“Get ready, my love. We will make love until the sun rises.”
“I’m ready.”
As I slide into her, I sigh, realizing with complete satisfaction, that I get to make love to her for the rest of my life.
As I lie next to Delaney, I stroke her pretty hair all tangled now from the intensity of our lovemaking. Her soft breathing is as soothing as the ocean’s waves for me. I’ve known for some time I wanted to make her my wife, but it feels so real now that it’s official. Bending forward, I kiss her cheek, and her eyes flutter open.
“You’re amazing,” she whispers.
“As are you, my darling.” My eyes glance toward the windows. “The sun makes her appearance now, and we’ve barely slept.”
“It was worth it. Gemma trouble aside, it was a magical night.”
“Let us not speak her name ever again.”
“But you still owe me the story.” She smiles. “Just once more, my prince?”
I sigh. “You heard most of it, but basically, she bribed one of my bodyguards to get incriminating information on me. I told you of the events that happened in Ibiza.”
“Right. Gemma was responsible for it?”
“Yes, she came to me and said if I publicly proclaimed my affection and intention to marry her, she would back down. I told her to go fuck herself, if I recall, but truth be told, I didn’t think she would go through with it. Clearly, I was wrong.”
“Wow. Why didn’t you out her? At least privately?”
“Even though he was furious with me, and could barely tolerate my presence at that point, my father and I agreed that we would keep it to ourselves, knowing it would only prolong the scandal. We basically advised her that if she came anywhere near me again, we would tell her father, and she would be ruined socially. Since she desires to marry well, that was all the motivation she needed to stay away from me. Until last night, to my knowledge, she has said nothing.”
“Because of me.”
“Because of jealousy, yes, but the more that I’ve thought about it, the happier I am that it happened. Now there are no secrets, and I think her actions helped the public see what kind of heart you have and why I fell in love with you.”
“Hopefully.”
“I’m sure of it. We’ll find out later.”
“What happened to her? Your mother said she’s going away, and all I could think of was a deserted island and a shack.”
I chuckle. “No, no, nothing that terrible, although she deserves punishment on that level. She’s being sent to a private facility in Iceland where she’ll live and undergo some therapy and monitoring.”
“Iceland? Wow. The Queen said she won’t be forgiven for what she’s done and no one will accept her here.”
“Correct. We’ll all pretend that we think she’s suffering from some level of mental distress, but I was alone with her and she’s fine. She’s just a spiteful, manipulative, deceitful whore.”
Delaney chuckles. “Okay, wow.”
“It’s the truth. We follow this pretense for her family’s sake, not for hers.”
“I get it. I agree that she’s fine. After I helped her up, she said ‘well-played, American girl.’”
“Did she?”
“Yeah. She knew I won.”
I nod shaking my head. “For her to come back here, requires approval from the royal family, approval she will not receive.”
“Ever?”
“I don’t know. What she did is actually a crime against the monarchy and the only reason we aren’t pursuing imprisonment is because of our ties to her family. We may allow her to come back someday, but since the approval will be provided or declined by me, you and I together will make the decision if and when we are petitioned. If I know Tristan’s father well, and I do, I imagine he is almost as upset with his daughter as I am. The look on his face when she admitted what she did was truly heartbreaking. We’ve all known that Gemma’s heart was black. She hates everything that is good. Puppies annoy her, babies repulse her. Flowers make her sneeze, and sunshine burns her skin. She even hates chocolate, I hear.”
“What a miserable way to be.”
“It is and you saw the result last night. I found out later from Tristan that she was in Africa on a safari, but when she heard I was back, she came home to try and see me. Of course, she didn’t know about you.”
“I’m glad the microphones were on in that room.”
“So am I. It was time for her to face the consequences for what she did. I’m only sorry her parents were hurt in the process.”
“Yeah, that part sucks.” She shifts slightly. “Do you even know what happened? You were pulled away and then all of a sudden there was a huge commotion.”
“I don’t exactly, but a committee member went to investigate and said someone said they saw a rat. Of course, we found no such thing, and my belief is Gemma was behind it somehow. It was no accident you ended up in that room alone with her.”
“I agree.”
We look up at the knock on the door then sit up straight as it opens and Ophelia and Fallyn enter with their hands covering their eyes. Delaney pulls the covers up around her nude body.
“Are you decent?” Ophelia asks.
“We are,” I answer, “to a point.” Ophelia and Fallyn open their eyes. “May I ask why the two of you are in this bedroom so early in the morning?”
Ophelia waves a newspaper in her hand. “You must see this. It’s worth the
intrusion.”
Fallyn climbs in the bed next to Delaney, and when Ophelia sees this, she giggles and climbs in too, right in the middle of us. I just shake my head. As Delaney likes to say, my parents would lose their shit if they saw this scene.
Taking the paper from Ophelia, I flatten it out on the bed, and smile at the full page color photo of me and Delaney posing.
“The Prince picks his bride,” I read.
“Read the rest,” Ophelia says, giggling.
