Championing Kade--SAMPLE (Book 3 of The Sovereign Series)

2. I Could Not Travel Both

44 Days Before The Coming of Age Ball

Coming back from Princess Eliza's room with an empty meal tray, Meredith couldn't help but smile. Eliza's appetite was picky as of late, but the woman absolutely glowed from her pregnancy. And it wasn't the type of glow that came with a shiny forehead after heaving up your breakfast into the toilet. Those days were months ago. It made Meredith think that all the sickness, the nausea, the look of being green about the gills, was all worth it.

Besides, not all females dealt with pregnancy the same. Queen Alexandria had only the vaguest signs of morning sickness with her three children. She had looked slightly pale whenever anyone cooked fish for dinner, but she had otherwise had a healthy appetite.

It both hurt and heartened Meredith as she thought of more royal babies coming into the vast, cloistered world of the palace. A baby's birth was always a thing of joy to behold, but she couldn't help but be saddened by the fact that it was something she would never have.

Or at least have with Kade, the one person she could see fit to bear children for.

At least right now.

As she carried the tray back down to the kitchens, one of the other servants, Alistair, came up to her to help with the heavy dishes she struggled to hold upright.

"Let me get that for you, Meredith," he offered, smiling as he took the heavy items from her arms.

"Thanks," she said, wiping her hands off on her apron and following him to the kitchens.

A few scullery maids were rushing about with preparations for dinner. Already. It was only 2 PM in the afternoon, and they were acting like they were preparing a feast for the ball. A ball that was supposed to take place in less than a month and a half. A ball Kade was convinced he could somehow get out of.

Margot, the former queen, made no efforts in delaying the ball after Kolton had reneged on his. As far as she was concerned, it was as good as done. And Meredith had heard her talking about it in the purple sitting room as the females of the house sat, drinking tea and watching the children play or snooze in their bassinets.

The former queen knew her youngest son was easier to manipulate than either Kane or Kolton. Kade had always been the easiest to rear of her children, and Margot had been certain that it was just nerves that made him so reluctant to have the ball and take a mate. But if she was to find out what was really going on, Meredith would have a one-way ticket to the mainland and never see her parents again, unless they came to visit her.

Sighing, she walked through the noisy kitchens to the smell of roasting pork and spices. She followed Alistair to the back of the kitchen where he placed the tray and silverware onto a belt for the dishwasher to deal with. It was hot and muggy in the back with the large industrial machines, and Meredith's thin cotton top started to stick to her chest. She pulled it away from her and flapped it back and forth, trying to keep herself cool until she was out of the general vicinity.

"How's your mother and father?" Alistair asked after setting down the dishes.

"Good, and yours?" she asked. Like Meredith, Alistair had grown up on the island, and they had known each other since they were tiny babies.

"Bothering me to go out and find my mate," he told her. Both aged 19 years old, he and Eliza knew that finding their mate wouldn't be easy while living on a secluded island in the middle of a lake. Most of the palace staff took a year off to find their other halves once they hit 18, but Eliza and Alistair had stayed, though for differing reasons.

"Not mine," Meredith said with a smile. "My father is convinced he won't allow me to marry until I'm at least 30 years of age."

Alistair laughed at that. "I wish my mother was a little more like him. She is convinced she is going to wither away to an old woman before she sees any grandkids of mine."