CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 19

“Can you get that? I’m at a pivotal stirring point here,” Sarah Anne said.

“Are you expecting someone?” Ingrid asked.

“No. You?”

“No.”

“Maybe it’s a package or something.”

“Why wouldn’t they just leave it at the door?”

“I don’t know, Ingrid. Why don’t you open the door and ask them?”

Ingrid rolled her eyes at her sister and then opened the front door.

“Elin?” she said. “Oh, shit… Your Majesty.” Ingrid cupped her hand over her mouth at her outburst.

“What?” Sarah Anne said from their kitchen.

“Hi,” Elin greeted as she stood there on the other side of Ingrid’s apartment door. “May I come in?” she asked.

“Of course. I–”

“I have to let them come in first just to make sure it’s safe, but they’ll leave right after,” Elin added.

“What?” Ingrid asked, still not fully grasping the fact that the Queen of Norway was standing outside her door.

“Security,” Elin explained, pointing at two men who were standing behind her and off to the side.

“Oh, my God!”

Ingrid looked behind her to see her sister standing there, gawking at Elin.

“I’m sorry. I should have called,” Elin said. “You’re busy.”

“No, this is just my sister.”

“Hey,” Sarah Anne said.

“It’s nice to meet you. Sarah Anne, right?” Elin asked Sarah.

“Yeah. I mean, yes, Your Majesty.”

Elin smiled at Ingrid and then said, “Well, can I come in, or should I come back another time, or–”

“Come in,” Sarah Anne answered.

“Come in, Ma’am,” Ingrid added.

The two security guards walked in first. They made their way around the apartment, looking inside both Sarah Anne and Ingrid’s rooms – which, Ingrid realized, weren’t exactly clean, and then left the apartment after nodding to Elin. She walked into the apartment, and Ingrid closed the door behind her.

“Oh, shit!” Sarah Anne yelled and rushed back into the kitchen. “Sorry, I meant to say, ‘Your Majesty’ after that.”

“What’s going on?” Elin asked.

“She’s cooking dinner, and she’s at a very pivotal stirring point or something. It’s a chef thing, I think,” Ingrid replied.

“Oh, I should let you eat your dinner. I really should have called. I don’t know what I was thinking, honestly.”

“It’s okay. Admittedly, I never expected you to come to my apartment, but is everything okay, Ma’am?”

“Everything’s fine, yes,” Elin said.

“Would you like to sit down? I can make tea. I have Earl Grey, I think.”

“I drank the last one!” Sarah Anne yelled from the kitchen.

“Then, I have no tea to offer you,” Ingrid added. “I have coffee, though. I know you normally don’t drink it, but–”

“We have wine. I brought a good bottle home from the restaurant last week,” Sarah Anne said. “Don’t worry, I paid for it, Your Majesty.”

Elin laughed a little at Ingrid’s sister and turned back to Ingrid.

“I’ve interrupted dinner with your sister; I think I should go. But I was hoping to talk to you, Ingrid.”

“You didn’t interrupt. I’m making enough food for an army. That’s a chef thing. I can set a plate for you,” Sarah Anne said.

“No, I couldn’t intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be; I just invited you, Your Majesty.”

“You can say ‘Ma’am’ now, Sarah,” Ingrid told her.

“What?”

“It’s ‘Your Majesty’ at first and then ‘Ma’am’ after that,” Elin explained. “But I’m in your home, and I stopped by unannounced, so feel free to call me Elin.”

“Ma’am, we–”

“Please, Ingrid,” Elin interrupted.

“If I call you Elin, will you stay for dinner?” Sarah Anne asked.

“Only if Ingrid agrees, too,” Elin replied, smirking at Ingrid.

“I’ll open the wine,” Ingrid stated.

“Great,” Sarah Anne said happily. “I just need five more minutes, and we’ll be ready. Have a seat anywhere.”

Elin sat down on the sofa, which Ingrid wished was in better condition.

“What are you doing?” Ingrid whispered to her sister in the kitchen as she opened the wine.

“What are you talking about?”

“You just invited her for dinner, and now she feels obligated to stay,” Ingrid scolded.

“She doesn’t seem obligated to me. What did she come here for?” Sarah asked.

“I don’t know because you were too busy asking her to stay for dinner and offering her wine.”

“You offered her tea first.”

“Which you drank, apparently,” Ingrid muttered, popping the cork. “Is this even good wine?”

“It’s the second most-expensive at the restaurant. It’s my favorite, so I bought it for myself, and I’m being kind enough right now to share it with you and the freaking Queen on our sofa right now.”

“Oh, God… There are rings on our table from when you don’t use coasters,” Ingrid remembered.

“The magazines are covering them up, though,” Elin said from her spot in the living room. “I actually have really good hearing. I probably should have warned you.”

“Oh, my God!” Sarah Anne laughed.

“And I don’t need fancy wine,” Elin added. “Water is fine for me.”

Ingrid glared at her sister and turned to head into the living room to hand Elin a glass of wine. She sat down next to her with reddened cheeks.

“You can probably tell we had no idea you’d be coming over and that we’ve never had anyone important in this apartment before, huh?” Ingrid asked.

