The Royal Romance - You Can't Uneat The Apple

Unfinished sympathy

             

"The curiousness of your potential kiss

Has got my mind and body aching

Really hurt me baby, really cut me baby

How can you have a day without a night?

You're the book that I have opened

And now I've got to know much more"

                                Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

***

January was very long, and very cold. Jen didn't see Maxwell at all.

The new year saw Hana officially move into her new home at Valtoria. She hadn't wanted a fuss, but Jen and Rick took some time away from the palace in mid-January to see how she was settling in and what she had done with the place. It was a modest cottage on the grounds of the Valtoria estate, which had previously been inhabited by the traitorous Gladys. Jen would have been happy for Hana to move into the manor house, but Hana had indicated that she would prefer her own space.

Drake had been helping her move, and he was here today with Jen and Rick for the informal settling-in celebration. Jen had already established from Hana that Maxwell wouldn't be joining them; it really felt like someone was missing once the four of them had got to the end of their preliminary conversation.

"So, no Maxwell this evening?" Rick eventually asked. "I thought he'd have been keen to see your new home."

"Oh, he is," Hana explained politely. "But he's busy tonight. He says he's going to throw me a housewarming party in the Spring."

Drake snorted. "Even he can't mess that up, how many people can you fit in this cottage?"

"Probably more than your poky little room at the palace," Jen retorted.

"I'm sure it will be a fun occasion," Hana said.

"Hoo, yeah. I bet he's planning lasers and a photo booth," Jen giggled.

"He had promised a duchy-warming function for you, I recall?" Rick mentioned. "I'm rather surprised that he hasn't made that happen yet."

"Well, like Hana said, he's a little busy at the moment," Jen said. "With some mysterious scheme."

A slight smile creased the corner of Rick's lips. He so knows what Maxwell's up to. It's got to be about that meeting they had before Christmas. Rick's given him some sort of project, I think, and he's gone all Agent Breakdance about it.

"Pah. More likely some mysterious squeeze," Drake grunted. "He's never this quiet."

Jen bit her lip. "No, because he'd have told me!"

"Ya think, Jones?"

She glared at him. Yes, she did think, actually.

"Well, when he can get here, perhaps after your honeymoon, you'll all have to come over again," Hana said, helpfully diverting the conversation away from Maxwell. "Perhaps Olivia can come over too."

Ugh, perhaps not. Olivia wasn't Jen's favourite person right now, and this was obviously showing on her face, because the conversation soon moved on and away from the Duchess of Lythikos.

***

After a few hours, the evening naturally drew to a close, and Rick and Jen said their goodnights to Hana and Drake (who was staying overnight in the manor house with them) and retired to the duchy's main bedroom. As Jen was removing her makeup and preparing for bed, Rick approached her, clad in just his regally patterned boxer shorts that she'd bought him for Christmas as a joke.