Page 56 of Royal Player
She takes a deep breath, drawing her shoulders back. “I will not be rushed into a marriage here or there. You must have faith in me.”
“I know you. You put others above yourself.”
“I put my kingdom above myself, as is my duty.” She sounds like a queen, and I hate that she feels so distant, hiding behind her title.
I clench my jaw. “And it’s my duty to look out for you.”
She softens. “I appreciate it, but the work I must do at home is my responsibility. I need you to have faith that there will be a place for you by my side in the future. I don’t know yet what that future will look like.”
There’s nothing more to say, the future horribly uncertain, so I kiss her, a raw carnal kiss of possession. She wraps her arms around my neck and returns the kiss eagerly. The fire ignites between us like it always does, fueled by love and passion. If only that were enough.
~ ~ ~
Polly
I’m frozen in terror, watching the news. A Category 4 hurricane hit Beaumont this morning, Sunday, as predicted, and Beaumont is cut off from the world—no cellular, radio, internet, or power. The extent of the damage is unclear. The hurricane hit the northwestern end of the main island of Beaumont first, ripped through the center, and exited at the southern point. It’s expected to hit neighboring islands soon. I’m waiting for aerial footage on the news, but they can’t get in there with the storm still so close.
My palace is on the southern tip of Beaumont, directly in the hurricane’s path. I tell myself my parents are alive. They have to be. I’d sense it if something catastrophic happened, wouldn’t I? The palace itself is solid stone, reinforced after a hurricane decades ago. I force my mind to logistics, mentally cataloging what could be damaged. The resorts on the northwestern side of the island—Peter’s resorts—are likely destroyed. Vegetation destroyed too. The center of the island is our infrastructure—power plants, the water reservoir, the hospital, schools, and private residential homes. Likely flooded and severely damaged. The airport is on the east side. Hopefully it wasn’t hit. If I’m correct, Peter will be desperate for the alliance, having lost so much. At the least, he’ll be desperate to have his loan repaid in full. What will a desperate man do? I can’t worry about that right now. I must think of the kingdom.
We’ll need funds for disaster relief and funds to rebuild. The loss of tourism revenue in the meantime will be devastating. Fortunately, tourists and some of the islanders evacuated before the storm hit. My parents would never evacuate. The leaders of the kingdom must remain until their dying breath. My vision blurs with tears, and I wipe my eyes in irritation. I will not grieve them until I know the facts. I must keep hope.
“Polly, you should eat something,” Marge says, offering a tray with fresh fruit and scones.
I wave her away and return my gaze to the TV.
Marge, Vaughn, and I have been in the parlor since dawn, watching the news. It’s now sunset. Vaughn, my guard, has family on Beaumont. Marge only has me. Oscar is here with me, and I raised hell to get Marge to back off about him. I will not be denied his comfort because of propriety. I need his solid presence and I need his soothing touch. These are catastrophic circumstances. The rest of his family has stopped by to check on me and the news. Only there is no news. It’s the same information recycled over and over. A Category 4 hurricane hit the northwestern end of Beaumont, ripped through the center, went in a southerly direction and out to sea. The island is in a communications blackout. The extent of the damage is unclear.
I’m just waiting for the first clue to what’s going on in my homeland. I need to be there, need to help in relief efforts. I hate feeling helpless.
Oscar places a glass in my hands. “Drink, Pol. You don’t have to eat, just drink.”
I do. It’s water with lemon and it clears my head. I turn to him. His eyes are sympathetic. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Do you want to go for a walk? Get some fresh air.”
I return my gaze to the TV. “No. I don’t want to miss the news.”
He rubs my back and then pulls me toward him, tucking me against his side. I wrap my arm around his middle. I suppose it was good I wasn’t home. What if I had been at the palace and the entire monarchy was wiped away in one shot?Stop that. No worst-case scenarios.
Hours crawl by. No news. Oscar makes me stand and walk around the room a few times and keeps pressing lemon water on me.
And then it’s nightfall in Beaumont, close to two a.m. here, and the likelihood of news is getting ever smaller. It must be so dark and quiet there. People must be scared. Vaughn and Marge went to bed hours ago, but I remain vigilant.
Oscar cups my jaw and turns me toward him. “Pol, they can’t do aerial footage at night. We’re going to bed and we’ll check in the morning.”
I push his hand away and turn back to the TV.Communications blackout. Extent of the damage is unclear.The graphic of my island home and the swirling hurricane appears once more. It’s my only connection to home.
He speaks in a low urgent voice by my ear. “You can’t function without sleep, and Beaumont is depending on you.”
I slowly turn to him. “How can I sleep at a time like this?” I swallow hard. “What if I wake to find everything I love is gone? My parents, my palace, my kingdom.”
“We’re going to get through this together.” He stands and pulls me off the sofa. “And we’re going to hope for the best.”
I sit down again to watch the news, and he grabs the remote and turns the TV off. I leap off the sofa. “Hey! Give me that.”
He tosses the remote on the far corner of the sofa and grabs me before I can go for it. “You can watch first thing in the morning. You’re exhausted. Let me take care of you.” He frames my face with his hands. “I love you.”
My eyes well. “I love you too,” I choke out.
