Page 17 of Royal Player
“Just between you and me.”
“Of course.”
I resume walking. “I’m paying hernotto chaperone me.”
“Oh, because of the virgin thing?”
I halt in my tracks. “Did Anna tell you?”
She grimaces. “I’m sorry. She mentioned that you’d be arriving with a chaperone and a guard, so my natural curiosity had me asking questions. Is it a secret?”
I sigh and keep walking. “Not exactly a secret, but you’d have to be following my kingdom’s idiosyncrasies to take note. We don’t make the gossip rags much due to our strict adherence to royal protocol. It’s not something I like to get around.”
“Oh. Um, Lucas knows too. Anna often confides in me, forgetting about him in the background. He’s very discreet. If you don’t want him to say anything, I’ll let him know it’s a secret.”
Now I know how Oscar knew about my chaperone last night. Probably everyone knows. I clench my jaw. “It doesn’t matter at this point.” Something in me rebels. If I have to marry Peter, if there’s just no other viable way out, then I don’t want him to have my virginity. I want to give it away in some big night, some big adventure. Why should he get everything?
Of course, there is the issue of the royal doctor checking me before the wedding ceremony. Maybe I could pay him off. No, that wouldn’t work. I kicked him in the nuts too many times when he tried to give me a shot to stay in his good graces. And, obviously, Peter would notice. Maybe he’d be understanding because of the financial alliance. Consolidating the holdings that he personally would profit from could smooth over a lot. Nobody knows better than me how motivated he is by money.
Would my parents overlook it in favor of the alliance with Peter, or am I risking my place as queen for one last adventure? Maybe I’m not as impulsive as I once was. Look at me, actually thinking ahead. Ugh. I wish I didn’t even have to think about stuff like this.
“I’m sorry,” Alice says. “I keep sticking my foot in it with these touchy subjects. From here on out, it’s all fun all the time. We will shop, drink fruity concoctions, and parade through the casino like we belong.”
“We do belong, silly.”
She grins. “Let’s look the part. Glam city.”
“You’re already glam.”
“Thanks! This is my party dress.” She runs her hand down her pink polka-dotted dress. “But Lucas gave me his credit card to go wild.”
I laugh. “That sounds fun.” I’m a big fan of wild.
~ ~ ~
Oscar
Party time, my favorite. We’re in Charles Blanc’s penthouse, an apartment in a converted hotel not far from the casino. His place is ultrasleek and modern, done entirely in white—white marble floors, white walls, high white ceilings. The main living area, a large open space where everyone is gathered, features scattered sofas and chairs done in white with deep blue throw pillows. Modern art gives another splash of color in niches in the walls, and a double-sided fireplace sits in the center of the space. Two sides of the room are floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the city and the sea. I like it, though I’d be happier if we were actually with our host, the key investor we’re hoping to snag for Villroy’s potential casino.
I join Lucas and Adrian taking in the view of the city.
“Where’s your other half?” I ask Lucas.
He raises a brow. “She’s Polly’s other half right now. After dinner, they went to Le Bar Américain so they could get the 1920s speakeasy experience. She’s calling it Polly’s three-night bachelorette party.”
My gut knots. I overheard Polly talking about her upcoming marriage earlier today. I hadn’t known she had a fiancé, only that she had to marry soon, and the worst part is when I caught her eye, I saw none of her usual light. She looked dead inside. I don’t want to get in the middle, but how can I stand by when she’s stuck in a marriage that sounds more like a business transaction? She sounded so resigned, not at all like the feisty Polly I know.
Even though I have no desire to marry anytime soon, I know it can be good with the right partner. My parents were very close, and I’ve seen how happy my older brothers are with their partners. Even my sister Emma, the most proper of princesses, broke free of her loveless arranged marriage. Now she’s happily married to the most unlikely of men, rock legend Jackson Walker. Itmatterswhom you marry. And I know Polly said she knows her duty, but maybe she just hasn’t seen love in action much to know what she’s missing. Maybe being around my family will open her eyes. I hope so. I can’t stand to think of her looking dead inside, doing her duty for the rest of her life.
Lucas goes on. “Alice isn’t happy about Polly’s upcoming marriage, being a romantic, but I told her marriages for favorable alliances are the way it is in a lot of monarchies. Even our parents suggested arranged marriages for us.”
“Only Gabriel and Emma took them up on it,” I say. “And neither of them went through with it.” Gabriel, as the heir, was held to a higher standard. I suppose it’s the same with Polly being the heiress.
“Nothing we can do about it,” Lucas says, looking right at me. “As I explained to Alice.”
I look away, taking a sip of my scotch. It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does. It’s just that Polly is young and full of life. She looked so happy at dinner, talking and laughing with Alice and Lucas. I found myself watching her too much again and made myself focus on business with Adrian. Still, I can’t help but think about her fiancé. What if he doesn’t appreciate her and tries to dim her light?
Everyone should have a say in whom they marry. I don’t know why I’m so fixated on her. It must be because she’s forbidden fruit. I can’t fathom why else my reactions to her are so intense. Even when she’s not in the room, just thinking about her or hearing her name gets me worked up.
