Chapter 3
Three
The only reason I’m able to stop myself from ripping the hair off my head in frustration at Arthur’s one-word answers is because I’ve been trained since birth to be a proper hostess.
No matter what tactic I employ, the man is like a robot who’s only capable of saying “yes, ma’am” or “no, ma’am.
” Any time I ask an open-ended question, Angela jumps in and answers on his behalf.
It’s exhausting, and I don’t think my tired brain can stand it much longer.
Our conversation so far has gone something like this:
“Have you been with the Met Police long?”
“No, ma’am.”
“It’s been about three years for him and two years for me,” Angela adds.
“At least I won’t be your first assignment,” I joke.
“No, ma’am.” Arthur’s face remains blank.
Silence ensues before Angela again comes to the rescue, filling the awkward silence. “We’ve both worked our way up through the ranks. For the last couple of months, we’ve been assigned to the Foreign Dignitary Protection Division.”
“That’s fantastic. Angela, I know you were previously with the RAF, but what about you Arthur?”
“He’s been with the force since he finished uni.” Arthur nods curtly to confirm what Angela said.
“Which uni did you attend?”
“He studied at the University of Manchester.”
By this point, I’ve begun to wonder if he’s doing it on purpose to annoy me. His body language is closed off and he keeps checking his watch. That tells me he doesn’t want to be here.
If that’s the case, fine. Leave. He wouldn’t be missed. I’ll happily keep Bruce until the security office can find a replacement. In fact, I think I’ll talk to Papa about it later. Two can play at this game. I’ll just ignore him until this meeting is over.
“Apologies, Princess. There was an issue with the head office that needed to be ironed out.” Bruce tucks his mobile away and sits next to me. “How are you all getting on?”
“Swimmingly,” I joke. My tone borders on sarcasm.
Bruce glances at me. His eyebrows knit together in a frown for a split second before he’s back to his smiling self.
He leans over the coffee table and offers his hand to Angela.
“Hiya, I’m Bruce Martins.” When he sets eyes on Arthur, however, he suddenly stiffens.
The corners of his eyes widen. His mouth opens and closes.
Arthur frowns even deeper and doesn’t extend his hand.
Bruce doesn’t move—all he can do is stare.
The room stays silent for several seconds. I tilt my head to the side, eyes darting between the two, but whatever is being exchanged between them is something that’s unreadable. All I can do is continue to be a decent hostess.
“Right, then.” I set my teacup down with a little more force than usual. It clatters against the saucer. Everyone’s attention turns to me. “How about if we turn the tables. I’m sure by now you have some questions for me you might like to ask.”
“Yes, ma’am. I do.” Angela nods. “We’ve been informed by the security office that for the summer, our daily schedules will mirror yours. Just for my reference, I’d like to get a feel for what types of activities you do on a given day.”
That’s a simple enough question. I exhale and relax against the back of the couch.
“So there’s really two types of days that I might have.
Days with preplanned public engagements and days without.
For the remainder of June and July, I’m slated to appear at the Princess Alice Cup, Trooping the Colour, Royal Ascot, and one or two garden parties at Buckingham Palace. ”
I pause, giving her a moment to take a few notes on her mobile.
“The PM has asked my father to place a hold on all other public appearances for the next few weeks until after the elections. On a normal day for me, if I’m leaving the palace complex, it’s usually to go riding, play tennis, or spend time with my family. ”
“Don’t forget, Princess, you do have a part-time job,” Bruce gently reminds me.
“Oh yes. I work in the palace stables on the weekends from about six a.m. to two p.m.”
“I think you two will find Princess Alice to be an easy charge to work with,” he says. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders and has never made any trouble for me.”
My body warms at the compliment. I can feel the tips of my ears and neck heating up. I quickly reach for tea and take a long sip, hiding my face.
“Brilliant.” Angela glances up from her mobile. “I know it’s a little early to ask since you haven’t registered for classes yet, but what about once you start uni.”
I swallow slowly, frowning. “I’ll be in classes and studying during the week. If I have any spare time, I’ll probably try and fit in some riding since the stables are close to Imperial’s campus.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant.” Angela rubs the back of her neck. “I was curious . . . that is, um . . . do you see yourself embracing the full uni experience?”
“It works best with Her Highness if you ask her questions directly.” Bruce half coughs, half laughs. “Ma’am, Angela is trying to politely find out if you intend to frequent nightclubs.”
