Royal Engagement

by Chance Carter

  “My man’s people?” Her face whitened. “You mean, like Tristan’s people? Tristan’s parents?”

  “Like Tristan’s parents exactly.”

  Jo’s eyes grew as wide as plates. “Fuck.” Then, louder, “Fuck!”

  “Jo? What the hell?” I asked.

  She turned to me with a wild expression. “I’ve never met Tristan’s parents! I can’t meet Tristan’s parents! They’re going to hate me and think I’m lowly and classless and horrible! I’m a university dropout who cuts her own bangs and buys all her clothes at the thrift store!”

  “Jo.” Alex placed a calming hand on her shoulder. “I’m not well acquainted with the Nobles but I’m sure they’re lovely people. They won’t mind—“

  “This is a disaster!” she shrieked. “Take me home!”

  I knew she had to be suffering pretty bad to cut off her cherished prince mid-sentence. It was time for a little tough love.

  “Jo! Get it together!” I grabbed her by the cheeks and forced her to look at me. “There are going to be a bazillion people at this party. If you don’t want to see Tristan’s family, just steer clear of them. Okay?”

  She nodded, breathing a little easier. “You’re right. Okay.”

  I released her and downed my glass of champagne. With order restored, the rest of the ride flew by in relative silence. Jo seemed to have forgotten her distress by the time we reached the palace, as she plastered her face to the window with an expression of awe and tossed question after question Alexander’s way.

  How big was the property? Had he explored all of it? Did the palace have any ghosts?

  Finally, we reached the drop off point, and the driver came around and opened the door for us. Alex got out first and gave each of us a hand up in turn.

  Warm sunlight flooded the sprawling lawn, causing the white tents to glow brilliantly. The air smelled of daisies and freshly cut grass, and flowers of every color decorated the tables and chairs dotted all over the lawn. Dozens of people milled in every corner, and the ones closest to us stopped and stared upon our arrival. I had no doubt they were whispering about the prince’s girlfriend, probably wondering who we’d brought with us. I tried not to let it get to me.

  A tanned, dark-haired man about Alex’s age wandered over from the nearest group, smiling. Everyone else wore bright dresses and smart suits, but he’d opted for a pair of mandala-patterned parachute pants and a loosely tucked white tunic.

  “And we meet at last,” he announced, sidling next to Alexander. He gave me a once over. “I see why Al’s been keeping you to himself. I could devour you whole.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. “Ladies, this is my best friend Teddy. Teddy, this is Tamara and her sister Joanne.”

  I could see from the delight in Joanne’s eyes that Teddy had earned himself an admirer.

  “Charmed, mes amies. Charmed.” He bent low with a flourish. “You’re a breath of fresh air from all the other todgers here.”

  “Says the man in the parachute pants,” Alex quipped.

  Teddy grinned. “A garden party requires summer attire, does it not?” He wiggled his hips. “These pants let all my bits breathe.”

  “I regret mentioning it.”

  Jo and I both laughed.

  Teddy extended a hand toward my sister. “Little Callahan, can I get you a drink?”

  She bounced off without so much as a backward glance.

  “Not sure I approve of how well they’re getting along,” Alex said, watching the pair leave.

  “Why not?”

  “Teddy can be a bad influence.”

  I poked Alex in the side. “Don’t tell me you’re getting protective of my little sister. I think my ovaries might explode.”

  He crooked a brow and hit me with a crooked smile. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?” He rested a hand on my waist. “Come on, we’ve got the rounds to do.”

  Despite my earlier misgivings, socializing with the garden party crowd wasn’t as torturous as I’d thought. Most of them were polite and kind, either commenting on my work or making connections with me another way. From Alex’s relaxed smile I surmised that the people he introduced me to first were his favorites. If there were going to be harpies, I suspected they would come later.

  And then a dark cloud fell across my mood. Standing by a tent serving pink lemonade, Michael adjusted his garish yellow bow-tie and sneered at me.

