Sookie Stackhouse Boxed Set (Books 1-8) - Charlaine Harris [691]
Well, this wasn’t what I’d come to do. I looked around for the queen, and I finally saw her standing by her husband. She was wearing a long-sleeved orange silk dress, and she looked fabulous. Long sleeves maybe seemed a little strange in the warm evening, but vampires didn’t notice such things. Peter Threadgill was wearing a tux, and he looked equally impressive. Jade Flower was standing behind him, sword strapped to her back even though she was wearing a red sequined dress (in which, by the way, she looked awful). Andre, also fully armed, was at his station behind the queen. Sigebert and Wybert couldn’t be far off. I spotted them on either side of a door that I assumed led to the queen’s private apartments. The two vampires looked acutely uncomfortable in their tuxes; it was like watching bears who’d been made to wear shoes.
Bill was in the room. I caught a glimpse of him in the far corner, in the opposite direction from the queen, and I shivered with loathing.
“You have too many secrets,” Quinn complained, following the direction of my gaze.
“I’ll be glad to tell you a few of ’em, real soon,” I promised, and we joined the tail end of the reception line. “When we reach the royals, you go ahead of me. While I’m talking to the queen, you distract the king, okay? Then I will tell you everything.”
We reached to Mr. Cataliades first. I guess he was sort of the queen’s secretary of state. Or maybe attorney general would be more appropriate?
“Good to see you again, Mr. Cataliades,” I said, in my most correct social tone. “I’ve got a surprise for you,” I added.
“You may have to save it,” he said with a kind of stiff cordiality. “The queen is about to have the first dance with her new king. And we’re all so looking forward to seeing the present the king gave her.”
I glanced around but I didn’t see Diantha. “How’s your niece?” I asked.
“My surviving niece,” he said grimly, “is at home with her mother.”
“That’s too bad,” I said. “She should be here this evening.”
He stared at me. Then he looked interested.
“Indeed,” he said.
“I heard that someone from here stopped to get gas a week ago Wednesday, on her way to Bon Temps,” I said. “Someone with a long sword. Here, let me tuck this in your pocket. I don’t need it any more.” When I stepped away from him and faced the queen, I had one hand over my injured wrist. The bandage had vanished.
I held out my right hand, and the queen was forced to take it in her own. I had counted on obliging the queen to follow the human custom of shaking hands, and I was mighty relieved when she did. Quinn had passed from the queen to the king, and he said, “Your Majesty, I’m sure you remember me. I was the event coordinator at your wedding. Did the flowers turn out like you wanted?”
Somewhat startled, Peter Threadgill turned his large eyes on Quinn, and Jade Flower kept her eyes on what her king did.
Trying very hard to keep my movements swift but not jerky, I pressed my left hand and what was in it onto the queen’s wrist. She didn’t flinch, but I think she thought about it. She glanced down at her wrist to see what I’d put on it, and her eyes closed in relief.
“Yes, my dear, our visit was lovely,” she said, at random. “Andre enjoyed it very much, as did I.” She glanced back over her shoulder, and Andre picked up his cue, and inclined his head to me, in tribute to my supposed talents in the sack. I was so glad to get the ordeal over with that I smiled at him radiantly, and he looked a shade amused. The queen raised her arm slightly to beckon him closer, and her sleeve rode up. Suddenly Andre was smiling as broadly as I was.
Jade Flower was distracted by Andre’s movement forward, and her eyes followed his. They widened, and she was very much not smiling. In fact,