The Duke Takes a Bride (The Rocking Royal Trilogy Book 2)

by Ginger Voight

  My first impulse was to delete the message, but I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. I showed it to Auggie, who shrugged it off as irrelevant.

  Still, I lived with a measure of low-lying dread that made it hard to sleep at night and woke me up like a sadistic alarm each morning.

  Every day we marched closer to the christening, when I would have to see Cillian’s hateful face again, felt like a noose tightening around my neck.

  This only got worse when Queen Maeve got it in her head that the new Americans in her family deserved to have a Thanksgiving celebration, even though we were thousands of miles away from our home country.

  It was yet another reason to host a party, which I found out was about 87% of our royal duties.

  Because I was still technically on maternity leave, Maeve instead enlisted my mother and Fern to help her coordinate her next big event. Mom didn’t really want to get that far from my dad. He had been out of sorts ever since the trip to the U.S. but didn’t really want to discuss what had happened between him and his folks. He was never a big talker anyway, but I could sense something was wrong.

  That Archer had stayed behind worried me greatly.

  I would have tried to get it out of Audra, but she had returned to the States herself, and wasn’t very forthcoming in any texts I sent her about it.

  In the end, Mom caved to Maeve’s wishes anyway. She was the Queen after all. Plus, nothing much brought Dad a smile to his face these days, except his very first grandson. As a result, I got more rest than I thought would have been possible. Hannah took baby Jack to the McPhee part of the house to look after Dash, and Dad did his part keeping the baby quiet and happy so that Dash could finish his studies or his therapy.

  Given Auggie and I weren’t sleeping very well at night, it was a welcome respite where we could collapse into a cuddle in the middle of our bed and nap for hours uninterrupted.

  “Maybe we should let Hannah move into the extra bedroom next to the nursery,” Auggie suggested one night when Jack was being particularly fussy.

  By that point, I was too. “No way,” I snapped.

  I didn’t want another woman in my home, taking care of my child. That was where I drew the line.

  His eyes met mine. He retreated quickly from boundary I drew, which softened me.

  “This is the parenting part of the job, pal. If we can’t handle this, maybe we should rethink having a houseful of kids.”

  He pulled me closer for a snuggle. “Are you kidding? I’m counting the days till we can try for another one.”

  I couldn’t help but giggle. We still had several weeks left for that, four to be precise, though they were passing much more quickly than I had imagined. It seemed like a minute had passed and Jack was already two weeks old.

  “I’m going to take you right there in the chapel when they christen Jack,” Auggie warned.

  “I don’t know if God would approve.”

  “We’d be creating new life,” he reasoned. “What could be more holy?”

  “You know it’s probably not going to happen on the first try, right?”

  He grabbed me close and growled into my neck. “I’m saving up everything just so it does.”

  I caressed his face. “Why the rush?”

  He sighed. “You don’t know what it’s like to grow up the only child, Pea. It’s lonely. And it leaves kids vulnerable.”

  “To people like Cillian?”

  He nodded. “I want Jack to have what you have. A full support system that will remain with him long after we’re gone.”

  How could I argue that, given his history? The thought of losing my parents was unbearable even with all my siblings to lean on. I couldn’t imagine what he had been through, particularly so young.

  Besides. It wasn’t exactly like we couldn’t afford to bring another child into the world. We had all the privileges to bear any number of children, with several large castles to fill.

  I quickly got the sense this was my real job now as a royal wife.

  I just didn’t know how I would be able to split my love away from my perfect, precious boy. It felt like a betrayal to even consider the option. I fell more in love with him by the minute. And more passionate to protect him.

  Though most of the country was overjoyed about the newest royal, murmurs from the States had infiltrated our happy borders when PING began to ponder whether Jack had really been born prematurely. The whisper campaign began with headlines asking if the new royals were keeping a big secret. They based all their suspicions on one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle: how a girl like me could land an actual prince.

