Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
SASKIA
The chandeliers adorning the ornate ceiling in the ancient ballroom inside Buckingham Palace twinkle and glow with a buttery soft, yellow light.
Paintings of royalty going back centuries line the walls, watching the events unfold.
Truth be told, they give me the creeps even more than the ones at Oakleigh do.
It’s like they’re judging me as their future queen and finding me lacking.
Screw them. I did it. I landed the most eligible bachelor in the United Kingdom, and a prince to boot.
It’s what Mum always wanted for me, and damn it, I made it happen—with Dad’s help, of course.
The negotiations have taken months, and the entire time, I was on pins waiting for our secret to get out before we were ready to announce it. Thank goodness that didn’t happen.
I don’t love Luis anymore than he loves me, but that doesn’t matter to either of us.
We like and respect one another and enjoy spending time together.
He’s a good man, and he’ll be a great dad.
He also finds my outspokenness something of a breath of fresh air in the stuffy world of Britain’s royalty—his words, not mine.
Although I will have to keep my trap shut when the occasion calls for it. I can do that. Probably.
We’re friends—good friends—and that’s enough for me if it means I get to carry out Mum’s wishes.
I wish she was here. Even though my memories of her are virtually non-existent, the one thing I do remember is her telling me I was destined to grow up and marry a prince.
I glance up at the ceiling to a Heaven I’m not sure I believe in but take comfort in from time to time. “I did it, Mum. I hope you’re proud.”
The skin on my palm is sore from the amount of handshaking I’ve had to do. The engagement party of the heir to the throne is a big fucking deal, and the guest list ballooned to over one thousand people by the time the courtiers had finished compiling it.
One thousand. Insane.
My wedding will have double that, according to Luis.
The thought brings me out in hives. I may be forthright and confident, but even I have my limits.
A wisp of air brushes along the back of my neck, and a husky, baritone voice I’ve known my entire life murmurs, “Do I have to get on my knees in front of you now, princess?”
I turn in time to see Donovan Sinner’s cocky smirk form. “I heard they let the riff raff in.” I glance around as though I’m looking for someone. “Security.”
Donovan chuckles. “Same old Saskia.”
“You didn’t expect me to change, did you?” I grin. “Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it. It’s good to see a friendly face among the crowds of stuffy politicians and international royalty.”
“Oh, we didn’t have a choice. My father insisted the entire Sinner clan came along for the ride.”
“I’m honored.”
“Don’t be. It’s not for you. It’s for all this.” He gestures around the ballroom. “Always have wanted an invite to the center of British royalty.”
“Such a charmer.” I punch him lightly on the arm. “I know you love me.”
“Saskia.”
I groan as Xan comes into view, a deep scowl scoring his forehead, his fiery gaze locked on Donovan.
“At least I don’t have to worry about you sniffing around my sister anymore.”
Donovan, usually genial, fires an equally scorching glare at Xan. “You never did. Not that I ever could quite get that through your thick skull. Saskia and I have no interest in each other outside of being friends.”
The two men engage in a stare off for a few seconds. Unusually, it’s my brother who breaks first. “Luis is looking for you.”
“Run along, princess.” Donovan winks.
I check no one is looking, then flip him off.
He laughs. “Unbecoming of royalty, Saskia.”
“Leave her the fuck alone,” Xan growls.
I roll my eyes. Those two have been at each other’s throats as long as I can remember.
I bet if I asked them, they wouldn’t even recall what it was they fell out about in the first place.
According to Nicholas, they were friends before Mum and Annabel died, and for a few years afterward.
In their early twenties, they fell out and they’ve sniped at each other ever since.
Luis is standing with his father and sister. As I approach, he holds out his hand for me to take and greets me with a beaming smile.
“There you are.”
“Xan said you were looking for me.”
“Yes. The Queen of Denmark would like to meet you. Excuse us, Father.”
The next two hours are a whirlwind of talking to dignitaries and royalty and trying to remember to curtsey to the right people.
I lost Luis about an hour ago, and since then I’ve been riding solo, trying not to mess up by blurting out an ill-advised “fuck”.
It’s harder than it looks when my brothers use it as a verb.
It’s too much. I need a break. A quiet moment to regroup.
Leaving the ballroom behind, I make my way down the hallway until the voices fade and silence follows. Thank God. I love a party, but as outgoing as I am, sometimes even I crave a quiet moment in the middle of the chaos. Once I’m alone, I pause, resting my head against the wall and closing my eyes.
The moment alone doesn’t last long. The sound of a deep male voice coming toward me threatens my peace.
I look left and right. Nowhere in sight yet.
Good. I stride across the hall and enter another gigantic room filled with sofas, chairs, and yet more paintings.
