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Authors: Heather Trudy

Royal Pain in the Ass

BOOK: Royal Pain in the Ass
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This is dedicated with all my love to my mother

My First and Greatest Fan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter I

 

I

ve worked since the month after I turned sixteen.
  I

ve been working my way through college, and I graduate next month.
 
My only regret is that Mom won

t be there to see it.
 

She died last spring.
 
Mom was all the family I had.
 
Her parents disowned her when she came back from her study abroad program and realized she was pregnant.
  I

ve never met my father.
 
Hell, I don’
t even know his name.
 
Thanks to Mom

s life insurance policy I now own the home I grew up in.
 
I also work.
  I

m a manager in a fast food chain.
  It

s not a great job, the customers usually suck, but most of my crew are pretty decent.
 
Some of them are pretty awesome.
  Don

t get me wrong, I work with idiots, but they

re fun idiots.

Technically, I should have graduated in the spring, but after Mom died, I asked for if I could take an incomplete.
 
Given the circumstances, I was allowed to take the rest of the semester off to handle my mother’s final expenses and final needs. I finished my exams over the Summer Term.
 
Luckily for me, all of my professors were really understanding.
 
Now that
I

ve finished my exams and officially passed my last college classes, I’ve signed up for graduation, but I don

t know if I want to walk.
 

I
don’t really know what I want to do anymore.
  I

ve debated getting my MFA, a masters degree in fine arts.
 
I double majored in music performance and literature, so maybe continuing in literature.
 
I really was lacking in motivation.
 

I

d finally met my grandparents.
 
They came to Mom
’s funeral.
 
They tried to all of a sudden be there for me.
 
You spend over twenty years ignoring me and your daughter because she had the nerve to fall in love and make a baby.
 
Seriously

You come home and your parents tell you to get the hell out and not come back.
 
Yeah, because I need people like that in my life.
 
Then something incredible happened.
 
Something I never would have expected in a million years.
 
A letter was hand delivered to my door, I had to sign for it and anything.
 
To my surprise it was addressed as so:

 

Miss Juliet Anastasia Victoria Benn

 

I never used my full name.
 
I didn

t recognize the ornate scrawl.
 
It was sealed with a wax seal.
 
Seriously, who does that?
 
I mean it’s not 1860. I opened it and in the same scrawl that had written my name was this letter.

 

Dearest Juliet,

My deepest sympathies to hear of the loss of Rose.
 
She was a treasure, and the world is truly a darker place without her.
 
I wish I had known she was ill, I would have sent word sooner.
 
It is my greatest wish that we should meet.
 
I offer you my personal hospitality at your earliest convenience.
 
Send word care of return post when you wish to come to my humble home and I will send transportation for you.
 

Sincerely Yours,

Duke of Eastwick

James Eastgate

 

I stared at the letter for days.
 
At first I was laughing, thinking it was all a joke.
 
Then I began to wonder if it really was.
 
I didn

t know what to make of it until another letter came for me, one with the same seal as the other letter.

 

Juliet,

I am wondering if you doubt my intentions.
 
I need to speak with you.
 
Please allow me a chance to explain.
 
There is so much I want to talk to you about, so much I cannot explain with a letter. We need to speak, face to face if possible.

 

Sincerely Yours,

James Eastgate

 

I decided to take a chance and I sent a letter back.

 

Dear Duke of Eastwick
,

Is that what I should call you?
 
I have no idea who you are or why you would want to talk to me, but okay.
 
You knew my mother?
 
How?
 
I really have no idea what to say, or write, or whatever.
 
I guess I could come see you, but where?
 
And more importantly why?

Juliet Benn

 

Two weeks later another letter came in the mail.

 

Juliet,

I am thrilled to hear from you!
 
I knew your mother many years ago, she was truly a radiant woman.
 
I am reluctant to say why I wish to see you, as it has yet to be proven.
 
From what I have found out you are truly like her.
 
Whenever you are ready I will send a private jet to you.

Sincerely Yours,

James Eastgate

 

I wrote him a letter saying I had graduation to go to, but I would be willing to come after that.
 
It gave me a month to get everything prepared.
 
I took a leave of absence from work.
A friend of mine had moved in with her son not too long ago, so I trusted her with my home and my beloved p
uppy. 
Well, he had been a puppy, now he was about 95 pounds of adorable.
 
My German shepherd, Loki.
 
I warned her that if anything happened to Loki, even if it wasn

t her fault, that I would kill her.
 
Then I packed my bags and boarded a plane to England.

I grew up in sunny Florida.
  I

ve never lived more than thirty minutes of the beach, and I had never been out of the country short of my spring break cruise to Mexico my junior year of college.
 
This was a whole new kind adventure.
 
I just hoped I was ready for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter II

 

I stumbled off the plane feeling shaky.
  I hadn

t ever been on a plane before, and apparently I had been through really bad turbulence, though I had nothing to compare it to.
 
There was a black car waiting for me, I went to grab my bags and saw someone carrying them.
 


Let me get that,


No, no, really it

s my pleasure.

He offered.
 
I had to admit I liked his accent.
 


But I feel bad,


Why, miss?
  It

s my job.”

I cocked my head to the side.
  “
Your job?

“I

m one of Mr. Eastgate
’s servants.


He has servants?

He looked at me like he was wondering if I was joking or not.
 
I wasn

t. 


So, you

re
like his slave?


Servants and slaves are very different miss!
 
Servants have been a vital part of British society for hundreds of years.
  It

s a noble profession.


So, you like serving?

“Yes,”

I shrugged.
  “
Whatever floats your boat.

He looked at me like I was an idiot

I figured I should probably keep my mouth shut.
 
I let them lead me to the car and usher me inside.
 
I watched in silence as the countryside whizzed by.
 
We were taken to a huge house.
 


Welcome, to Eastgate Manor.


By the way, what is your name?


Oh, I am Thomas.
” 
He smiled.


I didn

t say it before, but it

s a pleasure to meet you.

I offered my hand.
 
Thomas smiled and shook it.


The pleasure is all mine.

He assured me, bowing to me.
  “
Allow me to escort you inside.
” 
I was led through the ornate marble fixtures and archways to what I guessed was the main house.


Thomas, who is this?

came a high pitched whine.
 

I looked behind me to see a beautiful girl.
 
She had full curves, was tall with impossibly long legs.
 
Her hair was a pale blonde, I couldn

t tell if it was natural or out of a bottle.
 
Her eyes were a pretty shade of blue, but they were narrowed into slits.
 
I had this funny feeling she didn

t like me.


A guest of your father.


You didn

t answer my question.

She snapped.
 
I felt underdressed in my jeans and an Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt.
 
I fidgeted with my fedora.
 
She was wearing a pale blue sundress with a large brimmed white hate and strappy white sandal heels.
 
Somehow, I had this feeling my dirty converse wouldn

t be accepted here.

“I

m Juliet,

I interrupted, offering my hand.


Juliet?
  I

ve never heard of you.
 
And why are you dressed like that?


Um, because this is how I dress?


What kind of person dresses like that to meet someone like my father?
 
Have you no respect?

she sneered
at me
, her voice shrill
.

BOOK: Royal Pain in the Ass
11.22Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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