“How wonderful. When will we be welcoming my little brother or sister into the world?” Life will be interesting with a sibling so much younger than I am. The genuine joy on Dads face makes me smile.
“Should be early March. She is going to the doctor today. I hope she gets one of those little blobby photos.”
Wow so soon? She was already pregnant at the wedding, has been for a little while. ‘Everything is working out to your plan then.”
“It would seem so. You don’t seem too thrilled. Is something wrong?” His grin returns to a more neutral place, and he rests his hands on the table.
“I’m not sure yet. There is something I wanted to discuss with you and I’m worried about how this is going to sound. After everything you’ve done for me, I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful and I don’t take your sacrifices lightly.”
“You want to go home.” Sagging back in his chair, he expels a noisy breath.
“What? No. I love it here. I’ve spent so much time with the people. I love them. I want to do so much more for them. I don’t ever want to leave. I meant that I want to be queen.”
“You do? Oh, Adella.” He grows quiet, his face giving no hint to what he’s thinking. His silence stretches as the churning in my stomach begins to increase. A tingling under my skin crawls from my chest out toward my arms and legs.
“I’m sorry. Is it too late?”
“Don’t ever be sorry about taking what belongs to you. I’m extremely pleased you want to be queen. It’s not too late. You have until your twenty-first birthday to make your claim as heir. I kept hoping you would change your mind as I watched you becoming the wonderful leader you are, well on your way to be a great queen one day.”
“What about the baby and Eleanor. Are you positive you aren’t angry you got married for nothing?” His entire reasoning behind finding a wife was so I wouldn’t have to be queen and now that is exactly what I want. It’s strange to think I didn’t want it. Coming here finding out who I am and who my dad is, seems more like years than just a few months.
“It wasn’t all for nothing. I have someone to care for now and get a second chance to be a father. I’ll get to watch both my children grow into wonderful people and I couldn’t be happier.”
“There’s something else, well two things. Cristian proposed.”
“That’s wonderful. He’s a fine boy.” Dad nods his head as his smile grows.
“I said no.” He’s made efforts for Cristian and I to spend time together and possibly to push us toward a relationship. Will he be completely disapproving of Quinn or be angry with me for saying no?
“Oh?” He folds his hands together resting his chin against them.
“I don’t think now is the right time for marriage and I think he and I both should be free to find love if we can.”
“As someone who felt the same way you do at your age, I can understand your reasoning. Was there someone in particular you have in mind?”
“There may be, but we aren’t considering marriage or anything close to that.”
His lips curve upward, and he shifts in his chair. “Quinn?”
“Things seem to be changing between us. I don’t know where they are going, but I wanted you to know.” It’s too early to be thinking this but if I am to become queen one day I need to know if this relationship is even possible.
“It’s okay to not have all the answers dear especially about love. It will work out if it’s meant to be.”
I don’t know about meant to be, but it was certainly hard to ignore our pull to each other. “But is it allowed?”
“You care for him,” he says, reaching out to squeeze my hand, “as long as he treats you the way you deserve to be treated then that’s what matters.”
“That is my other concern. What is expected of me? Will I be forced to get married right away?”
“As far as tradition is concerned, he’s a well-respected member of the nobles and it’s a great pairing. The laws were never fully changed when I intended to find love on my own before I married because in the end, I still married a member of a noble household. I don’t intend for those laws to ever constrict you or any other future member of our family to be bound to them. You can marry who you please, when you please.”
“What if I never marry?” I never thought I would, but that was before my life went through so many changes.
“There is the issue of an heir, however with Eleanor pregnant the line won’t end with you. Your brother or sister will be considered next in line until you have children.” Obviously children born out of marriage aren’t an issue since I have rights to the throne. What if a royal adopted a child?
“Can only a natural born child be an heir?” These are all things I would know if I had grown up here. It’s fascinating to learn the way this world I’m part of works. Things normal people would never even consider.
“Legally speaking, no. An adopted child would have all the rights as a birth child. Once, many years ago, one of your great, great grandfathers adopted his brother’s two children after his death. They were put into the line of succession and it was never questioned. The oldest of his brother’s sons succeeded him.”
“What if it had been a daughter?” It never occurred to be before now, he only ever talks about kings, never queens.
“We’ve had laws in place for many years so daughters could take the throne. Our ancestors saw the issues other countries had and didn’t want to have a foreign king come in to rule or to become part of another country. I’m the first king to have a daughter as my succeeding child in decades.”
Remarkable. I could spend years learning about this country and our history and still have so much more to learn. I’m glad I have freedoms in my love life. Freedoms my dad almost experienced. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to marry Mom.”
“So am I, Adella, for many reasons.” He’s made comments like that before. I hate that my dad never got to be the father he wanted when I was a child.
“Would you be okay with me dating Quinn?”
“You don’t need my permission.” It’s nice to know my dad doesn’t want to control me and cares about my own choices, but I still want to know he approves.
“That may be, but I care about your opinions.”
