Her Royal Spyness Read Online Free PDF

woman, or whether she has serious designs on my son. My worst fear is that, like all Americans, she is fascinated with royalty and dreams of being Queen of England.”
    “Surely not, ma’am. A divorced woman? That’s impossible.”
    “Let us hope it is impossible. The only solution is for the king to go on living until David becomes too old to be desirable as a catch. But I fear my husband’s health is failing. Never the same after the Great War. The strain was too much for him.”
    I nodded with sympathy. “You said you wanted me to be your spy?”
    “I do indeed. The house party at the Mountjoys’ should give you ample opportunity to observe this woman and David together.”
    “Unfortunately I haven’t been invited,” I said.
    “But you came out with the Mountjoys’ daughter, didn’t you?”
    “I did, ma’am.”
    “There you are, then. I’ll let it be known that you are currently in London and would like to renew your acquaintanceship with the Mountjoy girl.” (She pronounced it “gell.”) “People don’t usually turn down my suggestions. And you need to be out in society if you’re ever going to find yourself a husband.” She looked up at me sharply. “So tell me, what are you planning to do with yourself in London?”
    “I’ve only just arrived, ma’am. I haven’t yet decided what I’ll be doing.”
    “That’s not good at all. With whom will you be staying?”
    “At the moment I’m at Rannoch House,” I said.
    The royal eyebrow went up. “Alone in the London house? Unchaperoned?”
    “I am over twenty-one, ma’am. I have come out.”
    She shook her head. “In my day a young woman was chaperoned until the day she was married. Otherwise a future husband could not be sure whether or not he was getting—umm—soiled goods, so to speak. No proposals on the horizon?”
    “No proposals, ma’am.”
    “Dear me. I wonder why.” She eyed me critically, as if I were one of her art objects. “You’re not unattractive and at least half your pedigree is impeccable. I can think of several young men who would be suitable. King Alexander of Yugoslavia has a son, hasn’t he? No, maybe that part of the world is a little too brutal and Slavic. What about the Greek royal family? That delightful little blond boy? But I’m afraid he’s too young, even for you. Of course, there’s always young Siegfried, one of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringens of Romania. He’s a relative of mine. Good stock.”
    Ah, yes, Siegfried. She couldn’t resist bringing him into the conversation. I had to squash this idea once and for all.
    “I’ve met Prince Siegfried several times, ma’am. He didn’t seem much interested in me.”
    She sighed. “This was all so much simpler in my day. A marriage was arranged and we got on with it. I was originally intended to marry His Majesty’s brother, the Duke of Clarence, but he died suddenly. When it was suggested that I marry His Majesty instead, I acquiesced without a fuss. We have certainly been happy enough, and your great-grandmother adored Prince Albert, as we all know. Perhaps I’ll see what I can do.”
    “This is the 1930s, ma’am,” I ventured. “I’m sure I’ll meet someone eventually, now that I’m living in London.”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of, Georgiana. Your father was not known for making the most sensible of choices, was he? However, I don’t doubt you’ll be married one day; one hopes to somebody suitable. You’ll need to learn how to run a great house and act as ambassador for your country, and heaven knows you’ve had no mother to show you the ropes. How is your mother these days? Do you ever see her?”
    “When she flits through London sometimes,” I said.
    “And who is her latest beau, may one ask?” She nodded to the maid who was offering slices of lemon for the china tea.
    “A German industrialist, the last time I heard,” I said, “but that was a couple of months ago.”
    I caught the briefest of twinkles in the royal eye.