All week, I’d been avoiding calling Maggie. Though I’d texted her many times before, I’d never actually phoned her. For some reason, that felt a lot more intrusive. I'd suppose it was because people rarely just called anyone anymore. I didn’t want to seem too attached.
The thing was, I couldn’t help being attached. All I could think about right now was how badly I wanted to speak with her. I wondered if she wanted to speak to me too.
So, I commanded my phone to call her. She answered on the third ring; I’d counted.
“Hello?” Her sweet voice sent a shiver down my spine. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it this week until right now.
“Maggie, hey. It’s Edward.”
She chuckled a little. “Yes, Edward, I do have caller ID. How are you? I heard about the accident, and I’ve been worried sick.”
So, she’d been worried about me, huh? That seemed like a pretty good sign to me.
“I’m doing okay. Though I am horribly bored. Do you think you could come visit? I’m at the palace, I’m not sure if you know that.”
“I do,” she said. “I heard from the kids. But, uh, I’m not sure I should.”
“Oh, come on, Maggie. I’m injured. If you don’t come to me, it’ll force me to come to you. If I do that, I might accidentally injure myself again. If you’re the reason the heir to the throne is hurt, all of England will hate you,” I teased.
“All of England hating me is actually one of the reasons I don’t think I should come,” she answered seriously.
“What? Why is that?”
“Because… Edward, how would it look if I came to visit you? People … they talk. If anyone saw me…”
“Maggie, we’re in the palace. I just have nurses checking in on me. I’m all by myself, and we’re safe within these palace walls. Please, just come visit. I promise you; word won’t get out.”
She sighed. “Okay, fine. Because you’re not feeling well. That’s the only reason. I’ll come by when I’m done with my shift.”
“Perfect, I’ll see you then.”
I hung up the phone with a grin on my face. I couldn’t have been more eager to see her. Suddenly, I felt a lot less bored. At least now I got to fantasize about the fact that I’d be with Maggie in only a few hours.
Normally that thought would get me a bit revved up, but I was in no state to accept any sexual desire. My body shut that all down immediately. I had a headache just rolling over in bed. I certainly didn’t want to do anything as strenuous as having sex.
The minutes passed slowly as I waited for her. I kept glancing at the grandfather clock that was on the other side of my dimly-lit room. I didn’t know if I was supposed to be reading clocks, but I didn’t much care at the moment.
When I finally heard a knock at my door, my heart began to race.
“Come in,” I said softly, as I prayed it wasn’t just another nurse.
It wasn’t. Maggie walked in slowly, hesitantly, looking around the room as if there would be someone else here.
“It’s just me, I promise you,” I assured her. “Come on, come in. Keep me company. I’m bored out of my mind.”
She looked hesitant but pulled up a chair. She didn’t get too close to my bed, though. She was feet away from me.
“Hey, I don’t bite.”
“Yeah, well, this looks a lot less suspicious,” she said.
“Suspicious to who? Maggie, you worry too much. It’s just us here. Relax a little.”
“I can’t relax… It’s my job on the line, Edward, and you know I really need this job.”
I sighed. “Alright, as long as you’re hanging out, I guess that’s all I can ask for.”
“So, how are you doing? I’ve been thinking about you.”
“I’m okay. I think I’m more bothered with my mum and everyone in the palace fussing over me than I am my actual head pain. It’s getting annoying, fending off everyone.”
“They’re just concerned about you. I would be too.”
I smiled at her. “Well, I wish it was you fussing over me instead.”
“Me too,” she said, a little sadly.
I wasn’t expecting that reaction.
“What? What is it?” I asked.
“No, nothing.” She shrugged it off.
“Seriously, what is it?” I pressed.
She didn’t have an opportunity to answer. In walked one of my nurses with a tray of food.
“I’ve got to check on your vitals, Edward,” she said to me.
“Right, of course.”
She began to take my blood pressure as well as my heart rate, and I could see that Maggie was incredibly uncomfortable. I felt a little bad. I’d insisted she wouldn’t be seen, and then somebody walked in.
She really was overreacting a bit. We weren’t doing anything uncouth. She was sitting halfway across the room, for crying out loud! This woman was a professional. What was she going to do? Run down the hall and tell everyone who would listen that the royal tutor was in my room? We were friends! It was no big deal.
Still. I felt for her discomfort and didn’t want her to experience any more of it.
“You know, I don’t think I need to be checked on again tonight,” I told the nurse.
She side-eyed me a bit. “I can’t let you go unchecked all night.” Then she glanced over at Maggie and seemed to understand why I wanted to be alone. “Perhaps I can push off your next check until midnight.”
“That would be awesome.” I smiled at her. “Thank you.”
She nodded and then left the room.
As soon as the door shut behind her, Maggie stood.
“I should go.”
“Maggie, wait, please,” I said, sounding more desperate than I’d intended.
“Edward, I shouldn’t be here. Really. Anyone could come in at any time and—”
“She was the only one who would ever come in unannounced, and she just said she’d leave us alone until midnight. What’s the harm? I mean, we’re both adults. Even if people did assume, we were dating, would that be so wrong?”
