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and it was beastly. Nothing like the mist in the country. It was like breathing liquid soot.”
    She nodded and, still holding my hand, she led me across the room to a sofa. “Your brother—he has recovered from his accident?”
    “Almost, ma’am. At least he’s up and walking again but he has come to London to see a specialist.”
    “A disgusting thing to have happened,” she said. “And the same person apparently shot at my granddaughter. It was your quick wits that saved her.”
    “And the princess’s own cool head,” I said. “She’s a splendid little rider, isn’t she?”
    The queen beamed. Nothing pleased her more than talking about her granddaughters.
    “I expect you wonder why I asked you to come to luncheon today, Georgiana,” the queen said. I held my breath again. Doom will strike any moment, I thought. But she seemed jovial enough. “How about a glass of sherry?”
    Usually I find sherry delightful, but the mere thought of alcohol made my stomach lurch. “Not for me, thank you, ma’am.”
    “Very wise in the middle of the day,” the queen said. “I like to keep a clear head myself.” Oh, Lord, if she knew how unclear my head felt at the moment.
    “Why don’t we go through and eat, then,” she said. “It’s so much easier to discuss things over food, don’t you agree?”
    Personally I thought it was absolutely the opposite. I have never found it easy to make conversation and eat at the same time. I always seem to have a mouthful at the wrong moment or drop my fork when under stress. The queen rang a little bell and a maid appeared from nowhere.
    “Lady Georgiana and I are ready for our luncheon,” the queen said. “Come along, my dear. We need good nourishing food in weather like this.”
    We went next door to a family dining room. No hundred-foot-long tables here, but a small table, set for two. I took my place as indicated, and the first course was brought in. It was my nemesis—half a grapefruit in a tall cut glass. I always seem to get the half in which the segments are imperfectly cut. I looked at it with horror, took a deep breath and picked up my spoon.
    “Ah, grapefruit,” the queen said, smiling at me. “So refreshing during the winter months, don’t you think?” And she spooned out a perfectly cut segment. Hope arose that this time the kitchen staff had done their job. I dug into the grapefruit. It slipped sideways in the glass, almost shooting out onto the tablecloth. I retrieved it at the last moment and had to use a surreptitious finger to balance it as I dug again. The first piece came free without too much effort. No such luck with the second. I held on to that grapefruit, dug and tugged. This time two segments were joined together. I attempted to separate them and juice squirted straight up into my eye. It stung and I waited until the queen was busy before dabbing at my eye with my napkin. At least I hadn’t squirted grapefruit juice at HM.
    It was with incredible relief that I finished the grapefruit and the shell was whisked away. A thick brown soup followed, then the main course. It was steak and kidney pie, usually one of my favorites. With it was cauliflower in a white sauce and tiny roast potatoes. I could feel my mouth watering. Two good meals in two days. But the first mouthful revealed that this course was not going to be easy, either. I’ve always had a problem with chewing and swallowing large chunks of meat. It simply won’t go down.
    “Georgiana, I have a special favor to ask of you,” the queen said, looking up from her own plate. “The king wanted this to be done formally, but I managed to persuade him that a private chat would be more appropriate. I did not want to put you in a spot, should you wish to say no.”
    Of course my mind was now racing. They’d found another prince for me. Or even worse, Siegfried had officially asked for my hand, one royal family to another, and turning him down would create an international incident. I sat