The Royal Romance

Chapter 15

Having departed from Applewood Manor, Maxwell, Bertrand, and Riley ride in a limo toward the Beaumont estate...

"I, for one, thought Riley's performance at the Applewood events was spectacular."

"Maxwell, she did fine."

"Thanks. Hey, did I miss anything at the country jamboree while I was with Liam? There was a lot going..."

"Not really. It was par for the course... lots of gossiping, lots of mingling, and someone got hit with a racket during the badminton tournament."

"Oof. Ouch."

"Yeah, but the real big news is that a reporter managed to sneak onto estate grounds. You hardly ever get someone who can do that."

"Yes, but she was very quickly caught and ejected. She should've known better than to come to a private event. Now, enough reminiscing... I cannot stress enough the importance of our upcoming fete. The Beaumont Bash is the final event before the coronation, and expectations couldn't be higher."

"Which means we have to throw the best paarrrttttyyyyy!"

"The very reputation of House Beaumont is on the line." Bertrand shuts Maxwell down as Riley tries to hold back her laughter.

"And remember, just like Olivia had the advantage when she hosted the Royal court, now we'll have the upper hand!"

"Are you prepared, Riley?"

"I won't let us down." She clenches her fist and looks up with confidence.

"I suppose that cliched assertion is the only thing I can rely on..."

Suddenly, Maxwell slides across the limo seat to look out the window, "Hey, we're home!"

Gazing out, there are rolling vineyards all the way up to the edge of a large manor. The limo glides to a stop, and Riley hops out.

"Wow... this is some fine estate."

"It's beautiful in all its splendor. Bertrand gazes out and smiles for the first time in a very long time.

Maxwell plops down on the couch. "Ahhhh, the cushion still remembers my shape."

"It's cozy... but it also feels empty for a noble's estate. Shouldn't there be, you know, people?"

"To cut costs, the house staff isn't scheduled until tomorrow, but the caterers and cleaning crew from the event planning company should've been here by now."

"It's a big place, Bertrand. You gotta shout to reach them." Maxwell stands and projects his voice. "Hellooooo! We're home!"

They hear no response, "Hmm... maybe they're all pranking us."

Bertrand turns to Riley, angered, "The company I hired has one of the highest reputations for professionalism and service to the nobility. So, no, they're not pranking us."

"It was just a thought."

"Something isn't right." Bertrand looks around the house. He finds a note above the fireplace. Opening it, he reads it, "WHAT? They backed out of the event!"

Maxwell rushes over and takes the note, "Huh? Why would they do that?"

"It appears... there was a... ah... a paperwork issue. A logistical hiccup, it seems. And rather than wait for our arrival, they canceled. This is going to be a disaster..." Bertrand falls into a chair and almost cries.

"Well... there's gotta be something we can do. This isn't the first time the crew we hired hasn't shown up."

"Don't remind me, Riley..." Bertrand hangs his head back and massages his forehead.