“You’re free to date Quinn, but he had better not hurt you. I love that boy like a son, but I’ll make sure he suffers if he treats you in any sort of undesirable way.” His stern tone of voice and clenched jaw tell me how serious he is.
One day I will tell him about the hospital, he needs to know Quinn is a truly great man. “You don’t have anything to worry about, Dad. He’s nothing like what his reputation would have you believe.”
Chapter Thirteen
Five days and not a word from Quinn. I was such a stupid idiot. How could I have thought we were beginning something. I was right about him all along and let myself think he was different. That I was different than all the girls before. I’m just like them, just like Cordelia, thinking I’m special when I’m not.
I’m just another on his long, long list.
I slam the door harder than I mean to and grit my teeth. How long am I going to be mad at myself? A long time. A very long time. I knew better and went against my better judgment. I’m supposed to be smarter than that. I had been fooled in the past by pretty words from a pretty boy. It wasn’t supposed to happen again.
“Surprise!” I scream at the unexpected voice in my room.
“Seneca. What are you doing here?” I wrap my arms around her for a hug. I haven’t told her about Quinn yet, she has no idea how much I need her right now.
“My summer classes are over. Your dad flew me out as a surprise.” She bounces on the balls of her feet.
“It most definitely is! I’m so glad you’re here. You have no idea.”
“I have another surprise for you. Your dad offered me an internship working with real art/history artifacts here in the castle. I’ll be staying until Christmas!” Her grins spreads
across her face and she claps her hands.
“Really? This is amazing!” No matter how happy I am here or how much I love my new life and home, I’ve missed my best friend.
“I hear congratulations are due. I’m a little upset you didn’t tell me about it though.” Her full lip pushes out in a pout. Her go to move that has gotten us a lot of things over the years, but it doesn’t work on me. Plus, I have no idea what she’s going on about.
“Congratulations for what and why are you upset?”
“Didn’t the Duke of Gedge propose?” Her head tilts and forehead crinkles.
A snort puffs out in response, here five minutes and already gossiping. “Oh that. Did you go see the maids before you came to see me?
“I might have. Is it true?” She grabs my arms, her eyes big as planets under her raised eyebrows.
I shrug her off and walk to the sofa to sit with her trailing behind. “Yes, he did.”
“You don’t seem too excited.”
I might get a headache if my eyes roll any harder. She’s concentrating on the wrong part.
“Why would I be? I’m not getting married. Proposal doesn’t equal engagement and if it did, you know I would tell you. I’m shocked you think I wouldn’t.”
“You didn’t say yes? Oh, thank God.” She leans back against the arm of the sofa covering her eyes with her hands. “The maids are in a frenzy about it. It was so hard to get any real answers out of them. They just kept talking about the romantic lunch and the roses.”
“You don’t approve of him? I thought you would be ecstatic for me to marry a duke.” I need to have a talk with the gossipy maids. I don’t need anyone else getting the wrong idea about the proposal.
“He’s not who you want. You haven’t spent the entire summer talking about him.”
As if I need the reminder of just how easily I played into Quinn’s game.
“He would be a good choice for me; loved by the people, familiar with the country. My dad has been pushing me to spend time with him since I met him.”
“You aren’t in love with him.”
No, I’m not and if I’m being truthful with myself, I don’t know if I want to be in love with anyone. I don’t need to be in love to be a good leader to the people.
“My dad isnt in love with Eleanor and he wasn’t in love with Marjorie at first either.” Maybe that’s the sacrifice I’ll have to make to be royal. Cristian seemed to know and understand that, maybe we are a good match. When he proposed I was in a different frame of mind, too blinded by my feelings for Quinn to see the truth in his words.
“There’s another duke that just might be a better fit. He seems pretty smitten with you. And you happen to be in love with him.” She narrows her eyes at me, daring me to disagree. She doesn’t know just how wrong she is.
“I’m not in love with anyone.” The little flutters I once felt just at the mention of Quinn have been replaced with a heaviness I don’t care for.
“You’re going to look me in the face and tell me you aren’t in love with Quinn?” Hearing his name out loud causes the heaviness to grow, settling in my chest and throat.
“I haven’t known Quinn long enough to be in love. Beside what I do or don’t feel is irrelevant.” The words nearly choke me. He did just what I thought he would. There were no confessions of love that night and now he’s not speaking to me. Avoiding me even. I’m not even sure if I’ll see him again.
“That wasn’t a no. Just because he isn’t the one that asked you to marry him doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, too. It just means he isn’t stupid and perhaps knows you better. Knows that it’s too early for marriage. He’ll never come around if he thinks you’re marrying someone else.” She chatters on about all the ways I’ll drive Quinn away, stopping when she looks up at me. “Adella what is it?”
“Sen, he got what he wanted from me, and I haven’t heard from him since. We were both wrong about him.” Everything I’ve been fighting rushes over me. The anger, the betrayal, the shame. I suck in a shaky breath, determined to not cry a single tear over Quinn. I may have been stupid but there’s no reason to dwell on it and pine over him.
