Anton groaned again and leaned back against a table, crossing his arms.
“Why are you even having one?” he asked. “Isn’t it old fashioned?”
“Don’t listen to Anton,” said Helena, rolling her eyes. “He’s just grumpy because Stella finally realized she could do better than a moody artist who ignored her half the year.”
“I have a show coming up,” he said while trying to keep his voice even. “A week after this party you want to have.”
“Oh, calm down, Anton. You know I’ll do most of it,” Helena snapped. “Just come with me to make sure the details are right. You know you’re better at food and music than I am.”
The compliment softened him slightly. He let out a long sigh to make sure they knew how much they were imposing on him, then nodded.
“Thanks, little brother,” said Duncan with a grateful smile. “I’ll try to stay long enough to see your show, okay?”
He shrugged. It didn’t really matter if his family came to the shows. In fact, it was usually better. Otherwise, they would be the one in the spotlight instead of him and his work. He was finally starting to pull away from the label of “rich, artist prince” to just “artist.”
Anton turned his attention back to the room as Helena led Duncan away to start discussing details. He called back the servers and told them to move the sculpture to the middle of the room. It may be Leo’s coronation, but he didn’t want anyone to forget who had the talent in the family.
Chapter 5
Stella was pretty sure she was staring Leo’s chest.
Or maybe his cheek.
Champagne glass in hand, she walked around Anton’s sculpture with a critical eye, trying to block out the noise of the party around her. The coronation had gone smoothly. Baby Felix had barely made a peep, and Annabelle looked lovely as always. The only thing that would have made it perfect in Stella’s mind would have been sitting next to Alix so they could comment on everyone’s dresses the way they used to when they were younger.
She should have realized that Alix would be sitting with the royal family she’d soon become a part of. Her parents were beaming from the row behind her. Stella’s family had sat next to the Count and Countess of Barstemple, who were nice enough, but their daughter was only 15 and more interested in her phone than anyone else.
Stella tried not to pout as she circled the sculpture a second time. She also should have realized that as her first visit home since the engagement, Alix’s time would be even more occupied than usual. She was staying for the entirety of the Christmas holidays, however, so Stella hoped they’d be able to have at least a little time to catch up.
“What do you think?”
Stella’s face broke into a smile at the sound of Alix’s voice. She turned to hug her best friend, taking in her dark blue gown. Alix had never been as into fashion as Stella was, but with long sleeves and a high neck, it was different than what her friend usually wore. Stella smoothed down her own dress, suddenly very aware of just how much skin she was showing. Had she picked the wrong dress?
“Well let me see it first,” Stella cried, grabbing Alix’s left hand where a diamond the size of her thumbnail sparkled. “Wow! I saw the pictures, but they were nothing compared to the real thing!”
Alix laughed.
“I didn’t mean the ring,” she said, but kept her hand in place so her friend could admire the ring that had once belonged to Duncan’s grandmother. “I meant what do you think of Anton’s ode to Leo?” She gestured to the sculpture with her free hand.
“Is that the official title?” Stella raised an eyebrow. “He usually goes for ‘untitled number six’ and prefers to let the work speak for itself.”
Alix’s mouth turned up in a half-smile, her eyes sparkling.
“You’re still hung up on him, aren’t you?”
Stella shook her head. They hadn’t really gotten a chance to talk the way they needed to about this. While Alix had been busy interviewing for internships and med schools, Stella had thrown herself into work, they way she usually did during an “Anton art break,” as she liked to call them. But she’d gone into overdrive this time, determined to not let the situation get to her, spending more time at the office than at home. So while Stella had discussed it quickly with Alix the past few times they’d spoken, she hadn’t really gotten into the details about why she’d broken things off.
“You don’t spend two years with an artist without learning at least something about their work,” she said, not meeting Alix’s eyes. “And this is probably one of his best.”
“It is pretty spectacular. I think he simply called it ‘King.’’
Stella nodded her approval, looking back up at the massive block of twisted bronze. The title fit. Expansive, regal, and completely abstract, yet it still somehow reminded her of Leo.
“Now, to business,” she said, leading Alix over to a table. People streamed in and out of the small parlor, taking in the artwork before moving back to the main ballroom where the entire royal family was receiving guests. “Why aren’t you with your future in-laws?”
Alix waved a hand, the light catching on her ring and sparkling.
“I was there for the photos and the most important guests. I need a break.”
“Are you sure you’ll be able to balance the life of a doctor with all of this?” Stella raised an eyebrow.
“Well normally coronations don’t happen every year,” Alix reminded her, rolling her eyes. “I won’t have any official duties for the next few years while I finish school.”
She looked at Stella and tilted her head.
“Is that why you broke things off? You didn’t want the duties?”
Stella laughed. “You know I don’t mind that. Talking to people, everyone looking at me? Please. I love it.” She looked around the room, noting happily that when people’s eyes landed on Alix, they lingered even longer on her. The low neckline wasn’t nearly as daring as it would have been on someone more generously endowed, but it was certainly on the riskier side of acceptable for this kind of function. While she hadn’t chosen a dress with Anton in mind, she had to admit it was satisfying to see how his eyes focused on her whenever their paths crossed that evening.