  Hadn’t Alex saying there would be celebrities here been enough warning that I should expect to see him? Apparently not. I inadvertently squeezed Alex’s arm in shock, drawing a look of concern.

  “What’s wrong?” He asked.

  I cleared my throat and looked away from Michael, finding comfort in Alex’s grass-green eyes. “It’s my ex-boyfriend.”

  Alex glanced over my shoulder and frowned. “Michael Redding?”

  “That’s him.”

  “I’ve never met him before but I hear he’s a twat.”

  I laughed. “That’s a good way of putting it.”

  Tristan blocked Michael from my field of view, concern written on his features. “Hey Tamara.” He smiled at Alexander. “Your royal highness.”

  I would never get used to people addressing my boyfriend as royalty. It was surreal.

  “Hey Tristan,” I said, affixing a smile. “How are you?”

  “Good, good. I heard Jo is here but I haven’t seen her.”

  Uh-oh. Should I tell him about her breakdown in the limo? That seemed like something that should stay between them.

  “Sorry, I haven’t seen her since I got here. She went to grab a drink with Teddy.”

  “Teddy?” Tristan asked.

  Alexander stepped in before the boy went too green. “My flamboyantly gay best friend, Theodore Cartwright.”

  Tristan relaxed. “Oh, I’ve heard of him. If you find her before me, can you tell her I’m looking for her?”

  “Will do.” I patted him on the arm and he left.

  “That was awkward,” Alex commented.

  “Yeah.” My thoughts slipped back over to the pink lemonade tent and the walking travesty next to it. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t get any more awkward than that.”

  We continued walking around and making conversation, and I could tell when we reached the people Alex would have preferred to avoid.

  “Finally settling down, eh?” asked an MP with a greasy mustache.

  A woman wearing the entirety of her jewelry collection cocked her lip in what I suppose was a smile and sniffed, “Your family do have a taste for American actresses, don’t they?”

  I didn’t understand what that meant until Alex explained afterward that there had been a scandal decades ago involving an American actress and a prince, though our relationship was on a whole other level than their affair. I wanted to go sock the woman afterward but Alex led me to the bar with an amused tilt of his lip.

  Despite the few nasties, most people were pleasant to talk to, and I almost felt comfortable around them. There were a few people I knew through work too, so I wasn’t completely outnumbered.

  Alex left me for a few minutes just before the speeches began to finish preparing with his brother. I hadn’t seen Jo since I caught a glimpse of her and Teddy running toward the far copse of trees with a silver tea tray piled with mini sausage rolls, so I decided to look for her and see if she’d spoken to Tristan yet.

  I didn’t even move three steps before Michael stepped into my path. “Got your sights set on becoming a real princess, I see.” His lips formed a grim line. “Now I understand why you rejected me.”

  I didn’t take the bait. As calmly as possible, I turned and headed off in the opposite direction. Someone jogged up to me from the side and I readied myself to turn and berate Michael, but it was Tristan.

  “I still haven’t found her,” he said. “Have you?”

  “I’ve been busy doing the rounds with Alex. Sorry Tristan.”

  He sighed. “Is she upset with me? This isn’t like her.”

 
; “No, of course not.” I stopped and rested a hand on his arm. “She’s just caught up in the delights of the royal garden party. This is all new for her.”

  He nodded, though he didn’t look like he believed me. Tristan left, and I cursed my sister. Wherever she was.

  I caught a glimpse of Michael loping toward me out of the corner of my eye and made a speedy exit, sequestering myself behind a gigantic hedge in the shape of a bear on its hind legs.

  “Ladies and gentlemen...If you could please make your way to the main stage, the royal family would like to welcome you to the Fourteenth Annual Royal Midsummer Garden Party.”

  Everyone started spilling over the lawn toward the large stage just beyond the last tent, and I joined the current. I spotted Jo and Teddy and made my way over to them.

  “Where the hell have you been,” I hissed, grabbing Jo’s elbow.