  Let’s just say the words Royal Baby Mama Drama were used and leave it at that.

  Auggie never let me linger too long on these depressing headlines. He’d turn off the TV, computer or put away my phone so I couldn’t wallow in what they said. “It doesn’t matter,” he told me time and again.

  But all I could think about was Jack growing up with all these ugly questions over his most beautiful head.

  “Even more reason to have another baby right away,” Auggie said as he cuddled Jack close. “It’ll prove that we’re as fertile as two rabbits and fuck like them, too.”

  I laughed. He could always find a silver lining.

  Even with a staff and a nanny and my whole family living with us, I wasn’t sure if I could juggle caring for another child. I made sure I was as hands-on as I could be with Jack, often shooing Hannah back to the McPhee residence to care for Dash so that I could spend critical bonding time with my son. He was 100-percent of my focus when I wasn’t sleeping, where I dreamed about caring for him.

  By week three I was exhausted and didn’t know how I’d muster the enthusiasm for the 1st Annual Jackson Roan Gratitude Gala, the Aldaynean nod to American Thanksgiving for the dual citizens now branching off of the royal family tree.

  It would be our first child-free outing as a married couple, and technically the first time we went or did anything without Jack since the moment we met.

  I hated the very idea of it.

  But Fern and Mom had invested quite a bit of time and effort into coordinating the event, which was set to make quite a bit of money for various charities across the country, ensuring meals for those who struggled to make ends meet.

  I had only seen the prosperous parts of Aldayne. Like any other first-world country, they were confronted with things like poverty and homelessness, which is where so much of the public discontent was rooted. Auggie and I would have to address all these things one day as King and Queen, to find what solutions worked best for the people.

  I sensed this was the true method behind the queen’s madness. She wanted to prove to Aldayne that we saw them, and we cared for them, and would prove to be benevolent leaders.

  It checked every single box.

  Both Archer and Audra were due to return in time for the festivities, which certainly made it a personal celebration. Darcy had already created a stunning post-pregnancy dress for me in a deep garnet red, with a high waist and flowing fabric. It showed off my cleavage, which spilled almost to overflowing given the increase in size.

  Auggie couldn’t wait to show me off. He loved all the changes in my body. I knew our abstinence was greatly tested every single time he pulled me into his arms as he memorized every detail at the tips of his fingers.

  It only made me dread seeing Cillian again even more. I didn’t want to be sexy or beautiful. I wanted to be a repulsive old hag that he would have rather cut his own lips off than kiss. In the quietest moments, when I was too exhausted to keep proper guard of my thoughts, I would remember again that night on the terrace.

  Unlike Christopher, who had been plain hateful and violent, Cillian had been seductive, just like the serpent in the garden of good and evil. Slithering around, taunting, challenging, pushing…

  Then taking what would never be rightly his, leaving me stained from his touch.

  I still shuddered to think about it. And we were days away
from seeing him again, where I would have to hide all my tumultuous emotions behind a stoic mask, a frozen smile and rigid politeness.

  For that reason alone, I was glad that Jack would not be attending the gala. I didn’t want that snake anywhere near my son. I gritted my teeth to the point of breakage whenever Maeve would call me to plan the christening, where we officially presented the newest prince to the royal family.

  She had scheduled it to take place a week before Christmas, after Jack turned six weeks old. It was rushed, much like our wedding and his birth had been, but I suspected the new murmurings about the circumstances of both these things inspired her to cross every T and dot every I.

  When it came to the law of Aldayne, the church’s christening determined legitimacy in an uncontested birth. If Christopher never made a legal assertion of paternity, the country would follow the church, accepting Jack as a Quinn.

  As such, Maeve wanted to make a big splash about it. We could have had a private ceremony at one of the chapels in any of the royal palaces, but she wanted the country to feel like they were included, to take ownership of young Jack from the earliest age possible. He would be christened in the same church every royal coronation took place, with almost the same full pomp and circumstance.

