Suddenly Royal (41 page)

“
Good morning.”

“
Morning.” I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent.

“
Everything okay?” He shifted so he could see my face.

“
Dad called. His scan wasn’t good and they’ve changed his medicine.” I took a deep breath. “He wants to wait to come over, see if his body can get used to the medicine first. It makes him sick.”

“
We could get a flight and go to him.”

I looked up at him, my heart bouncing a little. The fact that he had included himself in the plans made me warm all over. Brushing my fingers over his face, I kissed him softly.

“
What’s that for?” He looked down into my eyes.

“
For being you.” I cuddled closer to him. “He doesn’t want me to go over there. I think he’s worried that if I do, he won’t ever get to come here.”

“
Is it that bad?” He rubbed a hand over my hair.

“
He didn’t say so, but I’m worried. I’m going to call the doctor on Monday and see what he thinks.” I sighed. “Dad sounded really rough.”

“
Why don’t we do something fun today? Take your mind off it until Monday.” He propped himself up on his elbow.

“
What do you have in mind?”

“
Come to D’Lynsal and I’ll introduce you to my birds.” He raised an eyebrow. “Spend a little time outside. It’s supposed to be nice today.”

“
That sounds great.” I sat up and turned to look at him. “Can we go now?”

“
Sure.”

D’Lynsal manor was less than an hour from Rousseau. I fiddled with the radio as we drove, amused by the wide range of music. Alex played tour guide and pointed out some of the local landmarks we passed. Becca and Duvall were in a car behind us, which helped make it feel like it was just us.

When we pulled up to D’Lynsal, Alex waved at the gate guard and we were let in. If I had thought Rousseau was breathtaking, it was nothing compared to Alex’s home. Instead of a house that looked a bit like a castle, this
was
an actual castle.

“
Wow.” I leaned forward in my seat as we pulled up. A turret along one of the corners had arched windows and a flag flying on top. Much like Rousseau, there was a circle driveway with a garden in the center. Unlike the home that was now mine, there were a lot of extra buildings nearby.

“
What’s that building?” I pointed at the one closest to the house.

“
The people who work here have rooms.” He parked at the front door. “Then there are a few storage buildings and work sheds. The stables are behind the house.”

A butler opened the front door for us with a bow. I realized that here would be a lot more people who might possibly sell us out to the press. I stepped away from the hand Alex had on my back and smiled at the people who greeted us. I tried to ignore the look Alex shot me and focused on seeing everything around me.

The house was amazing. The stone walls from outside were also inside and I was reminded of a fancy hunting lodge. Where my home was large, I could still find all the rooms with a quick search. Here, I had no idea where a kitchen would be, much less a bathroom. I stood in the grand room and turned in a circle, taking it all in. Alex watched me as I surveyed the splendor that was his life.

“
You grew up here?”

“
We have a few other places, but most of my childhood was spent here and the palace.” He motioned for me to follow him up a large staircase. “There is a smaller family area upstairs. These areas are more like a pass-through for us, unless we’re having a special event.”

I thought about the tiny house I had lived in with my mother before she married my dad. The house we had moved into together was larger and newer, but still nothing fancy. Despite all the family portraits hanging along the wall, it felt impersonal and I couldn’t imagine being a child here.

“
I bet you never got to watch TV with dinner.”

“
Not true. My grandmother used to let us eat with those little tables in front of the sofa.” He smiled at me over his shoulder. “She was addicted to
The Price is Right
.”

“
You guys get
The Price is Right
here?” I laughed.

“
I think they were reruns, but she didn’t care.”

He showed me the family room upstairs and the small kitchen. There was a separate TV room, which amused me. In the States the family room was typically where everyone gathered to watch shows or movies. When he showed me his room, I was ready to be wowed. He opened the door and stepped inside. There was a large four-poster bed along one wall, but the rest of the room felt very modern.

“
I’m jealous.” I looked around.

“
Why?”

“
There’s not a stitch of wallpaper in here.”

He laughed and pulled me toward the bathroom. “Wait until you see the tub.”

“
That’s a pool.” He was right. I coveted the tub.

He laughed as we left his room and headed outside. I was so excited to see his birds I practically jogged down the stairs. He led me around the stables, which housed ten horses, and around to the mews. The cages were much more elegant than what I’d worked with at school, but it was familiar all the same.

The hawks were gorgeous. Alex retrieved gloves for us and brought me a bird.

“
What’s her name?” I looked over her feathers and feet.

“
Tweety.”

I looked over at him and smiled. “Tweety?”

“
Remember the little boy you met the first night? Leo?”

“
Ah. He named Tweety?”

“
I named her Talon, he disagreed. You can see who won.”

I snickered. Remembering how Alex had looked with the kids that night convinced me Leo hadn’t had to put up much of a fight.

“
Want to take them out?” He closed the mew and stepped out with his own hawk. “Tweety and Sylvester work together really well.”