“You read it to us.” I hand it back to her.
She clears her throat dramatically. “In his usual style, His Royal Highness, Prince Lathan has flipped the residents of Havendon on their heads once more, but this time, with news we’ve all been anticipating to hear for years.”
Delaney laughs softly, repeating, “In his usual style.”
“That’s me.”
Ophelia continues. “The royal family presented to us, a beautiful young woman, by the name of Delaney Somers, who hails from Boston, Massachusetts in America. The fair lady wore a stunning custom gown in the crown’s official colors of navy blue and cream, which only served to highlight the perfection of her complexion. Her blonde hair was topped by a tiara of amethyst and diamonds, with a large center sapphire to represent the royal family.” Ophelia looks up and nods at Delaney. “Miss Somers exuded elegance on the arm of her prince, and together they make an exquisite couple, one which will certainly produce beautiful future heirs to the throne. No official date for a royal wedding has been announced, but if we know anything about our charming prince, we know it will be an event beyond any Havendon has seen before.”
“Wow,” Delaney murmurs. “How nice of them.”
“Oh, there’s more,” Ophelia says. “Prince Lathan was not the only royal to surprise the crowd last evening. His Royal Highness, Prince Arlan, also escorted a beautiful American woman on his arm, Miss Fallyn Jacobs, best friend of Miss Somers. After an extended absence, the prince returns to Havendon looking well rested, healthy, and dare we say it, smitten with the lovely Miss Jacobs.”
Delaney nudges Fallyn’s arm. “The lovely Miss Jacobs.”
Fallyn just laughs, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I’m in the paper.”
Ophelia continues. “The two royal brothers appear happy and are finally back in Havendon where their people want them.” She looks up. “Now, for the article about the ball.”
She flips a few pages then shows us all the collage of photos from the evening. The headline reads, ‘A Splendid Affair.’
>
“This year’s Independence Ball can only be described as an event that will be discussed for years,” Ophelia reads. “From the décor, to the food, to the fireworks display, it was bigger, more opulent, and even better than ever before. Fitting, since it also marked the homecoming of our two favorite princes, and the announcement that the heir to the throne has chosen a bride.” She looks up and smiles at Delaney, before continuing. “Perhaps the most pivotal moment of the evening was early on when we learned that our King is well, having made a public appearance with our Queen. Their Majesties escorted our future princess to the front, ending with the traditional blessing of a kiss on her cheek. This ball, unlike any other, will be remembered as the night we met our American Princess.”
“That’s it?” I ask. “No other discussion?”
“Well, there’s all sorts of details about the food and music, the venue, and such, but that’s it. They mentioned nothing of that vile Gemma.”
“That’s incredible,” I murmur, shocked they didn’t run with it.
“They didn’t overshadow the joy of the evening at all,” Ophelia says. “I am so pleased they did not fuel that unpleasant moment by recording it in print.”
“As am I. I will send a gift of gratitude to them today.” Putting my arm around Delaney’s shoulder, I kiss her cheek. “Now, we can truly put this nonsense behind us.”
“I love that,” Delaney says, softly, looking at the paper.
“They love you,” Ophelia says, patting her hand. “Just as I intended they would.”
“I cannot thank you enough, Ophelia, for what you’ve done for me.”
“My thanks is this outcome. The royal family’s acceptance of you, your introduction to the public, a proposal. Now I have two friends in you and Fallyn that I did not have before. My life, while filled with joy because of my daughter and my husband, lacked the companionship that female friendship brings. I have gained something as well.”
Delaney squeezes her hand. “I’m proud to call you a friend.”
“Oh, but if you wanted to give me something, I have only one wish and that is to go to Boston and see America first hand. Can we do that, please?”
Delaney looks at me and I smile. “We’ll plan a trip right away, cousin.”
Ophelia claps. “Wonderful! But now you must get out of bed and come to the window.”
“Why?” I ask.
“To see what the people have done.”
“We are naked, cousin.”
She laughs. “Of course you are.” She jumps off the bed and into the bathroom where she retrieves a robe for Delaney and a large towel for me. “Cover up. We won’t peek.”
“I might,” Fallyn says, laughing. “Just kidding, Del.”
Delaney just shakes her head and climbs out of bed, revealing her magnificent nudity. I’m quick to remind myself that we are not alone and while the women are faced the opposite direction, I climb out of bed and wrap the towel around my waist, then join everyone by the window.
“I brought opera glasses,” Ophelia says, handing them to Delaney. “Look at the front of the palace.”
Delaney takes them and peers out the window then gasps. “Oh my god.”
“What?” I ask.
Delaney hands me the glasses. “Look.”
As I focus on the front, I see the palace gates covered with flowers and hand drawn American flags, posters that say things like ‘Welcome, Delaney’, ‘We have a princess’, and ‘We heart our American Princess’. As I watch, more people approach dropping off various trinkets and items to add to the display of love and support. Tears streak down Delaney’s face as we take it all in.
