameras and prying eyes the queen poured drinks from the built-in liquor cabinet.
"I wish we could have stayed a little longer," Mary complained. She gulped her drink, making a nasty face as it burned her throat. "Most of the grownups in the crowd just wanted to go on snapping pictures of you. But there were some interesting kids there, too. Those girls I met were starting an eco-council at their school!"
"Well, perhaps we can send them a fruit basket in the morning." Jane kicked off her high heels and stretched her long legs, yawning behind slim white fingers. "Goodness, what a long day!"
Mary got why her sexy stepmother was feeling so drained. The two of them had been touring schools and shaking hands all day. But Jane made people smile, and even laugh, while Mary made long speeches about climate change. She was a responsible royal, yet she often felt excluded, left out. Jane was warm. People liked her. Mary sighed and shut her eyes. What a long day!
The next morning, Mary managed to sneak out early and meet with the council of environmentally concerned schoolgirls. Jane was sleeping late and planned to do some shopping later on. Mary would be back hours before her stepmother even woke up.
"I love that shark's tooth you're wearing." The frizzy-haired girl on Mary's left reached right out and touched the polished artefact. None of the girls on the council treated her like a royal. They just thought of her as a kid who cared about climate change.
"Thanks! I got it from this amazing lady scientist I met in France. Her name is Daphne Dumont."
"You know Daphne Dumont?" All of the girls were blown away, and they chattered nonstop about Daphne and her oceanic research. Mary hadn't realized quite how famous she was.
"It's that podcast she does, plus all the undersea videos from her deep dives. You can stream them and watch them anytime."
Mary loved chatting with girls her age. She was happier than she'd been in weeks, and the morning just flew by. When she got back to the royal family's big Scottish manor house, she reckoned she could have a quiet afternoon watching Daphne's videos and learning more about her. Maybe she could even find a way to send her a message!
"Oh, there you are!" Queen Jane had apparently not gone shopping after all. Mary's long-legged stepmother had just stepped out of the shower. Her long golden hair was still wet, wrapped up in a towel like an Indian turban. She was smiling. "Mary, darling, I'm running a little behind today. I'm afraid I overslept! Do you suppose you could cover for me this afternoon? You can take my place at the SAC meeting in Edinburgh."
"Well, I suppose I could, I mean, if you think I'm qualified." Mary didn't know much about the Scottish Arts Council, except that the board was made up of glamorous film stars and sexy celebrities. Why would Jane want to miss meeting them?
"Of course you're qualified! You're a member of the royal family. Run along now, that's a good girl. Rory is taking me out to lunch!"
"Who is Rory?" Mary didn't remember the name of the tall royal guardsman who'd been holding the umbrella over her head yesterday in the rain. But when he stepped out of Jane's private bath with a towel around his waist she recognized him right away.