“Well, then perhaps I should just change the law,” Leo said, smiling even wider. Duncan’s heart began to beat a little faster.
“Father has agreed to grant Annabelle’s family a title. We can marry, and I’ll be king.”
Duncan’s initial reaction was annoyance that he hadn’t been involved with the discussions. If they were preparing him to be king, he needed to know about granting titles. Then, he suddenly realized what Leo had actually said: He would be king, not Duncan.
Excited and relieved chatter erupted around the table.
Duncan remained silent, thinking over what it all meant for him. As they congratulated Leo and his future queen, Helena glanced his way several times, as did Stella. They were waiting for him to say something about what this meant for him and Alix.
“Duncan?” Leo looked at him hesitantly. Duncan flashed a brief smile at his brother, still deciding if he was more annoyed or relieved.
“I’m sorry that we couldn’t involve you in the discussions, but father wanted to be sure it would pass parliament before telling you. You seemed so dedicated these past few weeks; you’re really impressing everyone. We didn’t want to pull you off course in case it didn’t work out. Everyone agreed that you would have been wonderful. I hope you’re not disappointed to be going back to the charity rounds.”
Duncan shook his head.
“Disappointed is the opposite of what I’m feeling,” he finally managed to say. A smile lit up his entire face. He felt the weight lift from his shoulders and the entire world seemed like it was within his grasp.
“What are you going to do?” asked Stella, barely containing her eagerness.
“I don’t know yet,” he admitted.
“Do you want us to help?” Helena asked.
“No,” Duncan said confidently. “I think I can figure this one out on my own.”
Chapter 28
Alix was exhausted. The mountains of paperwork made her eyes bleary, the endless organization and distribution of supplies always revealed that they were lacking in essentials, and the needs of the patients were so varied and urgent that there was a line out the door all day. There weren’t nearly enough doctors on staff, let alone support staff, and the new volunteers wouldn’t be arriving for another two weeks. Alix was doing the jobs of five people without an option to stop, or even slow down.
This is what you wanted, she reminded herself. You are making a difference, helping people, learning so much.
The thought lifted her spirits a bit and she pushed herself harder, telling herself that she’d stop to eat in just another half hour.
When the site director finally forced her to go and eat her long overdue lunch, he mentioned that someone was waiting outside the clinic for her. She thought it might be the internship coordinator, who had said she’d be dropping by sometime that month to check on her. Three months had passed so quickly, and she needed to complete her first evaluation of the experience.
As she stepped out into the heat of the late afternoon sun, she stopped in her tracks. It was not the internship coordinator.
It was Duncan.
Her heart seemed to both stop beating and beat faster simultaneously. With her newly acquired medical knowledge, limited as it may have been, she was almost entirely sure that she was going to pass out. She should probably sit down and put her head between her legs, she thought to herself. Instead, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and made her way over to him.
He looked at her, and only at her. He didn’t seem to notice that she was dressed in the simplest of outfits, one that she had worn three times already this week. He didn’t glance around at the chaos of the camp. He didn’t seem to see anything but her.
“Hi,” was all she could think to say.
“Hi,” he replied, a smile playing on the lips she’d dreamt of kissing nearly every night since she’d left.
“Here for a state visit?” she asked politely.
He shook his head.
“Leo will be king,” he said simply, letting the news sink in.
This was not what she had expected. She quickly led him down through the dirty alleys, away from the busy entrance to the clinic. They found a secluded spot, with the camp on one side, and a view of the mountains on the other. It really was a beautiful country, though Alix didn’t have much time to see it.
She stood facing Duncan and said nothing for several minutes, thinking about what he had said. She wanted to ask about the details: how, when, who, but stopped herself. It didn’t matter. She shortened the distance between them, taking a step toward him, but not touching him. Yet.
“You have your life back, then,” she said, finally. “What are you going to do with it?”
“I thought that was obvious,” he said, inching closer to her. His hand brushed hers as it made its way slowly up her arm to cup her cheek. “I’m going to follow you.”
“I’m not going to tell you what to do with your life, Duncan,” she said, wanting to take a step back but not willing to leave the warmth of his hand on her face.
“I don’t want you to,” he said. “I know what I want to do with my life. And I can do it wherever you are. You don’t have to choose for me, Alix. Just let me choose you, and I’ll be here for you, wherever you go.”
The kiss that had been hanging in the air between them finally pulled her in, and she was lost. Yes, she would let him in. She didn’t have to give everything up to do that. In fact, it felt like the opposite. She was gaining everything she’d never known she wanted. She chose him, but also chose herself, too.
Epilogue
Duncan was typing away when he saw Alix’s name pop up on his phone. He had been working so hard, he hadn’t realized that the day was almost over.
“Hey,” he said, not even trying to keep the happiness out of his voice. “How did it go today?”
