She’d barely completed the thought when someone knocked on her door. Then she heard Phillip’s voice.
“Hannah, it’s me.”
She rushed to the door before he could open it. As desperately as she wanted to see him, with the wedding less than twenty-four hours away, she couldn’t. It would be bad luck and, honestly, she didn’t need another black cloud hanging over her head.
She opened the door a crack, and stood behind it, so she wouldn’t be tempted to look. “We can’t see each other.”
“I know,” he said, his tone hushed. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m back from the States. I didn’t want you to worry that I might be late for our wedding.”
“How was your trip?”
“Exhausting. I toured ten resorts in five days. I’m glad to be home.”
And she was glad he came home.
“I ran into Sophie downstairs. She said there was a bridal party tonight.”
“It was fun,” Hannah said. “It was nice to see all of my friends again. You’ll meet them tomorrow.”
“Sophie also said that she thought you might be upset about something.”
How could Sophie have known? Hannah had been so careful not to let it show. “Why would she think that?”
“I don’t know. But I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
He was worried about her.
Though it was a small thing, for her, it meant so much. “I’m okay.”
“I’m glad,” he said. And she could hear that he was honestly relieved. “I worried you might be having second thoughts.”
Was he seriously thinking that she wouldn’t marry him? The idea that he could be even the slightest bit unsure made her feel a million times better. It made her realize that she wasn’t in this alone. “Are you?”
There was a pause, then an emphatic, “No. I’m not.”
She smiled. Neither was she any longer. “I’m not either.”
“I missed you,” he said. He sounded a little surprised. Like he hadn’t expected to miss her, but it just…happened.
This was it. This was her sign.
“I missed you, too,” she told him.
“I’m going to get to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
“You, too.”
She heard his footsteps as he walked away, then she closed the door and leaned against it.
The sense of dread she had been feeling all week was suddenly gone. The gush of relief that replaced it was so swift and intense her knees nearly buckled. Tomorrow she’d be Queen Hannah Augustus Mead.
Ten
The next day rushed by in a blur. Hannah was so busy, she barely had a moment to be nervous. And only when the time came to walk down the aisle, did she feel a twinge of sadness. Her father should have been here to give her away. But because there was no one in the world who could ever take his place, she insisted walking it alone.
When she saw Phillip standing at the end of the white runner, stoic and regal in his dress uniform, she felt a dizzying mix of excitement and nerves. And as she walked toward him and their eyes connected—when she saw a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and a dance in the depths of his eyes—a deep feeling of peace washed over her.
The ceremony itself was over quickly, and when the priest introduced them as husband and wife, the guests cheered.
Photographs seemed to take forever, and by the time they were escorted to the ballroom, the reception was already in full swing. Dinner was served shortly after, then they covered all of the formalities like the cutting of the cake and the first dance.
Her mother was her usual clingy self, and beginning to get on Hannah’s nerves, until Sophie swooped in and whisked her away to meet some foreign dignitary.
As lovely as the party was, as much as she enjoyed seeing her friends and family, not to mention hobnobbing with the worlds elite, she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about after the party. When she and Phillip would finally be alone, and free to do whatever they wanted.
She realized that Phillip was thinking the exact same thing when he stepped up beside her and asked, “How soon before we can leave?”
“At eleven o’clock we’re to bid everyone farewell, so we can prepare to leave for our honeymoon.” Even though there wasn’t all that much preparing to do. Her maids had already packed her bags, and she was sure Phillip’s had done the same.
She couldn’t help but think that the instant they left, every single guest was going to know exactly what they were planning to do.
He pulled a pocket watch from his jacket and flipped it open. “It’s ten-fifteen.”
“So we should make the rounds one last time, say our goodbyes and thank-yous.”
He took her arm. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”
They went from group to group, thanking everyone for sharing their special day, hearing more congratulations and good wishes than she could count. There were even a few inquiries of how she felt now that she was officially queen.
“Honored,” was her stock answer. Also terrified and unsure, but she didn’t tell anyone that.
It was five minutes to eleven o’clock and they were saying good-night to the prime minister and his wife, when Hannah had a familiar and unsettling sensation she was being watched. She scanned the room briefly and when she reached the dessert table, her eyes caught on the source.
The dark-haired mystery woman.
She was staring intently at Hannah, this time with open hostility.
What could Hannah have done to a woman she had never even met, to earn such a look?
She wanted to point her out to Phillip, but he was in the middle of a conversation and she didn’t want to appear rude by interrupting him. When she turned to look at the woman again, she was gone.
Hannah looked around frantically, trying to locate her, but it was as if she’d vanished. Like the last time, she even entertained the notion that she’d imagined her.
“Is something wrong?” Phillip asked.
She looked up to see that he was watching her with concern. She considered telling him about the woman, but what good would it do, now that she was gone? She smiled instead and said, “I’m fine. Just looking for my mother so I can say goodbye.”
“Let’s go find her so we can get out of here.”
Hannah was sure the woman was no one, and she
