Six #3
“I want my son to be happy, which right now seems to entail being with you. However, if you want me completely candid, I would say that would be for the best. His father is not quite on board with you two. He has other ideas of who Theo should be with.” She gently placed her fingers on my arm.
“I think you are a very sweet, beautiful girl, and I can see why my son is drawn to you. However, I do not think you really comprehend what is ahead of you. I dislike that my son will never get to date or experience the world like others his age, but he is a prince. That is our way of life. He understands this. He also knows announcing you two are together…” She swallowed, showing the first sign of any kind of emotion.
“Society will treat this as an engagement.”
I froze, air gluing in my throat, my stomach turning over. Engagement? We were eighteen and nineteen years old.
“What?” I muttered.
“I’m not saying you have to get married in the near future; we’d actually prefer if you didn’t.”
I blinked. Blinked again. My head spun. Was she speaking English?
“Mother…” a familiar voice sighed from the door, shoot-ing me to my feet. “Are you scaring the crap out of her already?”
“Theodore.” The queen rose, every move she made graceful, purposeful. “Watch your language. Ever since you have come back from the military, you have been speaking so vulgar.” There was barely a note of a reprimand as she glided to her son. “Very unbecoming of a prince.”
“Sure, Mother.” He rolled his eyes. He looked unbelievably handsome, his shorter hair combed perfectly back, wearing dark pants and a pinstriped button-down shirt, though I always preferred him on the rare occasions he wore jeans and a T-shirt.
The sling that held his arm a week ago was now gone, but he still appeared to be favoring it.
She shook her head, a boys-will-be-boys gesture. “I must get ready. Your father and I are dining with Prime Minister Joseph and his husband, Paul,” she said, devoid of any emotion. A fact… something she didn’t even think about. She just did.
“Right.” Theo nodded. “I forgot about that. I guess Father will meet Spencer tomorrow.”
The queen brushed Theo’s perfectly pressed shirt like there was a microscopic wrinkle only she could see, then faced me.
“Well, it was a pleasure getting to know you, Spencer. I hope you consider what I said.”
I curtsied, not answering.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Lightly kissing him on the cheek, she stepped for the door. The guard who had been blending in with the wall the entire time opened the door for her. “Oh, and I had Paulina make up the Queen Anne room for you, Spencer.”
“Wow, could you get her any farther away from me?” Theo scoffed.
“Decorum, Theodore. You must learn it,” she replied before leaving the room. Somehow her heels barely made any noise on the floor, the guard slipping out with her like a ghost.
The door shut, leaving us alone.
“I know that look.” He held up his hands, stepping to me. “Breathe, Spence.”
“Breathe?” I exclaimed hoarsely, letting go of my pinned arms. “You want me to breathe?”
He cringed, taking another tentative step like I was a wild animal.
“What the hell was that, Theo?” I hissed, not wanting to raise my voice too high, but panic was taking over my body.
“You don’t meet me downstairs, and you have Lennox retrieve me?
I break an antique vase, swear, and completely humiliate myself meeting your mother.
And not just a mother. The bloody Queen of Great Victoria! ”
“What’s wrong with Lennox?”
My lids narrowed.
“Right. Right… not the point.”
“She was talking marriage, Theo. Marriage!” I continued pacing, the sick feeling in my gut not relenting. “I’m nineteen! We haven’t even made it official yet.”
He rubbed his face. “I’m sorry. She shouldn’t have brought that up yet.”
“Yet?”
“Not until you settled in.”
That wasn’t easing me one bit.
He walked around the sofa, grabbing me by the arms, holding me in place. “I knew my father was keeping me longer for a reason.” He rubbed his hands over my skin. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to meet you. I promise it will never happen again.”
“I’m not helpless, Theo. I can be on my own, probably prefer it most of the time, but this was a big deal. I think you forget your parents aren’t normal. This place is slightly intimidating, and I was already scared shiteless.”
“Yes, they are the king and queen, but they are also my parents.” He tipped his head into mine.
“Parents that can have my head cut off.”
“We don’t do that anymore.” He pulled me in.
“Really?”
“No, but we could lock you in the dungeon. There’s also talk of bringing stoning back.”
“Shut up.” I snorted, my head falling into his chest.
“Seriously, I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” He kissed the top of my head. “I promise when you meet my father, I will be by your side.”
I took a deep breath. This was why I was doing this. For him. For us. A future that was already being planned out for me.
“Theo. There you are,” a posh voice declared from the door. Her light, crystal voice demonstrated years of impeccable tutelage and wealth.
“And I certainly won’t let you be unchaperoned when you meet my sister.” He chuckled, twisting his head to the intruder.
I looked up at the girl standing in the door, my mouth parting in awe.
She was even more stunning in person. Wearing a green dress, matching the trademark royal eyes, Princess Eloise was the spitting image of her mother, if not even more beautiful and perfect.
Her long, glossy, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders in flawless waves.
Standing with one hand on her hip, her gaze rolled over me.
“I’m sorry.” Her brows crinkled, her hand motioning to me. “But did you pee yourself?”
Seriously, fuck my life.