Royally Schooled

by McKenna James

  “That won’t be necessary, Raymond, but I do appreciate it. I was actually just on my way out. I have a date with Miss Bennett.”

  Raymond’s eyes widened as he hid a mischievous grin. That was one thing the old coot did enjoy, hearing drab details about my personal life—the various women I courted. He always said he didn’t understand how I carried on precariously while bequeathed the heir to the throne without my name being dragged through the mud, but the fact is—the paparazzi would sell any bloody tale that involved a royal and scandalous deeds.

  Raymond continued through the palace, leaving Maggie and I in the stark silence of her newest revelation.

  “Wait… Prince Edward?” she asked, her bottom lip wobbling. “As in The Prince Edward of England?”

  My smirk grew into a smile as I replied, “That’s right. I guess that means you actually can help me to learn you, right? I mean, if you’re going to tutor all the queen’s children…”

  I laughed as I got up from the table, dismissing our conversation, though I doubted Maggie could find the words for a rebuttal—her mouth was hung wide is shock and awe.

  I strolled from the room, before she had a chance to gather herself, taking just a moment to look over my shoulder and offer her a slight wink.

  Chapter 5

  Maggie

  I came into work the next day, honestly unsure if I even had a job.

  Once again, I’d made a complete and total fool of myself. I knew that the older prince was named Edward. Even though I’d never seen him before my interview, why didn’t I piece it together? How could I not have realized he was the prince?

  I had been kind of a bitch to the Prince of England. Like, the prince who was one day going to be the King.

  However, he did deserve it, though. He was being totally presumptuous. The first time I’d met him, I thought he was so sweet and charming, but I could see now, he was conceited and entitled. Imagine that—a filthy rich, playboy prince who was conceited and entitled. Yeah, I was fully within my rights to reject him.

  I wouldn’t have been so rude about it had I known. I would have given him the respect he deserved as prince while letting him down gently. Did he deserve anything less? I’m completely torn in that regard. Now, however, I completely understood why Millie and the other maid, who I had not yet met, were so quick to leave. Nobody wanted to eat with the boss around.

  Well, if I did get fired, I’d one day be able to tell my future kids their mom got fired after rejecting the King of England. That would be one hell of a story.

  I really didn’t want to lose my job.,. Not just because I needed the money, but because I was really excited to work with Princess Abigail and Prince Drew. I had always loved childcare and helping children grow through education and enrichment made my job all the more enjoyable. I knew it was corny to say, but I was a strong believer that children were the future, and I loved making connections with them. It felt like I was helping to build the future world.

  In this case, I truly might have been. These children were going to be leaders one day. They were going to have more power than I ever would, and I got to help shape how they learned. That was pretty awesome.

  I waited patiently for Abigail and Drew to enter the room. When they did, I sat up straight and tried to put on my best authoritative face.

  “Prince Drew, Princess Abigail. Great to see you. Have a seat. I know we went over a bit of what you were learning yesterday, but I really want to assess where you guys are at. So can you tell me what subjects you’re learning about in each class? Where are you each in science, for example?”

  I had a notebook out in front of me and was prepared to takes notes to help gather where they were academically. I wanted to seem wholly professional when I visited with their teachers later.

  Drew was the first to speak up. “I just learned about Darwin’s theory of evolution and how the weakest always survived because the stronger individuals of any species were off fighting and killing each other.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him, and Abigail chuckled. I didn’t think she knew about the theory of evolution or why it was wrong, but she knew enough about her brother to tell from his tone that he was messing with me. She wanted in on the game.

  “Yeah, and I’m learning about how when water evaporates, it turns into ice.” She smiled.

  “Ha-ha, guys. Very funny.” It hadn’t been so long since I was their age. I’d give them a pass on messing with me. It was like messing with the substitute teacher—kids just had to test their boundaries. “If that’s what you’re learning, I think I’ll have to talk with your teachers directly. Seems like they’re telling you some very incorrect things.”

  “No!” Abigail nearly shouted from her chair. “Don’t talk to them!”

  “Ah, okay, so do you maybe want to correct what you’ve told me?” I asked.

  “Yes. Water turns into ice from freezing,” she corrected.

  I looked over at Drew, who said nothing. I could see he was still in the mood to challenge me. He wasn’t as young and easily scared as Abigail was.

  “Very good. Why exactly does water do that?” I asked.

  I took the time catching up a bit and then had Abigail work on some math problems for homework as I turned my attention to Drew who was extremely reluctant to answer my questions.

  Frankly, I wasn’t prepared for him to challenge me this much. I’d barely slept last night; I was too worried about what a fool I’d made of myself with Edward. I wasn’t prepared for all the sass he wanted to throw at me, and I feared I was coming off a little weak.

  That wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to feel intimidated by either of the kids. I wanted to feel in my element. That was hard when I wasn’t even convinced, I was fully qualified for this job, and I continued to make an ass out of myself at every opportunity.

  Hell, I really wasn’t qualified, was I? I only got the job because Edward made the argument that my lack of knowledge on the royal family was actually a good thing for a tutor of the children. I wasn’t so sure I agreed with him on that front.

