Chapter 15
Fifteen
Aknock sounds at the door. Art pokes his head inside the private room of the pub I’ve booked for the evening. “Ma’am, I have a Mr. Alfred Moore asking to see you.” His forehead creases and his tone is flat and coldly professional.
“That’s my date.” I stand from the table. “Send him in, please.”
“Ma’am.” His shoulders hunch and he continues wearing the frown he’s had on his face all morning.
“Good luck and have fun.” Angela winks. “Leave Mr. Grumps to me.”
“What are you going to do to him?” I ask, genuinely curious. He’s been moody all day.
“I’ll tell him he can be the one who gets to stay outside the door and babysit you two. I’m hoping if he’s away from the crowds and noise of the main pub, he’ll loosen up.”
“Is it social anxiety?”
“I think so.” Angela nods. “He’s come a long way, but loud places like this don’t help the situation.”
The door creaks open and a tall, slim guy enters, holding up a hand to wave. “Cheers Alice, I’m Alfie.”
He’s got a bright smile on his face and carries himself with a loose easiness about him. I immediately like him. “Hi, Alfie. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Jenna’s told me nothing about you.” He pushes up the round black glasses perched on his nose. “I can’t wait to fill in the blanks tonight.”
“Likewise.” I let out a nervous chuckle.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling incredibly awkward right now.” He lets out a deep sigh. “I haven’t been on a proper date in ages.”
“You’re not alone. I’m feeling awkward too.”
We share a laugh, and the tension flees the room. Angela discreetly disappears as Alfie approaches me. He’s dressed casually in black jeans, a heather-gray T-shirt, and white trainers. He has wavy brown hair and almond-brown eyes with thick lashes.
“I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you to meet me here,” I say.
“Not at all.” He slides his hands into his pockets. “It was a nice walk from the dorms in Covent Garden.”
“You didn’t take the Tube?” I ask, knowing he’s spent all day taking dance classes and in various rehearsals. If it were me, I’d be exhausted, but I guess he isn’t like us regular humans. He’s a dancer, and that means he’s well-conditioned and in excellent physical shape.
“Nah. I figured it would’ve taken me the same amount of time walking here as it would going through the stations.”
We share another laugh. He’s right. Some Tube stations like the Covent Garden one are deep underground. It might’ve taken ten minutes of walking and riding escalators to reach the train and another ten or fifteen minutes when he arrived in Mayfair.
“Are you in the mood for some drinks?” I ask.
“Sure.” He grins. “Shall we go grab them from the bar?”
“Actually, I’m not allowed to. One of the agents you passed on the way has to do it.” I hold my breath to see how he reacts. From experience, I’ve learned that the reality of who I am doesn’t tend to sink in until there’s something I can’t do that normal people do.
Alfie shrugs. “Would you be okay if I ordered both our drinks, then, and saved them the trouble?”
That’s thoughtful of him. A sharp contrast to Eric. “Only if you’re sure.”
“Sure, I’m sure.” He flashes me a cheeky grin. “What can I get you? I’m probably gonna order a pint of whatever’s on tap.”
“I’ll have a gin and tonic, please.”
“On it. One pint and one G and T, coming right up.”
I tap the pocket of my jeans and retrieve my card holder. “Here. The first round is on me.”
He pushes my hand away. “Nah, Alice, I got it.”
“How about I cover something for us to snack on like an order of chips.”
His gaze travels up to my eyes. “Are you going to continue to insist on paying for something until I agree to it?”
“Yes.” I nod.
“You’re the opposite of my sisters.” He snickers. “They make me pay for everything. But if you insist, you win.” He accepts the fiver.
“How many sisters do you have?”
“Five. All older.”
My eyes widen. “Wow. That must’ve been interesting growing up.”
“Oh, it was. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”
He slips out the door, and I sit down as Art pokes his head into the room. “Everything going all right, ma’am?”
“Yeah, so far so good. He just stepped out to grab drinks. Why?”
“I just wanted to make sure the bloke was behaving himself and you didn’t ask him to leave.” The muscles in Art’s neck relax. “If you have, it’ll be my pleasure to refuse him entry when he returns.” He cracks his knuckles.
“Oh, he’s been a gent so far.” I chuckle.
Art, however, frowns. “First impressions can be misleading.”
He’s right. I trusted Eric when I first met him.
I liked him right away too. But meeting Alfie this time feels different, especially since he’s Jenna’s friend.
