"Of course, Your Highness," Sara replied with a gentle smile. "My mate understands the demands of service to the crown. I'm honoured to attend to you."
The genuine affection in Sara's voice was one of the few comforts Elizabeth permitted herself to acknowledge. Though she maintained an appropriate distance from the palace staff, Sara and a handful of others had been with her since childhood. They represented the closest thing to constancy she had known since her mother's death.
In the guest wing, the Talley twins were experiencing their own version of royal evening preparations. Servants had arrived to assist with formal attire, an unfamiliar process that Buck found particularly uncomfortable.
"I can dress myself," he grumbled as a valet presented three nearly identical shirts for his i
