Page 118 of Rivals
She held her breath as Teddy knelt down to unzip the duffel bag on the floor—which was still neatly packed—and pulled out a black velvet box. “I was hiding this,” he announced, and tossed her the box. Startled, Beatrice caught it.
“I was trying to wait for the right moment, but I guess the surprise is ruined. Go ahead,” he told her. “You can open it.”
Her eyes stinging, Beatrice unclasped the box. Inside was a spectacular sapphire engagement ring. The deep blue stone was surrounded by a halo of diamonds, with sparkling pavé diamonds all around the band.
“It was my grandmother’s ring,” Teddy explained. “Apparently, when our financial situation was at its worst, my grandfather sold it. No one realized until I came back a few weeks ago and tried to find it in the safe. It took longer thanI expected to track it down and buy it back from the jewelry dealer who’d ended up with it.” Teddy’s voice was rough. “Obviously, the Crown Jewels vault is full of rings, but…I wanted to bring at least one thing to the marriage, or at least, make this one thing about our relationship seem normal. I thought it was unfair that you had to propose and provide your own ring.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I guess I figured that since you proposed last time, it was my turn.”
Beatrice’s heart ached. That day when she’d proposed to him—when he’d gotten down on one knee and sworn to be her liege man—felt like a lifetime ago.
How had she managed to ruin everything?
“So, yeah. That’s what I was keeping from you,” he said flatly. “I would say there are no more secrets between us, but I’m not really sure what else you’re keeping from me.”
Carefully, Beatrice reclasped the box and passed it back to Teddy. “It’s beautiful. Whenever you want to ask, I’ll be ready.”
“But I don’t know ifI’mready,” Teddy replied, and she went cold all over.
“What do you mean?”
“I have a lot to figure out.”
Beatrice shot to her feet. “We can figure it out together! The League of Kings is over; I have plenty of time now. We can brainstorm your role, fix everything that’s not working…”
Teddy smiled sadly. “This is the kind of thinking that I need to do on my own. I need to figure out what it will mean for me, moving forward, that you only have time for me when your job is on hiatus.”
Beatrice realized that she’d said the wrong thing. She shouldn’t have made it sound like she prioritized the League of Kings above her relationship.
Except—that was the truth, wasn’t it? She wasn’t Samantha, free to renounce her position when things got tough.
She was the queen, and the Crown must always come first.
Teddy picked the duffel bag off the floor and slung it over one shoulder. “I’m just going to clear my head, get some space.”
You justhadspace, for weeks!Beatrice wanted to cry out. Instead she asked, very quietly, “Where will you go?”
“Nantucket, I think.” Teddy pulled his phone from his pocket and frowned down at the screen. “The jetway is clear. If I leave now, I can be there before noon.”
“But you and me…are we okay?”
Teddy didn’t answer for a long moment. “I think the space will be good for us,” he said at last. “I’ll call you when I get to the Nantucket house.”
She stepped forward—to kiss him, hug him, grab a fistful of his shirt and dig her heels in so that he couldn’t leave—but Teddy put a hand on each of her shoulders. He leaned forward and kissed her once, on the forehead. The way you might kiss a little sister, or a cousin, or a friend.
Beatrice felt too weak to say anything as he turned and headed out the door. She just slumped to the floor, her hand lifted to the place where his lips had been.
Daphne hadn’t left the party. Why should she? She wasn’t the one who’d faked an entire friendship, then kissed her so-called friend’s boyfriend.
Nina and Jefferson were both avoiding her; Daphne could tell from the deliberate way they were looking anywherebutat her. She just tipped her chin up and ignored them. As long as Jefferson hadn’t broken up with her or asked her to leave, she still had a fighting chance. She could still make Nina pay for what she’d done.
She’d been weak, and Nina had taken advantage of that weakness, but Daphne wouldn’t make the same mistake a second time. She knew better now than to trust anything Nina told her.
Daphne was standing out on the terrace, the tattered remnants of the party swirling around her, when Jefferson approached.
“Daphne. Hey.”
“Jefferson.” She smiled as if nothing was wrong, as if she hadn’t sold photos to the media or seen him kissing Nina. “Are you having a fun night?”
He ignored her breezy tone. “We need to talk.”
