Page 30 of Falling for the Queen Mother

She led the way to the upper deck with Nathaniel following close behind. The captain disappeared, likely to complete his duties so they could get underway.

"This is..." Nathaniel looked around. "Spectacular."

"It really is." She'd been in awe at first, and often still was, but she'd become used to it as well. She settled into one of the plush seats on the top deck as the breeze started to blow her hair.

A member of the crew arrived and asked what they'd like to drink and if they'd like a snack. They both asked for a light snack as the boat started to move. In a few minutes, they had cleared the harbor and headed to the open sea.

"How long will it take to get to the island?"

"A few hours. It depends on a variety of factors, including wind and simply how fast we want to get there." She stretched her legs in front of her on the lounge chair and crossed her ankles. "I wonder if our bags are in a cabin so we can change clothes." Alaina preferred a sundress or shorts and a light shirt when on the boat, but having already taken a seat, she wasn't certain she wanted to move.

With her eyes closed, she let the warmth of the sun wash over her.

"This is nice, but I'm not sure a suit is my first choice for sitting on deck."

Alaina glanced over and realized that he was definitely more overdressed than she was. Her slacks and blouse weren't overly heavy like his clothing was.

The member of the crew returned with their snacks and drinks. He told them their luggage had been taken to the suite Alaina usually used when she was on board.

All of their luggage had been taken there.

It made sense. The crew might not know the reason behind the trip, but the aides who brought the luggage on board would have.

Maybe it was also a little bit of Frederick's doing. Either playing matchmaker or because it could be advantageous in the public eye at some point for some reason.

She hoped it was the latter, but she wouldn't bet against the former either.

None of their luggage had been unpacked, though there was something lying out for each of them to change into.

"How do they know what I'd want to wear? I can see how one of your staff members would, but me?" Nathaniel picked up the shorts and shirt with one hand and looked at them.

"Would you prefer something else? You can get something out of your suitcase. You don't have to wear that." Alaina was happy with the capris and top waiting for her. She took them and left the suite for another one. None of the rest were in use, so she simply picked one nearby and changed her clothes. After folding her other clothes neatly on the bed, she went back to the top deck and applied sunscreen to her arms and the bottoms of her legs.

Alaina settled in to the lounge chair and closed her eyes. She could easily take a nap here, but probably shouldn't. She should probably stay awake and have a conversation with Nathaniel about everything that had happened and what should happen from this point on.

She didn't know what she wanted to have happen, though. How did she feel about attempting a real relationship with Nathaniel? One one hand, that kiss...

On the other...

"There you are." Nathaniel sat in the lounge chair next to her. "I'm going to need a tour of this ship if we're going to be here long."

"We shouldn't be. Just a few hours. I do apologize for not coming back so you wouldn't have to wander around alone."

"Thank you. It helps that it's not nearly as large as the palace." He grinned at her. "At least I can only go so far before I know I need to turn around and that I needed to go up not down."

"True."

The crew member returned with their snacks and drinks. Alaina thanked him as she took her drink. The plates were set on the table between them. A moment later they were alone again.

"Tell me about the island?" Nathaniel popped one of his snacks in his mouth.

She gave a shrug. "It's a house on an island. It's not a resort or anything of that nature, though it's nice. Very nice - a lot nicer than most houses on a beach. It was a lovely home before it became part of the royal family's holdings. It's been updated and upgraded security, and so on, since then."

"How big is the island?"

Alaina took a sip of her drink. "I'm not sure. Not overly large. The house is on a hill which helps with any storm surge, but the way the weather works in this area means it doesn't get hit by bad storms very often. It's been damaged by them, but not seriously."

"That's good to know."