Royal Mistake: The Complete Series Page 30

  And I will be strong. Tomorrow, or the day after that. I’ll go down into the city, remind myself of why I must make the choices I do. My life is not my own. It belongs to Montovia and to the people who will one day be my subjects.

  Tonight, though, my life belongs to me. And to Victoria, who stirs in my arms. With dawn I must return to my duties, but I am free until then—or at least as free as I can ever be.

  Surely I can allow myself to be selfish for one night?

  Victoria

  I should have tried to rest when I arrived back in my room shortly before dawn, but sleep was impossible. Not only because I wasn’t in Andrew’s arms, but because every time I close my eyes all I can see is what a huge mistake I’ve made.

  One night. Wasn’t that what he had promised? One night and if I didn’t want to go back, I didn’t have to.

  The problem, it seems, is that I definitely want to.

  But I have to shake this off, at least for the moment. Andrew’s courtship of Lady Clarissa begins today, and I’m supposed to have courtside seats for every date.

  I’m just not sure how I’m going to react if I have to see any sort of physical affection between the two of them. Clarissa was hanging all over Andrew last night, and that was bad enough to have to watch. And that was before…

  Even after I’ve showered and dressed, checked over my notes from the party last night, and eaten my brunch, I’m still not able to feel any sort of normalcy. Part of me wants to stomp down to Andrew’s room, his office, or wherever he is, and tell him this has to end now.

  But another part of me wants to march to where he is and demand that he at least consider me for this ridiculous pageant of his—

  Wait. What?

  That is not what I want. I’m grown-up enough to understand what is going on between the two of us. I’m plenty sophisticated enough to be able to handle a secret love affair for the short time it lasts. And I’m more than mature enough to enjoy it.

  That is what I intend to do—enjoy the hell out of this. Andrew is a fantastic lover. He made me come more times last night than I have in the last year. And a fantastic lover isn’t the type of man you marry. He’s the kind of man you enjoy. And that is all I need right now. The only thing I want.

  Besides, there’s no way Andrew would consider me for this stupid game show of his. It probably doesn’t even matter that I’m a commoner or an American. There’s a much bigger issue that matters more to him than anything. Unfortunately for me, there’s nothing I can do to change the fact that I don’t have the most important thing he’s looking for in a woman.

  My pulse speeds and a wide grin comes to my lips when my thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door.

  I almost skip to answer it—something about the way he’s knocking tells me I already know who’s on the other side.

  When I pull open the door, William’s blue eyes stare back at me.

  I force myself to keep my smile—I have a feeling William will be able to sense that something is going on if I show any sort of disappointment that it wasn’t Andrew who knocked.

  He returns my smile, his eyes twinkling. “Hello, Victoria. You are looking exceedingly lovely today.”

  “Thank you.” My gaze darts into the corridor, but no one else is there.

  He turns around to look into the hallway before he turns his gaze back to mine. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.”

  “I—”

  “My brother asked Lady Clarissa to join him this afternoon and she has accepted.”

  My smile falls. “I see.”

  But his grin only widens. “My father thought it terribly inappropriate for my brother to court Lady Clarissa alone. I believe my father and mother had intended to join them this afternoon. Of course, you were always to attend, as you’re…assisting my brother with this little charade.”

  My gaze narrows a bit. “Charade?”

  He tilts his head back and forth a few times. “I believe we both know what I mean. In any event, my father has been called to an emergency meeting of the senate and is unable to attend. He asked me to attend this farce…” He clears his throat, chuckling. “He wishes me to attend this date in his stead. And since you are already to attend, I thought I might escort you.”

  “Ah.” I smile. “And is Andrew aware of this development?”

  He grins again. “I thought we might go meet him at the car to tell him together. I asked the driver to wait for us.”

  “Oh.” I’m not sure how I feel about riding into the city with Andrew and his date—or with William at my side. Something about it feels wrong—leading him on like this. But Andrew has made it clear that he intends to go through with his search for a bride, no matter what happens between the two of us. It might actually feel less…icky if I have William there as a sort of buffer.

  I grab my things and he leads me to the car. Only there isn’t a car waiting outside—it’s a limousine.

  The driver nods at me as he holds the door open. I climb in and William slides in next to me.

  Lady Clarissa’s eyes widen when she sees me and she turns to Andrew with an expression that looks like a mixture of shock and disgust. “I thought we might travel alone this afternoon, darling.”

  Darling? I’m surprised by how familiar the two seem to be already—Clarissa is practically sitting on his lap, she’s so close to him.

  I’m not sure where we’re supposed to be headed, but Clarissa seems to be a little overdressed for the event. She doesn’t have a tiara on her head like she did last night, but she’s wearing a necklace with what looks like a large emerald hanging from it and several huge sparkly bracelets adorn each wrist. She’s also in a dress that looks like it would probably be more appropriate for a ball than for an afternoon in the city.

  I couldn’t pull off a look like that if I tried. But it doesn’t stop the burning pain in my chest when she wraps her hands around Andrew’s forearm and leans her head over to whisper something in his ear.

