“Fun.” Max was busily filling his plate with food. “Better him than me.”

“What is the Future Bird Trust?” Marty asked around a mouthful of food.

“We are a group that educates people about birds.” Sam smiled at him. “We have classes that work with children. You should come out sometime. One of our centers isn’t that far from here.”

“Will I get to hold a bird?” Marty sat up in his seat.

“You might be able to work up to that.” Sam leaned forward. “It takes a lot of training to learn how to hold a bird.”

“Cool.”

Brunch with the royal family was far more normal than I had thought it would be. They talked about work, about family, and teased one another. It wasn’t long before I could feel myself relaxing for real, no longer playing a role.

“Are you going to sing tomorrow?” Cathy smiled at me. “I’ve heard that you have a beautiful voice.”

“Yes, I’ll be singing.”

Max looked up at me sharply. “You’re going to sing tomorrow?”

“Yes.” I felt my eyebrows pull together. It would be my final tribute to my granddad. Of course I was going to sing.

“It won’t be too . . . difficult?”

“I’m a performer.” I shrugged. “I can keep it together for one song.”

His eyes took on a worried cast and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to smile or smack him. Why did he seem to think I couldn’t take care of myself?

“I’m sure it will be beautiful.” Cathy reached out and touched my hand. “It’s so hard to lose someone.”

I nodded my head, not really trusting myself to speak. If there was one thing I knew about the royal family, it was that they knew about personal loss. When King Joseph died, it had been splashed across the headlines. I hadn’t paid much attention because I’d been young and dealing with things that life had thrown my way.

“What do you have planned for today, Meredith?” Samantha asked.

“I’m not sure.” I shot a look at Max. “I need to call and let Rachel know that I won’t be at Thysmer.”

“Do you have an assistant?” Cathy cocked her head to the side. “I’m sure they could take care of that for you.”

“No, I don’t have an assistant.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and quickly sent a text to Rachel. As savvy as she had seemed, I figured a text would work. “I really didn’t need one in England.”

“No bodyguards?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “No one following you around?”

“No.” I frowned. “Is that weird?”

“It sounds amazing.” Sam sighed. “Not that I would trade my Chadwick for anything.”

“Chadwick?”

“My assistant.” Sam shook her head. “No, he’s more than that. He’s my rock. He takes care of everything. I don’t know how I would have adapted without him.”

“We had someone that helped us when we first took over Thysmer, but Granddad didn’t keep them around for long. He said it felt weird to have someone following him around when he just wanted to fish.” I smiled, remembering how he would jump whenever Bernard would come up with a question.

“Do you handle your own events, then?” Sam frowned. “That’s a lot of work, especially if you’re in school.”

“Actually, I haven’t had any tasks given to me.” I kept my face calm. Did that mean the queen hadn’t trusted my family with anything important? Not that I could really blame her.

“I believe I overheard my mom telling someone to leave you be while you were in school,” Max spoke up. “They were looking for someone to partner with a food bank. Mom said that while you were in school, you weren’t taking any assignments.”

“Oh.” I frowned. I hadn’t even realized that I was somehow dodging “royal work.” Not that I was going to complain. The school and rehearsal schedule had been rigorous enough.

“Lucky.” Cathy leaned back in her chair. “I only escape during the semester. I still get sent on errands during the summer.”

“Well, I’ve been attending through the summers.” I was trying to finish as quickly as possible. I wasn’t exactly looking for the typical university experience. No clubs or drunken binges. No dates or relationship drama. Just class and singing. And hanging out with my little man.

“I wish I could do that. I really don’t have a choice.” Cathy frowned. “Not that I don’t love my work with the Liberty Anne Foundation. It’s rewarding in a very different way.”

“What do you do there?” I sat back in my chair and tapped Marty’s hand when he started fidgeting with the tablecloth.

“We raise money for the local schools’ art programs and we also work with children with disabilities.” Her eyes turned thoughtful. “We’ve made some huge steps forward in the last couple of months.”

“Hey, would you guys like to see where you will be staying?” Max stood up.

“Sure.” I cocked my eyebrow at him. “Will there be shackles, Your Highness?”

“That can be arranged.” His eyes took on a dark look and I found myself blushing. Talk about having your words turned around. I guess that’s what I deserved for being snarky.

“Oh, I like her,” Sam whispered loudly to Cathy as they exchanged a look.