  I was relieved when it came time to take the kids to their riding lessons. Though Drew, once again, challenged me by telling me that he wasn’t finished reading this chapter yet.

  “Okay, well, you have to be done because it’s time to go. We can’t be late,” I told him.

  “One second,” he groaned.

  I ignored this and slammed the book shut in front of him. He looked up at me with frustration in his eyes, then turned around and marched out of the room angrily.

  Abigail laughed at this too. “He hates the horses,” she informed me.

  “Really?” This surprised me.

  “Yeah, he’s not good at horseback riding like I am,” she said proudly. “He’d rather be reading.”

  On that front, I could relate to Drew. I had never been too good at physical activities either. I was always a bookworm. I never even got particularly good at riding a bike.

  Funny that I felt I could relate so strongly to Drew, but he resisted me so much.

  I took the kids to their riding lessons, and even though I wanted to watch them on the horses, I decided against staying because I knew Drew probably wouldn’t be too happy to see me. I went to the dining quarters again, where I ran into Millie.

  “Hey, girl! How’s your second day?” she said with a smile before she sipped her water.

  “Not so well,” I admitted. Again, I spoke to her as if we were long-term friends, because it felt that way.

  “Uh-oh. You figured out who Edward is, huh?” She cringed.

  I could feel myself blushing with embarrassment. “I discovered that last night, actually when the butler greeted him properly. He could have told me himself to save me the embarrassment. Oh, man, could I be a bigger idiot?”

  “Hey, you’re American. The royal family hasn’t been drilled into your brain since you were old enough to talk.”

  “I’m an American working for the royal family! I should’ve
done my research. I did do some research on the kids once I’d found out that I’d be working with them. I just didn’t look too far into any of the other family members. Big mistake. Now I’m wondering if I’m going to lose my job for it.”

  “Nah, I don’t think you will. The prince isn’t really like that. He doesn’t seem to take an interest in any of the staff, so he won’t be bothered to talk to the queen about you. He can’t be bothered with anything really.”

  “How do you mean?” I asked.

  “He’s very … well, let’s just say he’s not known to be the most responsible royal. He spends a lot of his time vacationing, meeting rich and beautiful women. He only pays attention to a few of his duties as prince, and that seems to only be when the queen or Ms. Mitchell are chiding him for his absences. He couldn’t care less.”

  Huh… I hadn’t known that, but it explained why he was so willing to shamelessly flirt with me.

  “Well, even so, he might take a vested interest in having me fired,” I told her.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because I kind of … blatantly and rudely rejected him.”

  Her eyes widened. “No! You didn’t!”

  “Oh, yes, I most definitely did.”

  “He hit on you?” She seemed stunned.

  “Yeah, totally. He asked me out last night.”

  “You said no?” She laughed. “But he’s so ridiculously hot.”

  She was right about that; I couldn’t deny it. I’d thought it from the first time I'd seen him. He was certainly handsome.

  “I’m just not in a place for a relationship right now. With my dad being sick and trying to balance this new job, I have no interest in dating.”

  If I did have an interest…

  Well, no… I couldn't date him now that I knew he was my boss. No matter how attractive he was.

  “Well, if he hit on you, he knows that makes him looks bad,” Millie pointed out. “I doubt he would ever tell anyone about it, let alone try to get you fired. I mean, that would be sexual harassment. He wouldn’t do that.”

  Huh. Yeah, I was too busy with my stress to really think of it that way.

  “I suppose you’re right,” I told her.

  “So relax! Your job isn’t in danger.” She smiled sweetly.

  “Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing I’m stressed out about right now,” I admitted.

  “Oh? What else?” she asked.

  “Well, I don’t think the kids are taking me too well. Particularly Drew. He’s challenging me at every opportunity, and I’m starting to doubt that I’m up to the task.”

  Millie looked at me sympathetically as she tucked her hair behind her ears. “I’m sure that you are, though. The thing is, those kids are going to challenge anyone who comes in here and tries to be the boss of them. All kids do that, but these kids especially. They have so many adults constantly telling them what to do, they’re bound to rebel a bit.”

  “So, what should I do?” I asked. “I honestly don’t want to be just another adult these kids have to rebel against.”

  “So don’t be!” Millie suggested. “They’re so used to stuffy, uptight authority figures. Maybe just be the person in their lives who is a little more relaxed? You know, don’t let them walk all over you, but relate to them on their level. You don’t have to be a Ms. Mitchell type. I don’t even get the vibe that you like being an authority figure that much.”

  “I don’t,” I admitted. “I never have.”

  “So maybe the problem is that you’re forcing yourself into a role you don’t fit in, and the kids sense that weakness. Just be yourself. Reach them how you know how to reach them. Fill the role that actually feels natural.”

  Huh. I actually liked the idea of that. I had no desire to be another stuffy adult in their life anyway.

  “That’s genius. Thank you, Millie,” I told her.

  She seemed pleased with herself. “No problem at all. Now what to do about your prince problem?” she teased.

  “Oh, I don’t think that’ll be a problem any longer. No way is he going to ask me out again after what a bitch I was.”

