“It’s not my place to have an opinion on what His Highness decides, my lady.”
“Like hell it’s not! You have been his lead guard since he was a boy. That’s fucked up. Do we even know who this guy is?”
“He has impeccable military training. Spotless background check. He might not have a lot of personal guard service, but I can’t deny he is a natural. Whatever they went through in training, he seems to have a real dedication to the prince’s safety, and in the end, that is all that matters.”
“Screw the formal niceties, Dalton. This is me. You matter. Your job matters.”
“Thank you, ma’am, but don’t worry about me. I was promoted to overseeing all the security and guards,” he said with not an ounce of emotion.
“Well, congrats.” I tilted my head. “If that was something you wanted?”
His eyes met mine briefly before he unlatched his seatbelt, reaching for the door.
“You are a very perceptive and wise young woman. I hope that doesn’t end up hurting you here instead of helping.” He stepped out before I could respond, walking around to my door and opening it.
Lennox took a step down, nodding at Dalton. Dalton swung my door open, not responding to the new guard.
“My lady,” Lennox said evenly, reaching for my hand.
I climbed out, moving around his outstretched fingers, turning to Dalton. “Thank you, Dalton.” I nodded at him. “I know coming all the way to Wentworth House must have been inconvenient with all your new duties.”
“You are welcome, my lady.” He bowed to me. “I enjoyed the break. And of course, seeing you again, my lady.”
I grinned, stepping up the treads, ignoring Lennox next to me. I knew he got the not-so-subtle jabs at him. It was in my nature to be loyal. People were hard to trust in the world I lived in. When you found the few you did, you held on to them. Plus, I just didn’t like Lennox.
Several steps away from the grand entrance, I realized Theo wasn’t here. I had no clue what to do without him, and I hated that.
Lennox stayed silent next to me, but I could feel his cockiness kick in like we had just stepped onto a chessboard, and I was going to have to move first. After not taking his hand, he was turning this into a game of dominance.
He should have known I would win in the end.
I sighed, giving in this once. “Where’s Theo?”
I swore I saw his mouth twitch.
“His Highness apologizes for not meeting you here. Duties called him away.”
“Away? Where?” My pitch rose as fear sank like a rock in my bones. Swinging to the man next to me, it was the first time I really noticed his eyes. A blue-hazel color that had me blinking in utter awe. Bright blue, the middle around the pupil was like a ring of flaming fire. Like a golden-brown sun against a bright blue sky. They reminded me of a wolf’s. Fierce and deadly.
“He will be with you shortly.” He vaulted forward into the palace, forcing me to scramble after him. My heels clicked on the polished stone floor between the luxurious embroidered rugs underfoot. I tried not to gape, my eyes rolling over the foyer with awe. My house seemed like a peasant cottage in comparison.
Ornate ceilings reached two stories high with large crystal chandeliers dotting every twelve feet. Fifteen-foot gold-trimmed antique mirrors lined the wall reflecting marble statues, rococo-style chairs, and benches upholstered in deep red silk. Deep blue drapes accented the massive windows, and a large round table under an even more elaborate chandelier sat in the middle of the room, ornamented with fresh white flowers.
It was everything I imagined the inside of a palace to look. Exquisite. Refined. Stunning. But cold. Aloof. Not a home. I couldn’t imagine growing up here. You couldn’t touch anything.
Afraid my arms would suddenly start flailing around like a Muppet, I locked my hands together in front of me, walking stiffly after Lennox. We moved up a flight of grand stairs, venturing down a corridor lined with rooms. The chambers were perfect, luxurious. But after a while, I couldn’t tell the difference between them, all having the same elegant, stuffy design.
We went through a set of double doors, a guard standing at the entrance. I knew the king and queen opened the main part of the castle to tourists during the summer while they headed to one of their summer palaces. But the season had ended, with them returning home. When they were here, it was closed to visitors. But their private quarters were always off limits to tours. I was venturing into an area very few got to see.
Lennox and the door guy nodded at each other but didn’t speak. A few doors down, Lennox turned to face me.
“The private drawing room, ma’am.” Lennox motioned me into a room.
I stepped into the space. It was smaller than the staterooms in the public area. Velvet sofas and chairs faced a huge fireplace on one side. Rich tapestries hung on two of the walls, making it feel slightly cozier. Enormous paintings, a mix of old royalty and Greek mythology, covered most of the walls. The same perfect white flowers on a table by windows covered in sheer drapes.
Lennox stayed in the doorway, watching me take in the room.
“His Highness will be with you shortly.”
I didn’t even bother acknowledging him, as he was already shutting the doors, leaving me alone in the room. Too itchy to sit, I wandered around, examining the paintings and objects in the room. I brushed at my dress nervously. I never wore dresses or heels if I could help it; I was a jeans-and-riding-boots kind of girl. I figured this occasion more than called for it, but I felt uncomfortable. The dress I was wearing was one my mother was insistent on. It was the most conservative thing I owned, a pretty pastel pink, which I hated. It also was from when I was heavier. Even though a tailor took it in, it still felt unpleasant and stiff. My matching pink heels were even worse.
I was like a walking bubblegum ball.
Reaching the windows, I looked through, seeing half the gardens and a view of the city. The late-afternoon sun glinted off the old and new buildings in the city. Tall towers, steeples, and famous landmarks all could be seen from here. People moving up and down the four-lane street leading away and to the palace, going on with their lives, while I stood there and watched them from inside.
It felt odd. I was more one of them than someone who’d be standing here. In the palace… about to be introduced to the queen and king.
“Don’t vomit, Spencer,” I ordered myself.
“Please don’t. The rug is an antique and would be very difficult to clean.” A woman’s eloquent voice came from behind me, and I lurched around, my hip knocking the table. In horror, I watched in slow motion as the vase with flowers tipped over, crashing onto the table, water and pieces of the vase spilling everywhere.
“Oh, holy shite!” I cried, grabbing for the wreckage. Bits of the pretty vase cut my hands, the water sweeping between my fingers. My efforts were only making it worse, getting my dress soaked in the process.
“Please.” She came closer. “Leave it. I will have someone clean it up.”
My face burned as I clumsily set down the broken pieces, bile and mortification fighting in my stomach. This can’t be happening. I squeezed my lids together before taking a deep breath and spinning around.
“You must be Spencer, the girl my son has talked about excessively for the last few days?”