“When did this happen?” She tucks her feet under her and places her hands on mine.
“A few days ago, at the manor. I really thought… what does it matter. All that’s over now.” I push myself off the sofa to stand.
“I didn’t know. I saw the way he was with you, his questionable past seemed to be behind him. I never saw him talk to any girl but you.” All the same things I saw. All the same thoughts I had. At least I know I wasn’t making myself believe something that wasn’t there.
“How could you have known? I was so caught up in my blissful stupidity I didn’t see what was right in front of me. I sought him out that night.” He must be so proud of himself in the end he got what he wanted and didn’t even have to work for it.
“I’m sorry, Adella, I know you were falling—”
I shake my head at her. “I was not, and I am not in love, so please don’t say it.”
Her mouth snaps shut, and she takes a breath before continuing. “I know this hurt is all fresh but in time you will want to date again, and you’ll find someone who is as good as you deserve. Maybe someone new. Maybe Cristian. I know you called him boring, but maybe he won’t seem that way when there isn’t someone else who is taking all your attention?”
He’s handsome and sweet, and really who am I to call someone else boring?
“I don’t know, perhaps. Maybe I should talk to him, tell him to give me time and maybe we can try dating.” She nods. Thinking I could have any relationship only a few months after my life changed so drastically wasn’t wise in the first place. Once I’ve had the chance adjust to this life and can think about him without the Quinn in the way I could see him differently. Maybe.
I may not be able to make myself feel better about Quinn right now but an option for the future might give me a little direction in all this mess.
Leaving Seneca to get settled in, I make my way down the east wing to Cristian’s room. I need to think about this objectively, no Quinn thoughts altering my perception. Maybe discuss it with Dad since he is pro-Cristian and anti-Quinn after someone let it slip our short-lived relationship was already over. If I wasn’t so angry at him, I might feel sorry for him once he does come around my dad again.
I near the door I believe is his, but I must have it wrong. The moans and noises coming from the room can’t be him. A maid makes eye contact with me as she passes by, she ducks her head and quickens her pace.
“Wait, can you point me to Lord Gedge’s room?”
“That’s it right there, Your Highness.” She points to the room the distinct noises are spilling out from.
“I see. Has this been going on long?”
“No ma’am.”
“Thank you, Valeria.” I take a few determined steps toward the door. Should I knock or just barge in? Surely the door is locked considering what’s going on in there.
“Should I go retrieve your father?” Valeria asks as I stand in front of the door.
“No, I’ll handle this. A guard to escort Cristian off the premises would be nice.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” She curtsies and sprints down the hall in the other direction.
Turning back to the room, I put my hand on the knob. At least he’s making it easy for me. I will never be with someone again that is so inconsiderate and selfish. I’m not upset about what he’s doing, I’m upset he would treat me in the same dismissive way that Xavier always did especially when he acted so nice and sincere to my face. Twisting the knob, I push the door open, catching Cristian pants around his ankles, mid thrust. Cordelia is bent over the bed, her skirt pushed up around her middle.
“When you have a moment, do you think we could talk?” I really do attract the worst type of men and apparently can’t even recognize them for what they are. Or maybe it’s my own fault for being so caught up in Quinn and thinking Cristian was so nice I
just didn’t see it.
Cordelia screams struggling to cover herself with her disheveled clothes. Cristian looks up locking eyes with me.
“I’ll be out in the hall.” I look at Cordelia, “I suggest you pack and be out of the castle before I’m done with him, or I’m coming for you, too.” I shut the door and wait in the hall for Cristian.
Cordelia steps out of the room stopping when she locks eyes with me. “You weren’t supposed to know.”
“That makes it okay?”
“I was just so angry, I didn’t think. Please don’t tell my father.” She fidgets with her hair and smooths her hands over her clothes.
“I have too much respect for your father to let him know what his daughter has been doing. But don’t think that means I won’t ever. The minute you act like a witch to me again he knows all about this.” For too long Cordelia and her friends have thought I was a joke. No more. This ends here. I want nothing but the best for this country and have done everything to become a good princess, I demand the respect I deserve.
“I won’t. I swear it.” She doesn’t move from my stare until I nod, then she hurries down the hall toward her own room.
Cristian steps out, maybe waiting until Cordelia was gone, clothes barely out of place. No hint of what just occurred. He clasps his hands behind his back, standing taller. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Once we’re married, I’ll be sure to have more discretion in my extramarital activities.”
Married? Great another delusional one. There must be something wrong with me to keep attracting these awful guys. “You can’t think I would marry you after this. Why would you propose to me at all if you want other people?”
“Don’t be naïve girl. That’s how it works in this world. You marry for power and have fulfilling relationships elsewhere. Once you have my heirs you can do what you want, with whomever you want. Even my ridiculous cousin, Quinn, if he hasn’t finished with you already.” I don’t need the reminder, certainly not from someone who can propose to me and pretend they care while they are secretly meeting someone else for sex.
A Royal Surprise Page 13