  She snickered. “Teddy and I spent the last half hour trying to see how many daisies we can toss in the brim of Lady Hamilton’s hat without her noticing.”

  Teddy leaned over. “So far we’re at sixteen.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Tristan’s been looking for you. He’s worried that he’s done something to offend you.”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “He’s fine. Shh, the speeches are starting.”

  I glowered at her but she was right. We sat down just as the MC came onstage to introduce the king. When the man himself came out, the party erupted into polite but exuberant applause.

  After the king welcomed everyone with a short but succinct speech, he welcomed Alex and Edward to the stage.

  Alongside each other, the two brothers looked like they could accomplish anything. I saw Clarissa beaming from backstage, resting a hand on her barely visible baby bump, and felt a stab of jealousy. This was never the kind of life I pictured for myself, but something about the moment hit me over the head like a croquet mallet.

  I shook it off and listened as Alexander and Edward announced the rebranding and relaunch of their mother’s charities, peeking around to gauge the reaction of the guests. Most people were smiling or nodding along. I figured many of them had positive memories of Noelle, which hopefully would work in Alex and Edward’s favor.

  When they finished, the crowd applauded and a final speaker came onstage to make a toast to the royal family and thank them for their hospitality.

  Before I could talk to Jo again, Alex found me and spun me off to introduce me to even more people. The duties of the royal family were never-ending.

  * * *

  The sun hovered low in the sky, casting the ground in orange light. I sat with my legs splayed in front of me, watching staff stack the chairs and dismantle the tents. Alex and his family were saying goodbye to the few remaining guests, but I was too exhausted to do anything other than sit and try to process all the faces I’d seen over the past few hours.

  Jo caught my eye across the lawn and tromped toward me, a sour look on her face.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey.” She slumped down next to me on the grass and fell backward, lying with her arms straight and her eyes closed. “I screwed up.”

  I glanced down at her. “What happened?”

  “I saw Tristan. He was alone, so I tried to talk to him.” Her lips curled into a frown. “He didn’t want to talk to me.”

  I lay down next to her, watching a bird circle in the air above our heads. I wondered what kind it was. I bet Alex would know.

  “I shouldn’t have avoided him all day,” Jo continued. “I just completely freaked out, you know? Do you ever feel like that?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you’re in over your head with these royals.”

  The breeze picked up the hem of my dress and it tickled my thighs. I took a breath. “All the time.”

  Just because I felt like I was in over my head, didn’t mean I was, did it? Then why did I feel like I was drowning?

  Chapter 24

  Alexander

  My pen tapped a staccato rhythm on the glass table. I tried focusing on the paper in front of me, but my mind was somewhere else. Based on the angry tilt of Edward’s eyebrow, he knew it.

  “Just go,” he growled finally.

  My tapping halted. “Go where?”

  Edward’s lip tugged at the corner. “To do whatever it is you would rather be doing right now.” He gestured to the spread of documents on the table. “We were basically done anyway. I can finish up from here.”

  I grinned. “You’re serious?”

  “Have you ever known me to be anything else?”

  “Good point.” I rose from my chair. “I feel like we’ve been submerged in charity work all week. I’ve barely seen Tamara.”

  “Then get out of here.” He drained the dregs of his tea and set the mug aside.

  I finished my tea too, then saluted to my brother and left the cottage with a giant smile, brimming with happiness at the thought of seeing Tamara soon. We hadn’t made any plans today, but I knew she had the day off. They would be finished shooting soon, and most of the filming henceforth would be reshoots and odds and ends.

  I jogged over to the main house and up to my apartment, stirring Hank from his nap in the middle of a sunbeam. “Come on, buddy. Time to go.”

  He jumped to his feet and followed me to the garage, tail wagging harder by the second. He loved car rides, especially since they always seemed to take him to his favorite places.

  The ride out to Tamara’s flat could not have taken longer. I got stuck in traffic at least three times, and I could’ve sworn one of the traffic lights got jammed on red. I made it, though, and called Tamara from inside the car.

