Page 8 of Take My Throne

I find the tree with low-hanging branches that Romy said was his favourite for getting in and out of the estate and start climbing. It is easy to get up with many strong, low branches which can support my weight. Romy says his dad kept threatening to cut them but he never did, another sign that he was more than aware of what his children were doing.

Once I am in the grounds, it is a little harder to evade detection. Romy’s parents don’t have my father’s arrogance, so they have more guards and the patrols are set at random intervals so you never know when someone will be coming your way. Still, Romy had shown me a route which leads to his side of the house with plenty of places to duck and hide if a guard was coming. I thought one might have caught sight of me, but if he had, he let me go on my way, presumably because he remembers who I am and what I mean to Romy.

At last, I am standing on the ground beneath Romy’s window.

“Romy! Hey, Romy!” I hiss, not wanting to call out too loudly in case I attract attention. Of course, it means that the chances of Romy actually hearing me are a lot lower that way, so I pick up a handful of gravel and throw it up at the window.

“What?” Romy snaps as he opens the window, but his bad mood melts away when he sees me standing there. “Ivy! What are you--? Don’t worry. Tell me when you get up here.”

He moves away from the window, and a moment later a rope ladder comes winding down for me. All the rooms on the first floor and above have one in case of a fire or an enemy attack so the family could escape to safety.

Romy helps me over the windowsill and into his room. Once in his room, he pulls me into the tightest hug I’d ever had.

“Ivy! Thank goodness you’re okay.” He takes my hand and leads me over to a couch where we sit down together.

“I could say the same about you. What did the doctors say?”

“I’ve got a mild concussion.” Romy shrugs. “They wanted to keep me in for observation, but I said I’d rather be home, so my dad’s hired a nurse to stay for a few days to make sure I’m okay.”

“But you’re feeling okay?”

“Yeah. I mean, my head’s a bit sore, but that’s to be expected. I’ll be fine. It’s a good excuse to take a few days off school. But what about you? How have you been? We were all so worried about you and when that fight blew up, I didn’t get a chance to talk to you and find out what happened.”

“It’s pretty much as Milly says,” I told him. “My dad used her to force me to marry Lucas. Now he wants me and Lucas to be properly married, an actual couple for the rest of our lives.”

“Are you kidding me? Is he serious?”

“Deadly. And I mean that in every sense of the word.”

“Oh, Ivy.” Romy pulls me to him and I lean my head against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. For all of this. I can’t help but feel it’s partly my fault. If my dad hadn’t set up our engagement, your father probably wouldn’t have been in such a rush to get you married to Lucas.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself,” I reply. “We’re both victims of this messed up town. You did what you thought was best.”

“Still. I feel responsible. And I promise I’ll find a way to get you out of this. I’ll save you, no matter what it takes.”

I smile sadly, a single tear trickling down my cheek. “That’s sweet of you, but maybe this is how things are meant to be. There are plenty of other girls out there who’d love to be with you. You could marry one of Archer’s sisters, build an alliance with House Knight and form an unbeatable force to take down my father. I’m sure there are other women who’d be much better fits for your family’s ambition.”

“Don’t you get it, Ivy?” Romy clenches and unclenches his fist, frustrated that there is nothing he can do. “It was never about ambition, not for me. I wanted to be with you. Selfishly, I went along with my father’s plan because it meant I could have you all to myself without worrying about you going off with Archer or Declan.”

“Declan? Why would you worry about him?”

“Ivy, everyone’s noticed the way you look at him. I know the pair of you think you’ve been discrete, but we all know there’s something going on between you, and that’s okay. You’re entitled to be with whoever you like. I’m not the jealous type. I believe that if you love someone, you want them to be happy and if he makes you happy, I don’t mind you spending time with him-–or Archer, for that matter. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy and safe. And now it looks like I’ve screwed up the possibility of that ever happening.”

He sighs heavily. I hate seeing him so miserable. I take his face between my hands and turn him to look at me, kissing him deeply.

“No, you haven’t. I’m here now, aren’t I? I’m happy with you. We have some time to be together.”

“It won’t be enough, though,” says Romy. “It’ll never be enough.”

“So we better make the most of it while we can then, hadn’t we?”

I reach up to his shoulder and give it a gentle massage. Romy closes his eyes and inhales deeply, slowly releasing his breath.

“That’s good,” he says. “But I feel like it ought to be me reassuring you. Turn around.”

I smile and do as he says, swivelling around on the couch so he can work on me. He kneads my shoulders and I throw my head back, loving the way he knows his way around my body.

“No, this isn’t going to work.” I frown as Romy takes his hands away, but I smile again when I realise what he has in mind. Romy pulls off my top. I hadn’t bothered to put on a bra, wanting to get out as quickly as possible. His hands run down my back, his touch giving me goosebumps.

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