The Royal Heir - The Valtoria Diaries 2

Estate business

Rick knocked at the door of his best friend's apartment within the palace just before seven in the evening. He knew Drake was at home because his truck could be seen from the windows of the long corridor that he had just made his way along. Within a few seconds, Drake opened the door, nodded, and stepped back to allow Rick to enter. These check-ins were a three, four times weekly occurrence; part of a comfortable, long-standing routine for both men.

"So," Drake said, as Rick settled in one of the chairs placed in Drake's main living area. "What time's this Council meeting tomorrow?"

"Eleven," Rick explained. "Jen and Maxwell are flying back from LA this evening, so it needed to be as late as possible, without being too close to the start of the gala."

"Hell, will they all make it from Valtoria for eleven? It's a bit of a distance, especially with a three month old baby in tow.."

"They're flying to Ramsford this evening," Rick explained. "They're going to take my private plane there when they arrive back in Cordonia, instead of driving all the way to Valtoria. They'll stay at Beaumont Manor overnight, and then they can fly back for the meeting in the morning."

Drake raised his eyebrows. "Why not just have them stay the night here?"

"I did suggest that, but the stop off at Ramsford was Maxwell's idea," Rick said. "It's a short flight, and gives them a chance to check in with Bertrand before the Gala. I understand he's been unwell recently."

Drake shrugged. "So I gather. But what's that costing you?"

"If it helps make their lives easier, it's nothing," Rick maintained. "Least I can do, after all they are doing for me. And we really need Maxwell at this meeting. He has much to report."

"Right," sighed Drake. "You told Hana about the meeting yet?"

Rick had indeed told Hana about the meeting. The interesting thing here was that Hana hadn't told Drake that she was already on her way from Valtoria. Rick just smiled, and nodded, not wanting to spoil any nocturnal surprises that Hana might have planned.

He wandered over to Drake's wardrobe. "So, do you have a new suit for the big occasion?"

"Don't be absurd," Drake laughed, pouring himself a whisky. "I'm not Maxwell. I own two suits. That's enough for me."

Rick opened the wardrobe door and perused it. "Ah, yes, here they are, shielded by a vast army of faded denim." Then he peered down at the base of the wardrobe. There he saw a collection of wooden carvings, tied together by string, attached to some sort of frame. "What's this?"

"Nothing," Drake protested.

Rick examined what he'd found further. Small wooden animals had been hand-painted in pale pink shades. "This must be for Annabelle."

"Well, yeah," Drake admitted, dismissively. "It's a gift from her Uncle Drake and Auntie Hana."

"What is it?" Rick wasn't really familiar with infant paraphernalia.

"It's a baby gym." Drake lifted it out of the wardrobe and unfolded his creation. "So she lies on the fabric there, and these wooden toys are above her and she can kick them and reach for them. Perfect entertainment for a three-month-old."

"That's really thoughtful," Rick said, imagining the scene.

"Yeah, well, it was Hana's idea. She made the fabric bit, I just made the wooden bits and put it all together. We thought, Annabelle gets all these fancy gifts at these stupid events, but it would be nice for her to have something she could actually use. Thought we could give it to her after the Gala." He folded it up, and put it back in his wardrobe. "What are you wearing for the Gala, anyway? The whole kingly uniform?"