Reluctantly Royal

by Nichole Chase

  I shook my head and stood up, reveling in the way his eyes traveled over my body. As I turned to head for the bathroom, his warm hand smacked my ass, making me jump.

  “What the hell was that for?” I shot him a glare and put my hands on my hips.

  “Well, I didn’t want you to start thinking I was too perfect.” Lying back on the pillow, he tucked his hands under his head. “Plus you’ve got a really great ass.”

  I rolled my eyes at him but didn’t say anything. I was scared if I opened my mouth I’d laugh. Instead I did as I was told and went to take a shower. I wasn’t in there long. As a mother, you learn to be quick in the bathroom or you could walk out to find the house on fire. I was wrapped in my robe drying my hair when Marty walked into the bathroom. He was trying to stuff a jacket into his backpack.

  “We’re about to leave!”

  “Already?” I set down the hair dryer and knelt down so I could hug him.

  He rushed into my arms and squeezed me tightly. “Yeah, we’re going to eat in the car.”

  “I want you to listen to Ms. Sam, okay? She’s pregnant, so don’t run her ragged.” I looked him in the eyes. “If I find out you were bad I’m taking your game system”

  “I’ll be good.” He almost rolled his eyes but caught himself. “I promise.”

  “Good.” Pulling him forward, I gave him a big kiss and then pushed him toward the door. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “Love you, Mom.”

  “Love you too.”

  Hearing someone shuffling in the hallway, I went to the door and stuck my head out.

  “Sam?” I called.

  “Hey.” She turned around and gave me a small smile.

  “Will you please let me know if he misbehaves? You can call me anytime and I’ll find a way to come get him.”

  “Pfft.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s perfect. Don’t worry.”

  “Thanks, but he has his moments.” I shook my head. “No kid is perfect all the time.”

  “We’ll be fine.” She put a hand on her stomach and made a face. “This kid is going to play soccer. She’s practicing with my bladder right now.”

  “Yikes.” I winced in understanding.

  “She’ll move eventually.” Sam shook her head. “It’s nice to be able to say ‘her’ instead of ‘it.’ ”

  “With as much publicity as you two get, I don’t blame you for wanting to keep something to yourselves for a while.”

  “It’s part of the job.” Her mouth turned down and something passed over her face. “Anyway, I hope today goes well. And don’t worry about Marty. We’re going to have fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Thank you.” I gripped the door handle. How had I gone from having no one to having so many people? “I owe you that spa day.”

  “I’m going to hold you to it.” Sam smiled at me before walking away.

  I closed my door and went about getting ready for the day. I only had what I’d stashed in my bag in my hasty retreat from Thysmer. Picking out dress pants, a blouse, and heels, I checked myself out in the mirror. My reflection looked tense and worried, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that.

  “Hungry?” Max knocked on my door before peeking inside.

  “No.” I shook my head. The thought of eating made my stomach flip and flop in a very uncomfortable way.

  “Today is going to be okay.” Max walked in. He was still tying his tie, but he cut a dashing figure in a suit.

  “Yeah.” I nodded out of habit. Today wasn’t going to be okay. Out of all the outcomes I could come up with, there weren’t any ones that left everyone happy.

  “I’m serious.” He put his hands on my shoulders. “No matter what happens, things will be okay. The queen can appoint a steward for the township if she needs to. Several of the older dukes have stewards that help in the running of day-to-day operations. Your father will not hurt your family or the township.”

  “What if . . .” I swallowed hard. “What if he doesn’t leave it all to Dad? I’ve been thinking about it and I can’t figure out why he would have sent a will to the queen if he was just going to pass the estate and title down to my father without any stipulations.”

  “Then we’ll deal with it.” He tipped my chin upward so I was meeting his eyes. “You could have a steward while you finish school. There are always options. We just have to figure them all out.”

  “Why didn’t he tell me though? I mean, why didn’t he let us know he was making a will?” I shook my head. “It’s so backward.”

