Page 38 of Duchess Material

Olav chuckled. “Yes, yes, no one would deny you were a bonehead. Always a competition with you, Nat. No. Point being… if you aren’t headed for marriage, what are you headed towards? Put the poor boy out of his misery if you aren’t serious. You’re no better prepared for marriage than I am.”

Natalie’s mouth gaped and she slammed the remainder of her whisky. “I’m gonna get some air.”

Natalie knew even with his humour and poking fun, Olav was right. And he knew her well enough. They grew up in the same circle, often spending time together in the summers. She’d once had a terrible, cringeworthy crush on him as a teenager. That faded quickly, thankfully. She didn’t have the liberty to ignore the obvious flashing lights before her. Ed was lovely. Ed made her feel so good. She craved him when she was away like no one else. But was it enough to surrender herself?

Marriage felt like giving in. It meant being vulnerable. Your life was shared and no longer your own. Your money, your house, your dreams, and your things were all shared. Natalie’s fierce independence couldn’t survive. That strength and confidence which once kept her alive and gave her grace under pressure in stressful, impossible circumstances was now a liability. She hoped she’d soon be willing to acknowledge the room’s elephant—before Ed assumed she was ducking him. She wasn’t there yet. She was still trying to see if she could ever accept the idea of marriage. It was humbling. Natalie did not wish to be humbled by matrimony.

* * *

Ed wasn’t a particularly jealous type. At least, in the past, he hadn’t been. He hated that about his ex-wife. Arabella was the definition of controlling. However, seeing a picture of Natalie laughing next to the Crown Prince of Norway at the Nobels made him uneasy. There was something so genuine about the way she slapped his arm. She did the same to Ed.

Ed knew there was no way he competed with this guy on paper. This was the type of bloke Natalie’s family wished for. He wasn’t known best for being a half-naked spokesperson of a multinational toiletries brand. He was some blue blooded, boring prick who could dance well and looked consistently stuck up. Ed guessed he rarely broke a smile except in the company of pretty girls like Natalie. It was impossible to resist Natalie dressed like that, anyhow. She was stunning as ever.

The Daily Mail asked, “Trouble in Paradise? Is Natawin Splitsville?”

Not to Ed’s knowledge. Maybe they knew something he didn’t? While Natalie was still palling around with Scandinavian royals, Ed was being chased into his gym, the paps demanding to know if they were still together. The press were more and more annoying.

When Natalie returned, she invited Ed over. He tried not to be in a mood. He also didn’t want to be overconfident about his place in this world. Natalie’s lack of regard for the headlines made Ed uncomfortable. As they ate dinner in the small kitchen she shared with her sister, he couldn’t resist asking for more details.

“Are we not going to talk about the elephant in the room?” Ed asked.

“What elephant, darling?”

“The thing with the Prince?”

Natalie cocked her head. “What thing?”

“Don’t be daft, baby.”

“No, really, I’m not.”

“The press are insistent you are cheating on me with him. And they are chasing me down for details. Are you not even going to say something about it?”

“No. Because it’s ridiculous. You aren’t seriously worried about it, darling. I mean… stop.” She went back to her pasta.

“It has not an ounce of validity?”

Ed knew as soon as he said it, he’d fucked up. Natalie pulled a face reminiscent of her father’s unimpressed look. She sat her utensils down and smoothed her napkin out on her lap.

Tone cool, she said, “I’m sorry. You don’t get to accuse me of anything when I have told you there is nothing going on. Olav is a friend. He’s my cousins’ cousin. We were raised together. We are old friends. Nothing more.”

“I wasn’t implying you did anything wrong, but the photos were cosy, Natalie. You were laughing and laughing—”

“He’s funny. I’m sorry if you don’t understand it, Ed.”

“Well, that’s fine. But could you not say something?”

“Are you mad? No. And after the stunt I pulled with you, Daddy would go mad over me responding to rumours about an affair. It’s nonsense, Ed.”

“Well, it’s not nonsense to me,” Ed protested.

“I am sorry but I’m not doing it. God, drop it!”

She was now in a mood. Ed had done it. He could have let it go. Why did he do this? Why was she so cross? Why was she so unwilling to move on this? Why did she never compromise?

“There has to be a middle way, Nat—”

“Bloody hell, Ed, I said no. If you don’t trust me to handle this… it’s not going to work,” Natalie said, voice sharp.

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