Chapter 27 #2
“Of course not,” my father responded, because what else could he say?
Centuries of protocols demanded he’d welcome Floris, though I could see the wariness in his expression.
Unexpected visits from foreign royals were never entirely welcome, especially when those royals had reputations for independence and progressive thinking.
He had to suspect something was afoot, but he didn’t comment on it.
We chatted pleasantly about inconsequential matters for exactly the right amount of time—long enough to be properly social, not so long as to overstay the welcome.
Then Floris glanced at his watch. “I hate to cut this short, but I do need to head back to London this evening. Greg, why don’t you come with me?
We could have dinner, catch up properly. I haven’t seen you in forever.”
It was beautifully done. Casual, spontaneous, completely reasonable. Two young men making plans for an evening in London.
“That sounds lovely,” I said, matching his tone. “Let me grab a few things.”
My bag was already packed, including Bash’s Christmas present.
“Gregory,” my father said, the warning clear.
“Won’t be gone long,” I said brightly, already moving toward the door. “Just dinner and catching up with Floris. I should be back tomorrow.”
The beautiful thing about Floris’s plan was that there was no graceful way to object to it.
Telling a visiting prince that I wasn’t free to have dinner with him would require explanations that my family wasn’t prepared to give.
They could hardly announce in front of witnesses that I was essentially under house arrest.
Twenty minutes later, I was walking out of Sandringham House beside Floris, a small overnight bag in my hand and freedom singing in my veins for the first time in days.
My security detail followed at a discreet distance, but they were powerless to do anything but watch as I climbed into Floris’s waiting car.
He rarely traveled with his own security, the lucky bastard, whereas I was assigned at least two agents at all times, following us in another car.
“Well,” Floris said once we were safely away from the estate, “that was easier than expected. My plane is waiting at a private airfield half an hour from here. I’ll text them now to file the flight plan to Asheville. We’ll be airborne before your father figures out you’re not coming back tonight.”
“What if my security detail stops me?”
He shook his head. “And risk a diplomatic incident? Nah, not a chance.”
“I need to let Bash know I’m coming. I didn’t want to contact him until I knew for sure it would work out.”
“I already did.”
“You did? How did you…?”
He shrugged. “Wasn’t that hard to find his parents. He lives in a small town, you know? And Basil Puller isn’t exactly a common name.”
“What did he say?”
“That he’s counting the hours until you arrive. I promised him I’d send him your flight details once you’ve taken off.”
I swallowed thickly. “I can’t thank you enough.”
He waved dismissively. “You would’ve done the same for me. Consider it a Christmas present.”
Bloody hell, he was right. It was Christmas Eve. If all went according to plan, I’d be spending Christmas with Bash. “What about you? How will you get home?”
He grinned. “The old-fashioned way: on a first-class KLM flight to Amsterdam. I’ll be home before midnight.”
Floris’s prediction that my security detail wouldn’t stop me turned out to be true. When we arrived at the airport and got out of the car, they immediately parked behind us. “Prince Gregory!” one of them called out, but I ignored him and instead, followed Floris into the small building.
The desk assistant looked up, flashing me a practiced polite smile, then did a double take as she recognized me. But she immediately pulled her face back into neutral mode, and I handed her my passport. “Prince Gregory, it’s an honor to have you fly with us today, Your Highness.”
“Thank you…” I quickly checked her name plate. “Claire.”
My security detail had followed me inside, their faces tight as one of them addressed me while the other was on the phone, undoubtedly asking for instructions. “Your Highness, can we speak to you for a moment?”
I ignored them, instead flashing Claire, who was looking a bit confused, a big smile. “Claire, have you met Prince Floris from the Netherlands?”
I gestured at Floris, who played his role with gusto and reached for her hand, pressing a light kiss on it. “Enchanté, Claire.”
She blushed deeply, all flustered. “Likewise, Your Highness.”
Her hands shook after that and she dropped my passport before handing it back to me.
“You can walk right through, Your Highness. The plane is waiting for you, and we’ve been given clearance to take off in fifteen minutes.
The pilots are going through the pre-flight checklist right now.
Your flight attendants today will be Rose and Trevor. ”
“Thank you, Claire. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness!” The tallest of my two security officers stepped in front of me, but he knew better than to touch me. He held out a phone to me. “Your father needs to speak with you urgently.”
I raised my chin and met his eyes dead on. “Tell him he can contact me once I’ve arrived in the United States.”
He hesitated, then stepped back, his face showing he was accepting defeat. “I will relay the message. Safe travels, Your Highness.”
Was that his indirect way of telling me he understood? I wasn’t sure, but I nodded. “Thank you. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Your Highness.”
Oh, it would be the merriest Christmas ever for me.
I gave Floris a tight hug. “Thank you for everything.”
“Go be with your man. I want updates, you hear me?”
One last wave and then I walked out to the Gulfstream that was waiting to take me to my man. To my freedom.