This had been the right dress after all.
“You’ll have to give me some pointers on dealing with the attention,” said Alix, twisting her ring around her finger with a gentle and practiced smile at the people who walked by. “It’s been kind of like a paparazzi-free vacation the past few years.”
Stella took her hand, in part to reassure her, and in part to take another look at the ring.
“You’ll be fine. Focus on school,” she said, squeezing her hand. “As for what happened with Anton...It was just time to move on. Focus on me a little.”
Alix nodded, biting her lower lip.
“Well then I need to ask you a really, really big favor,” she said, taking her hand back and starting to twist her ring again. “It wasn’t a big one when I first thought of it, but now it seems like this will be asking for a lot.”
“I can’t plan a wedding for you!” Stella said in a slight panic. She loved Alix, and was thrilled for her, but spending that much time around weddings and the royal family would just be ... awkward and hard. She’d been feeling okay the past few weeks with her decision and didn’t want to be deterred now.
Alix shook her head and held up her hands.
“No, no, that’s covered, don’t worry,” she said. “It won’t be until this summer. All you need to worry about is what maid of honor dress I’ll pick for you.” She grinned and Stella chuckled, relieved.
“Nothing orange and puffy, I beg of you.”
“Please, you’d make anything look amazing,” said Alix with a smile. Stella blushed, running her hand along her dress.
“So what’s the favor?”
Alix took a deep breath, the words rushing out of her.
“I need you to help Anton plan the engagement party in February. Helena was go
ing to do it, but her firm just landed a huge client. Now she’ll be too busy to help very much. Anton can’t do it alone, plus his show is in—.”
“February,” Stella finished for her, feeling her face grow hot. Knowing about him didn’t mean she still cared for him. It just meant she had a good memory. He’d been working on the show for months.
Alix raised an eyebrow but thankfully didn’t comment on her memory.
“He’ll be so busy with the show; I need someone here to make sure Katarina doesn’t make it all cheesy Valentine’s day stuff,” Alix pleaded. Her eyes had grown larger, and her lower lip was starting to jut out. It was very unAlix-like to pout and beg. She must really be worried.
Stella hesitated for only the briefest of moments.
“What are best friends for?” Stella’s forced smile turned into a real one when she saw how happy it made Alix. “It’ll be great, I promise. No red hearts anywhere.”
Alix pulled her into a hug that was soon interrupted by Duncan, who needed her for more photos. Stella watched her friend walk away and thought about what she’d just agreed to do. She turned her attention back to the sculpture made by the man she’d swore she’d given up. She was now going to be helping plan a romantic party with him.
That maid of honor dress better make me look better than the bride, she grumbled to herself. She tossed back her champagne and went in search of a refill.
Chapter 6
Stella didn't realize how much she needed the yoga class until she was there on the mat. It was her favorite studio, tucked away on a side street not far from her office. It was the one she could drop into for a relaxed mid-day class surrounded by the students and young mothers of the city center. She liked it better than the high-end studio she would go to for an intense after-work session filled with her colleagues and other city professionals. She didn’t need anything intense today. As she listened to the instructor’s calm voice guiding them through the poses, she felt the release of all the tension that had been building up in her shoulders in the week since the coronation.
She’d seen Alix again, but it was with Duncan, Katarina, and Anton. While she was of course happy to help, it was all starting to feel like too much. On top of her normal work schedule and charity responsibilities, there were all the holiday parties and events to attend.
Growing up, December used to be her favorite month. December meant Alix was home from boarding school in New York. December brought both the Prynessian national holiday and Christmas. It was practically a whole month with no school and tons of parties. Now that everyone was out of university and working, however, they all just seemed stressed out and tired; the parties an obligation rather than fun.
Anton seemed to prefer the winter for his creative periods, too. They’d never been together for one of the holiday parties at the palace. The past few years, she’d spent a long two weeks with her parents in the Seychelles for Christmas instead. Well, that hadn’t been too bad, actually.
Stella let out three rounds of lion’s breath, her frustration making it the loudest in the room. The party planning meeting the day before had mainly served to outline Alix and Duncan’s wishes. Katarina looked slightly put out about the “no red” rule, and Stella knew she’d have to intervene more than once to remind her. It had been a quick meeting, but the hour sitting across from Anton had been more difficult than she’d expected. She was still more than a little attracted to him – who wouldn’t be? – and he hadn’t helped things with the sultry looks he had given her. She’d ignored him the best she could but it had added another layer of stress to her week that she didn’t need.
She wished she were planning the party with Helena. Stella had been able to spend time with her over the past few years and really liked her, even if Anton usually seemed annoyed by his sister. Stella smiled as she moved out of downward dog, thinking of how obvious it was that they fought because of how similar they were. The siblings were both so passionate and stubborn; it was highly entertaining from an outsider’s view.
