Chapter 23

Tamara

“Wee!” Jo squealed, spinning for the twentieth time that day in front of my full-length mirror.

“It’s a wonder you haven’t fallen down yet,” I remarked.

Jo winked at my reflection. “Look at this dress and tell me it’s not a perfect spinning dress.”

“I looked at it the first ten times.” I rolled my eyes, snorting. “You weirdo.”

I would admit the dress looked amazing on her. The pastel green complimented her auburn locks and the cut hugged her figure around the bust and flared out into a pleated skirt that, yes, was perfect for spinning.

“Think of it,” she said in an exaggerated accent. “My first royal garden party. Meeting the royal family. Sipping iced lemonade. Canoodling with Tristan in the hedge maze.”

“No canoodling,” I said. “Don’t make me look bad. Also, I don’t think there’s a hedge maze.”

“Bummer.”

My phone buzzed with a text from Alexander announcing that he was waiting outside. “Are you ready?”

Jo nodded, curls bouncing wildly. “I’ve never been readier for anything.”

I tried to soak up as much of her enthusiasm as possible. The party sounded exciting, but was full of potential landmines. It was my first public event as Alex’s girlfriend and the first time he announced the royal charity renewal, so there was a lot on the line.

A limo idled at the curb in front of my building. Jo squealed when she saw it.

“A limo! This is the best day ever!”

Alex jumped out and held the door open for us, looking dashing in his linen suit, his hair a perfect mess of curls. “Ladies,” he said. “You both look exceptionally beautiful.”

“Thank you, your royal highness,” said Jo, curtseying.

Alex laughed. I rolled my eyes.

We got into the limo and Alex followed, grabbing a bottle of champagne from the ice bucket and popping the cap.

“A little champers?” he asked.

We both happily accepted.

“Who’s all going to be at this shindig?” I asked.

“Oh, lots of people.” His tone indicated he wished there were a lot less people. “Celebrities, politicians, influential movers and shakers of all classes. And of course, the nobility.” He nodded toward Jo. “Your man’s people, of course. Teddy’s family, on the other hand, always regretfully decline.”

“My man’s people?” Her face whitened. “You mean, like Tristan’s people? Tristan’s parents?”

“Like Tristan’s parents exactly.”

Jo’s eyes grew as wide as plates. “Fuck.” Then, louder, “Fuck!”

“Jo? What the hell?” I asked.

She turned to me with a wild expression. “I’ve never met Tristan’s parents! I can’t meet Tristan’s parents! They’re going to hate me and think I’m lowly and classless and horrible! I’m a university dropout who cuts her own bangs and buys all her clothes at the thrift store!”

“Jo.” Alex placed a calming hand on her shoulder. “I’m not well acquainted with the Nobles but I’m sure they’re lovely people. They won’t mind—“

“This is a disaster!” she shrieked. “Take me home!”

I knew she had to be suffering pretty bad to cut off her cherished prince mid-sentence. It was time for a little tough love.

“Jo! Get it together!” I grabbed her by the cheeks and forced her to look at me. “There are going to be a bazillion people at this party. If you don’t want to see Tristan’s family, just steer clear of them. Okay?”

She nodded, breathing a little easier. “You’re right. Okay.”

I released her and downed my glass of champagne. With order restored, the rest of the ride flew by in relative silence. Jo seemed to have forgotten her distress by the time we reached the palace, as she plastered her face to the window with an expression of awe and tossed question after question Alexander’s way.

How big was the property? Had he explored all of it? Did the palace have any ghosts?

Finally, we reached the drop off point, and the driver came around and opened the door for us. Alex got out first and gave each of us a hand up in turn.

Warm sunlight flooded the sprawling lawn, causing the white tents to glow brilliantly. The air smelled of daisies and freshly cut grass, and flowers of every color decorated the tables and chairs dotted all over the lawn. Dozens of people milled in every corner, and the ones closest to us stopped and stared upon our arrival. I had no doubt they were whispering about the prince’s girlfriend, probably wondering who we’d brought with us. I tried not to let it get to me.

A tanned, dark-haired man about Alex’s age wandered over from the nearest group, smiling. Everyone else wore bright dresses and smart suits, but he’d opted for a pair of mandala-patterned parachute pants and a loosely tucked white tunic.

“And we meet at last,” he announced, sidling next to Alexander. He gave me a once over. “I see why Al’s been keeping you to himself. I could devour you whole.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Ladies, this is my best friend Teddy. Teddy, this is Tamara and her sister Joanne.”

I could see from the delight in Joanne’s eyes that Teddy had earned himself an admirer.

“Charmed, mes amies. Charmed.” He bent low with a flourish. “You’re a breath of fresh air from all the other todgers here.”