  He smiles at whatever it is she’s told him and she laughs as though it’s the funniest thing she’s ever said.

  I clench my jaw and try to focus on my notepad.

  William is the first to speak. “So, where are we going this afternoon, Brother?”

  Andrew lifts a brow but his gaze seems to be fixed on me. “I hadn’t realized that you were invited, William.”

  “Ah, yes. Father said that he had been called to an emergency session of the senate. Something about an unfortunate incident with Leopold several months ago, which is why Father did not ask him to join you this afternoon.” William inches closer to me. “Though, I’ll admit, I’m not sorry that I was asked to tag along.”

  Andrew’s gaze narrows the slightest bit, but widens almost immediately when Clarissa moves her hand from his forearm to his thigh.

  “Where are you taking me, darling?”

  I have to force down the bile that rises in my throat when I hear her say that word again. Darling. My stomach does a weird quivering thing when I look at her hand on his leg—maybe sex with me had only been an appetizer for him. Maybe he’s already bedded Lady Clarissa and that’s the reason for her over-familiarity this afternoon.

  Andrew takes her hand that had been on his leg and pulls it into his. He lifts it to his lips and places a kiss on the back of it. “I’m taking you somewhere very special.”

  “To the jeweler?” She almost squeals. “Are we to choose my ring today?”

  “Ah…no. Not today.” His gaze darts to mine for a moment before returning to rest on Clarissa. “I thought we might go to the Montovian City Academy. I want to show you the work I do with the afterschool program there.” He turns his gaze to mine. “I’ve been helping to tutor one particular student in mathematics for the past two years. A wonderful young man called Viktor. Only two years ago, he was ready to give up on the subject. But once he realized he actually had an affinity for it, he’s excelled beyond any of his teachers’ belief.” He glances at his brother. “Much as
I did at his age.”

  I scribble a few notes in my notebook before I glance at Andrew’s date. “And did you have a favorite subject in school, Lady Clarissa?”

  Her jaw drops and her mouth hangs open for a long moment before she slowly turns to Andrew. “I cannot believe the impertinence, Your Highness. Are you quite certain she is the best-suited member of the press?”

  Andrew stares at me for a moment before turning to Clarissa. “Yes. I do believe she is—”

  “A member of the Montovian press would know his place. He would never speak out of turn in such a brazen manner. Really, Your Highness, you need to train your people better.”

  My brow furrows and I turn to William. I keep my voice low, though I doubt either of the people sitting across from us can hear anything with the way Clarissa is sniveling and carrying on. “What did I do?”

  He tips his head toward mine and whispers into my ear. “You asked her a question.”

  My forehead wrinkles with my confusion. “I’m a reporter. That’s what I do.”

  He chuckles, still speaking into my ear. “That isn’t what the Montovian press does. The laws are pretty explicit, especially when it comes to the royal family. No direct questions are allowed—it’s a little more complicated than that, but if you keep that one in mind, you’ll be okay.”

  “Your brother probably should have mentioned that.”

  He chuckles again. “I don’t think he realized he’d be dating a member of our own family or I’m sure he would have.”

  I glance over at Andrew and I see he’s staring at me. The hand that isn’t holding Clarissa’s is clenched tightly into a fist.

  He can’t really be upset that I’m speaking to his brother.

  He looks at me for a long moment before turning back to his date. “I thought you might like to read to the younger children while I spend some time with Viktor. I’ve not seen him since I returned to Montovia, and I’m sure he’s been concerned—”

  “You can’t be serious. You expect me to read to the children? Do they not have governesses at home to do that for them?”

  A line forms between Andrew’s brows. “No, I imagine they don’t. They’re children from the city. They attend this afterschool program because their parents are working.”

  She rolls her eyes. “And this is where you are taking me on our first date? Shouldn’t you be taking me to the gardens? Or somewhere at least slightly more romantic?”

  Andrew clenches his jaw, but says nothing.

  William tries to smooth things over. “We’ve all volunteered there. Our mother thought it would be—”

  Clarissa interrupts him. “I did not ask you, did I?”

  William clears his throat. “Forgive me, Lady Clarissa. I meant no—”

  “First, this…this commoner has the audacity to ask me a question right to my face.” She motions toward me with a sneer. “And then your own brother has the nerve to answer a question that I asked you.” She turns to Andrew, glaring before she snaps her hand away from his. “I’m…disappointed. I cannot believe you would subject me to anything this distasteful.”

  William pretends to cough, but speaks through it loud enough for us all to hear. “Is she…really…queen…material?”

  I press my lips together to keep from laughing.

  William looks at me and begins to laugh himself. A second later, my chuckling turns into a small giggle, which turns into a full laugh within another moment.

  He slings his arm around my shoulder and drops his head to my ear. “Pretend I’m saying something hysterically funny.”

  I laugh and pull away, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder.

  Andrew growls under his breath. His jaw is clenched so tightly it’s almost quivering. He bangs on the glass separating the driver from the back.

  As soon as the window lowers, he snarls at the driver. “Turn us around. We’re going back to the palace.”

  Andrew

  The driver nods. “Of course, Your Highness.”