Stella glanced at the woman next to her and wobbled in her tree pose. The studio wasn’t far from Helena’s office, and they would sometimes go to yoga together. Then they’d go out for coffee and complain about the difficulty of having someone important to you living far away (Helena’s girlfriend lived in New York), and the frustrations of time differences and conflicting work schedules.
Plus, it had been nice to have somebody to vent to about Anton’s more particular quirks that only a sibling would understand (his agonizingly slow manner of peeling an orange, the way he always took the middle seat on a couch). She could never say things like that to her colleagues or even her friends from university. They were all dying for insider information on the royal family. She hadn’t realized how much she’d have to keep people out when she first got together with Anton. It had been worth it at the time. Now she realized how few close friends she had left.
Stella had actually thought about calling Helena for this class. Just because she wasn’t with Anton didn’t mean she had lost her as a friend, did it? In the end, she’d decided against it. If the whole reason she wasn’t planning the party was because of work, she probably didn’t have time for a midday class. Stella technically didn’t either, but there had to be some advantages to being the boss’s daughter. She pulled out of a chair pose early with a frown, her thighs burning.
Adding to the never-ending list of things for Stella to worry about, Alix had invited her cousin Yannick to their New Year's Eve outing. He was visiting for a few months from New York to film a documentary on European wildlife. And he was a blond. Those had been her exact words. Alix had very strange definitions of what made a man interesting. Stella snorted when she thought about it, earning a frown from the teacher.
Even though it had been over a month since she’d last seen Anton, she wasn't sure that she was ready yet to start dating again. She relaxed into a strong warrior pose, taking a deep breath and relaxing her shoulders. She let the thoughts of Anton drift away. If she wasn't ready now, when would she be?
With her thoughts on boys instead of her body, she turned too quickly out of a pose and felt a twinge in her calf. She collapsed back down to the mat, pulling herself into a halfhearted child's pose. She let out a groan, prompting the teacher to come over and whisper in her ear. His soothing words only helped to frustrate her more with the limitations of her body.
Younger, Stella been a dancer. Repeated injuries had kept her from pursuing it as a career, but she’d kept it up as best she could as a hobby. She’d been able fit in classes at the conservatory around her university schedule pretty often. Then work had started, and nights and weekends were for networking. Then they’d been filled with Anton. It had been years since she’d taken a proper class. Yoga was at least keeping her limber and in touch with her body. When it wasn’t failing her, that is.
At least she was still able to help with a few different dance charities. Seeing how happy the kids were to be dancing reminded her why she loved it so much. Her mother and father were patrons of the Prynesse ballet and she used to go to a performance nearly every weekend. Until Anton. He would never have gone to something as public as a ballet with her and hadn’t seemed that interested the few times she started talking about dance with him. Stella realized just how much of her life had changed because of Anton and not necessarily in good ways.
Stella relaxed into corpse pose and smiled. One more reason to be happy I broke things off. Now she’d be able to do so much more of all the things she loved. And maybe Alix’s cousin liked ballet.
Chapter 7
Two days after New Year’s Eve was not the day Anton would have picked for this chore. Accompanying Helena to a gallery, even on a normal day, was never fun. She was picker than anyone he knew. Which was why she was so good at what she did, but she didn’t make it easy on people.
He was still feeling rough after the party he and Duncan had put together at the last minute with some of their friends. He’d throw his bro
ther a proper bachelor party that summer, but they couldn’t resist one last boys-only New Year’s Eve bash while Alix went to a ballet charity ball with her family.
They’d kept it fairly tame, all things considered. Duncan barely looked at other women, and their friends were all paired off, too. It had been mainly playing cards and drinking. So. Much. Drinking.
Anton pulled his cap lower over his eyes, blocking the sun as much as possible as he walked toward the gallery. He pulled his deep blue wool coat tight against his body, regretting his decision to walk. The fresh air wasn’t helping his headache much.
It suddenly got worse when saw Helena standing outside, a red stiletto tapping impatiently. She gave him a glare he and Duncan referred to as “royally pissed off.”
He decided to ignore it and flashed her a smile. If she knew how much he was hurting, she’d only delight in making it worse.
“You could have waited inside,” he said cheerfully, opening the door for her.
“I don’t like waiting, inside or out,” she said as she brushed past him.
The interior was bright, white, and very contemporary. A converted loft, the space was mostly empty besides a few pieces by the door and on one wall. It wasn’t his favorite gallery, but Helena had explained that her client had very specific tastes.
Anton looked around and was surprised to see Marcella behind the small desk towards the back of the enormous space.
“I didn’t realize this was a Ventaglio gallery,” he said, walking back to greet her. Helena lingered by the door, looking over the handful of works on display.
Marcella nodded, coming out briefly from behind the desk in order to faire la bise, exchanging cheek kisses with him.
“My dad just bought it,” she said, returning to the stack of papers on the desk. “I’ve been here all week getting this set up the way we like it.”
A Royal Decision Page 3