I’m about to sit on one of the sofas and maybe take a twenty-minute nap when the door handle turns.
Shit.
Whoever it is, I’m not in the mood for conversation with even more strangers. I know this is the life I’ve signed up for, but Luis reassured me we’d ease into it, and I won’t be expected to carry out any unaccompanied royal duties for at least a year.
There’s another door behind me. I dart for it, slipping through in the nick of time. Except it’s not a way out. It’s a storage cupboard. Goddammit. Now I’ll have to wait it out until whoever just came in leaves. Maybe, like me, they’re looking for a few minutes of peace.
“Alone at last,” the man I heard approaching in the hallway says. His voice is vaguely familiar, but I’ve spoken to so many people tonight, it’s impossible to isolate a single voice.
“Thank God. Come here.”
My jaw drops. Now, that is a voice I recognize. All too well.
It’s a risk. Then again, I’m not one to shy away from taking risks. I open the door a crack. Somehow, and if I live to be ninety, I will never know how I swallow the gasp that threatens to blow my cover.
Luis, my fucking fiancé, is snogging someone else. And not just anyone. I recognize him now. It’s Giles, his private secretary.
Luis and Giles.
We’re not even married, and he’s cheating on me already.
“God, Giles, I’ve missed you. Missed this.”
“We agreed we wouldn’t. Not until after the wedding.”
“I know, but I can’t wait until then.” He fumbles with Giles’ belt, then drops to his knees.
I jerk back, plastering myself to the farthest wall in this too-small closet. I can hear everything. The moans and groans, the begging not to stop. Even clamping my hands over my ears doesn’t drown out the noise. If anyone walks past, they’ll hear them.
And here was me thinking I was the risk taker.
“Good, so good, Luis.”
I grind my teeth. Fucking come already, you piece of shit. The temptation to burst out of this cupboard and confront them both gnaws at me, the devil on my shoulder goading me to just fucking do it.
But I can’t. I’m frozen into inaction.
Giles finishes, and there’s the clink of a belt being refastened. “That has to be the last time, Luis. It’s too risky.”
“I know. Lord forgive me, but how am I supposed to impregnate Saskia when I can’t bear the thought of touching her? I should call it off, tell my father the truth.”
I wince. This is worse than I thought. An affair before we’ve said our I dos is bad enough, but marrying a guy who can’t bear to touch me? How did I not see this before? I must’ve been blind, or Luis is a fucking great actor.
Either way, I’m screwed.
“You can’t,” Giles says. “The world might have advanced and accepted same sex marriages, but the monarchy hasn’t. The ripples will affect your entire family for generations. Your father may even be forced to abdicate and pass the throne onto his brother instead.”
“I know. You’re right. But this will be torture.”
“You can do it. Close your eyes and think of me. Once she’s pregnant with the second kid, your duty is done, and you won’t have to touch her ever again. Just like we planned.”
Planned? They fucking planned this? I clench my hands until my knuckles are white and my nails dig painfully into my palms. I’m a fucking pawn, a means to an end.
A womb to bear the next heir and a spare.
I thought Luis had genuine affection for me.
We may not be love’s young dream, but that’s normal in the circles we move in.
Like my brothers, I’d hoped that what begins as an arrangement could turn into something more.
Except it never will. It can’t. Luis is gay.
Giles is right about how this will be seen, though. It’ll cause a scandal that will be felt for years to come.
As furious as I am about how Luis has used me, I cannot do that to his family. I won’t. I’m a royalist, and I’m loyal to my country. One thing I do know; I cannot marry Luis now.
The wheels start spinning, my mind racing with how I can get out of this marriage without sharing what I know.
Every avenue leads to a dead end. There is only one thing I can do, but it will mean the ripples are felt in my own family instead of Luis’s.
But my family are far more inclined to forgive me than Luis’s will.
Let’s be clear. I’m not doing this for him. He’s an arsehole, and one day, I will confront him with what I know.
That day is not today.
“We should go.”
The sound of a door closing reaches me. I peer through the crack in the cupboard. Empty. They’ve left. I slip outside and reach into my handbag for my phone.
There’s only one person I can turn to, one person mad enough to help me knowing the bomb it’ll set off.
I put in the call. We’re connected on the third ring.
“Donovan,” I blurt. “I need you. You have to help me escape.”
Okay, breathe. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that Tobias and Rebecca’s story was some ride.
I appreciate you staying with me to the end.
My everlasting gratitude goes to every reader who picks up one of my books.
With each story, I try to exceed your expectations and provide you with a little escape from a world that seems determined to put us through more than any of us should have to bear.
I hope The Devil’s Lair gave you a few hours of much deserved escapism.