“I never said there was,” Claire declares.
Alex shoots her a deadpan gaze as if to say, “Come on. I know you better than that.”
“The circumstances of how you two met are rather bizarre,” Emily says. She glances at Claire. “For your sister’s sake, I won’t recount it at the dinner table.”
Claire rolls her eyes. “Mother, I’m not a child, and yes, I’ve heard the details.”
“Are we going to talk about this all night?” Alex says, putting down his spoon. “Because if you both are going to make us feel uncomfortable, we’re better off leaving.”
I gasp. I feel like standing up and cheering for Alex. Did I mention how much I love this man? Well, I love him even more, if possible, and he doesn’t even know it.
“There’s no need for histrionics, Alexander,” his mother says. “I believe we can resolve all of this in an amicable manner.”
“There’s nothing to resolve, Mother. Father made an announcement that I was not consulted on and not privy to. I’m an adult, not a chess piece.”
“Not here, Alexander.” Emily looks pointedly at me.
“But that’s exactly what happened.”
The waiters come in to clear the soup bowls, and the heatedness is momentarily put on hold, though I’m pretty sure they were listening to every word behind the curtains. I barely knew what I ate anyway.
They serve the next course, which is a chicken breast in some sort of orange sauce, garnished with parsley.
“As royals, we have a commitment to the people.”
“You mean we have a commitment to Tatiana’s father – something we can do without, thank you very much.”
The Queen cuts through her chicken with the knife, which clatters sharply on her plate. “We’ll discuss this later.”
“I wish we could have discussed this a lot sooner, then there would be no need for all this unpleasantness.”
“Alexander, that’s enough. End of conversation.”
Looking mutinous, Alex clams up. The next few minutes are followed by scrapes and the chinks of silver cutlery against bone china plates.
“Are you going back to the hospital after this, Mother?” Claire asks.
“Yes. Would you like to join me, Alexander?”
Alex’s expression becomes more conciliatory. “I will. Are you going to stay there tonight, Mother?”
“Yes, I’ve been staying in the royal suite since your father has taken ill.” The Queen’s eyes soften. A tiny pang squirms within my chest. She clearly loves her husband, and I can sense that this is not a show. “It would be wise for you to spend as much time with him as possible before . . . ”. She almost imperceptibly shakes her head. “I trust that Elizabeth can look after herself.”
I nod. “Yes, I can.”
“Good. We’ll put Jasper at your disposal.”
“I can help look after Elizabeth,” Claire interjects with a cheeky smile.
“No,” Alex says shortly.
“Why ever not?”
“I don’t need looking after,” I say to Claire. “Though it would be great if we could spend some time together.”
OK, I’m just being polite. Claire is the epitome of every girl who made my life a living hell in high school, and she’s a princess to boot.
“Splendid. I’ve always wanted to know how the other side lives. You’ve always been telling me that I should socialize more with the commoners, Mother.”
My spirits sink. Can I retract the offer?
“Don’t be a brat, Claire,” Alex says.
She grins at him and sticks out her tongue when her mother is not looking.
I’m glad when dinner is over and we take our leave. I have the most humungous pit in my stomach, having barely eaten anything.
Alex takes me aside, “Hey, chin up. I’m here every step of the way.”
“I know.” I raise my eyes to him shyly. We are in an alcove a little distance away from the family dining room. “So . . . about what you said back there . . . am I really your girlfriend?”
My heart cringes, expecting him to say “No, that was just to rile them up”. I tense my entire body, bracing for pain.
He laughs softly. After his slumber, the dark circles around his eyes have disappeared and he looks well-rested and extremely handsome. “Are you kidding me? Need you even ask?”
Relief washes through me, and gratitude, and love, and a dozen different emotions. Oh, I’m such a wreck when I’m with him. He moves in for a kiss, and I respond hungrily in kind. It’s a passionate one – open-mouthed and full of tongue. I savor him, trying to compensate for the deep-seated gnawing hunger in my belly.
When we part for air, I whisper, “Oh Alex, they hate me. Everyone hates me here.”
“No, they don’t. They just haven’t gotten to know you like I have.”
I shake my head. “I’m not so sure.”
“Hey,” he tips my jaw up with his fingers, “you’ve got me. We’ll weather through this together, OK?”
“OK.”
We kiss again, though I’m really not sure if weathering this is even a possibility. But oh, I love love love Alex so much. It would be kill me if I were to be told that I can never get to see him again. It would more than kill me. It would devastate me and send me to the deepest pits of despair.
“Listen, I have to go see my father tonight and tomorrow morning, but Jasper will take you shopping, OK? My expense account is yours. Buy anything and everything. You need a new wardrobe.”
I have never asked Alex for anything in my life. I mean, he paid the air tickets and accommodation and stuff because I didn’t have any money on me, but we lived frugally and simply for the past month. The possibility of buying clothes with his money now fills me with trepidation.
“Oh Alex, I don’t know.”
“Do it for me. You need a new wardrobe, and you’re my girlfriend, so you’re going to be in a bit of spotlight. We’ll avoid it as much as we can, but unless you plan on being a recluse here, there’s no way you can avoid it completely.” He teases my hair. “I wish I could have prepared you more for this and I was fully intending to ease you into my life . . . or at least, this part of my life. But there isn’t time.”
“I know . . . your father . . . ”
“I’m sorry, Liz.”
“Don’t be. I wouldn’t dream of leaving you alone to deal with this.”