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  The moment he was gone, awkwardness crammed itself into the air, billowing out like a marshmallow. Once again, the awareness of my half-naked body made me feel like I was under a spotlight.

  Staring at the pattern in the rug, I cleared my throat.

  “You haven’t heard anything from Lord William?” My toe circled the design. “You think he will tell the king?”

  “I’ve already been in to see the king this morning and not a word about it. Lord William is all talk.”

  Lord William didn’t strike me as someone who’d sit back and do nothing when slighted. He was the kind who would still challenge someone to pistols at dawn.

  “Thank you for not telling Theo. It will do no good for him to know.”

  Silence.

  My head rose, meeting the intensity of his gaze. Lennox took up every breathable space, making me swallow nervously. Something flipped after last night. An intimacy. A connection that suddenly made me very aware of him. His energy was so overpowering he rattled everything in me, making me uneasy. I could feel everything—even my nipples hardening against the thin fabric, knowing he could probably see them, heat prickling down my skin.

  I couldn’t sense anything comfortable or agreeable about him.

  His focus on me didn’t shift as he took one step closer, hitching the oxygen in my lungs.

  “I just lied to my mate, to the future king,” he rumbled, anger squeezing his voice. “Guess who, baroness, will bear the repercussions of that when he does find out?”

  “He won’t.” I didn’t move, standing strong, but my voice came out wispy.

  Lennox leaned in, his mouth only inches from mine. I should have pushed him away, told him how inappropriate he was.

  I didn’t.

  My chest rose and fell at his nearness, and I hated my body’s reaction as venom flowed inside my veins.

  “Get dressed,” he ordered, ire sliding down my neck between my breasts. “You have a PR meeting in fifteen.” He turned and sauntered away, confident and assertive.

  The humming within me turned to revulsion and loathing as I slammed my door. Embarrassment at what he stirred inside me was shoved into a dark corner. It wasn’t attraction; it was abhorrence.

  “What a wanker!” I stomped to the wardrobe, yanking the doors open. “Fuck him.”

  Tugging out a dress, I wanted nothing more than to put on riding gear and be the one on the horse today. I was good at polo, grew up playing with my dad and a group of his friends. The monarch had loosened up over the years, allowing a few women in the matches. But of course, that would be frowned upon as the prince’s girlfriend. My role was to wear pretty dresses and watch.

  Theo. Think of Theo.

  The thought of him eased my irritation, and I let go of a heavy breath and rolled my shoulders. He was worth all this. He was such an amazing guy. I knew the growing pains of stepping into this role would be a lot. I needed just a little space from being right in it, under the royal thumb. I needed to get my own place.

  Dressing in a buttery yellow backless maxi dress and fixing my hair in long waves, I slipped on a pair of matching heels and headed down to Chloe’s office.

  The room buzzed with people, phone calls, and all the behind-the-scenes action.

  “Spencer.” Chloe waved me over to her. Today she wore a pretty floral calf-length dress, her hair in her trademark low tight bun. “You look lovely.”

  “Thank you. You too.” I stepped up to her desk. “I wanted to ask again about finding my own place. I don’t want to wait…” I drifted off when I realized she wasn’t even paying attention to me, her ear to her mobile, listening before she twisted it away from her mouth, addressing me.

  “Spencer, you and Theo will have another one-to-one with the media after the match. The media will be everywhere, getting shots of you and Theo giving the awards after the game.” Phone still to her ear, she wrote something down as she spoke to me. “There will be a Q&A this time. If you are at all unsure how to answer, refer to Theo. He knows how to handle them.”

  Refer to Theo? Like an archaic woman who let the man speak for her?

  “I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it,” I clipped.

  Her mouth pinched, her eyebrows flicking with a Sure, all right. You think that expression.

  “The formal statement went out yesterday.” She dropped her pen, fully looking at me, continuing to listen to whoever was on the other line. “Because you are kept in a bubble here, you are not aware of the onslaught of attention you have gained overnight.” She grabbed her laptop, twisting it to me. My new royal Instagram account was up on her screen. There had only been a handful of followers yesterday since they just opened it.

  My eyes widened, my throat thickening as I read the number over and over, making sure I was computing it right.

  “60k?” I blanched. My personal account before had maybe a couple hundred followers. This set a panic of disbelief through me.

  “Yes. And that is just from yesterday. Every minute you get a dozen new followers. The more you and Theo are out, the more this will grow. The moment you announce your engagement, this will quadruple. The other social media sites are around the same, if not more. They are very curious and interested in you, which you must have known would happen. Prince Theo is the most eligible bachelor in the world, and you’ve taken him out of the game before he was even really in it.” She shifted her cell to her other ear. “From what I’ve seen on Twitter, you should be glad we had all commentary off. There are a lot of broken hearts across the world. They never had a chance with him anyway but can be vicious in their claim that they could have, saying you are not worthy of their prince.”

  I knew the cruelty of the anonymous faces on social media. Even as low as my family was, I had my fair share of attacks, people loving to rip me down to make themselves feel better about their situation.