“Ingrid, it’s my fault,” Elin told her, shrugging a shoulder. “I really should have called. I just don’t think I’ve ever called you before, and I thought showing up would be better. I knew you lived with your sister, but I thought she was a chef and she’d likely be working.”

“I have tonight off!” Sarah Anne yelled from the kitchen.

“Like I said, I can come back another time,” Elin said to Ingrid.

“Dinner’s ready,” Sarah announced. “I hope you’re not a vegetarian.”

“No, I’m not. I don’t think that’s allowed in Norway,” Elin joked. “Every other meal is herring, isn’t it?”

Ingrid loosened up and laughed a little at Elin’s joke. They moved to the kitchen table, with Elin carrying her wineglass with her. Ingrid watched as Elin set her glass down on the table and then pulled out a chair Ingrid assumed would be for herself, but then she motioned for Ingrid to sit there instead.

“This is your chair, isn’t it?” Elin asked.

“How did you know I usually sit here?” Ingrid asked.

“That chair has coffee with cream in it in front of it, so I assumed it was Sarah Anne’s,” Elin replied. “And this one has the newspaper sitting in front of it. I assumed it was yours.”

“Move the paper, Ingrid. I’m bringing over hot plates here,” Sarah Anne said.

Ingrid picked up the paper and placed it on the kitchen counter before she sat down in the chair Elin had pulled out for her. Elin sat in the chair next to her at their small round table. Sarah Anne placed plates in front of both of them at the same time. Then, she sat down herself, moved the old coffee cup, and poured a glass of wine for Ingrid and one for herself.

“So, what brings you here?” Sarah Anne asked.

“To be honest, it’s something I need to talk to your sister about in private.”

“I can eat in my room,” Sarah Anne offered.

“No, of course not,” Elin replied. “We can speak later,” she said, turning toward Ingrid.

Ingrid nodded at her, wondering what the Queen would want to talk to her about. It likely had to do with Ingrid’s resignation, but if Elin was here trying to get Ingrid back at the palace, Ingrid wasn’t sure what she’d do. This was really going out of her way to try to get Ingrid to be her private secretary again.

“Well, I’m not the royal chef, but I hope you like it,” Sarah commented.

And Ingrid thanked the Lord for her sister because she was carrying the conversation that Ingrid couldn’t seem to find a way to participate in. They ate for several minutes while Sarah asked Elin a million questions about being a Princess and now, a Queen. Ingrid mainly just sat there in silence and watched Elin, finding her jawline striking, her hair perfect, and her eyes mesmerizing. Her smile was infectious, and her laugh made Ingrid want to be the one responsible for it.

“Time for dishes,” Sarah Anne said when they were done.

“Can I help?” Elin asked.

“You want to help with the dishes?” Sarah asked her.

“I think your sister will tell you that I do, contrary to popular belief, know how to do dishes,” Elin joked.

Ingrid laughed and said, “It’s true; she does.”

“Color me surprised,” Sarah teased.

“In fact, you cooked. Let Ingrid and I do the dishes. It only seems fair.”

“Now, you’re volunteering me?” Ingrid joked.

“She’s the Queen, so I think she’s ordering you, actually,” Sarah Anne said, winking at Ingrid.

“I think your sister is usually the one ordering me around,” Elin replied. “But I can roll up my sleeves and give the Olson sisters a chance to relax while I do the dishes.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Saved by the knock,” Sarah Anne said.

“It’s probably security. I’ll get it,” Elin offered.

“Let me.” Ingrid placed her hand on top of Elin’s on the table. “We’re casual in here right now, but you don’t open doors as Queen.”

Elin followed Ingrid to the door. Ingrid opened it for her and stepped aside.

“Your Majesty, we need to go,” one guard said.

“Why?” Elin asked.

“Ma’am, can we speak privately?”

“Ingrid is employed at the palace; she can hear. What’s going on?”

Ingrid was technically still employed there, so it wasn’t a complete lie, at least.

“Ma’am, the former King is in the hospital. I’m afraid, he took a fall and was rushed there minutes ago. The Queen Mother has requested you join us there.”

“Oh, my God. Is he okay?” Elin asked, cupping her hand over her mouth.

“Ma’am, I don’t have any more information. We should leave now.”

Ingrid hadn’t even noticed that she’d placed her hand on the small of Elin’s back the moment the word ‘hospital’ had been spoken. Elin turned to her and looked terrified.

“He’ll be okay,” Ingrid assured her.

“I–”

Ingrid ran her hand up and down Elin’s back in her feeble attempt to comfort her.

“Ma’am, we have to go.”

“Ingrid, will you…”

“What do you need right now?” Ingrid asked when the Queen couldn’t finish. “Your Majesty,” she added, realizing she shouldn’t be so informal with security present.

“Can you come with me?”

“To the hospital?”

“Yes,” the woman said softly.

“Of course, Ma’am,” Ingrid replied.

“Call me, okay?” Sarah Anne said, approaching Ingrid and handing Ingrid her purse and cell phone.

“Thank you.”

Sarah Anne nodded and said, “Just take care of her.”

“Ma’am, the car is waiting.” The guard pressed.

“Let’s go,” Ingrid told him, snapping back into work mode. “Have Steven and Markus been notified? What about the Prince and Princesses?”

“Ma’am?”

“You can tell her anything,” Elin answered, sounding immediately exhausted.