Page 4 of Undeclared Heir

“I’ve been away with Mrs. Green. Or have you already forgotten?” I hope he doesn’t ask me about my time with her. It isn’t in the book, so I’ll be winging the details.

“Miss Anna—” The door opens, and he whispers, “We’ll continue this later.”

The woman from earlier curtsies and addresses Prince James, “My apologies.”

As she closes the door to give us privacy, I insist, “It’s quite all right, Prince James was just about to join everyone to find Miss Eliza.”

Brows furrowed, the woman contemplates my statement for a moment, but then asks, “Who is Miss Eliza?”

I look at James—who appears equally confused—and back to the woman, finally replying, “His future wife.”

“I assure you, Miss, there is no woman by that name at this residence.”

James

The earth shaking is the only explanation. When we were in the library, it was announced that Miss Eliza was being prepared for my arrival. It doesn’t make sense that she wouldn’t be here, in this house, mere moments later.

“Who is Miss Eliza?” I ask the help as she steps out of the parlour and closes the door behind her. I need answers.

“There is no Eliza at this residence,” she says simply looking at Anna. “The only woman of age is Miss Anna.”

My eyes widen. “Are you implying Miss Eliza is not of age?”

“No, Sir, she… is no longer with us. She hasn’t lived here for years.”

She said Eliza was being prepared… What is happening?

“Years? That doesn’t make sense,” Anna huffs. “How could she?—”

The woman whispers to Anna, and whatever she says has Anna insisting, “That’s not in the book!” The woman steps back from her and curtsies.

Before anyone can protest, I demand, “Where is Mr. Thompson?”

“In the billiard room with the candlestick!” Anna exclaims. Both the chambermaid and I look at her with brows pinched. After an exaggerated sigh, Anna attempts to explain, “Something is amiss. The house shook; a book must’ve fallen and hit my head.”

“There was no shaking, Miss.”

The admission only furthers my confusion. First, Anna insists I’m to marry a woman who’s being prepared for my arrival—who no longer lives here. Now, I’m being told the home wasn’t shaking when it most definitely was. While I don’t know what happened, even Anna appears to agree that something is wrong.

Unless this is her doing…

The chambermaid politely excuses herself, and I ask Anna, “What sort of game are you playing here?”

“This isn’t a game,” she groans and narrows her eyes. “I don’t know what’s happening, but since you’re the fictional one, why don’t you tell me?”

“Fictional?”

“Yes. You, Prince James, are a figment of my imagination. You’ve leaped out of the pages of a book, and my only recourse is to play along until I wake up. So help me, if you fuck up the plot of this book…”

“Have you lost your mind? You do realise you’re addressing royalty?”

Anna huffs a laugh. “This was a fun dream, but I’m going to need you to help me wake up now. What’s the best way to go about this?” As she continues on a rant about how this isn’t real, my eyes fixate on her lips. Though I haven’t the slightest idea what she’s actually saying—there’s something about this woman that has me desperate to touch her, kiss her, claim her as my own.

Catching myself staring too long, I shake the thought away and ask, “What did you say?”

“Were you even listening to me? Apparently, even fictional men are terrible at listening. I need to get out of here, and you need to fall in love with?—”

I pull Anna to me by the small of her back. Our bodies flush, something I can’t control inside me takes over, and my lips crash into hers. They’re soft, addicting… fucking delectable. I’ve only kissed a few women in my life, but they were nothing like this. She sighs into me as my hand slides into her hair, guiding her exactly where I want her. A soft moan passes her lips, but in an instant, she pulls back.

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