A Royal Elopement

by Emma Lea

  Meredith finally looked at me and something flashed in her eyes before she shuttered them. “Are you ready to do this?” she asked. Her voice was devoid of the usual friendly inflection and casual teasing that had become our norm.

  “More than ready,” I replied and I hoped she knew that I was talking about more than just our mission.

  Meredith

  The flight to Nice was uneventful. I sat at the back of the plane, away from Jamie. I knew I was being a coward but seeing Danika walk in on our training session brought it home to me that what we were doing had an end date. There was no way my parents would even entertain the idea of me dating someone like Jamie. I knew he and Freddie were friends - which I still found odd, by the way - but friends was a long way from romantic interest. The fact of the matter was, he was a body guard and I was soon to be a countess, not to mention that I was the daughter of a duke who also happened to be the prime minister. The press would have a field day if they ever found out that Jamie and I were more than just colleagues.

  We landed in Nice and were hustled to the helipad for the second leg of the journey, which would bring us to Monaco. I couldn’t hide from him in the smaller cabin space of the helicopter. He sat beside me and his thigh brushed mine. Just that incidental touch had me rethinking all of my carefully thought out reasons for ending what we had. The fact of the matter was that I was attracted to him - and not just his body. There was something about being with Jamie that made me happy. I don’t mean a frivolous, bubbly, giggly happy. No. Being with him made my soul smile and my body relax. Stress and tension seemed to leak out of me whenever he was near. It was an addictive feeling - he was addictive. It was one of the reasons we needed to call the whole thing off. I was in far too deep for something that had started out as a bit of fun.

  Before I even had time to enjoy the closeness of him, we were landing in Monaco. It was only a six or seven minute flight from Cote d'Azur airport to the heliport in Fontvieille. We exited the helicopter and rushed across the tarmac to the waiting limousine. Our arrival in Monaco was low-key. All the pomp and circumstance was being reserved for the arrival of the queen and prince. Right now we were just tourists, although in a few hours we would be slipping into our roles as the queen and her consort.

  Jamie sat close to me in the back of the limousine as we travelled through the city to our hotel. He seemed to be in the same mind as me - the words we needed to say would have to wait until we were completely alone. The driver of the limousine was not one of ours and Cody rode shot-gun. Anything we said now would be heard by all and sundry and ours was not a conversation that should have an audience.

  Due to the fact that we would be impersonating the royal couple, we would be sharing a suite. Ours was the floor below Alyssa and Will’s but still boasted incredible views and a private entrance. Of course we wouldn’t be entirely alone. Just as Will and Alyssa would have a contingent of security, so would we. It was all to keep up appearances for the room attendants. They had to believe, if not that we were the royal couple then at least we were royalty of some description. What we didn’t want them to know was that we were impersonators.

  The suite was beautiful. It was a favourite of Winston Churchill and I could see why. The view was spectacular and the suite decked out with every luxury travelling nobility would need. I was not a stranger to the luxuries of royalty. I had grown up in a castle and worked and lived in a palace, but there was something different about staying in a hotel. Especially a hotel such as this that tried to emulate those very palaces.

  I wandered through the suite, ostensibly taking everything in, but really I was avoiding the moment that Jamie and I would be alone. I knew what was going to happen and I didn’t know whether I was strong enough to resist him. As I had tossed and turned in my bed over the last few nights, I had known, without a shadow of a doubt, that breaking things off with him was the right thing to do. But now, after spending just a few moments in his presence with the gentle brush of his arm or leg against mine as we travelled together, all those reason seemed insignificant.

  I was not a woman who held a person’s title in high esteem. Even the queen. I had known her all her life and my love and respect for her came not from the fact that she was my queen, but from spending time with her and knowing her motivations behind her decisions. Alyssa had earned my respect and love, it had not been automatic because of her title. I would literally die for her. I had signed up for the privilege because I believed in her and what she was doing. I had every confidence in her rule because of how I had seen her when no one else was watching. Which was all to say that if this thing between Jamie and me was just between the two of us, I wouldn’t have any hesitation in wanting more with him. I didn’t care that I was to be a countess and he was a body guard. The difference in our ‘stations’ or ‘classes’ was irrelevant to me. I thought it completely antiquated. But the fact was, our relationship had many more ramifications than just what would happen between us.

  The door closed and I knew without turning around that Cody had left us. I stood at the window, looking out but not seeing the view. I heard the soft padding of his footsteps as he approached me and I held myself still. I wanted to run - to where, I didn’t know. Part of me wanted to run to him, meet him half-way and throw myself into his arms. The other part of me wanted to run and hide in the bedroom and refuse to come out. Instead I made myself stay, rooted to the spot.

  His scent enveloped me first and then I could feel the heat of his body as he came to stand behind me. I closed my eyes as his hands skimmed my shoulders and then down my arms before they came around my waist and pulled me back against his hard chest.

  “Meredith,” he whispered in my ear and I melted against him. I couldn’t help giving in to the pull of him.

  “Talk to me agapoúla mou,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on the side of my neck.