  “Alex,” she answered. “What’s up?”

  “I’m parked outside your front door.”

  “What? Why?” She added hurriedly, “Not that I don’t want to see you.”

  I laughed. “Just come down. We’re going for a car ride.”

  Hank barked into my ear and Tamara laughed. “Okay. I’ll be down in a minute.”

  I hung up the phone and waited. Ever since the garden party, my life had been a whirlwind. Several high-profile businesses had lined up to back our charity efforts before we even made the first calls, and it seemed every TV and radio show in the country wanted to interview me. I’d been trying to spend as much time with Tamara as possible, but the dates we squeezed in were often interrupted by the press. We couldn’t grab an ice cream without a photographer leaping out from the bushes.

  Normally this wouldn’t worry me. I’d been the subject of paparazzi fascination for years, and I knew that once the novelty wore off their attention would die down. Tamara had been distant though, and I figured the excessive press coverage must be the cause. What we both needed was a day away from it all—which was exactly what I had planned.

  Tamara came down in a breezy sundress that hugged her chest and waist sinfully. She hopped into the passenger seat and Hank launched himself at her.

  “Off with you!” she laughed, pushing him into the backseat. “I swear this dog would be more civilized if it weren’t for his owner. You’re a bad influence.”

  I laughed and pulled onto the road. “At least we’re both handsome.”

  By the time we were halfway to our destination, Tamara had it figured out.

  “We’re going to Springfield!” she exclaimed.

  I nodded. “Our home away from home.”

  “That is exactly what I need,” she said, leaning back into her seat with a sigh. “I’m going to sprawl out in the yard and soak in some sun while it lasts. It’s supposed to rain all this week.”

  “Such is the weather here, I’m afraid.”

  She smiled at me. “At least we’ve got today.”

  We reached Springfield Manor just as the cleaning staff were finishing up for the day. They greeted us politely and we promised to stay out of their way, shooting straight around to the back garden.

  Hank went wild, zooming back and forth across the lawn, smelling all the new smells
and investigating any changes in the shrubbery. Tamara sprawled onto the grass with a dreamy smile, resting her arm over her eyes.

  I lay down next to her. “I concur.”

  We lay there for some time, watching the clouds march across the sky. She seemed more relaxed than I’d seen her in weeks and I knew it wouldn’t last. Something was bothering Tamara and I needed to find out what.

  “Tamara,” I said, looking over at her.

  She dropped her head to the side and our noses nearly touched. “Yeah?”

  “What’s on your mind?”

  She looked back up. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Don’t be like that.” I bumped her shoulder with mine. “You’ve been distant lately. You’ve laughed more today than on our last three dates combined. I want to help you.”

  She swiped her tongue over her bottom lip thoughtfully.

  “Is it the media?” I prompted.

  Tamara let out a bitter laugh. “The constant babbling about whether I’m wife material or not isn’t fun to deal with,” she acknowledged. “Do I wear the right clothes? Do I do the right things? Blah, blah, blah.” She rolled her eyes.

  “You shouldn’t listen to them.”

  “I know I shouldn’t. I’ve been telling myself that daily and I don’t want you to think I’m crumbling under pressure or anything. All that’s annoying but it’s not the be all and end all in my life right now.” She looked at me again. “I’ve got some other things going on too. I’m sorry if that’s made me distant.”

  “Let’s talk about it,” I said, entwining our fingers.

  Tamara sat up, a few pieces of grass sticking to her hair. I sat up too and picked them out, and neither of us talked until I tossed the grass behind us.

  “Things with Jo haven’t been ideal,” Tamara said. “She has to make her decision about school soon and she knows it, but she refuses to talk about it if I bring it up and clearly isn’t doing anything to prepare. To make matters worse, she fought with Tristan after the garden party and hasn’t spoken to him since, which has made everything worse. She’s been a mess.”

  “I don’t understand what could cause them to fight like that,” I said. “They were all about each other.”