Angela is taken aback by his frankness. She nearly drops her mobile. Arthur’s left eyebrow rises a millimeter.
“No.” I wrinkle my nose. “It’s not my thing. If I wanted to drink expensive alcohol and act stupid, I’d rather do it at home in my pajamas.”
One, my older brother did enough clubbing for the both of us when he was my age. Two, going out involves having a social life, which I lack. I make it a point of staying away from being bait for the press. The media has ruined my life enough for a lifetime, especially after last year.
“It sounds like we have that in common.” Angela smiles. “My ideal night is curling up on the sofa with a hot chocolate and a good book or a film.”
“Do you enjoy rom-coms?” I scoot forward in my seat. “Books and films are a guilty pleasure of mine.”
“I do.” Her eyes glimmer with excitement.
I know who’s going to be my plus-one when we get new rom-coms at the Buckingham Palace cinema.
“Bruce finds them too predictable. He’s a thriller and sci-fi bloke.
But the familiar storylines are what I love about them.
From the meet-cute to the happily ever after, you know exactly what you’re going to get. ”
“Here, here.”
I know I said I’d ignore Arthur, but there’s a nagging feeling inside my chest urging me to make an effort to include him. “What about you, Arthur? What types of films do you enjoy?” I don’t expect an answer.
“Comedy.” His tone is flat as he glances at his watch again.
“That’s great.”
Good deed done; I spend the next few minutes monopolizing Angela in conversation by swapping favorite films and what we love about them.
At the top of her list are My Big Fat Greek Wedding, 13 Going on 30, and Notting Hill.
While my current top three are Love Actually, Crazy Rich Asians, and Enchanted.
“Ladies, I hate to interrupt, but unfortunately, we’ll have to wrap this up. I just received a text from the security office. You two are needed back downstairs to finish processing your badges.” Bruce looks at Angela and Arthur.
“More paperwork.” Angela sighs.
“It’s never-ending,” Arthur mutters.
“It was nice meeting you two.” I shake their hands one final time.
“Thank you for tea, ma’am,” Angela says.
Arthur gives me a curt nod.
“I’ll walk you two out.” Bruce opens the door, locks eyes with Arthur, and mouths the word hallway to him.
Something flickers behind Arthur’s eyes. He offers Bruce the slightest of nods.
They all exit, and I’m left alone. I wish Angela could’ve stayed longer.
She’s brilliant. I enjoyed spending some time getting to know her, but I understand that she’s here to work, not to idly chitchat with me.
I let out a sigh of relief. At least I have a good feeling about her. Arthur, however, needs to go.
Family dinners at Buckingham Palace aren’t at all like film and television make them out to be.
During the day, we may dress formally, but come evening, when the business of state has been concluded, we dress casually, usually in jeans and T-shirts.
Except for Papa. He prefers plaid button-up shirts, which he owns in every pattern and color imaginable.
Mum and Papa started the tradition of family dinner night when we were children to try and give us a taste of a normal life.
Once a week, the palace chefs would have a night off and they’d let Eddie and me order takeaway.
It was always something we looked forward to.
We’d be on our best behavior so Papa wouldn’t have any reason to cancel our special dinner.
As adults, our schedules keep us apart more than when we’re together, but Papa still makes an effort to make sure we have at least one family dinner a month.
Tonight, it was Eddie’s turn to order. We have about twenty containers of Chinese food spread out over the dining room table.
That may seem like a lot, but he and Papa can easily eat half of them.
It’s one of the reasons I always help myself to the bao buns first. They’re the first item to disappear if you’re not fast enough.
“Amanda, I’m glad you were able to join us tonight,” Papa says as he dumps half a container of chow mein onto his plate, followed by some orange chicken, white rice, steamed veggies, and crispy honey walnut shrimp.
“Me too. I couldn’t pass up on the chance to see Alice.” She grins. “There are sooooooooo many things I want to ask you about your trip. It seems like you were gone forever.”
Amanda has bright green eyes, and a personality as vibrant as her curly red hair. She’s been engaged to my brother for four years and has become a close friend.
“Not forever, only a couple months.”
“In Amanda’s world, that’s forever.” Eddie snorts. Like Papa, he packs his plate as full as he can manage, like he’s a human rubbish compactor.