Chapter 47
"All very romantic, I'm sure." The Queen somehow managed to sound both scornful and bored at the same time. "Except for the fact that Mister Parry had intended to talk Lucas into acquiring the rights to the Circle for himself, thus cutting the Crown out of what is rightfully the Crown's."
"Oh, but he'll need it, Majesty," said Parry earnestly. "Have you seen the way his mother and sisters spend? They'll run right through--" He shut right up when he caught a good look at the Queen's face and realized he was, in fact, talking cheek about the Queen's family.
Lucas had a look too, and decided he would have done the same. Because right. That was where Vessa had gotten the eyebrow from.
"It's all right, Parry." Lucas rethought that. "Well, not all right, but it, um.... I suppose it was a sort of halfway decent, if somewhat illegal, thought."
The Queen patted Lucas's head. She actually patted his head!