  Clarissa somehow manages to look both insulted and relieved by the sudden change of plans. Victoria’s mouth is a hard line, and I know she’s biting back whatever it is she wishes to say to me. And William…looks as if he finds this entire thing dreadfully amusing. He puts his arm around Victoria again, his lips curling up into a smile.

  My gaze moves back to Victoria. She’s staring right back at me with a defiant gleam in her eyes. It’s plain she has no great respect for Lady Clarissa—honestly, I cannot blame her—but she did agree to cover this story. Aren’t reporters supposed to set their biases aside in situations like this? I trusted her to be professional about this.

  You weren’t exactly professional last night, I remind myself. Far from it. I shouldn’t have let that happen. Shouldn’t have crossed that line.

  Looking at her now, though, I can’t seem to think of anything else but dragging her back to bed again. Of pulling her into my arms and drowning in her sweetness once more. It infuriates me to see William’s arm around her—I’ll be having words with him later—but the two of them don’t fit together the way she and I do. She looks almost stiff next to him.

  Lady Clarissa’s hand moves to my thigh again. My back goes rigid, and I tear my eyes away from Victoria and look at the woman beside me.

  “Why don’t you give me a tour of the grounds instead?” she says. “It’s been ages since I’ve walked through the palace gardens.”

  “I think a walk through the gardens can be arranged,” I say flatly. “We’ll still need an escort, of course.”

  “For the gardens? Honestly, Andrew, do people believe we’ll do something inappropriate in the tulips?”

  The way she squeezes my thigh tells me she already has plenty of ideas about what she and I might do in the tulips. I shift my leg, trying to escape her touch without offending her further.

  “We need a chaperone during all stages of our courtship,” I say. “It’s only proper. And we’ll need Victoria there, too. This is all for nothing if we don’t have a story to sell.”

  “It’s not for nothing, darling,” Clarissa says. She throws a glare at Victoria. “I see nothing wrong with having a little privacy while we get to know each other better.”

  “I’ll take that under consideration,” I say.

  We’ve reached the palace again, and the limousine rolls to a stop. Victoria doesn’t look like she can get out of the car fast enough, and William slides out afterward. He holds out a hand to assist Lady Clarissa, who squeezes my thigh once more before releasing me. Her skirts swish as she steps out of the vehicle onto the cobblestoned drive.

  She’s straightening the layers of fabric as I slide over to the door. My hand grips the handle, but instead of stepping out after her, I pull the door shut again.

  “Please take me to the Montovian City Academy,” I tell the driver.

  “Of course, Your Highness.”

  Lady Clarissa doesn’t seem to notice I’m not behind her until the car begins moving. She whirls around, her eyes wide with shock. William smiles and gives a small shake of his head. He raises his hand in a small wave as the car pulls away.

  And Victoria…

  Victoria looks surprised for the briefest of moments, but when our gazes meet through the window, the corner of her mouth twitches, almost as if she’s fighting back a smile. She gives a small shake of her head before turning away from me.

  I turn my eyes forward again. This was not, perhaps, the best way to deal with this awkward situation, but I already feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, at least for a few hours. I could not have endured even half a day with the three of them together, playing social games, but I promised the Academy I would visit today, and a man devoted to the service of Montovia does not go back on such a commitment.

  In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever needed to do this as much as I do today. I glance back at the palace, at the pennants flying high above the towers. The Montovian crest, with its golden scepter, winks at me from a flag
of deep purple silk. Mocking me.

  My stomach sinks. If what William said is true—that our father has been called to a meeting with the senate over that “incident” with me and Leopold—that means my time is up. My part in the incident will come to light, and soon everyone will know the incredibly stupid, unforgivable mistake I’ve made. My chest tightens. I don’t want to think about what will happen then—I only pray that Victoria’s PR expertise and my public search for a bride will see me though. Will show the people of Montovia I am devoted to them, in spite of my imbecility.

  I force my thoughts back to the task ahead. My siblings and I have been encouraged to volunteer since we were very young. Some of us—namely Leopold—resisted such obligations, though my brother’s heart seems to have grown more generous since meeting Elle. In my case, however, such things never felt like a chore. They were a duty, certainly, but the noblest of all. I was born to serve this country and these people, and every moment I spend working with them, I learn how to serve them better. This is my life’s work.

  By the time we reach the school, my heart feels almost light. It’s a beautiful day, but these visits brighten my spirits even during the darkest of times.

  Franziska, the headmistress of the Montovian City Academy, is waiting for me at the door. At first glance, with her tight bun and high collar, she appears to be a very stern sort of person, but the moment she smiles, no one can doubt she must be the most kindhearted and generous of people. She clasps my hand.

  “Your Highness,” she says, curtsying over my fingers. “You have no idea how delighted we are to see you.” She raises her head, her smile dropping slightly. “I hope you are recovering well. When we heard the rumors that you had…”

  “I’m perfectly fine, as you can see,” I tell her. “And eager to return to work.” My hand tightens on hers. “How are the children managing?”

  “They are strong,” she says. “But a little confused, obviously. Some of them accepted everything in stride, but others have had a little more difficulty.”