“I told you they loved you,” Ophelia says, softly.
Fallyn leans on her friend’s shoulder. “All of this is so amazing. You’ll be a princess soon, a real one.” She looks back at me and Ophelia. “On December 31st, we sat on Delaney’s couch talking about how we wanted something spectacular to happen. We were tired of kissing frogs and wanted to find our princes. Little did we know, that is exactly what would happen—literally.”
Delaney smiles, wiping her cheeks. “This New Year’s Eve, instead of kissing frogs, we’ll be kissing princes.”
“The people’s support is a blessing I happily receive.” I smile. “Now I must ask you ladies to vacate our room, so that I may kiss my princess a bit more before the day gets started. We have a busy one ahead of us.”
“Doing what?” Delaney asks.
“I plan to take you into town. We’ll shop and have lunch. We’ll hope Arlan and Fallyn and Tristan and of course, you, Ophelia, can join us and make a day of it. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the coast.” I brush my fingers over Delaney’s cheek. “You are now free from your luxurious prison. I want to show you everything I love about this place. How does that sound?”
“Absolutely perfect, my prince.”
Five months have passed since the night of the ball. Five months of carefully planned public appearances, of curious onlookers, of fielding media questions. Five months since I officially quit my job and left my life in Boston. Five months of adjusting to a life I never saw coming, but today, I have another hurdle to jump. As I pace in front of the window, waiting for Lathan, I glance back at Olivia.
“I’m so nervous, I might pass out.”
“Would you like some tea, madam, to calm your nerves?”
“No, thank you.” I take a deep breath. “It’s just that I’ve never had to address to an entire country of people before.”
“No, of course not.” She walks over to me and pats my shoulder. “It’s a joyous moment. I read an article that when the King married the Queen, the economy exploded from people buying trinkets and other memorabilia commemorating the event. What you do today will be good for all of us.” She smiles. “And, you look absolutely stunning.”
I exhale slowly then smile. “Thank you. This is the first really major event since the ball.”
“The first of many.”
“Definitely.”
The door opens and Lathan enters, looking amazing in the suit he chose for the event. “Are you ready, my darling? They wait for us in the palace.”
“I’m ready.” I smile at Olivia. “Thank you for everything you do.”
“I am at your service, madam.”
As I take Lathan’s arm, we go downstairs and into the car that will drive the short distance to the palace since the estate gates are crowded with people trying to get a peek at us, well mostly me, let’s be honest. Since my official unveiling, I can’t go anywhere, or do anything without security and Olivia or Lathan with me. Even shopping with Ophelia is a huge thing now where we have to have a security detail following us. It’s a combination of feeling really special and completely claustrophobic. At least Lathan is always there at the end of the day to hold me and remind me of how many good things outweigh the very few bad.
“You look amazing,” he whispers, kissing my cheek. “You chose my favorite dress.”
“I did.”
“I have plans for you when this is over.”
“What kind of plans?”
“The kind that will completely destroy that lovely dress you’re wearing.”
I wiggle my eyebrows. “Funny. I had similar plans in mind.”
Lathan laughs, lifting my hand to his lips for a kiss. “I’m sorry things have been so busy the last two days. There was a lot to plan for this event.”
“No need to be sorry. It’s just another necessary step in this process.” I lean on his shoulder for a moment. “I’ll be glad when this part is over though. I don’t like being in this position.”
Lathan brushes away a lock of my hair from my face. “You will grow accustomed to it, as I have. It is part of what we do, how we live. Eventually, it will be no more eventful to you than what television show you might like to watch. Public addresses will just be part of your day.”
“I hope so. I want to be good at it and, you know, make a good impression.”
“My darling,
you make a good impression as soon as you walk in the room.”
“Thank you. I have to admit I’m still surprised we have to make such a big deal over this, but Olivia told me when your parents married, it boosted the economy.”
“Yes. There will be mugs and t-shirts and coins and all sorts of things featuring us.”
I laugh. “I can’t wait to send a package to my former coworkers. They’ll die.”
Lathan laughs. “I imagine they will.”
The driver pulls into the private entrance for the palace, and we wait a moment for the door to open.
“Did you decide what we’re doing for New Year’s Eve?” he asks.
“I think a quiet dinner would be nice. What do you think?”
“I agree. A nice dinner in Rome would be nice.”
“Rome? As in Italy?”
“That’s the one. Just us and Arlan and Fallyn. What do you think?”
“I think it would be amazing.”
“Good. I’ve already made arrangements.”
“Of course you did.”
“I cannot wait to kiss you with the backdrop of the Eternal City behind us.”
I smile. “Same.”
“Then at midnight, wherever we are, your resolution will be complete. You will kiss your prince that night and every night for the rest of our lives.”
I search his eyes for a moment before speaking. “Sometimes I still find myself waiting for you to change, to stop being so romantic and sweet and thoughtful. I keep waiting for you to do something that pisses me off. So far, all I’ve got is that you kind of hog the covers.”
Unexpectedly Royal Page 41