  “I don’t know.” He pulled me against his chest. “My family has always lived by two mottos: Family first, and nothing is ever as good or as bad as you expect. So try not to stress yourself out before we even know what’s going to happen.”

  I looked up in his eyes and was surprised by the honesty. He really felt that we were in this together.

  “Okay. Then let’s get going.” I stepped out of his hands and grabbed my purse from the dresser near the door.

  He motioned for me to walk in front of him and I took a deep breath. Alex was waiting outside by the car when we got there. He was wearing a suit and had his hands tucked into his pockets.

  “Good morning.” He smiled at me. I could see why Sam was so head over heels in love with the man. He was gorgeous and sweet. Not a normal combination.

  “Good morning.” I nodded my head at him.

  “I thought I’d see if you two would like some company today. I’d be happy to lend my support.”

  “We’ve got it covered.” Max smacked his brother’s back. “Why don’t you try taking a day off?”

  “You’re sure?” Alex frowned. “I know how much you hate the royal duties. I could play the bad cop. I don’t get to do it that often. Sam is usually the bad cop.”

  “I’ve got this.” Max looked at his brother, and something passed between them. Alex just nodded his head as if he understood something I hadn’t heard.

  “Okay then. I’ll be here relaxing, if you need anything.” Alex opened the car door for us.

  Max held my hand to help me slide into the seat. It was one of those gentlemanly gestures that wasn’t really necessary, but made a girl feel special. He didn’t get in right away; instead Alex leaned forward and whispered to him quietly before slapping his back. Max nodded his head and then climbed into the car.

  “Brotherly advice?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “Just reminding me of something.” He looked over at me with a small smile, but I could see the stress etched in the corners of his eyes.

  “Hm.” If he wasn’t going to elaborate, I wasn’t going to ask. After all, it really wasn’t any of my business what passed between the brothers. Instead I straightened my pants and opened my purse to dig out my phone.

  There were messages from my director at school, but I couldn’t really answer them yet. I had no idea what was going to happen, not until this afternoon. Rachel had texted me to let me know that she and the lawyer were on the way to the estate. I did reply to her to let her know that we were on our way as well.

  Talking was kept to a minimum, which I appreciated. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy small talk or a good conversation; I just didn’t have the energy to focus on anything other than the reading of the will. It was like all of the worry and anxiety I’d been keeping bottled up had drained me dry.

  Max reached out at one point and wrapped his fingers around mine, but didn’t try to talk to me. Instead he played on his phone and let me stare out the window.

  I tried to work out the appropriate response for how my father would react to different outcomes of the will. Would he lose his shit? Would he surprise me and stay calm? Would he gloat and kick me out of the house? Was I going to lose my cool?

  Sighing, I leaned my head against the glass and closed my eyes. Max had been right. There was no point in worrying. What happened, happened, and it was out of my hands. The only person I could be responsible for today was myself.

  I was sweating by t
he time we’d gotten through the gates and I was glad I’d decided to wear dark colors. We pulled up to the house, my heart beating as if I’d run a marathon. I felt like I was about to walk into a house of doom.

  Max was out of his seat and opening my door before I realized the car had come to a complete stop. His cool fingers laced with mine as we walked up the steps, and I was grateful that he didn’t say anything about my sweaty palms. The butler, Gerard, opened the doors for us as we reached the top, and motioned for us to come inside.

  “Good morning, Lady Meredith, Prince Maxwell.” He bowed his head.

  “How is he?” I lowered my voice and took a step closer to Gerard.

  “He is . . . better than usual, but not his best.” Gerard frowned.

  “Well, can’t ask for much more than that. Where are they?” I straightened my shirt.

  “The front parlor, ma’am.”

  “Thank you, Gerard.” I looked back at Max. “Let’s do this.”

  Stepping forward, I took a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, and lifted my chin. If I was going into this blind, I was going to do it with confidence. Or at least a reasonable facsimile of confidence. I was an actress after all.

