Royal Pickle: A Romantic Comedy by JJ Knight

Royal Pickle: A Romantic Comedy by JJ Knight

Author:JJ Knight [Knight, JJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-28T00:00:00+00:00


No, no, no. I don’t want to think like that!

I hold the end of the bedsheet, ready to toss it back to him. I lean out the window. He’s waiting. “It will work,” he mouths.

God. He’s determined. I pull the sheet into the room and wrap it around the wide foot of the bed. I tie and wrap and tie and wrap again and again and again. My phone buzzes several times, but I finish the job before I look.

I’ve done this before. So have my sisters. It will be fine!

Not my kind of fine.

It’s an adventure! Don’t forget to dismiss your maid.

Right. Amelliana.

My heart pounds as I slow my breath. I walk to the sitting room.

“It was a long all-night flight and a longer day,” I tell her. “I’m going to bed.”

She stands. “I’ll turn down your bedsheets.”

“No!” I clear my throat. “I mean, that’s not necessary. I already did it.”

“Oh. Did you find everything you needed in the bathroom?”

“Yes. Totally. Thank you so much.”

I stand and wait, trying not to look suspicious. She sets the basket on the chair. “The old-fashioned phone by your bed links directly to me. Pick it up and it will call me.”

“Really? Okay. Thank you!” I wave.

“There is a tradition you should know about. I think it’s important.”

Goodness, will she not leave? “What’s that?”

Amelliana heads to a small chest at the end of the sofa. It looks ancient, the varnish on the old wood almost orange in places, the leather straps serving as hinges wrinkled and worn.

She opens the top, revealing a set of white linens. She sorts through them, then pulls out a very long, extremely old-fashioned nightgown, white cotton with lace edges and pearl buttons up the front all the way to the chin.

“Every bride since Queen Valentina in 1875 has worn this very nightgown, and before that, one like it. It’s a tradition during the stay in the tower. I hope you will continue it.”

I take the gown. It has been freshly laundered and pressed and smells faintly of flowers. “It’s lovely.”

“Would you try it on?”

“Now?”

“I don’t wish to be presumptuous, but it would be a great honor to assist our next queen on her first night in the palace.”

“Oh. All right.”

We head to the bathroom, and I look with concern at the tied-up sheet at the base of the bed. I hope she doesn’t go in there.

Amelliana waits at the door, holding the gown. Am I supposed to get naked with her there?

This is weird.

I kick off my shoes and slide out of the jeans and shirt. I hesitate.

“I’ll be all ready with the gown!” she says merrily. She holds it up to block her view of me.

Okay. My bra hits the floor and Amelliana swiftly drops the nightgown over my head.

It floats down my body. I turn, and Amelliana fastens the buttons so quickly I can barely keep up as I watch in the mirror. She removes the pins from my hair so it can fall in waves across my shoulders.



Download



Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.