The Last in Line (The Royal Inheritance Series Book 1) by Evie Banks Page A

only a plastic card with the room number on it on a table by the door. She pocketed it so as not to forget the room number, but didn’t find the key.
    She found Cassandra and Roberts in the hotel restaurant going over a menu. Chase was nowhere to be seen.
    “The spinach and artichoke soufflé here is world renowned,” Roberts was saying. “You can’t go wrong with that, but the foi gras with bulger wheat crackers should also be delicious. Oh look, it comes with a side of braised carrots!”
    “Don’t they have macaroni and cheese?” asked Cassandra.
    “I haven’t heard of that, is it an Italian dish?”
    “Umm, I think so. But the box is in English.”
    Roberts looked skeptical, but motioned for the waiter to come over and ordered macaroni and cheese for Cassandra and himself, with extra grated cheese on his dish. The waiter raised an eyebrow. “Excellent choice.”
    Renee walked up to the table and Roberts immediately stood to pull out a chair for her.
    “Please sit,” she said when Roberts appeared to have no inclination to do so. He nodded his head and took his seat again. The waiter appeared incredulous.
    “We were just ordering, Ma’am,” said Roberts.
    Renee quickly glanced at the menu. She wasn’t sure what language it was in and there were no pictures.
    “Steak,” she said, handing back the menu. “Well done. With a side of corn on the cob and biscuits. And iced tea please.”
    The waiter rolled his eyes and left, muttering something under his breath about hick tourists.
    “So what’s on the schedule for today?” she said and stifled a yawn.
    “A spot of shopping is in order. Perhaps a visit to a salon as well.”
    “Shopping? I don’t have any money,” said Renee quickly.
    Roberts patted his breast pocket. “Never you fear, Ma’am. We have a little walking around money, if you will. You didn’t think we’d allow you to be introduced to your subjects dressed in your track suit, did you?”
    Renee stared down at her Rodeo Daze 1998 sweatshirt. He had a point. The waiter returned with glasses of water for all and an iced tea that he set in front of Renee with little bowls of sugar and lemon slices. A tiny matching pair of silver tongs and a spoon rested in them.
    “Fancy,” she whistled through her teeth. “Where’s Chase?”
    “I believe he’s speaking to the Prime Minister.”
    Renee nearly dropped her lemon wedge. “You’re joking.”
    “No Ma’am. The government has been intimately involved in this process. Everything is top secret, of course. The country is still in mourning and everyone agreed that it would look vulgar if we announced a search for the heir before the bodies of the royal family were even in the ground.” He sipped his tea. “You really ought to learn to drink hot tea. It’s barbaric over ice.”
    Renee was grappling with something. “You mean no one in all of Great Britain knows that there will be another queen…or king?”
    “I’m sure it’s crossed everyone’s minds, but the shock of losing the royal family as well as so many others all at once…the funeral arrangements alone were all-engrossing. I didn’t sleep for four days straight and then fell asleep in one of the caskets we had picked out. I was asked to lie in it to see if it would be a good fit for the Duke of York since we are the same height, and dropped off right to sleep since it was the first time I had laid my head down since that awful day.” He bowed his head and he looked grieved. He looked up and his voice was brighter. “Those prank players let me lie in that casket for five hours and when I awoke I was all alone in a dark room full of caskets. I nearly had a heart attack right there and then the Duke of York would have had to find another one for himself.”
    Renee looked at him with understanding. “You didn’t sleep, you buried your queen and then you immediately went out searching for a new person to take her place. This must all be really hard on you.”
    Roberts