  My father was sitting in a large wingback chair near the fireplace. The glass tumbler held loosely in his fingers was half empty. Rachel and an elderly man in an expensive suit stood up from their seat on the couch and bobbed a bow and curtsy.

  “Your Highness, my lady, I am Daniel LeFave. I handle most of the legal matters for Her Majesty.” The man held his hand out to shake. “I’m sorry for your loss. I know this has been a difficult time.”

  “Thank you.” I shook his hand before taking one of the open seats across from the lawyer.

  “Okay then. Since we’re all here, let’s get started.” The old man clapped his hands together and smiled. “Prince Maxwell, I assume that you are here in an official position as your mother’s witness?”

  “Yes.” He moved so that he was standing just behind my chair, and my father snorted.

  “Isn’t there supposed to be a witness? Someone who watched my old man lose his mind?” My father’s voice was scratchy and annoyed.

  “Yes, sir.” Gerard closed the door and moved to the corner of the room. “I am present.”

  “The butler.” My father chuckled darkly into his drink.

  “Thank you, Gerard.” I looked at the man who had done so much to take care of our family. He nodded his head before looking back at the lawyer.

  “Okay, there is a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo, but if you’d like, I can cut straight to the meat of things.” He opened his folder of papers and pulled out a piece of Thysmer letterhead. “The late Duke of Thysmer wrote this out himself, which I then translated for him into the proper legal form.”

  He passed me the paper, but before I could get a good look at it, my father was across the room and snatched it out of my hands.

  “I’ll take that.” He set his empty tumbler on the table and scanned the paper quickly.

  I watched as his face turned pale and then bloodred. My heart managed to lodge itself in my throat as I watched the veins in his neck strain against his skin. The paper shook in his hands as he looked up at me with furious eyes.

  “As you can see, your father left very specific instructions.” Mr. LeFave clasped his hands in his lap, his eyes trained on my father.

  Max placed a hand on my shoulder and stepped around the chair as if he were going to shield me from my father’s anger.

  “The queen accepted his terms and has agreed to them,” Rachel said quietly.

  “How can he do this?” My father turned slowly to look at the woman on the couch. “He can’t do this.”

  “What is he doing?” I licked my lips and scooted forward on the chair. “What are you talking about?”

  “Basically, your grandfather has divided the title between the two of you, but with conditions.” Mr. LeFave explained. “For your father to retain any of what has been left to him, he must successfully complete a course of addiction rehabilitation.”

  Every cell in my body froze. I wasn’t even sure if I was breathing as I stared at the lawyer across from me. In one fell swoop, my grandfather had simultaneously validated my worry about my father and then turned around and ripped my dream out from under me. How could I be a performer and a duchess?

  “She can’t just take my title away because I don’t go to rehab! That’s ridiculous.” Spittle flew from my father’s mouth. “I don’t need rehab. That’s rubbish.”

  “We could schedule a consultation with a specialist. They could evaluate you and determine if you needed help or not.” Rachel kept her voice cool and pleasant.

  Everyone in the room was so calm. Very calm. Except for the vibrating exposed nerve that was my father.

  “You expect me to trust a specialist you pick? This is some kind of ploy to take away what is rightfully mine.” He turned his glare on me. “You’re behind this, aren’t you? You’ve been trying to push me out of the way for a long time.”

  “I’ve been covering for you for a long time.” Something inside my chest snapped and my own rage boiled to the surface. I stood up and clenched my fists at my sides. “You see nothing but yourself, what’s best for you! Granddad must have realized that you would hurt this town and our family. You think I want to stay here and babysit your drunk ass? Listen to you bitch and moan and abuse me or the staff? I haven’t been trying to push you out; I’ve been trying to escape you.”

  My father stood there, fury running rampant across his face. The letter in his hand crinkled as his hands shook.