“Great!” Her excitement was obvious, even over the sound of crowds and traffic. “That was the best interview yet, I think. If it’s not NYU, it’ll definitely be Harvard.”
“So East Coast, for sure?”
“Definitely.”
“We should go out to celebrate,” he suggested, finishing up the email that he was writing and hitting send before closing his laptop. “I’ll meet you at the bar in Kenmore Square that we tried last week?”
“Sure,” she said. He could hear the smile in her voice. “See you in about fifteen minutes.”
He hurried to change, and made his way down to the lobby of the hotel where they’d been staying while Alix went to all of her interviews for medical schools. Over the past month, they’d been to California, Philadelphia, North Carolina, and now, Boston.
He hoped that she’d pick New York, though. He knew she loved it, and he had been excited to have her show him around all of her favorite spots. He had already been checking out property online and had his eye on a great place on Park Avenue that wasn’t far from the RMA headquarters. He’d been working for them since shortly after Leo had made his announcement at dinner, nearly a year and a half ago
He had never imagined that life could be this great. He used to see his future as endless parties, the same people over and over. Now, in his role as a fundraiser for the organization, he was putting all of his social skills and connections to use. He still attended parties, but he was in charge of them. The sense of accomplishment that he gained from reaching, and often exceeding, the goals they set for him was unlike anything that he had thought possible. He never would have gotten here if it hadn’t been for Alix’s refusal to dance with him that night, almost two years ago.
He had it set up so that he could go anywhere in the world. His parents had initially been wary, but he was so determined to take on more than the traditional role of royal patron and be actively involved, they could hardly refuse him. Helena was right; he was able to get pretty much whatever he wanted from them.
After his initial visit to Alix on site in Jordan, he had only managed to go back once during the year that she was
there. If missing her when he thought he’d lost her forever had been difficult, it was nothing compared to missing her now that he had her. The days it would take her to answer emails felt like weeks, but the wait had been worth it.
Now, whenever she went, he could follow her. After finishing her year as an intern, she had done a one-year program in Washington, D.C., and they had rented an apartment near campus. The press in D.C. was much too focused on the political drama to care much about the comings and goings of the nobility from a tiny European country. It had been a relief to be out of the spotlight.
Life outside the palace had also been an adjustment in other, less pleasant ways. The first time that he had to do his laundry on his own had been a little embarrassing, and the grocery story was an ongoing mystery. He still preferred hotels to renting apartments, and coming back to everything neat and tidied away. Alix had spent two weeks tripping over his shoes before finally hiring a housekeeper, justifying it with her need to study in a clean space and lack of free time.
His parents had made it clear that they expected them to marry before they moved in together, but he had made it just as clear that he would be the one to choose the right time. He had already scared her off once with a sudden and unplanned proposal, and he didn’t want to add the stress of wedding planning when she had been so focused on her schoolwork in D.C., but that was all winding down as their future together was falling into place.
Tonight, he thought, smiling to himself as he fingered the ring in his pocket. He’d been carrying it around for weeks. Definitely tonight.
As Alix spotted him across the bar, she felt the now familiar, warm glow of happiness spread through her entire body. She still had a hard time believing that he was here, even after nearly a year of living together. The year in Jordan had passed quickly, and had opened her eyes to all of the different specialties of medicine that were out there. She had needed more time to decide, and the yearlong program in DC had been the perfect chance to explore them all... and to test out what life with Duncan would be like.
In a word, it was surprising. Sometimes it was good surprises, sometimes bad. It had been more good than bad, though, she had been happy to discover. The support he gave her had been amazing. She still didn’t think she needed it, but having it made all the difference. The knowledge that she wasn’t alone, that she didn’t have to do it on her own, made even the worst days seem a little brighter.
He still thought that he needed her, and she enjoyed the feeling more than she’d like to admit. It was the future doctor in her, always looking for a patient to help. However, Duncan had learned so much already, and was managing just fine. His work for the RMA seemed to give him the confidence he needed to try more new things, to test his abilities. Life away from Prynesse had been good for him.
Maybe they’d go back one day. She’d had to miss Leo and Annabelle’s wedding. It had been spectacular, despite being a bit rushed to hide her pregnancy. The coronation was soon, though, and she was looking forward to a visit with her parents before the madness of medical school began in the fall. If Stella and Anton could finally get their act together after all of the on-and-off drama of the past year, maybe there’d be another wedding for her to go to soon.
She’d briefly considered schools in England, in order to be closer to them, but she was just too connected with her American roots. And life outside the palace was so good for them both; she didn’t want to be close enough to get wrapped up in any of the drama. It had been nice to hear about it secondhand from Stella over the past two years, rather than be involved firsthand.