“
By all means.” I looked at Tweety. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

We spent hours out with the birds and I could have stayed longer. There was something spectacular about watching the birds fly, their wings spread as they rode the currents and searched for game.

“
My father loved birds.” Alex watched as the birds swept the area. “I can’t remember a time when we didn’t own any.”

“
There’s a freedom that comes with flying.” I looked over at him.

“
Exactly. Nothing ties them down unless they want it to.” He looked over at me. “I think that’s part of the reason he was so fond of them. They could go wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted.”

“
Did he feel trapped?”

“
No more than anyone feels trapped.” He shrugged. “Everyone is tied down in some way. Work, family, medical problems. It’s what you make of it. That’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with the things that make you happy. If you have a bad day at work but get to come home to a woman you love or your favorite hobby, the rest doesn’t matter as much.”

I thought about what he was saying as I watched the birds. Was that why he had kept after me even though I tried to keep him at arm’s length?

Someone with food actually drove a small golf-cart-type vehicle out to where we were when lunchtime came around, so after seeing to the birds we spent some time enjoying the warmer weather while we ate. He told me about his family and described holidays with nobles running around. It was obvious that his family was much closer with some of the nobles than others, but there was still a very tight-knit feel.

“
Do any of the nobles have regular jobs? Or do you all focus on royal tasks?” I tucked my legs under me on the blanket that had been spread out and picked up a carrot.

“
A lot of us have jobs on the side. Daniel has a degree in marketing, but he uses it more for the family than anything else. I believe he does take on contract work from time to time. When not drunk, Kyle is working on a business degree, but I have no idea if he’ll ever use it. Mother doesn’t send him on assignments for the crown, so it would be best if he figures out something to do with his life.”

“
What about Cathy? She’s starting school soon.”

“
Cathy is going for a history degree. She’s wanted to work in a museum since she was little.” He leaned back on the blanket and looked up at the sky. “The problem is that she’ll never be able to have a full-time job.”

“
Why not?” I lay down next to him but kept my distance. His hand snaked out and wrapped around my fingers.

“
She’s too close to the throne. Until I have children, Max and Cathy are the next heirs and are required to speak for the crown.”

“
That’s such a foreign thought to me. It’s like you guys aren’t real people, just objects.” I frowned. “What about after you have kids? Will she be able to take a job then? And Max is away at school now. Will he be able to do anything with his degree?”

“
She might, but will most likely find a charity to focus on. The crown can’t keep up with every single thing required of them and the other nobles are counted on to help. Max and Cathy will always be a part of the day-to-day operations of the monarchy. Going to school is just a chance for us to live a little before we are immersed in the running of things.” He turned his head and looked at me. “There are lots of perks, though. It’s not all work. We don’t have to worry about as much as the English royal family, which means we’re not as spread thin.”

“
Will I have to do things for the queen?” I knew I had responsibilities to the Rousseau village, but hadn’t thought about much more than that.

“
It depends. She tends to pick and choose carefully.” He smiled. “I think it’s reasonable to assume she’ll have some things you’d be perfect for.”

“
Hm.” I looked back up at the clouds and wondered if that would change if our relationship did go public. When I thought about all the people who would follow my every move it made me nauseous. Alex was worth it. More than worth it, but it was still something I was going to need to ease into. And there was a big part of me that worried what we had might not last. Then I’d be left to pick up the pieces of my very publicly broken heart.

“
You’ve got a while before you have to worry about it. She can’t ask you to take on any official duties until you’ve gone through the reinstatement ceremony.” He squeezed my fingers.

“
Good to know.” I started to pull my hand away, but he tightened his grip.

“
Samantha, you don’t have to worry about people here. They won’t say anything.” He rolled over to his side and propped his head up. “Most of the employees here are generational. Their families have worked for my family for years. In a lot of ways they’re like extended family.”

I bit my lip and looked up at him. “I’m making this difficult. I know it. But…”

“
You’re scared.” He cupped my cheek. “I do understand. I’m willing to wait until you’re ready, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“
Doesn’t it bother you?” I frowned. “That people will speculate about us?”

“
People always speculate about couples.” He laughed.

“
But not on the front page of the papers!”

“
That’ll calm down. Eventually they’ll find something else to focus on.” He shrugged.

“
I’m just not used to it.” I sighed. “I’ll get there. I promise.”

Slowly, so that I had time to move, he leaned forward and brushed his lips across mine. My body’s response to him was immediate and I forgot about who might be watching. He continued to tease me with feather-soft kisses until I nipped at his bottom lip. That did the trick and he deepened our kiss. I ran my hands through his hair, enjoying how warm it felt on my fingers.

When he finally pulled away, I snuggled close to him and he chuckled. “I should kiss you more often. It makes you much more agreeable.”

“
Shut it and cuddle me.”

The rest of the weekend was spent with the birds or learning more about the area. Alex was good at keeping me distracted, but the closer it came to Monday, the more anxious I became.