The ice cream shop in Alaborn was tucked into a narrow alley. Only a simple wooden sign hung over the door. Café Glace, Est. 1782. Inside, the place was full of tourists, but none of them seemed to recognize Carly. It was easier to blend in without a bodyguard, a dignified grandfather, and a car with a chauffeur.
As she stood in line to order, her phone buzzed. Her mom was trying to call her on the messenger app. Carly turned her phone off.
Once she had her ice cream, she went outside and stood in the alley, away from the crowds of people. She didn’t feel any better. She felt like a child—like a coward. But at least the ice cream was good.
It took another half hour for Seton to track her down. When she saw him walk into the alley, she sighed.
“Are you here to kidnap me?”
“In a sense,” said Seton. He glanced up at the sign above the shop door. “But first, what flavor do you recommend?”
“I just had the chocolate. It’s really good, but I don’t know what flavors you’re into. You seem like more of a vanilla guy.”
Seton shrugged. “I don’t often indulge in ice cream.”
“Shocking.” Carly joined him in line. “I haven’t gotten you in trouble with my grandfather, have I?”
“Me? No. Yourself, yes.”
“Yeah, I’m okay with that. At least I haven’t set anything on fire.”
“As far as I know,” Seton said sarcastically.
Carly snorted slightly. Even if everything about this day was miserable, at least she’d heard Seton crack a joke. Then she thought of her cousin and his rampages again. “You know, I kind of feel sorry for Arthur, up to a point. His dad died . . .”
“So did yours.”
“Yeah, but I was too little to know what had happened. Too little to remember him. And I have an awesome stepdad. Not to mention an awesome mom. It doesn’t seem like Lady Corinne is very close to Arthur. And he doesn’t have siblings either. So in a way, he’s really alone.”
“As you know, he has a large extended family.”
“Yeah, and as you know, they don’t act like a family most of the time.” Carly shrugged. “I’m not saying it’s an excuse for the way he treats other people. I’m just saying, I wouldn’t switch places with him. Or at least—I wouldn’t switch lives with him.”
“Good,” said Seton. “Because I’m supposed to get you back to Mortmain Castle by sundown.”
Two minutes later they were in Lord G’s car. Seton sat in the back with Carly instead of up front with the driver. Carly smiled slightly as she watched him nibble at his scoop of ice cream.
She felt a knot of dread in her stomach at the thought of facing her grandfather. But she knew she needed to patch things up—and not just with him.
“Still glad you’re my bodyguard instead of Arthur’s?” Carly asked Seton.
“Extremely glad,” said Seton, taking another lick of his ice cream.
***
Lord G was off on his nightly walk. Arthur was nowhere in sight either, to Carly’s relief. Carly went to her room and called her mom back.
“Oh, thank goodness! I’ve been trying to reach you for ages. I want to help, honey. I’m here to listen. Talk to me, okay?”
Carly took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. I was just really shocked.”
“Honestly, Carly, there were times when I wanted to tell you everything. About your dad’s decision, about the Valmonts, about why we drifted so far away from them. But you never really even asked about your dad. And I didn’t want to overload you with stuff you weren’t ready to hear.”
“I get that,” Carly said. “And I know I didn’t ask you about my dad much. I wanted to. But I have Sal, and he’s a great dad. I didn’t want either of you to feel like something was missing from my life. Now, though—my dad’s the only person who could’ve really understood what this is like. I just really wish I knew more about him. I wish he was here and I could just ask him what he thinks I should do.”
Her mom let out a shuddering breath on the other end of the line. Carly realized she was probably crying. That made her feel awful—but also less alone.
“It’s true that your dad didn’t want to be a king,” her mom said. “And he didn’t want you to grow up with the same pressures and restrictions that he faced. But he also knew he couldn’t renounce your rights for you. He couldn’t make that decision on your behalf. He wanted you to make your own choice when you were old enough.”
Carly found herself nodding, even though her mom couldn’t see her. “Why didn’t you warn me it was going to be so hard?” she asked in a small voice.
“Would you have believed me if I did?”
Carly let out a choked little laugh. “Probably not.”
***
Carly had never figured out where Lord G went on his night walks. So she asked Seton where she could find her grandfather. And sure enough, he said “This way, your highness.”
He led her to the little shed where her dad’s and uncle’s stuff was stored.
Lord G was inside, sitting on a stack of boxes, holding the battered toy spaceship. He didn’t look up when Seton opened the door.
“Here she is, my lord,” said Seton. “I’ll wait out here.” He nodded for Carly to step into the shed, then closed the door behind her.
Carly picked her way through the clutter and sat down next to Lord G. For a minute she couldn’t think of anything to say. She didn’t really think she owed him an apology. Finally she nodded at the spaceship. “Is that my dad’s or Walter’s?”
“I think it was originally Frederick’s. But Walter always wanted everything Frederick had. And Frederick never wanted what we gave him. So I think he let Walter have this.”
Carly nodded. “You’re the one who saved all this stuff, aren’t you?”
“Of course. What was I going to do, toss it out?”
“You don’t seem like the most sentimental guy, you know.”
“Oh, believe me, I know.”
Carly asked a little timidly, “Does Arthur know about this shed?”
Lord G shrugged, still not looking at her. “I’m not sure. He might’ve stumbled upon it, like you did.”
“I think he should know about it,” Carly said. “I think you should talk to him about it. And about his dad. And about—just stuff in general. It might help.”
“You’re giving out parenting advice now?” said Lord G with a touch of his usual dryness.
Carly shrugged. “Just an idea. It’s harder to run away from people who seem human.”
“Ah,” sighed Lord G. “I suppose that’s why you ran away?”
“I just needed some time to think straight. I wasn’t running away. It’s not like I could hide for long in a country the size of an airplane hangar anyway.”
Lord G chuckled softly. “Fair point. And now that you’ve done your thinking, what are your thoughts?”
Carly took a deep breath. “I’ll go to meet the queen tomorrow, like I’m supposed to. But I can’t promise to make a good impression on her. I’m going to be honest and tell her that—that I don’t know if I can do this. And if that makes her angry—if she thinks I’m weak and disappointing—I can live with that. I hope you can too. Even if it embarrasses you.”
Lord G was quiet for a long moment, staring down at the little spaceship in his hands. Finally he cleared his throat. “My dear Charlotte, I admit I don’t yet know you very well. But it’s clear to me that you are an intelligent and thoughtful young woman. The exact opposite of your cousin. In short, you’re exactly the kind of future monarch we need.”
Carly sighed. “I appreciate that, m’lord. I just don’t know if I’m—up to it.”
Lord G nodded. “I had a similar conversation with your father sixteen years ago. I’ll tell you what I told him. You may choose to leave the line of succession. But you will always be part of this family. I’m not like some of my wife’s cousins, disowning children who don’t toe the line. Perhaps because I’m not a Valmont. But like me, Carly, you’re an Evonian citizen above all else. If you honor that, I personally will never be embarrassed by you.”
It took Carly a moment to realize that for the first time, he’d called her by her nickname. “Thanks, Grandpa.”