“I don't think it is a good idea,” she looked into Alfred's eyes, who concealed his disappointment, and refuted.
“Why?” The young men asked at once.
“I am not the lady, and I would not say her mind. I propose that you send for her, and rehearse with her.”
Indeed, Alfred was good at the game. At that point, Carson was lost of the next line of argument, but not the case with Alfred, and he fought on, “You seemed not to realize the situation of things. How can I send for someone who is mad at me? Do you think I don't value my reputation?”
“Oh! Is she still mad at you?”
“Young lady, we have to take our leave. I wouldn't have you to cause my friend more pain by reminding him of what he is fighting hard to sort out,” Carson stood up, and informed. Nevertheless, the sad Alfred dropped the bouquet on the table and waited for Carson to take a step, while Mirabel was filled with pity, both for herself and Alfred. On the other hand, Carson moved on, and Alfred followed. They walked out of the office without farewell, and Mirabel felt bad.
Although, they were clients, but she was distressed, and could not explain the reason. She felt that something had left her, and felt like stopping them.
“What will I say to them if I stop them?” She asked herself, and slumped in deep despondency. After a few minutes, she hissed, “I have cost him his relationship by my recklessness.”
After reprimanding herself, she noticed that her face was soaked with tears, and she allowed them to flow freely.
In Carson's Car
Notwithstanding the fact that they were acting, and seemed in charge of the situation, Alfred was distraught. The few minutes he spent with her, brought her closer to his heart and soul.
“I think we are heading somewhere,” Carson encouraged. Then, the emotional Alfred asked at once, “Are we? I don't think so. What do we do now? I don't even have her contact.”
“That makes it easier. It would restrain you from giving her a call, and ruin our plans.”
“I doubt if I can hold on anymore. I will just go ahead and ask her out.”
“And lose her forever.”
Alfred was shocked at the thought of losing her forever, and asked, “What do we do next? I'm losing my mind.”
“It is better for you to lose your mind than lose her forever. You can recall that our initial plan was for her to fall in love with you without knowing it.”
“You are right.”
“Can't you see that we are on our way to achieving it?”
“Are we?”
“I believe so. She was happy with our presence.”
“I think she was out to win her clients back, and nothing more,” Alfred made known, and Carson saw sense in his claim.
“You may be right, but we have established a relationship. Never mind, I will invite her to my upcoming event, she would not wish to turn us down.”
Alfred rubbed his hair, and consented, “It is all right. By the way, what is your event like?”
Carson smiled mildly, and explained, “You just brushed up on my entertainment skills last night, and I won't let it die again. Let's go, and I will tell you more about it.”
At the Palace.
The King and Queen were at home. Presently, he was gradually withdrawing from active involvement in the running of the kingdom, and allowed the prince to do that. The thought of Mirabel had occupied his mind all day. When he requested to know more about her the previous night from the Queen, she was moody, and he mistook it that she remembered the pains he had caused her in those days, and dropped the discussion.
“We can talk about it when you are ready, my dear. Will that be okay by you?”
She nodded her head in the affirmative, and the King was happy that she was happy.
“Have you contacted, Mirabel, to find out if the client turned up for the dialogue?” The king asked when they were having lunch.
“I have not, and I don't intend to,” the Queen responded. The King showed curiosity, and inquired, “Why do you say so?”
“She is naturally an independent girl, and would only initiate what she wants you to know.”
“Wow! That is a good one. I must commend that you did a good job.”
“I'm delighted to hear that.”
“You are welcome, my dear. Thank you for inculcating the real Churchill's spirit in her. Allowing her to use the Churchill as her last name wasn't a bad idea.”
“It is my pleasure, my dear. Thank you for allowing me to raise her up in the palace.”
The King smiled, and concentrated on his meal. To his thrill, Mirabel never called, neither did the Queen, and that endeared her to the King. Nevertheless, before she returned home, she had concealed all her worries. She walked into the Queen's bedroom, and was not surprised to see the King waiting for her.
“Long live, the King,” she bowed, and greeted.
“You may rise,” he announced with a broad smile, and observed her countenance.
“Thank you, my King,” she appreciated and looked at the grandmother. Then, she greeted, “Good evening, grandma. I hope you had a pleasant day?”
“Good evening, my dear. I heard a marvelous day. And you?”
She kept her purse, and sat on the couch. Then she replied, “Just like you, I had a marvelous day. The grieved clients came as we agreed.”
Currently, the King, who sat beside the Queen on one of the stools, could understand what the Queen meant. She never asked her about the clients, but she volunteered to talk about it.
“Oh! That is nice of him,” she responded and waited for the next words, “Just like you said, He must be an understanding. He honored my invitation, and I put him through on how to propose to a lady.”
“I hope he was satisfied,” the King asked, and paid attention to her countenance. She sat up from the couch, and replied, “He had to. I have given him the lectured he asked for, and I believe that with time, it would sink into him.”
“You have done the right thing. Next time, you would be more careful. Am I right?”
“You are absolutely right, my King.”
“I like that.”
Now, Mirabel wished to leave the couple to enjoy their evening, and excused herself, “I beg to take my leave. I need to have a massage.”
“It is all right, my dear,” Phoebe responded.
“Good night, my King,” she greeted, and gave him a peck on the temple. The delighted King was glad that she had recognized him as part of her life. He rubbed her back, and responded, “Sleep well, my dear.”
She walked to her grandmother too, and gave her a peck on her temple before she greeted, “Good night, grandma.”
“It's okay, my dear. Sleep well.”
With broad smiles on their faces, the couple watched her walked out of the door, and she shut the door behind her.
“She is so independent, just like the Prince,” the King pointed out with satisfaction, and resolved to reward her. Then, he tickled the Queen on the rib, and she laughed with glee. He laughed too, and inched closer to her, and inquired, “How do I reward you for your thoughtfulness?”
“You have done that already. Laughing is a good reward.”
“Yes, but I think you deserve more than that …”
Instantly, he covered her lips with his, and she reciprocated. Within a jiffy, the King's left hand was inside her blouse, and he caressed her breasts with pleasure.