Page 32 of Royally Wed
He was covering for her. Granted, he was doing a terriblejob. But somehow his subpar acting made the gesture seem even sweeter.
“You were looking for the kitchen? On the main palace floor, tucked between state drawing rooms?” The queen’s gaze flitted toward the massive chandeliers hanging over their heads and back at Asher. Only an idiot would think to look for a working kitchen in this wing.
Asher shrugged again. “I noticed the lights on, and I thought this might be it. Looks like I was wrong.”
The queen sniffed. “Very.”
“My apologies.” He fixed his gaze with Amelia’s. “I’m so sorry to have disturbed you, Your Royal Highness.”
“No need to apologize,” she said, injecting her tone with as much formality as she could manage.
She’d needed a momentary distraction, a little bit of fun.It hadn’t meant anything, obviously. She didn’t even know this man.
“Mr. Reed, the kitchen is off limits to both residents and guests,” the queen said. To Amelia’s knowledge, her mother had never passed through the green baize door that separated the domestic quarters from the rest of the palace. Not once. “We’re more than happy to provide whatever you need. There’s a button in your suite forthis purpose. I suggest you use it.”
“Of course.” Asher nodded. “Again, so sorry to intrude.”
He turned to go.
“Mr. Reed?” The queen sighed mightily.
“Yes?” Asher turned around.
“Your room is that way.” She pointed toward the otherend of the corridor from where he’d been headed.
He feigned surprise, and Amelia suppressed a snicker. He had to be the worst liar she’d ever met. “Ah, so itis. My sense of direction is terrible.”
He gave a wave and disappeared.
Once he’d gone, the queen turned her sharp gaze on Amelia. Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t say a word. She had a way of simply staring at people until they confessed to something. It worked on Amelia’s brothers with annoying predictability. It also worked on royal footmen, ladies in waiting, and various heads of state.Her mother had once reduced the prime minister to tears without uttering a syllable.
But Asher Reed just looked her straight in the eye and lied. For me.
He was beginning to feel less like a stranger, and more like something else. A friend.
“Honestly, Mum. You should be more careful who you allow to sleep here. He seems mad as a box of frogs.”
Mad. Charming. Disarmingly attractive.
And muchto her astonishment, trustworthy.
THE PRESS CALLED HERPrincess Naughty.
The nickname was part of nearly every article Asher had found online since he’d woken up and begun scrolling through blogs and websites. The coverage was plentiful. The queen’s corgis even had their own Instagram page.
But the biggest surprise had been the Princess Naughtylabel.
How had Asher not known?
Probably becausehe’d been too busy in recent years playing his cello to keep up with the latest royal gossip. The same went for celebrity gossip. And gossip in general.
He didn’t own a television, preferring to fill his apartment on Greenwich Street with his extensive vinyl collection and various musical instruments. He had a piano in his dining room, which Serena had always despised. Its presence meant he couldn’thost dinner parties, which had irritated her nearly as much as Asher’s inability to name a single Kardashian or properly match any of the Real Housewives with their city of residence.
He probably should have seen the handwriting on the wall when it came to their relationship. Whenever Asher imagined Serena and Jeremy alone together, they weren’t in bed. They were parked in front of bad realitytelevision.
But he hadn’t pictured them alone together in quite some time. Lately, he’d stopped thinking about them altogether. Seeing Serena again after so many days had been easier than he’d expected. Even seeing Jeremy again hadn’t been as difficult as he’d imagined it would be.
Asher’s playing hadn’t been stellar though, and he was certain Jeremy had noticed.Everyonehad noticed. But nowthat the initial awkwardness was over, he could get on with things. This was England, after all. Land of the stiff upper lip. Keep calm and carry on and all that.
