"May I sit down?"
The dealer looked at the group. "How about your friends?" he said cautiously.
The queen shook her head. "They would rather watch, I'm sure."
For once Malone blessed the woman's telepathic talent. He, Boyd and
Barbara Wilson formed a kind of Guard of Honor around the chair which
Her Majesty occupied. Boyd handed over the new pile of chips, and was
favored with a royal smile.
"This is a poker game, ma'am," the dealer said to her quietly.
"I know, I know," Her Majesty said with a trace of testiness. "Roll 'em."
The dealer stared at her popeyed. Next to her, the gentleman in the cowboy outfit turned. "Ma'am, are you from around these parts?" he said.
"Oh, no," the Queen said. "I'm from England."
"England?" The cowboy looked puzzled. "You don't seem to have any accent, ma'am," he said at last.
"Certainly not," the Queen said. "I've lost that; I've been over here a great many years."