Page 86 of Reveal Me
‘Yeah, every news station on the radio is gushing about it.’ Ben shakes his head. Clearly he doesn’t feel as passionately about the Royal Family as Avery does.
‘Straight to Ardmore Castle, Ben. Step on it.’
‘Keen tonight, aren’t you?’ Ben teases, glancing back at me in the rear-view mirror. His smile freezes on his face when he spots my expression ‘What is it?’
‘I don’t know. I just have a really bad feeling.’ I try Layla again. ‘I thought Layla would have told me about the wedding. It’s a big deal for her family—and for us.’ Ben’s the only other person apart from Jaxon who knows she’s planning on stepping down. ‘But her phone’s off.’
Ben’s phone rings through the Bentley’s hands-free system. It’s Anderson. He’s one of the men Killian sent me to help at Ardmore. Ben hits the button to accept the call. ‘Four of Princess Layla’s guards just bundled her into the back of the Range Rover. She didn’t look happy. Do you want us to follow, or stay and guard the castle?’
‘Follow,’ I snap, answering for him. ‘For fuck’s sake. Don’t let them take her from me. Fuck.’ I slap my hand across the leather interior as Ben disconnects the call. Every fibre in my body screams at me that it’s too late. They already have.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
LAYLA
I’ve never felt more like a prisoner than I do sitting in the back of the Rolls-Royce, watching London blur past the tinted windows. Grant and Toby hadn’t given me a choice this evening—“orders” was the only explanation I got before they threw my phone out of the Range Rover’s tinted windows, then bundled me onto the royal jet with only an overnight bag and a growing sense of dread. They were apologetic but immovable as granite.
‘Your Highness,’ Grant’s voice carries from the front seat, formal and careful. ‘We’ll be arriving at Wyndham Palace shortly.’
Wyndham Palace, the family home, but there’s never been anything remotely homely about it. I glance at the Cartier watch on my wrist. It’s almost eleven pm, which means the Queen will be in her private chambers, leaving me to stew overnight.
Nausea rises in my stomach.
Did she find out my intention of stepping down?
Or about Reveal?
About Sean?
Sean. A sickness seeps into my soul. What must he think? As far as he’s concerned, I’ve literally disappeared into thin air. I can’t even text him.
‘Grant, can I please borrow your phone for two minutes?’
‘Absolutely not, Princess. It would cost me my job, and the ability to work ever again.’ He shakes his head. ‘I’m already hanging on to both by a thread.’
I open my mouth to speak, but words won’t form. There simply aren’t any. I knew this day was coming. Knew the Queen would send for me. But I didn’t know it would be kidnapping style. Still, perhaps it’s better to get this over with sooner rather than later, but it’s not going to be pretty. Apprehension weighs on my chest like a concrete boulder.
My body aches for Sean. For his reassuring arms, for his strength, and quiet certainty. If only I could talk to him. Explain. He’d know what to do.
A wayward tear slips from my eye and streaks my cheek as the car sweeps through the palace gates, past tourists and photographers who snap pictures of the distinctive royal vehicles.
Toby opens my door, his expression carefully neutral. But I catch a flicker of sympathy in his eyes.
The palace looms before me in all its Georgian grandeur, a symbol of centuries of tradition. I can’t believe I ever felt trapped at Ardmore. I might have been lonely there before I met Sean, but here I feel like I’m drowning and I haven’t even stepped through the door.
I turn to Grant. ‘Is Kat coming?’
‘She’s been dismissed.’ His face is grim.
Fuck.
Toby and Grant escort me in through the front door, where Edmund, the butler who has worked here since childhood, meets us. ‘Princess Layla, welcome.’ He greets me withhis usual fondness, but I can’t even pretend to be happy to be here.
Edmund takes my overnight bag and leads me through the familiar marble corridors. Grant and Toby follow, their footsteps echoing off the vaulted ceilings.
Edmund makes up for my lack of small talk by compensating with his own. ‘It’s wonderful to have you back at the palace, princess. I highly recommend you take a stroll around the walled garden in the morning. The daffodils are in full bloom—an endless sea of yellow even on the dreariest of days. Mind you, it’s wonderful to see the mornings getting lighter and the evenings getting longer.’
Does he have any idea that I don’t want to be here?