  Though the guest list inside the church was largely family and notable VIPs, it still gave the public a chance to see us arriving and departing, with full view of the baby for anxious royal watchers to see. Jack would wear the christening gown that every monarch had worn before him, all the way back to King Riordan. This would prove an unquestioning symbol of his birthright.

  We selected Fern and Gav as the godparents, which threw their upcoming nuptials into the spotlight. They became incidental celebrities. They got tons of free stuff and numerous offers for goods and services, but it also meant they couldn’t just breeze into Cochrann for a spontaneous lunch anymore.

  Thankfully, both were performers and used to the spotlight, but I could tell the box was closing in on Fern. She spent more and more of her time at Gavin’s place in town.

  So, she wasn’t there that Wednesday afternoon when Archer and Audra returned to Castlewick as we were finalizing any last-minute details for the gala.

  She missed the chaos entirely when they finally let us know the true reason for their delay in the States, answered by the people they brought along as their guests: June and Seth Pruitt… otherwise known as Memaw and Papa – my grandparents.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Archer had asked to speak to Auggie and me first, so we met them in the official drawing room on the first floor, which was far more ostentatious than our residences upstairs. The minute I walked in the room I stopped cold, recognizing the faces of my grandparents immediately.

  They were as displeased to see me as I was to see them.

  Archer met us almost at the doorway, while Audra hung back where the two elder Pruitts were seated.

  “What the hell are they doing here?” I hissed to my brother.

  “I can explain,” he started, but I wasn’t ready to hear any of it.

  “Can you? Can you, really? Because this is my house and they are not welcome. And you didn’t even warn me.”

  Archer glanced over his shoulder at our grandparents, who had clearly heard my outburst.

  He pulled me from the room. “Calm down, Pea. It was part of the deal.”

  I was fit to be tied. “What deal? Whose deal? Not mine!”

  “A deal. It’s like a compromise,” he explained. “They stop talking to PING. And they get something in return.”

  “What? Being a good person isn’t enough?”

  He sighed. “Pea. They’re our grandparents.”

  “No. They lost that right after what they said about Dash. Are they willing to say they’re wrong about that?”

  His mouth set in a firm line. “No.”

  “Then they’re not welcome. Get them out of here.”

  I turned to stalk away but he pulled me back. “I take it Dad hasn’t said anything.”

  “No, but he’s been really upset.” My glare cut into him like shards of broken glass. “I guess now I know why.”

  “No, you don’t. And I think once you do, you’ll change your mind.”

  “Never,” I started, but he was quick to cut me off.

  “He’s dying, Pea.”

  I blinked at him, not fully comprehending. “What?”

  He glanced back towards the room where Auggie hovered near the doorway. “Papa has cancer, Pea. It’s called acute myeloid leukemia. A blood cancer. Fast-growing. They had successfully treated it with chemotherapy before, but it’s come back.”

  The minute Auggie heard the word ‘cancer,’ he joined our conversation. “What can we do?”

  Archer turned to Auggie. “Papa’s doctor thinks a bone marrow transplant is his best option. Dad tested while he was in Texas, but he wasn’t a match. I wasn’t, either.” He turned to me.

  “No,” I shook my head.

  Auggie was aghast as he looked down at me. “Pea.”

  I thought back to the carriage ride on my wedding day, when I saw all the hateful things they were saying. They attempted to rob me of a happily ever after they never thought I deserved. Now they wanted me to save them? It was preposterous. “After everything they did? Are you kidding? We never mattered to them until they needed something.”

  “It’s your grandfather, Pea. It’s family. And you can never make amends with the dead ones. Trust me,” he added sadly.

  I thought about his losses. I sighed. I knew I was being unfair, but they were the ones who had set that tone. “What he said about Dash, and about Jack,” I added, just in case anyone had forgotten. “You are asking for a lot.”

