A Royal Christmas Quandary by Samantha Hastings

Author:Samantha Hastings
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

George was decidedly less sure than Drina that everything would work out. In a half an hour everyone would assemble for dinner, and there would still be no Crown Prince of Hoburg.

“What are you doing lurking in the hall?” his father barked in his raspy voice.

George turned to see the Duke of Doverly already dressed for dinner, wearing a red sash filled with royal medals.

“Don’t slouch, boy!”

George popped back up like a toy soldier as his father whacked his shins with his cane. It smarted something fierce.

“Where is the Crown Prince?”

I have no idea.

He contemplated telling his father the truth, but he knew it was a terrible notion.

“With his valet, sir. Changing for dinner.”

His father clapped a heavy hand on George’s shoulder. “Prince Friedrich had better be at dinner, or Queen Victoria will be forced to come to his rooms and find him.”

“Th-the Queen?”

“It’s a state visit, son. And Prince Friedrich is her second cousin. She’s naturally concerned that the prince should be ill while under her sovereignty.”

Worse and worse.

George pictured Queen Victoria’s response to Herr Bauer in the state room instead of the prince who was supposed to be courting her daughter: She’d look remarkably like Bloody Mary as she’d yell, “Off with George’s head!”

He gulped and touched his neck. “The prince will be at dinner.”

His father had a ghost of a smile on his lips as he nodded. “And George…”

“Yes, sir?”

“I received a letter today from Lord Loftus,” he said. “He says he would be delighted to have you join his staff in Austria.”

“Father, you know I don’t want to go.”

The Duke of Doverly clapped George on the shoulder again, ignoring his protest. “Prince Friedrich better be at dinner.”

His father didn’t wait for a response before walking away.

At that moment, George could’ve happily consigned all monarchies to perdition. He had no desire to serve any monarch, under any flag. All he really wanted to be was an engineer.

And what do engineers do?

They solved problems by their ingenuity. They built bridges, tunnels, towers, canals, and more. George just needed to think of some way to fix the situation.

He looked at the problem from the beginning. The servants had put a valet in the room of a prince. They had clearly mistaken him for His Royal Highness, as George had. Herr Bauer had resided in the prince’s quarters for most of a day before Drina was the first to notice. And no one since had realized his true identity.

“That’s it!” he said aloud, punching a hole through the top of his hat in excitement.

The servants already believed that Herr Bauer was the Crown Prince of Hoburg, which meant that all the lords and ladies would believe it, too. He walked back and forth in the corridor.

But what of Drina’s parents, Lord and Princess Rothfield? And most important of all, Queen Victoria? Could they be hoodwinked?

He put his hat back on his head, the top only holding on by a few threads. He must have looked ridiculous, but in that moment, he no longer cared.

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