  I stifled a soft moan and a shiver, fighting against the desire to just give in to him. Why did it have to feel so good to be wrapped in his arms? Why couldn’t I be strong for both of us?

  “We can’t do this, Jamie,” I forced out. My voice was rough.

  “Because you’re leaving?” he asked.

  He hadn’t loosened his hold on me like I thought he would and I was grateful for that.

  I turned in his arms and looked up into his beautiful face. It still took me a minute to reconcile his shorn cheeks and I reached up to cup the smooth skin, running my thumb along his bottom lip. His eyes darkened to that delicious stormy grey and I sighed, resting my head on his chest.

  “Yes,” I said, “because I’m leaving. There are so many complications. This, what we have in this little cocoon, wouldn’t survive out there in the real world.”

  I heard him grind his teeth and his arms tightened around me. “I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” he said. “I’m not ready for this to be over.”

  I bit my lip and told myself not to cry. “I’m not either,” I whispered.

  He tipped my chin up and brushed a soft kiss over my lips. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, need and want warring inside me with responsibility.

  “We have the next month,” he said gruffly. “Can’t we just have this time together and then decide what will happen when we get back?”

  I searched his eyes and couldn’t help myself. “Okay,” I said softly, against my better judgement.

  “That means we can’t talk about it or think about it until we get back,” he said.

  “Okay,” I said again, knowing even as I did that I was only going to cause myself heartbreak.

  “Good,” he said.

  He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me. I had missed him so much over the last few days and it wasn’t until I felt his lips against mine that I could finally take a deep breath without my chest aching. Whatever this was between us, I was helpless to stop it.

  Jamie

  “Heads up,” Cody said coming back into the room over an hour later.

  I turned from the window
to find an entourage entering the room behind him.

  “What’s this?”

  “Alyssa and Will have arrived,” Cody said.

  “O-kay,” I said slowly as I watched two palace maids and a valet start setting up what looked like a portable beauty salon. “Are they coming here?”

  “No,” Cody said with a smirk. “This is all for you and Meredith.”

  “What is?” Meredith said as she stepped out of her room.

  Meredith had escaped to her room, pleading a headache. She had looked a little peaked, now she looked like she had just woken up. Her hair was a tumbled mess of curls around her face and down her back and her eyes were a little sleepy still. I wanted to cross the room and take her in my arms, kiss her soft lips and breathe in her scent. But I couldn’t. We had an audience.

  “This,” Cody said, indicating the industrious servants behind him.

  “Andrea? Collette?” Meredith said. “What are you doing here?”

  The maids stopped what they were doing and turned to curtsey to Meredith.

  “I’m sorry Miss,” one of them replied, I wasn’t sure which was with. “Tanner told us we were to come.”

  “Tanner?” I asked, shooting a look at Cody. The palace was a big place and employed a lot of people. I would probably know this Tanner if I saw them, although I doubt I would know their name. I didn’t even know if they were male or female. Cody shrugged.

  “Tanner is in charge of the lady’s maids,” Meredith said absently before turning back to the two women. “Tanner told you to come? What was she thinking?”

  “She was probably thinking that it was improper for a queen to travel without her maids,” Alyssa said from the doorway.

  The two maids curtsied and the valet bowed as the queen and the prince entered the room.

  “I don’t understand,” Meredith said, but I was starting to.

  We were to impersonate the queen and her consort and that meant we needed to have our own entourage. Which also meant that we would never be alone.

  “You are going to need help getting ready for outings,” Alyssa said patiently.

  I was aware that because of Meredith’s station - being the daughter of a duke and one of the queen’s ladies in waiting - she had her own lady’s maids. Case in point, the two women now unpacking an extraordinary amount of beauty products.

  “Jamie,” Will said, coming over to shake my hand. “This is Collins. He will be your valet.”

  “My valet?”

  Will smirked. “Of course. No prince worth his salt would go anywhere without his valet to ensure he was properly attired.”

  I could tell by the humour in his eyes he was amused by this whole charade. Being that this was his and Alyssa’s first ever tour, we had never had to have body doubles before. This was new to all of us.

  “I don’t think I’m going to need—”

  “Meredith,” Alyssa said, her voice a warning.

  Meredith huffed out a breath. “Fine,” she said and flopped down on a nearby couch.

  “Excellent,” Alyssa said with a grin. “So tonight you will be hitting the casino on our behalf.”

  “We are?” I asked. According to the itinerary, our first public appearance wouldn’t be until tomorrow.

  “There’s been a change in plans,” Benjamin said entering the room, closely followed by Danika.

  “You don’t mind do you?” Alyssa asked, looking down at Meredith.

  “Of course not,” Meredith said with a smile.

  I had been witness to these two women as they had grown up together. They had a bond that even Alyssa’s being crowned as queen couldn’t break.

  Will slapped me on the back. “Excellent news,” he said, walking over to Alyssa and pulling her into his side. “Come along sweetheart. We have a whole evening of uninterrupted alone time to get to.”

  I couldn’t help but grin as Will ushered his wife out of the suite. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for them being constantly surrounded by maids and security and secretaries. I knew that their weekends and days off were routinely interrupted by some state business or such so I could understand their eagerness to carve out a little bit of solitary time for just the two of them.