I’m more willing to trust Jenna’s judgment than Eddie’s.
She knows me in a way only another girl would.
“Don’t worry, if there’s any problems, you’ll be the first to know. Does that satisfy you?”
“For now.” He marches back to his post outside the door, mumbling under his breath.
I shake my head. It’s funny how things have changed. A few weeks ago, if Bruce had tried to pull a stunt like that, I would’ve been annoyed that he didn’t trust my judgment. With Art, however, it’s another story.
I like this overprotectiveness. He’s feisty and almost—almost—comes across as jealous.
Not that that’s possible. I shake the thought away, reminding myself Art has a job to do.
He’s probably worried about my security in such a public place.
The faster we’re back at my flat in St. James’s, the sooner he’ll be back to his normal self.
Alfie returns a few minutes later with drinks and a piping-hot order of chips. I stir the ice around in my glass and let it cool the drink.
“So, five sisters?”
“Uh-huh, five older sisters. I was the surprise baby of the family.” Alfie settles into his seat and explains to me that as the only boy, he grew up being spoiled rotten.
“I can relate. Being the girl and the youngest means that compared to my brother, there’s a lot I was able to get away with that Eddie was never allowed to.”
Growing up, it made me feel special that Papa and I had such a close bond, but now that I’m older, my perspective has shifted.
I carry so much guilt over it. As the future king, Eddie has always had the weight of the crown on his shoulders.
I can remember that Papa always treated my brother like a miniature soldier.
He received lectures on how to act, dress, walk, and speak as the heir to the throne.
It’s not all that surprising that he chose to act out by partying and going to clubs.
Eddie craved freedom and the ability to be a teenager.
Except when your father is the king, there’s no room for mistakes.
You’re expected to be perfect. It’s difficult for the public to imagine us as people, like them.
But we’re human. We can and we do make mistakes too.
If I had to guess, I think Papa learned with Eddie that his children shouldn’t be raised with the same old-world, hands-off approach that he, Auntie Charlotte, and Uncle Frank were given.
We’re only four years apart, but our childhood experiences vastly differed.
I count myself lucky that in spite of this, my brother has turned out to be a kind, caring, annoying, yet compassionate man.
I hope I can live up to being half the person he is.
Alfie takes a few chips and savors the taste, and I decide to move the subject away from discussing my family. “You’re in your final year at the ballet school, right? Do you hope to join a company?”
“We have another two weeks left before graduation. I’m excited, but it’s bittersweet.
I’ve been with the school since I was eleven, and now it’s all coming to an end.
Unfortunately, I didn’t earn a spot with the Westminster Ballet, but I did earn an apprenticeship with a company in Stuttgart, Germany. ”
Oh, he’s moving away soon? And to another country.
Why did Jenna set us up for a date, then?
She must’ve known. I’m disappointed, but at the same time, I’m genuinely happy for him.
From Clara and Jenna, I know that for a dancer, getting into a company isn’t always a guarantee.
“Congratulations!” I raise my glass to him and toast him. “That’s brilliant.”
“Thank you.” He clinks his pint against mine. “I’m excited to start my professional career.”
“Are you nervous about moving to another country?”
“No. I lucked out. One of my sisters happens to dance at the same company. I’ll be moving in with her, and hopefully, she’ll start teaching me some German. Luckily, a lot of the company is made up of dancers from around the world. Most of them speak English.”
“That has to be a relief.”
“It is,” he admits. “The only major thing I’m worried about is getting around the city and communicating with people outside the company.”
I nod in understanding. “I think if you’re living there, you’ll pick up the language quickly. Being immersed in a place really forces your brain to adjust.”
“I hope so.” He sighs. “You’re starting uni soon too, aren’t you?”
I finish chewing my chip and nod. “I am. I’m starting at Imperial in about a month and a half.”
He lets out a long whistle. “Imperial. That’s a difficult school to get into.”
I duck my head. It was difficult. I worked my bum off to get top marks on my A-levels. I didn’t want anyone to think I’d been awarded special treatment to get into uni. I applied just like all other UK students do. “It was either going to be Imperial, York, or St. Andrews.”
“What made Imperial your top choice?”
“It had the stronger degree program, and I enjoyed the vibe of the campus when I did a visit.”
“That’s important, especially if you’re going to be spending three years there. Are you going to do the dorm experience too?”