Page 27 of Awaiting

“And you’ll call me Alex?”

“I think I have to. You just let that guy have it when I didn’t use your title,” Bexley joked.

“It’s a complicated world I live in,” Alex replied. “Do you know that my own mother refuses to call me Alex? It’s always Alexandria. It’s the longest name in the world, and she always calls me Alexandria.”

“Well, shedidname you. Shouldn’t she get to use the name she chose?”

Alex began putting food on her plate and said, “She didn’t choose it. None of our names are truly chosen anymore. We’re all named after someone who was named after someone else.”

“Who were you named after, again?” Bexley asked, putting food on her own plate.

“My great-uncle. Lawrence was my other great-uncle’s middle name. My father’s given name is George. He’s named after all the Georges. He took Henry when he became King. My mum is Katherine with a K, but even though she isn’t royal by blood, she’s named after Catherine with a C, King Henry XIII’s last wife. On and on it goes.”

“Tor and Julia,” Bexley said, sitting down in a chair at another desk.

“Named after their grandparents, yes. And they each have three middle names because we can’t just be named after one person. We don’t want to offend any of our ancestors.”

“I should look up your full name. I don’t remember it all.”

“Please don’t,” Alex said, pulling up a chair next to her, and Bexley had her phone on the desk before Alex could pick up her fork. “It’s Alexandria Henrietta Anne Marie.”

“So, you’re named after your father?”

“Yes. Can you tell he wanted a firstborn son? I was given two masculine first names that they turned into the feminine versions. There’s probably a lesbian joke in there somewhere, but I’m too hungry to make it.”

Bexley didn’t say anything again. She just took a bite of her food and then opened her water.

“Anne Marie?” she asked after a minute.

“Queen Anne. And Marie is a derivative of Mary. So, Queen Mary.”

“Sounds like they also named you after two Queens,” Bexley pointed out.

“I suppose so,” Alex replied.

“What will you nameyourchildren?” Bexley asked, causing Alex to nearly choke on her food. “Sorry. Is that too personal?”

“No, it’s all right,” Alex told her. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“You want kids, right? Alice said you–”

“Yes, of course.”

“Do youwantthem want them, or want them because you have to have them?”

“Ah,that’sa question,” she replied, laughing a little. “Yes, it’s my role to secure the line of succession, but things aren’t how they used to be. So, it’s not as if there’s no hope if I don’t have children. Lawrence would inherit or Henry after him. People live so much longer now. My father is very healthy, so he should be around for the next thirty or so years, at least. That means Henry will likely have kids by then, or Louis will if he doesn’t. Outside of our immediate family, plenty of other relatives could take over if called upon. My two great-uncles both have kids, and they have theirs. The British monarchy wouldn’t end with me even if I failed to have children, but Idowant them. Far from it, in fact. I’d want children even if I weren’t a royal. I’ve wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember.”

“That surprises me about you,” Bexley said as she ate.

“Why?”

“You seem content in – I don’t know – being a bachelorette. There’s probably a better word for what, I mean.”

“You mean you’ve read the articles about me and my history and assumed I like fooling around with women but don’t want to settle down?” Alex asked but kept her tone light.

“Not exactly, no. Alice has told me that stuff isn’t usually true and that that’s not the real you, and you and I have spent enough time together by now for me to know that the tabloids lie about pretty much everything they write about you.”

“That’s true,” Alex said, feeling a sense of relief wash over her that Bexley didn’t believe the crap they wrote.

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