  “I suggest you stay far away from social media for a while. Let us deal with it. You are going to have lovers and haters. That’s just how it goes. And once they get used to the idea of you, it will calm down. Right now, everyone is going to have an opinion about you. Of you two together. Please stay off your mobile if you want to keep your sanity.”

  “Okay.” Acid swished in my stomach. Everyone could tell me strangers’ opinions didn’t matter, and maybe they were right, but I was being torn to shreds and dissected by the world. Was anyone strong enough for that?

  Theo. Theo. I repeated his name to myself. He’s all that’s important.

  “Okay, I think that is all. Just remember every move you make will be photographed today. If you can get some sweet moments with your family, with the king and queen, that would be nice.”

  I was familiar with the “candid” staged photos. So many pictures people thought were caught in the moment were actually purposeful, like an episode of reality TV—scripted realism.

  “Oh, and one last piece of advice. Look like you are drinking and having fun, but don’t drink. One loose slip of the tongue, one stumble… a PR nightmare, harsh ridicule for you, and embarrassment for the royal house.” She frowned like I had already done it.

  “Sure.” Now it was the only thing I wanted to do. Sweeping out of the room before she could say more, I took off to find some coffee.

  Would they let me hang out in the stables all day instead?

  “Spencie!” My sister’s soft voice rolled through the throng of people, her curly strawberry-blond hair flowing behind her as she ran for me.

  “Livie.” I crouched down, wrapping my arms around her tiny frame. Today my mother had her in a new outfit, a knee-length light blue dress with sheer sleeves, white Mary Jane-type shoes, and a cute headband. She fit into this world much better than I.

  “I have missed you so much,” she said quietly, her calming voice a balm to my agitated mood.

  “I’ve missed you more.” I hugged her again before standing up, my parents surrounding me.

  “So good to see you, Spencie.” My father, with the same quiet natur
e as my sister, hugged me with one arm like I was a delicate flower, stepping away quickly. From birth, nobles were taught to keep emotions at a minimum. Hugs and kisses were kept subdued and limited.

  “You look beautiful.” My mum leaned in, air-kissing my cheeks. My insides gripped at her compliment, waiting for the punch to come after it. “Though you could have spent a little more time on your hair and some more blush. You look tired.”

  And there it was.

  “Thanks.” I forced a smile on my face. Of course, she looked impeccable in a brand-new lavender dress. Vivian Sutton was the kind who never stepped out the front door without looking camera ready.

  In her mid-forties, she could easily pass for mid-thirties. She was my height, yet somehow still seemed to tower over me with her perfect posture. With shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, pronounced cheekbones, and creamy skin, she was stunning. Her mother had used her daughter’s looks to advance their station. My grandmother shoved her daughter at anything with a title and was thrilled when Vivian fell in love with Andrew, a baron of Chatstone Manor. That was until the title wore off and Grandmother realized she should have gone higher on the noble ladder for suitable partners. My father’s lowly title was still a sticking point for my grandmother at holidays, saying her beautiful girl could have married a prince or an emperor.

  I didn’t want to think how giddy Grandmother was at the idea of me being courted by a prince.

  “Spencer.” Uncle Fredrick greeted me with a dip of his head as Aunt Lauren gave my cheeks more air kisses.

  “We are so proud of you.” She squeezed my hand, her gaze hopping around like ping-pong, landing on all the elite nobles and celebrities.

  “Proud of me?” My nose wrinkled.

  “Yes, my girl. This is a huge deal for our family.” Fredrick tugged at his tan suit sleeves. “Not that we shouldn’t be treated with high respect. We are no less than any of these buffoons here.”

  “Freddie!” Lauren hissed, smacking him, while my mother grabbed a glass of champagne from a server strolling by and downed it. “Don’t say such things so loud.”

  “They have treated us like lepers for years,” he grumbled. “And now look. Our niece is set to marry the Prince of Great Victoria.”

  “I’m not set to marry anyone.” You thought you missed your family until you were with them again. Funny how fast they could drive you insane.

  “Please.” Fredrick huffed. “Look around. You are being groomed to be his wife.”

  Wife. That was a title that I found very uncomfortable. I was hardly nineteen, way too young to get married.

  How long would it be before the RH pushed for us to do it? Maybe two or three years? That still felt far too young to settle down. Not that my life didn’t already feel planned out for me.

  Theo. I needed to say his name, think of him every time I started freaking out. All this pressure would make anyone lose their minds. But in the end, it was about him and me. What we wanted.

  Lacing my fingers through my sister’s, I decided it was time to take the show on the road and get this horribly awkward part over with.

  “Spencer!” Theo spotted me making my way toward him. He stood by a beautiful brown thoroughbred polo pony. “I was about to go search for you, luv.” He reached out, touching my hip as he leaned in to kiss my temple. Letting go of my sister, my attention was on the horse, my fingers sliding through the silky coat, its head bobbing as I rubbed its nose, a smile growing on my face.

  “Haven’t seen a smile like that since you got here.” Theo smirked, shaking his head. “Should have known my little animal lover would be happier with the horses.”

  My lids narrowed on him as I continued to pet the horse. Little animal lover, like what I wanted to do was some cute quirk. A passing fancy.

