Page 5 of Royal Player
“I couldn’t have planned my criminal activity better,” Polly quips. “Kidding, everyone! I can only thank Gabriel and Anna once again for getting me through what could’ve been a nightmare situation. That impulse decision with potentially disastrous consequences has taught me to think things through.” She lifts a finger. “And always come up with a plan B, C, and D.”
I find myself smiling widely. She’s down-to-earth, funny, and beautiful. Some princesses are snooty and wound tight. I could relax around someone like her.
Alice pipes up in a near squeak. “Probation?”
My mother looks like she’s sucking on a sour lemon. We donotair our dirty laundry in front of outsiders. I can almost hear her voice in my head. But I know Alice will one day be part of the family, so she can be in the know. Lucas will marry her as soon as she’ll have him.
“Long story, Alice,” Anna says. “Come with us to the nursery, and we’ll tell you on the way. Polly, I can’t wait for you to see it.” The women file out, chattering excitedly. I catch a brief glimpse of a middle-aged woman and a guard, not one of ours, waiting just outside the room. They must be with Polly.
My mother follows after them. She takes her duties seriously as grandmother. Gabriel strides ahead, holding the door for the women. He’s on vigilant guard for Anna now that she’s close to her due date, and rarely lets her out of sight.
The door shuts behind them, and I slowly turn back to Lucas and Adrian, coming back to myself.
“What are you smiling about?” Adrian asks me.
Was I smiling? I force a straight face. “I’m excited about the casino idea.”
“You looked like him,” Adrian says, jabbing a finger at Lucas. “Lovesick territory.”
Lucas grins. “That’s a compliment. I look great.”
“You both look like idiots,” Adrian says, shaking his head. “Now let’s talk casino.”
But then Lucas says something that makes all thoughts of business vanish. “Did you see that woman in the hallway? That’s Polly’s chaperone. Anna told me and Alice that her chaperone goes with her everywhere to keep her in line.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. “Because of the identity theft?”
Lucas lowers his voice, and I lean in. “Her main job is to make sure Polly remains a virgin.”
“The fuck you say,” I snap. “No! She’s twenty-three.” Anna told us Polly is a year younger than her, and I’ve never met a virgin that old.
Lucas’s eyes glint with good humor. He’s fucking with me.
I press my lips together. “Oh, I get it. You’re getting back at me for flirting with Alice earlier. Nice try.”
Lucas shakes his head. “Anna told Alice at lunch, oversharing as usual and forgetting that I was right there.” He smirks. “Drink?”
“Drink sounds good,” I say absently, my mind turning over this information. A chaperone for a virgin princess? It sounds so old-fashioned.
Lucas goes to the wet bar and pours a tumbler of brandy, offering it to Adrian, who declines. I take the drink and toss back a healthy swallow.
“You shouldn’t be telling us personal stuff Anna shares,” Adrian says, “especially about other people.”
“She’d tell you if you were there,” Lucas says. “She always overshares. You just heard about the baby’s head low in her vagina.”
I grimace. “Lucas, come on.”
“I’m just saying,” he says with a shrug.
“Why does Polly have to be a virgin?” Adrian wonders. “Is there some kind of virgin sacrifice in her kingdom?”
Lucas barks out a laugh. There isnothingfunny about sacrificing a fine woman like that. “Anna says it’s required by her kingdom both to control the bloodlines and because the single female royal is upheld as a symbol of goodness and purity. She must remain so until marriage.”
“My God.” It’s too horrible to contemplate.
Lucas goes on. “Anna told us Polly must marry soon. Her father isn’t well, and she can’t rule her kingdom as a woman alone. That’s the rule there. For her to be queen, she has to be married.”
Adrian grimaces. “I’m glad our monarchy isn’t so traditional. I’d hate to live in a backwards place like that.”
