Page 125 of Loyally, Luke
Jackson dipped his head again. “Keep to your script and our conversation. You will be fine.”
Luke swallowed the lemon-sized lump in his throat and rubbed a sweaty palm down the side of his slacks. He hated speaking in front of people. And right now, he was getting ready to speak to the press. What sort of idiot was he?
He squeezed his eyes closed and Ellie’s face came to mind.
An idiot in love, it seemed.
Love. Bah.
And yet even his internal Mr.Scrooge gave way to a sweet sort of warmth at the memory of Ellie in his arms. Her laugh. Her humor and conversation.
He was a sap.
A stupid, sentimental, ridiculous sap.
And he’d never been happier than when he spent time with her.
His shoulders slumped.
A stupid, sentimental, ridiculous sap who was giving his first press conference and then leaving Skymar with a broken heart and some of the best memories of his life. Who wrote this story? He looked heavenward with a raised brow.
“One minute,” Jackson said, touching his earpiece and meeting Luke’s gaze for a second.
Luke took a deep breath to help calm the nerves, but it was just a stupid trick that never worked.
In an attempt to prepare himself, he’d spent a good half hour looking up press conferences on YouTube before arriving at Taugen House. Even—his stomach twinged at the mental admission—watching the scene fromNotting Hillsince it involved a commoner and a famous person.
A truth he was NEVER revealing to his youngest sister.
“It’s time,” Jackson said, leading the way forward.
Mr.Erikson—another advisor—followed behind Luke and held the door.
The paper in Luke’s hands crinkled in time with the mild squeak of the door, and then Luke crossed the threshold.
A few flashes greeted him from the dozen reporters in the room. A smile or two maybe, which took him off guard. He wasn’t quite expecting people to be foaming at the mouth and shouting, “Off with his head,” but a sense of welcome certainly hadn’t been in the mental script.
Luke waited by the door as Jackson approached the lectern. The poised man greeted the room and then continued with his introduction.
“As many of you are aware, a video was released earlier today giving evidence of Her Highness Princess Elliana’s near-death experience in a frozen lake in the North Country. This incident was instigated by the presence of paparazzi on private property within the Yarrow Fell. It is an unusual step for the royal family to respond to recent allegations related to the princess’s private life, but since these false allegations include a private citizen who is a guest in our country”—he gestured toward Luke—“Taugen House has called this press conference. The private citizen, Mr.Edgewood, has offered to take a few questions in the interest of truth.”
Jackson’s steely gaze roamed over the audience, the pause creating a palpable discomfort. “Keep in mind, Mr.Edgewood’s courtesy will only last as long as you are polite.”
Jackson stepped back from the lectern, giving way for Luke to approach.
Luke swallowed through his dry throat and took his position, giving the room a quick sweep before flattening the paper in his hand against the lectern. His own words, culled by Jackson and his team, blurred back at him.
“Good afternoon,” Luke’s voice came back at him, louder thanhe’d expected, so he backed up a step and cleared his throat. “My name is Luke Edgewood, as I imagine most of y’all know.” He flinched. “Y’all” wasn’t in the notes. “And I’m here to speak to the situation that led to the recent allegations in some media outlets related to Princess Elliana and myself.”
He gave a quick look up at the group of reporters and another flash blinked in his periphery. Luke looked back down at the paper.
“I was hired to work at Cambric Hall as the lead of a construction team to renovate a part of the orphanage to better serve the children and staff and provide a safer environment. As patron of Cambric, Her Highness is the patron of the orphanage and overseer of the renovation project. We worked closely together and became friends. She came to the cabin on Yarrow Fell in order to express her gratitude for my work and to say goodbye.” All true. He didn’t have to include their particular style of showing gratitude. “Princess Elliana had every intention of leaving the cabin to arrive at Cambric’s gala and would have been able to reach her destination if the lake accident hadn’t occurred. After measures were taken to ensure her health and safety, the hour had grown late and the roads had become obstructed. I’m grateful to say the princess was not more hurt than she was.” The image of her staring at him from the lake water, the fear of how long she could continue to fight through the water before she didn’t have the strength anymore, flashed back to his mind and he looked up from his paper. “Things could have ended much worse than they did. Much worse than even the allegations proposed.”
A long quiet filled the room at Luke’s ending, and he waited for the next part Jackson had reviewed with him.
“Mr.Edgewood has agreed to take a few questions,” Jackson announced into the silence, which seemed to give the reporters the jolt they needed.
Hands rose into the air, along with the sound of voices competing for attention.