  “Cody and Danika will be your escorts tonight,” Benjamin said looking down at the tablet in his hands. “We leave in two hours.”

  “So I have time for another nap,” Meredith said.

  “I’m afraid not, Miss,” one of the maids said.

  “Surely it’s not going to take two hours to get me ready?” Meredith looked horrified at the thought and I had to stifle a grin.

  “I’m afraid so, Miss,” the maid replied.

  “Fine,” Meredith huffed out. “But I’m not going to do it with an audience. You need to take all that stuff and set up in the bedroom.”

  The maids hopped to and I couldn’t help but grin.

  “You think this is funny Kosta?” she asked stalking toward me.

  “Not in the least,” I said, but couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Ah, Mr. Jamie, sir?”

  I turned to the valet who stood beside me.

  “Collins was it?” He nodded. “What is it?”

  “I need to start dressing you as well.”

  Meredith laughed loudly and gleefully.

  “Pardon?” I asked.

  Collins cleared his throat and blushed. He was so young. I was probably his first solo flight.

  “The um, hair dye and…”

  “Right,” I said, taking pity on him. “Well, you should probably set up in my room too. Can I at least have a shower first?”

  Collins nodded, seeming relieved at my easy acquiescence.

  I turned back to Meredith. “I shall see you in two hours,” I said.

  She smirked and wiggled her fingers in a little wave as she flounced across the room to her door and disappeared.

  “This way, sir,” Collins said.

  Chapter 6

  Jamie

  I stepped out of my room and adjusted my cuffs. The suit fit perfectly, as well it should. I had gone through a number of fittings with the tailor to get this result. Getting dressed with a valet was an experience. I hadn’t had anyone to help me dress since I was a child. My memories of life on Kalopsia were vague. The last few years on my island nation were fraught with civil unrest and life in the palace had not been easy. My father had tried to keep us sheltered from it as much as possible, but I was a curious child and had found a way to sneak in to meetings unobserved. The things I heard were scary, but not scary enough to deter me. I knew that I would one day sit on the throne in my father’s stead and it was important to me to know all that went on behind closed doors. I’m pretty sure my father knew that I was in those meetings but he never barred me from them. He too understood that it was important for me to know what was happening in my own country.

  I shook off the melancholy that having a valet had inspired and looked up. Alyssa was standing with her back to me, looking out over the view. She looked beautiful, even though I could only see the back of her. Her dark hair was twisted up on top of her head leaving her long, elegant neck bare. The back of her dress dipped low, exposing soft skin and…I cleared my throat. I had seen Alyssa dressed in all manner of outfits and never once had I had this reaction to her.

  “Your Grace?” I said, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears.

  She turned around and at first glance I would have sworn that it was Alyssa, but the smirk gave her away.

  “Meredith?”

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  I stepped closer to examine her. I had never realised just how alike Alyssa and Meredith were. She was wearing a dark wig and brown contacts to hide her ice blue eyes. The make-up she wore seemed contoured to create an illusion of Alyssa’s features, but on closer inspection, I could see Meredith underneath it all. I now knew all about makeup contouring, having undergone the procedure myself.

  “I’m a little shocked,” I said, lifting my hand to cup
her cheek, but dropping it before I could make contact.

  “I’m a little shocked by you too,” she said.

  I was also wearing contacts, but no wig. My hair had been dyed to match Will’s. “You think I will pass for the prince?” I asked.

  She nodded. “And me?” her voice was soft and unsure.

  I shook my head. “No way will you pass for the prince,” I said and it took her a moment before she laughed.

  “Dork,” she said before giving herself a shake. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  I offered her my arm and she slipped her hand through my elbow. It was just a small touch, but I liked it. It had been too long since I had held her in my arms and there had been far too many people surrounding us. This small moment in time was a glass of water to my parched throat.

  I opened the door to find Cody and Danika standing sentry. Meredith’s hand on my arm tightened and I glanced at her to see her lips thin. I didn’t know why she disliked Danika so much. I understood that she didn’t like the thought of being replaced, but the other woman was only doing her job. I rested my hand over hers and gave it an encouraging squeeze. She looked up at me and searched my eyes before smiling a tight smile.

  “So, blackjack, craps or the penny slots?” Cody asked as we walked toward the private exit.

  “Can you see Alyssa playing the penny slots?’ Meredith asked dryly.

  Cody chuckled. “No. I suppose not.”

  “Roulette,” I said.

  “Not poker?” Meredith asked, looking up at me. “Like James Bond?”

  I grinned. “Maybe later.”

  It was only a short stroll to the casino from the hotel. The nineteenth century building stood strong and proud in the evening twilight and I couldn’t help but feel a little excitement at being in a place that had become synonymous with wealth and celebrity. I may be a prince in my own right, but I had been living anything but a royal life. Not that I was complaining. I was grateful to Merveille and the St. Benéts for taking me in when I needed it. They had given me an opportunity when other doors had been slammed in my face and I would always be in their debt.