“No,” she said definitively. “Their assumption that we were dating wouldn’t be so bad. The thing is they’d never assume that. Because you’re a prince and I’m a tutor. So, what they’re going to think we’re doing is hooking up. I don’t want to be known as the royal whore.”
“Well, you’re not a royal, so technically…” I gave her a playful smile.
She was unamused by my joke. “Edward, I’m going to go.”
“Maggie, please. Nobody would think that of you. You’re a sweet, charming, honorable woman. You’re here to keep a friend company while he has a concussion because he’s begging you to. It’s nothing more than that.”
She sighed as she sat back down. “Fine, I can stay a little longer.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “But, uh, do you think you could stay a bit closer to me?”
She laughed. “What? You want me to inch my chair closer?”
“Even closer than that.” I patted the bed next to where I was lying.
“Edward, tell me you did not call me in here for a booty call!” She stood up angrily. “I absolutely would never have intercourse with you when you’re in this state.”
I had to laugh at her use of the word intercourse. She was so funny. I loved the way she spoke. It wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met.
“I don’t want to have sex, Maggie. Are you kidding? I’m injured. I have no sexual drive right now. I just want to be near you.”
She looked skeptical. “Really? Why?”
“Why do you think? Because you comfort me. Because I love your presence. Just come cuddle me for a bit, please.”
I could see it in her eyes. She wanted to say no, but she couldn’t resist this request. Why should she? It was a pretty simple request.
She walked over to me slowly, slid her shoes off, and then climbed up next to me on the bed. We’d done this before, but only after sex. It was never like this—never clothed and never inn
ocent.
When she crawled up under my arm, it immediately felt different. It was somehow more intimate. I wouldn’t think that lying with somebody fully clothed would feel more intimate than undressed. Somehow, it just did. It was nice.
I could smell her hair, and I leaned into it, putting my cheek on the top of her head.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?” she asked.
“For staying … I really missed you.”
I could feel her body tense up as I said that, and I wondered if I’d said something wrong. A moment later, she responded.
“I missed you too.”
“So, what do you want to do until midnight?” I asked her. “I wish we could watch movies or something, but unfortunately I’m not allowed to do that while I’m healing.”
She looked up at me. “I guess we could just talk?”
“Yeah.” I smiled down at her. “Let’s do that. Let’s just talk. How are things with your dad?” I wondered if she knew about the hospital bill yet.
“They’re good … a little stressful. I mean, he does seem to be doing better this week. It doesn’t matter how well he seems to do, I’m constantly worried that I’m going to lose him. I mean, to be honest, I used to be afraid of losing him even when he was healthy, but I guess his cancer really amplified those fears.”
“Really?” This confused me. “Why would you ever worry about him while he was healthy?”
“Oh, well, I guess that was just a consequence of losing my mom.” She had never told me about her mother, not outside of passing moments. Though because of how she went unmentioned, I had understood she wasn’t in the picture and never dared to ask more. “I think when you lose a parent, it really puts mortality into perspective. When I lost my mom… I just couldn’t imagine having to go through that pain and grief ever again. So I feared that happening with my dad a lot.”
Somehow, I knew exactly what she meant. “That went through my head a lot after my father passed,” I told her.
“It did?”
“Yeah. I really began to care so much more for my mum. I mean, I have always loved my mum, of course. It’s different after a parent dies, you know? My mum became everything I had after my dad passed.”
“No, I totally get it. I feel the same way. My dad is everything to me. I don’t even mind taking care of him, juggling hospital bills, spending all my nights in. It gets lonely sometimes, I guess, when my dad is too tired to talk to me.”
“It does, huh? Maybe I should keep you company? Come visit with your dad?” I suggested.
“Oh my God, that would be so cool! He would flip out if he got to meet the Prince of England! That would be so nice of you.”
That wasn’t how I meant it.
I was trying to gauge her reaction to me meeting her father, not suggest that I’d visit him for fun as a kind gesture. I didn’t want to get to know her dad as a kind gesture…
I wanted to get to know her dad as her boyfriend.
I didn’t say this out loud. It felt really weird to say. What if she took it badly?
I normally didn’t fear rejection. One, because I rarely ever was rejected, and two, because I didn’t care enough about the women I asked out to be bothered by it.
I cared about Maggie. Man, did I care about her. More than I’d ever cared for a woman in my life. So, to be rejected by her … that would hurt. It would hurt more than my throbbing head right now.
If she was going to reject my advances, I wanted to savor this. I didn’t want it to happen when I was already stressed and in pain. I’d rather I found out later, when I was healed.
Though I hoped I wouldn’t have to be rejected at all.
“Anyway, I don’t want to talk too much about myself. What about you? How are things going in your life?” she asked.
“Oh, well, uh … they’re going.” I forced a smile. “Actually, I’ve enjoyed my life a lot recently. I definitely enjoy hearing about you, especially when hearing about your family history.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“I guess because it’s so unknown to me. I mean, you pretty much get to know mine. My entire ancestry is out there for the world to see. But you … you’re a secret. Your life is hidden from the world, which seems nice.”
