Page 19 of Rivals
“Jeff?”
A young woman stepped into their path, tossing her chestnut hair over one shoulder as she bobbed a quick curtsy. Nina didn’t recognize her, but then, she didn’t exactly look like the type of person Nina would have met: her pink dress had dramatic poufed sleeves that covered her pale shoulders, and she held one of those tiny leather purses that barely fit a cell phone.
“Gabriella, hey. This is my friend Nina,” Jeff offered.
The girl’s eyes flicked contemptuously over Nina, dismissing her faded paisley dress and denim jacket, but then they drifted back up to her face, and Nina saw the moment of recognition. Gabriella knew she was Jeff’s former girlfriend.
“Lady Gabriella Madison,” she said coolly. So, she was one of those nobles who made a point of using her title.
Gabriella held out a limp hand, palm down. It almost looked like she expected Nina to kneel and kiss her ring, as if she were a queen deigning to meet some commoner.
Nina took Gabriella’s hand and gave it a hearty shake, secretly enjoying the other girl’s look of dismay. “Gabriella,” she said, deliberately leaving off theLady.“It’s great to meet you. How do you know Jeff?”
“We gowayback. There are photos of us in thebathtubtogether as babies!” Gabriella gave a funny little laugh and tugged her hand away, looking as though she wanted to wipe her palm against the side of her dress. She turned back to the prince. “Jeff, I didn’t know you were allowed to eat in thedining hall. Next time, you’ll have to text me and Bradley so we can come sit with you.”
“Nina and her friends took great care of me,” Jeff said easily. “We’re actually about to get some ice cream, if you want to join us.”
Gabriella shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks. But I’ll see you at the tailgate on Saturday?”
“Sure. You in, Nina?” Jeff added, glancing over.
Before Nina could reply, Gabriella rushed to interrupt. “Nina probably has other plans for the game.”
The casual disdain in her words made Nina stand up a little straighter. “A tailgate sounds fun. I’d love to come.”
Gabriella held Nina’s gaze, unblinking. It reminded Nina of the staring contest she’d had with Stuart Randall in second grade, when the entire playground had gathered around to watch.
“It’s hosted by Tri Alpha. You probably won’t know anyone,” Gabriella challenged.
“I’ll know Jeff.”
Nina had met plenty of Gabriellas in her life—spoiled, selfish people who thought they mattered more than the rest of the world simply because of their rank. The type of people who stared straight through Nina at court functions, only to realize she was Princess Samantha’s best friend and make a halfhearted attempt touseher.
She couldn’t let someone like that win.
“Count me in,” Nina declared, forcing a smile. “I can’t wait.”
Beatrice missed her father most in the mornings. Or, at least, shehurtmost acutely in the mornings. Once the day began and she was pulled in a million different directions, rushing to events and reading legislation, the pain of missing him subsided to a dull ache. It would still pop up occasionally, little pockets of grief working their way to the surface, but she could manage it.
In the mornings, though, the loss seemed to hit her anew. Which was why Beatrice had gotten in the habit of taking Franklin on a walk—or run—herself, instead of sending him with one of the footmen.
Her father had gone on a run nearly every morning of his reign. Often Beatrice had joined him: the two of them, flanked by their Revere Guards, jogging through the streets of the capital.
Now Beatrice stood on the back terrace of Bellevue, pulling one leg behind her in a quad stretch. Franklin looked hopefully toward the ocean, his tail wagging frantically. Dawn had just begun to streak the purple sky with hints of rose and aubergine.
“Ready, Franklin?” she murmured, only to pause at the sight of a figure coming up the path from the guest cottages.
Even in the morning, in workout clothes, Princess Louise looked painfully chic. Her black leggings had mesh cutouts,revealing triangles of skin along her calves. They were practicallysexy,unlike Beatrice’s faded sweatpants with elastic at the waist and ankles.
“Hello, Béatrice. I was heading to the gym.” Louise laughed: a hoarse, throaty sound. “Though I’m not sure it will be pleasant, given how late I was up.”
Beatrice ached to know what Louise and her friends had done last night. She’d noticed them skipping out on the conference’s official programming—there was always something scheduled in the evenings, a reception or a guest lecturer or even a tai chi class on the lawn. But whatever Louise and her friends were doing, they kept it to themselves.
“Franklin and I were about to run on the beach, if you’d like to join us,” Beatrice heard herself say.
Louise glanced down at the golden Labrador, no longer a puppy but still so exuberant and playful. “I like to run fast,” she warned.
“So do I,” Beatrice declared.