  Which was a good thing, right? Because I didn’t want to date. I didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

  At least, that was what I told myself. In the back of my mind, I felt the slightest disappointment when thinking about Edward never wanting to speak to me again.

  I left my dinner break a little early to catch the end of the kids’ horseback riding lessons. I wanted the opportunity to talk to them again before I had to speak with their teachers.

  Outside, I could see even from a distance that Abigail was a natural. She was trotting around the track like an absolute pro.

  Whereas Drew’s horse seemed to be just barely moving. As I got closer, I could see Drew nervously holding the reigns. Abigail was right—he clearly hated riding.

  He saw me watching them, and I could see the frustration on his face. Clearly, he’d rather I not be here. Maybe it was a mistake to come.

  I wasn’t going to walk away yet. Not until they finished and I had the chance to try my new technique on them.

  They finished up the lesson, and the trainer helped them take the horses to the stables. It was Abigail who came sprinting out of the stables first, a grin plastered across her face.

  “Did you see me?” she asked excitedly. “Did you see how good I was?”

  I had to laugh at her confidence. I hoped she would never lose that. Confidence tended to be beaten out of you as you aged.

  “I did! You were amazing. A real pro.”

  “My horse loves me!” she said as she skipped forward along the path.

  Drew came out behind her, looking considerably less enthused. He tried to ignore me as he passed by.

  “Hey, Drew. What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He looked at me, frustrated. “I’m no good. I’ve been learning for years… I’m just no good at this.” He waved his hand at the stables.

  “Hey, that’s not a big deal,” I told him. “You know, you don’t have to be good at everything.”

  “I do,” he said disappointedly. “My brother, Edward, is good at everything. He’s going to be king. I could probably never be king… I can’t even ride a horse.”

  “Hey, there! A king doesn’t have to ride a horse.” I put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Drew, I promise you, there were a lot of things your brother wasn’t good at when he was your age. It’s just that he’s older, and he’s had more time to learn, so it looks like he’s an expert at everything. I promise, he’s not. Nobody is.”

  He looked at me curiously. “Not you either?”

  I had to laugh. “Of course not, me either! Especially not me. There are so many things I’m bad at, I can’t even count them, there’s a lot of things I’m good at too. Like reading and learning. That’s why I work as your tutor. I do the things I’m good at in life because it makes me happier than focusing on all the bad.”

  He seemed to understand this. “I’m pretty good at reading too.”

  “Yeah, you definitely are. I’m really impressed with how knowledgeable you are.”

  He smiled at hearing this, and I nudged his shoulder playfully. “I bet Edward wasn’t such a good reader when he was your age.”

  He seemed contented with this. I felt more at ease. Millie was right. These kids had enough authority figures in their lives. I wanted to be someone they could talk to, someone they enjoyed learning from.

  I’d be happier in that position more than anything else. I had a feeling the kids were going to be happier for it too

  Chapter 6

  Edward

  I found my younger sister nearly hopping along the hallways, looking positively delighted.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “What’s gotten into you, Abby?”

  “Miss Maggie said that today we get to have our lessons outside!” She told me happily. “I can’t wait until she gets here!”

  Ah, yes. Maggi
e… Of course, when I finally get the woman out of my head, my little sister had to bring her up.

  “Outside? Really?” I asked.

  This was odd to me. In all my lessons at the castle growing up, I’d never done any of them outside. It seemed pretty unorthodox, but it was interesting.

  “Yeah! She said it’ll be better if we learn outside today. I don’t know why.”

  Drew came down the hall after her, his books in his hands.

  While Abigail was entirely enthralled to be having lessons outside, I had a feeling that Drew was dreading it. If Abigail loved Maggie as a tutor, Drew probably hated her.

  That was usually how it went anyway. Abigail and Drew got along just fine, but they were complete opposites. Anything Abigail loved, Drew hated, and vice versa.

  I’d known him to be pretty hard on his teachers and tutors. He had a penchant for learning and had high standards for anyone teaching him.

  “So how do you feel about the new tutor?” I asked.

  “She’s really nice.” He smiled, to my surprise.

  “Uh, really? You like her?”

  “Yeah. She seems smart. She explains things really well. Especially for Abigail. She’s even got Abigail to pay attention during lessons.”

  “And you don’t mind going outside for lessons today?”

  “Not at all. I’m sure if Maggie wants us outside, it’ll be educational.”

  Wow, this was impressive. A tutor that both my brother and sister liked. Maybe my instincts weren’t off about this one. She must have been something special if both my siblings were happy with her.

  “Well, that’s good. I’m glad you guys are happy with her,” I told them as I made my way down the hall.

  “Edward, want to come with us outside?” Abigail smiled at me.

  She was a sweetheart, and she was always eager to spend more time with me. Both of my siblings were really, and I did enjoy my time with them. I knew so well the difficulty they experienced growing up as royals, and I wanted to alleviate that for them in any way that I could.

  I didn’t think it would be appropriate for me to spend time with them right now when they were going to be with Maggie. I had every intention of trying to pursue her in the future, but I wasn’t going to do that in front of my siblings. I needed to smooth over the rejection first and win her over. It would take some charm, but I was a prince after all.