  “We haven’t gone over everything,” Mr. LeFave offered. “The financial settlement is not based on your sobriety. Excepting the money from taxes that is used for the township, the family inheritance has been divided between Arthur, Meredith, and young Marty.”

  “I’ve still got my money?” Arthur turned and looked at the lawyer.

  “Yes, sir. However, if you do not complete rehab or if you begin drinking again, you lose any rights to future moneys earned by your family. You will only receive a percentage of what is currently held in the family accounts.” He flipped through papers in his folder and laid it on the table.

  I glanced down briefly at the paper and then back at my father. I wasn’t worried about how much money had been left to me. My largest concern at this moment was my father.

  “What if she doesn’t want to be Duchess of Thysmer?” My father’s lip curled. “What if something happens to her? What then?”

  The blood in my veins froze as I stared at the man in front of me. I’d always accepted that my father hated me. But did he hate me enough to try and kill me? For a title he seemed to loathe?

  “Something happens to her?” Max’s deep voice cut through the room. “What do you mean?”

  “What are you worried about?” Dad sneered at Max.

  “You wouldn’t be the first person to try to gain a title by removing someone else from the picture.”

  “Grow up, boy. If I was going to kill my daughter I sure as hell wouldn’t suggest it.” My father shook his head and walked back over to the cabinet to replenish his scotch. “I told you she’s using you. Now she has you all riled up because she’s been shacked up with you for a few days.”

  “Do not speak about Meredith in such a disrespectful manner.” The words snapped out of Max.

  “Stop it.” I growled the words at my father. “I am not using Max.”

  “Then why is he here following you around like a puppy?” He snorted. “That’s what your mother did. Got me hooked with a few tumbles in the sheets. Then dumped you on me and ran off.”

  “Father,” I hissed through gritted teeth. I wish I wasn’t surprised that he was airing our dirty laundry.

  “Embarrassed?” He laughed and swallowed what he had poured in one gulp. “You’re just like your mother.”

  “Let’s all take a seat,” Rachel spoke up. “Wills are never a pleasant thing to deal with, and
this one is a bit tougher than usual.”

  “I want you all out of my house.” My father slammed his glass down on the table. “Now.”

  “Technically, the house belongs to both of you. Unless you refuse rehab. Then it goes directly to Meredith and her son.” The lawyer took on a stern tone. “I’m here by the crown’s orders and will not leave until I have finished my job. Until you are sober and a functioning part of society, you will not be taking over any control of the current estate.”

  “Fine. I’ll go.” Standing up straighter, with only the slightest hint of a bobble, he straightened his jacket. “I’ll go.”

  “We need to finish the will. There are things to discuss about personal artifacts, your father’s dwelling in Germany, the family heirlooms.” The lawyer stood up.

  “I’m not entitled to any of it, remember? Unless I let you people make me into someone I’m not.” My father glared at me. “Let the bitch have it. I know how to survive without a title. I won’t live under the thumb of an idiotic queen and the mentally unstable ramblings of my old man.”

  I reached out and grabbed Max’s arm when he took a step forward. His entire body was tense, even his jaw was clenched in anger.

  “You would call your daughter a bitch and the queen—who granted your family lands back and bestowed God knows how much money on your family—an idiot.” Max’s arm shook under my touch. “You don’t deserve any of it. Not the house, the title, or the money. But most of all, you don’t deserve your daughter.”

  “Doesn’t matter, does it?” My father sneered as he walked across the room. “It’s all going to my little bitch.”

  I wasn’t fast enough to stop him, even if I’d been strong enough. Every time my father had called me a bitch had been a stab in the gut, slowing my reflexes. Max was across the room in a heartbeat, grabbing my father’s lapels with his fists and slamming him against the wall.

  “Apologize,” Max roared.

  When my father started to laugh, Max pulled him away from the wall, only to slam him back against it.

  “That is an order.” He leaned close to my father and lowered his voice. “You will apologize to Meredith now.”