Once she was done with school and her residency, though, living in Prynesse might be nice. Duncan had made it clear that it was her choice. He would follow her anywhere.
As she joined Duncan at the bar, he greeted her with a kiss and handed her a glass of sparkling wine from their country. She imagined what a life back in Prynesse would look like. She couldn’t help but smile as she pictured a little, dark-haired boy with Duncan’s eyes coming to visit her at her doctor’s office in the city. She shook her head and laughed. She was getting ahead of herself. He hadn’t even mentioned the word marriage since that night, it felt like forever ago, when he’d proposed in a panic.
“What are you thinking?” Duncan asked her, noticing her secret laugh.
“Just thinking about the future,” she said honestly.
“To our future then,” he said, raising his glass in a toast, his eyes full of his own secret smile.
“To our future.”
She didn’t know what it would look like, exactly, but it would be theirs to discover together.
Thank you for reading!
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Keep reading for a preview of A Royal Decision, the next steamy installment in the Princes of Prynesse series.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to all the beta readers, friends, and strangers who have read and enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to share more stories of Prynesse with you!
About Daphne James Huff
In the summer before she turned 11, Daphne James Huff had a dream that there'd be a new boy in her class named Justin. And there was. Not long after that she wrote the first page of what would become, many years later, I Dream of Fire. She finds her biggest inspirations come from the dreams she never forgets.
Daphne works in the non-profit sector during the day, and spends her nights writing, reading, doing yoga, baking cookies, and hanging out with her husband, son, and cat.
Read about her adventures in self-publishing and find out when her next books will be released by visiting her website, www.daphnejameshuff.com
Also by Daphne James Huff
Dreamers Series:
I Dream of Fire: Parts 1 & 2
The Magician’s Test
The Devil’s Trial
The Nurse’s Secret
Sweet Young Adult:
Leah’s Song
Home for Christmas
A Royal Decision Preview
Chapter 1
Lady Stella Van Der Ness took a final look in the mirror hanging on her bedroom door, pleased that she looked nothing like a lady at the moment. The dress was short, the heels were high, and her long blonde hair was cascading in waves down her back. She looked, and felt, hot as hell. All eyes would be on her tonight, just the way she liked it.
Her phone rang, breaking the spell and her heels tapped in time to the music of her ringtone for a few seconds before picking it up. She reminded herself yet again that she should change her ringtone. She’d missed more than one call by being too into the music.
“Helloooo?” she sang, a smile in her voice when she saw Alix’s name on the screen. She had hoped she’d be hearing her best friend’s voice more often, now that Alix was finally done with her year volunteering abroad with Refugee Medical Alliance. While most of the other nobles in Prynesse were happy to help charities with their pocketbook, Stella was proud of her friend for trying to do more. She had just missed her so much.
The past year hadn’t been much better. Alix’s graduate program had been intense, and she was shacked up with her handsome prince, Duncan. Their visits back to Prynesse had been much too short for Stella’s liking. An unplanned phone call was a nice surprise.
“Someone’s in a good mood!” Alix laughed. “Did you just see Anton?”
Stella’s smile instantly vanished.
“Ah, no, not in awhile,” she said. Duncan’s brother Anton was the youngest prince in the royal family. He was also the hottest (in Stella’s completely unbiased opinion) but she didn’t want to think about that right now.
She hadn’t planned on telling Alix about their most recent breakup. Alix was so busy, and so happy with Duncan, she didn’t want to bother her best friend with all their drama. Even Stella was starting to get bored with it all.
“Oh, I’m sorry Stella,” Alix d
id sound sorry, for about three seconds. Her next words shone with barely contained joy. “I hope it won’t be too awkward for you then when you’re both at my wedding!”
“He proposed!” Stella couldn’t help jumping up and down a little in her four-inch heels. She didn’t even tremble. She had done more complicated things than jump in them. “When? How? Send me a picture of the ring right now!”
Alix laughed.
“I already emailed it to you,” she said. “We’re in Boston this week, for one of my med school interviews, and we went for a walk after dinner down by the water. Oh Stella, it was so sweet!”
As Alix went into the details, including describing the twinkling city skyline that was the backdrop for the proposal, Stella sighed and sat down on the couch across from her bed. Stella would never understand the appeal of American cities. A mix of medieval village and bold 21st century architecture funded by some of the biggest banks in the world, she loved the blended energy of Prynesse’s capital city. She loved visiting Alix in the different places she’d lived, but nothing could compare to the surprising beauty of a 16th century armory transformed into a school, or a sleek glass and steel construction added on to the side of a 200-year-old factory.
Her skirt rode up her thighs as she shifted on the couch, but she was too focused on Alix’s story to bother fixing it now. The dress was so tight she would have trouble breathing, but she didn’t need to breath to drink and dance. And she planned on doing a lot of it tonight.
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