Page 11 of Royally Wed
That had been prior to her engagement, obviously. Before Holden. Before the leopard. Before Asher Reed. Asher Reed, with his elegant hands and his soulful music.
Amelia frowned. Why did he keep popping into her thoughts? It was beyond annoying.
She reached for her champagneflute, but then remembered Renata and redirected her hand toward her cup of Earl Grey.
“Not anymore, indeed.” Eleanor let out a little laugh.
A waiter slid quietly to the table and bowed. “Is everything to your satisfaction, Your Royal Highness? Can I get you anything else?”
“No, thank you. Everything’s wonderful. Quite lovely.” Amelia smiled.
The waiter beamed at her and backed away.
Eleanorlooked pointedly at Amelia’s full plate. “Lovely? You haven’t eaten a bite.”
“I have a wedding gown fitting in four days, remember?” It was an easy excuse for the fact that Amelia hadn’t had much of an appetite lately. The thought of a cucumber sandwich made her want to gag.
Eleanor sighed. “What are we doing here, anyway? High tea? Really?” Her gaze darted among the glittering chandeliers overhead,the heavily gilded molding, and the gold statues peeking out from behind thick palm fronds.
The Ritz wasn’t exactly understated. Sitting in the tearoom was like being inside a Fabergé egg, with one notable exception—the people.
Amelia smiled. She was fairly sure nine out of ten patrons in the room had already taken her picture on the sly with their cell phones. “It seemed like a good idea whenI had it.”
After the meeting with her mother, she’d wanted to see Eleanor. Seeing the cellist again and knowing how close she’d come to making a mess of things right before the wedding had left a knot of panic in her chest that wouldn’t go away. It was still there now, mocking her while she sipped her tea.
Right now she just needed a friend, even if only on the queen’s terms. Eleanor understoodher. Besides, Amelia hadn’t ventured out of the palace much lately. Other than her fateful visit to Westminster Abbey, that is.
Eleanor sighed. “Is it terrible to admit that I’m glad my dad had to leave? I’m just happy to have you all to myself for a little bit. I feel like I haven’t seen you in an eternity.”
Amelia could feel her smile growing strained. “I just saw you last night at the weddingrehearsal, silly.”
“Not the same. It’s been ages since we had any real girl time.”
“I know. It’s just...”
“The wedding.” Eleanor lifted a brow. “And the leopard, whatever that means. I get it, though. I do. It’s all a big deal. A royally huge, giant deal.”
The knot in Amelia’s chest tightened.
“But it’s been ages since we’ve had any real time, with real conversation.” Eleanor waved a handat their opulent surroundings. “And as nice as this is, it doesn’t exactly count. Everyone is staring at us. I feel like we’re on display.”
Welcome to my world.
Amelia thought she’d had a handle on the whole royal thing by now. She’d grown up in the public eye. Bodyguards and photographers had followed in her footsteps since she’d learned how to walk. Her first day of school had made the frontpage of theDaily News, as had her graduation from university. But the level of interest in her daily life had risen to a fever pitch, and whereas a month ago tea at the Ritz would’ve required one bodyguard and resulted in a handful of photos on the Internet, now she couldn’t sneeze without trending on Twitter. Her security detail had expanded to four armed guards, who sat at nearby tables poisedto jump up and protect her from any imminent threat. She was fairly certain every sip of tea she’d taken would be described in excruciating detail on the front page the next day.
“So I was thinking...” Eleanor leaned across the table. Her eyes glittered and Amelia had a feeling their conversation was about to take a turn for the worse. “Maybe I can go ahead and move into your suite tonight.I know I planned on staying at the Goring and keeping my dad company until the end of the week, but he’s never there. I’m sitting by myself every night watchingThe Great British Bake Off.”
“Tonight?” Amelia thought she’d have days to figure out how to tell Eleanor she wouldn’t be staying in the palace for the wedding week. “Um.”
“It’ll be fun. You’re in serious need of a bachelorette party.We can have a proper hen do before you become a boring wife.”
“You mean before I become your stepmother?”
Eleanor blinked. They’d both been tiptoeing around thatword since the engagement announcement. Now there it was, out in the open.
Amelia smiled as if this conversation was the most normal thing in the world, as if marrying her friend’s father was a perfectly ordinary thing to do.
Well,it was. Wasn’t it? It wasn’t unheard of, anyway. At least not in royal circles.