  “Well, hello. You must be Olivia.” Theo turned to my sister. His ease around people contrasted my personality with blaring clarity. I rubbed my nose into the horse, gladly hiding from everyone, while Theo ran straight into them.

  “I am.” She smiled gently, pinching her dress to curtsy. “You are very handsome. Like a movie prince.”

  Theo’s face burst into a huge smile as he lowered himself to her level.

  “And you are even prettier than a movie princess.” He bowed formally. “My lady.”

  Olivia giggled, her cheeks blushing deeply.

  He stood up, stepping up to my family.

  “It is an honor to meet you, sir.” He grasped my father’s hand.

  “The honor is all mine, Highness.” Dad bowed. “And please call me Andrew.”

  “Then you have to call me Theo. I’m fine with my father carrying the formal titles for a while longer.” He chuckled.

  Theo moved to my mom, kissing her hand. “I can see where Spencer gets her beauty.”

  Ugh. I had to turn away so no one would see me roll my eyes. Such a cliché line.

  She turned a deeper shade of pink than her lipstick, dipping her legs in a curtsy, her hand fluttering to her neck.

  “You are so kind. Thank you, my liege.”

  “Again, please call me Theo.” He held out a hand for me. “Since we are going to be very much a part of each other’s families now.”

  I took his hand, letting him pull me into his side, my mouth twitching under my smile.

  “This is my Uncle Fredrick and Aunt Lauren.” I waved at the pair looking like they would burst if I didn’t introduce them soon. Theo moved in to shake their hands.

  “I bet you want nothing more than to get blinding drunk and pass out in a horse stall?” A familiar dry voice muttered into my ear from behind, jumping me around.

  “Landen!” I couldn’t stop the squeal from taking over my voice, my body crashing into his, my arms wrapping around him with utter glee I couldn’t hide.

  “Whoa, cuz.” He laughed, stumbling back from my exuberance.

  “Oh my god, I’ve missed you,” I whispered into his ear, blinking back the tears skimming my eyes. He was like air. A touchstone in my newly hectic world. We had been through everything together, and I forgot how much his presence calmed me.

  “I have missed you too.” He clutched me before we both stepped back. “You don’t even know.” His gaze slid slyly to his father. “It is hell without you.”

  “Move in with me here.” I grabbed his hand. I knew he’d think I was kidding, but I really wasn’t. He was home; he was everything I missed. Only one other thing was missing.

  “What about me?” As if I conjured up that missing piece, my best friend stepped around the horse, opening her arms to me.

  “Mina…” I croaked, diving into her arms.

  With all the photographers snapping away from the cordoned-off section they stood behind, I knew I should be acting more refined. I couldn’t. Seeing my friends was like letting sunlight into a dark room.

  Chapter 14

  If I thought introducing Theo to my family would be painful, introducing them to the king and queen was torture. Theo had rushed through the introductions before running off for his polo match, leaving me to keep the conversation going and bond the two sides.

  King Alexander was polite, but his pinched expression and attention, or lack thereof, on my parents showed how little excitement he held for the union. The queen was gracious, but she also found a reason to walk away the moment it was deemed polite.

  “Thinks himself so much better than us,” Fredrick mumbled into his drink, annoyance flickering his gaze side to side.

  “Fred.” Aunt Lauren held her finger to her lips. “Keep your voice down.”

  “He is the king, Freddie,” my father muttered to his brother.

  “One who was insufferable even as a boy. Always acted like our family was so beneath his.” In the incestuous world of nobles, each generation went to school with the next, keeping the circle small. History repeating itself over and over. My uncle had been in the same grade as the king, my dad two years below. All of them rowed together and played in the polo matches. Now their so
ns and daughters were doing it.

  “We will soon be his in-laws, and he still acts like we are dirt.”

  “Calm down, Freddie,” my father said soothingly. “Let’s not start out Spencer’s engagement with our quarrels.”

  “No one is engaged, Dad.” I felt Landen’s fingers squeeze my elbow, his reinforcement helping more than he ever knew. Mina stood on my other side. They were like two support beams I needed to get through the day.

  “Just a matter of time.” Mother finished another glass of champagne, hitting each glass faster the more Fredrick bitched next to her.

  Glancing out, I spotted my sister playing with Duke of Wallingford’s son and daughter. I missed being that age, when playing and being silly was still okay. Though sadly, Olivia’s years as a child were ending; by next year, they’d probably shame her for what they adored about her now.

  “Encourage him every chance you get, Spencer.” Uncle Fredrick’s lecture tone kicked in. “The quicker you tie him down, the better. Give him no chance to see what else is out there.”

  “Dad!”

  “Freddie!”

  Landen and Aunt Lauren chided him, but he didn’t even flinch.

  “It’s the truth, is it not?” He looked around as if we should all nod. “There is a lot of enticement out there, women not caring if he has a girlfriend. Hell, most won’t care if he has a wife, but those enticements stay on the side when you are married.”

  My father flinched, but no one disputed my uncle. Peering at the couples, seeing how little love was between any of them, cracked my chest. They continued because of tradition, what others thought of them, resigned to their situation. No one was truly happy.