Page 22 of The Royally Broke Billionaire
Mo’s green gaze narrowed into a cat-like expression. It was clear by her upturned lips that she believed herself to have won that round. Unwilling to let it go at that, she pointed at Piper and Finn. “What about those two? It’s very possible that one of them is the traitor.”
Piper’s chest burned at the realization that they truly believed she would do such a thing, but her hurt feelings were nothing compared to the devastated expression that drew Finn’s features downward. Her heart ached for the royal steward, even though he had accused her of being the source of the leak. She longed to reach out to comfort him, but was wise enough to know it wasn’t her place.
Both of the accused waited quietly for the monarchs’ verdict. Piper felt like she was on trial for a crime she didn’t commit. She was being assumed guilty until proven innocent, rather than vice versa as was customary.
Queen Tess was the first to speak. Her rapidly fluttering eyelashes were the only outward indication that this conversation made her uncomfortable. “Well, I’m not sure how I feel about continuing to welcome Piper into our home, under the circumstances.”
Piper had to force herself not to double-over like she had been kicked in the gut as she wondered if she and Liam were about to be kicked out of the castle. She should have known her easy acceptance into the royal family was too good to be true.
The queen quickly alleviated her fears of being completely ousted by continuing. “But it’s not fair to make her leave when we don’t know if she even did anything wrong. Liam belongs here, and he also deserves to be with his mother.”
She paused, but then her bright eyes lit up with an idea. “How about if they move into the guest cottage, just until we get this mess sorted out?”
“That sounds like a wonderful compromise,” her husband beamed at her, obviously proud of her solid idea. Turning to look at Finn, he added, “In fact, I think that will work perfectly as a solution for Finn, as well. He can stay in the steward’s quarters until we figure out who leaked the story about Liam.”
Piper’s eyes darted to Finn’s. The man was deathly pale as he pleaded with the king. “Please, Your Highness, you can’t possibly think I would do anything to jeopardize my job here. I am your completely loyal servant.”
“I know.” The king nodded at Finn to confirm that he truly believed him. “But humor us by taking a few days off work while we investigate this matter. Think of it as a vacation.”
Finn’s eyes were wide open in a vacant stare. “I don’t want a vacation. I want to do my job and continue to live in the employees’ quarters in the castle. You’re banishing me to the outskirts of the grounds.”
“Banishing?” The king chuckled. “Hardly. You’re simply getting a few well-deserved days off. Plus, you get to check out the royal steward’s cottage. You might find that you actually like the privacy of having your own residence. That hut has been where all of the past palace royal stewards lived, until I came along, of course.”
Finn was shaking his head as if he couldn’t quite comprehend this horrid turn of events. Seeming at a loss, he asked, “What am I supposed to do with all of my time?”
“Relax and enjoy it,” the king suggested, as if he was doing the man a great favor.
Turning to glare at Piper, Finn sneered, “This is all your fault.”
With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Piper feeling stunned and hurt beyond reason. Tears burned in her throat and threatened to erupt. Not wanting to make any more of a fool of herself in front of the royal family than she already had, she covered her mouth and ran from the room.
22
When Geoffrey, the palace butler, rapped on the door of Piper’s suite, she rushed over to let him in. The man was perfectly polite when he asked if he could send helpers to pack her belongings, but the underlying message of his question was perfectly clear… She was expected to vacate the castle NOW.
Piper valiantly tried not to betray her crushed feelings, but the hot tears were creating a burning ball in her throat that threatened to emerge at any moment. Liam must have sensed his mother’s heightened anxiety level because he began wailing in an uncharacteristic manner for him. The sight of the giant crocodile-sized tears trailing down her son’s plump cheeks made Piper even more distressed.
The ever-cool butler revealed the first chink in his pristine armor by nodding briskly and yelling over the baby’s wails that he would send assistance. After Geoffrey quickly backed out of the room, Piper flopped onto the plush carpet, rocked her crying baby in her arms, and let the first of her tears fall.
That is how the team of palace employees found her. Hettie gently scooped Liam out of her arms and took him to the rocking chair. A kind-faced older woman brought Piper a box of tissues and gently patted her back, while two other women began efficiently packing her belongings.
Piper couldn’t help but think that this talented team of ladies was the cleanup crew sent in to take out the unwanted trash, which she had somehow unwittingly become. Unwilling to wallow, she used the tissues to clean up her face before standing to face the business of vacating her cushy suite.
She appreciated the royals’ hospitality and their generosity in letting her stay in one of their guest cottages, despite the fact that they suspected her of leaking their personal business to the world. But it still stung to be kicked out of the castle. It almost felt like they couldn’t stand to look at her and be reminded of her betrayal. The fact that she didn’t, and wouldn’t, betray them seemed to not matter in the slightest.
Lifting her chin, determined to deal with this humiliation in as classy a manner as possible, she smiled at the palace workers. After all, it wasn’t their fault she was being ousted. “Thank you all for your help. I truly appreciate it.”
They nodded and smiled, but averted their gazes. Piper wasn’t sure if their unwillingness to look her in the eyes was a gesture of respect or if they were embarrassed for her. In any case, they made short work of packing her belongings and eliminating her presence from the room.
Once they were finished, Piper realized she didn’t know where she was supposed to go. In all her explorations of the palace grounds, she had never discovered any guest cottages. They must be located on the far edges of the property, in order to keep the riffraff out of sight of the royals.
The women seemed to be awaiting instruction from her as they stood there looking down at the room’s thick carpet. Finally, she admitted, “Umm, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go.”
“We’ve already called for assistance in delivering your bags to your quarters, ma’am,” Hettie reassured her.
The woman must have made some discreet gesture to the other employees because they flitted out of the room in single file. Smiling down at now-calm Liam, the nanny seemed reluctant to let him go, but she finally handed him back to his mother.
She whispered as if sharing a great secret. “I’m not technically supposed to leave the palace while on-duty, but if you need me, I’m always available to help with this sweet boy.”
