The Crown Jewels Read Online Free PDF Page B

were sitting in the back of a limo Vicky had sent over to retrieve me and my luggage. I’d been begging my father to help me find a way out of this, without telling him exactly why I didn’t want to stay at the castle, which wasn’t going very well, to say the least.
    “I don’t understand, Jewels. Obviously, the castle will be much nicer than the hotel. And you already agreed. It would be rude to back out now.”
    I silently sulked, staring out the window and avoiding my father’s gaze. Of course he didn’t understand.
    “You know, Jewels, your reaction to all of this is quite baffling. I thought you’d be happier for me.”
    The sadness in his voice penetrated my selfish heart and I turned in my seat to face him.
    “I am happy for you, Dad. It’s just all a little…weird.”
    “It is unusual, I know. I never expected anything like this to happen either. But Vicky is really just a regular person, once you get to know her.”
    Vicky - a regular person? The idea was absurd to me, but I let it slide. Why argue with him? He had his own perspective on the situation, and normally, I would have been over the moon that he had finally found someone. But nothing about this was normal.
    Nothing about the fact that I was on my way to stay at a castle, with the Queen, that my father was going to marry , for God’s sake, was normal. And it never would be.
    I’d hardly slept last night, and I was on edge. I vowed to keep my mouth shut as much as possible, so I wouldn’t do anything rude or say something that might embarrass my father. I had a great deal of respect for him, and nothing would change that. Not even this.
    “Have you set a date yet, Dad?” I asked, realizing in all of the chaos and confusion I hadn’t asked that one simple question.
    “In the Spring sometime. We were thinking of doing it during Spring Break so you don’t have to take time off from teaching.”
    “I see. That’s awfully fast, isn’t it?”
    “It would be if we had just met each other. But I’ve known Vicky for years, so why wait when you’re sure?” His eyes were gleaming again, and once again, I felt like a total jerk.
    “Right,” I replied, trying to smile, trying to be happy for him, like he deserved. “Why wait?”
    He patted my hand and, and as the limo passed through the biggest, shiniest, most golden gate I’d ever seen, I made another vow to myself to do whatever it took to accept my father’s happiness.
    Even if it meant being nice to Will. I suppressed a groan at the thought.
    After all, the past was the past, right? And there’s nothing I can do to change it, no matter how much I’d love to go back in time and snatch my virginity back from him.
    All I could control was the here and now.
    The limo slowly pulled up in front of the longest building I’d ever seen and our doors opened. Gloved hands belonging to military soldiers greeted us, helping us out. Standing in front of Drottningholm Palace, the enormity of the structure hit me first. It stretched out to both sides as far as the eye could see.
    A horse-drawn chariot passed by the side of the limo, the sounds of the horse’s massive hooves clopping loudly on the little cobblestone road. Visions of pumpkins and glass slippers filled my mind as I looked up at the steps leading to the palace doors.
    The two massive front doors, flanked by giant concrete statues of two roaring lions, groaned open in front of us, and a large man in a formal black tuxedo greeted us.
    “Welcome to Drottningholm Palace, residence of Her Highness Queen Victoria and the Royal Family. I am Bertolf. Please, won’t you follow me?”
    I resisted the urge to giggle as he turned firmly on his heel and then, walking heel-toe, marched back into the palace. I bit my lip and looked up at my father. He shrugged and winked at me as we followed the man inside.
    “Drottningholm Palace was built by John the Third in 1580 for his Queen, Catherine Jagellon. It has been a private residence for the