“Not to brag, but it is kind of nice,” she agreed. “I really don’t know how you do it, dealing with people always prying into your life. I mean, you got hit on the head with a mallet, and I got a damn alert on my cell phone!”
“You bloody well did not!” I groaned. “Lord, the things they turn into breaking news…”
“Well, it was breaking news to me at least.”
My heart fluttered when she said that. It gave me hope that whatever we had between us was as serious to her as it was to me. I desperately wanted that to be the case.
“It’s really nice to be able to talk to someone about how I felt after my dad died, though,” I told her. “I haven’t really gotten to do that with anyone.”
“Really? I would’ve thought everyone would’ve asked you about it, would have wanted to hear you discuss it.”
“Sure, yeah, they might want to hear it, but that didn’t mean I wanted to share it. Most people, when they ask about my father, are looking for some gossipy details about his passing. As I’m sure you know, it was a car accident. He happened to be driving himself, which was a rarity, and everyone wanted to speculate whether he was drunk or on some kind of drugs, even though it was reported he wasn’t. I mean, people think the royal family has some kind of pull with the media where we can get them to not publish our dirty little secrets, but in my experience, it’s the opposite that’s true. We can’t get them to stop.”
“My God, that’s so awful,” she said. I could hear it in her voice, she truly thought so. “Nobody deserves to go through that after they have a parent pass away. I wish people had the good sense to leave you and your family alone. You guys do not deserve to be continually bothered this way.”
“You’re sweet.” I kissed the top of her head. “I think that’s one of the reasons I shirk away so much of my responsibilities, though.”
She wasn’t following. “How do you mean?”
“Well, after my father passed, everyone would talk about how I’d come into the throne. The weight of the amazing king my father was just came raining down on me. I couldn’t take it. I loved my mother so dearly, but at every opportunity I felt like I was such a disappointment to her. I didn’t want to be, so I avoided talking to her about anything I needed to do. I avoided thinking about it. I even avoided being home much of the time.”
“You seem to be at the palace a lot now,” she observed.
“Yes, well, frankly, I think you have something to do with that. You and my siblings, of course. I have always made time for them. Even with them, I feel like I’m failing. I could be a better big brother to them.”
“Are you kidding me? Edward, you have no idea how those kids really see you.”
“What?” I asked.
“They worship the ground you walk on. Those children adore you. You are the perfect role model to them; I can promise you that. If anything, you’re too good of a role model for them.”
I was honored to hear this from her. “How could I be too good of a role model?”
“By being a lot to live up to. Sometimes Drew gets really down on himself when he can’t do something as well as you can, like riding horses.”
“He does?” I didn’t like hearing that part, though. “He really shouldn’t. That boy is a much better kid than I was at his age. He’s smart, responsible, he’s probably the one who actually should end up king instead of me.”
“Aw, don’t say that,” she said gently. “You’re going to be an amazing king, Edward. You are kind, considerate, and you seem pretty responsible to me. For a guy with a reputation as a partier, I don’t see you partying much.”
That was only because I’d stopped since meeting her. I didn’t feel the need to go out anymore. If I
had a free moment, I’d rather it be spent with Maggie.
Frankly, if we ended up together, I could confidently say I didn’t think I’d ever party again. I felt no need. Going out and meeting women was filling a void for me that I didn’t need filled with Maggie by my side.
“I hope that’s true,” I said.
“Just marry someone who would make a good queen. Someone who will really guide you in becoming a good king, you know?”
Yeah, I thought I did know.
I wasn’t sure how long we kept talking, nor did I really know when the conversation stopped. At some point, I drifted off to sleep with her still in my arms.
When I was awoken by light streaming in from the doorway, I yawned and looked over at where I thought Maggie would still be.
To my dismay, she was gone. It was my nurse coming in. She must have left before midnight, but did she say goodbye? I couldn’t remember.
“How are you feeling, Edward?” the nurse asked me.
“Not so well,” I said, now that I knew she had left.
I couldn’t blame her for leaving. I knew she didn’t want to be caught in my bed, and she knew the nurse was coming in at midnight. I just wished I was able to text her.
I hoped she’d drop by again tomorrow.
Chapter 15
Maggie
“What? No, that can’t be possible,” I said into the phone. “Can you check again? I know it must be a mistake.”
“I am very positive this is no mistake. Honestly, we’ve never had a mistaken payment. Your bill was most definitely paid off by an anonymous donor.”
“That can … happen?” I asked. “You have no idea who it was?”
“We are not at liberty to disclose. Your balance is definitely paid off, and you do not owe the hospital.”
“Oh … okay,” I said, shocked. “Thank you then.”
“You’re very welcome. Have an excellent day.”
I hung up the phone, still a little confused.
I had been so sure that it was a mistake that they thought my father’s bill was paid off. It didn’t seem possible. It was thousands of dollars. Who could possibly pay that off?
Then it hit me. Of course I knew who paid it off. I should have known earlier…
Royally Schooled Page 10