  “He knows,” Archer nodded. “And for the record, it’s not him asking.” My eyes met his. “Do it for Dad.”

  I glared at him. God, he was such an impressive negotiator. He knew just where to hit. I would do anything for my dad, and he knew it.

  No wonder Dad had been in such an impossible funk since he returned. He lost his one and only chance to save his father. Bad blood aside, family was family. I sighed finally, and Archer knew he had won.

  “They agreed to come to Aldayne because of the Sofie Agassi Cancer Center. It’s world renowned. They both know it’s his best shot at survival. And,” he added, almost begrudgingly, “we’ve already found a match.”

  My eyebrows arched. I thought he was going to ask Fern or me to get tested. “You did?”

  He nodded. The silence lingered so long that my gut tightened in apprehension. “Who?”

  Archer glanced between Auggie and me. “Jack.”

  I stumbled back. “What?”

  “After Jack was born, his blood was saved from his placenta and umbilical cord, correct?”

  I sputtered. “I think so,” I stammered. I had filled out so many forms that day. It was all a blur.

  “All Aldayneans do it,” Auggie told me. “It was an initiative spearheaded after my mother got sick. Cord blood contains stem cells. It’s used to fight certain types of cancers.”

  “Like Papa’s,” Archer agreed. “Turns out, it was a match. We just got the news a few days ago. So, we decided we can provide accommodations and cover any costs. What’s the use of power and position if you can’t use it to do good things?”

  I didn’t know what to say. It seemed like a miracle straight from God. “What if they say something to Dash?” I started.

  “They won’t,” he promised.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Compromise,” he offered with a shrug.

  I took a deep breath. “Fine. But one cross word to Dash or one whisper to PING and it’s over. They can get the blood donation. We can even pay for everything. But they will never, ever get access to Jack or Dash again. Got it?”

  He nodded. “Got it.”

  I turned to Auggie, who offered his arm to link with mine. I held my head high when we entered the drawing room. Memaw and Papa stood at
last.

  “Peaches,” Memaw Pruitt greeted as I approached. “You look well.”

  It was the best she could do, I supposed. I nodded. “You, too, Memaw.” I turned to Papa. “I heard about your illness. I’m terribly sorry.”

  He straightened his spine. I knew this was just as hard on him to play nice as it was me. “It didn’t sound that way a few minutes ago. Perhaps it is best we just leave.”

  I saw Memaw touch his arm, much like Auggie was touching mine. It gave me strength from somewhere. “No need for that. I was just… startled. You were the last people I expected to see here, after everything,” I added, my jaw clenched from the effort to remain polite.

  “We were upset,” Memaw tried to explain. I supposed her entire life was spent trying to compensate for Papa. “We hadn’t heard from you in so long and suddenly you were on TV getting married to a prince. When that reporter showed up on our doorstep, we didn’t know what to say.”

  I grimaced, thinking about Christopher. I’m sure he encouraged them to say quite a bit. It only softened me further. Dammit.

  She looked genuinely remorseful. “But the wedding was truly remarkable.” She turned to Auggie and attempted her best curtsy.

  Papa’s spine, however, remained ramrod straight. “I bow for no one except my Lord and Savior.”

  “Understood,” Auggie said, with a respectful bow of his own head.

  “We should sit,” Audra interjected. “I’ve ordered tea.”

  It was tense and awkward, but we all did as she suggested.

  Papa and I stared at each other, each waiting for the other to bend. Auggie turned to Memaw. “I understand you’re from Texas.”

  She nodded, her face beaming with pride. “American by birth. Texan by the grace of God.”

  Auggie laughed. “I love Texas, although I didn’t get to see much of it while I toured.” He put his hand on my knee. “Although we had some of the best times in Houston and Dallas earlier this year.”

  Papa glared at his hand on my leg. He didn’t take too kindly to the inference of impropriety. “Was this before or after you got my granddaughter pregnant?”