“Says the man in the parachute pants,” Alex quipped.

Teddy grinned. “A garden party requires summer attire, does it not?” He wiggled his hips. “These pants let all my bits breathe.”

“I regret mentioning it.”

Jo and I both laughed.

Teddy extended a hand toward my sister. “Little Callahan, can I get you a drink?”

She bounced off without so much as a backward glance.

“Not sure I approve of how well they’re getting along,” Alex said, watching the pair leave.

“Why not?”

“Teddy can be a bad influence.”

I poked Alex in the side. “Don’t tell me you’re getting protective of my little sister. I think my ovaries might explode.”

He crooked a brow and hit me with a crooked smile. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?” He rested a hand on my waist. “Come on, we’ve got the rounds to do.”

Despite my earlier misgivings, socializing with the garden party crowd wasn’t as torturous as I’d thought. Most of them were polite and kind, either commenting on my work or making connections with me another way. From Alex’s relaxed smile I surmised that the people he introduced me to first were his favorites. If there were going to be harpies, I suspected they would come later.

And then a dark cloud fell across my mood. Standing by a tent serving pink lemonade, Michael adjusted his garish yellow bow-tie and sneered at me.

Hadn’t Alex saying there would be celebrities here been enough warning that I should expect to see him? Apparently not. I inadvertently squeezed Alex’s arm in shock, drawing a look of concern.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

I cleared my throat and looked away from Michael, finding comfort in Alex’s grass-green eyes. “It’s my ex-boyfriend.”

Alex glanced over my shoulder and frowned. “Michael Redding?”

“That’s him.”

“I’ve never met him before but I hear he’s a twat.”

I laughed. “That’s a good way of putting it.”

Tristan blocked Michael from my field of view, concern written on his features. “Hey Tamara.” He smiled at Alexander. “Your royal highness.”

I would never get used to people addressing my boyfriend as royalty. It was surreal.

“Hey Tristan,” I said, affixing a smile. “How are you?”

“Good, good. I heard Jo is here but I haven’t seen her.”

Uh-oh. Should I tell him about her breakdown in the limo? That seemed like something that should stay between them.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen her since I got here. She went to grab a drink with Teddy.”

“Teddy?” Tristan asked.

Alexander stepped in before the boy went too green. “My flamboyantly gay best friend, Theodore Cartwright.”

Tristan relaxed. “Oh, I’ve heard of him. If you find her before me, can you tell her I’m looking for her?”

“Will do.” I patted him on the arm and he left.

“That was awkward,” Alex commented.

“Yeah.” My thoughts slipped back over to the pink lemonade tent and the walking travesty next to it. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t get any more awkward than that.”

We continued walking around and making conversation, and I could tell when we reached the people Alex would have preferred to avoid.

“Finally settling down, eh?” asked an MP with a greasy mustache.

A woman wearing the entirety of her jewelry collection cocked her lip in what I suppose was a smile and sniffed, “Your family do have a taste for American actresses, don’t they?”

I didn’t understand what that meant until Alex explained afterward that there had been a scandal decades ago involving an American actress and a prince, though our relationship was on a whole other level than their affair. I wanted to go sock the woman afterward but Alex led me to the bar with an amused tilt of his lip.

Despite the few nasties, most people were pleasant to talk to, and I almost felt comfortable around them. There were a few people I knew through work too, so I wasn’t completely outnumbered.

Alex left me for a few minutes just before the speeches began to finish preparing with his brother. I hadn’t seen Jo since I caught a glimpse of her and Teddy running toward the far copse of trees with a silver tea tray piled with mini sausage rolls, so I decided to look for her and see if she’d spoken to Tristan yet.

I didn’t even move three steps before Michael stepped into my path. “Got your sights set on becoming a real princess, I see.” His lips formed a grim line. “Now I understand why you rejected me.”

I didn’t take the bait. As calmly as possible, I turned and headed off in the opposite direction. Someone jogged up to me from the side and I readied myself to turn and berate Michael, but it was Tristan.

“I still haven’t found her,” he said. “Have you?”

“I’ve been busy doing the rounds with Alex. Sorry Tristan.”

He sighed. “Is she upset with me? This isn’t like her.”

“No, of course not.” I stopped and rested a hand on his arm. “She’s just caught up in the delights of the royal garden party. This is all new for her.”

He nodded, though he didn’t look like he believed me. Tristan left, and I cursed my sister. Wherever she was.

I caught a glimpse of Michael loping toward me out of the corner of my eye and made a speedy exit, sequestering myself behind a gigantic hedge in the shape of a bear on its hind legs.

“Ladies and gentlemen...If you could please make your way to the main stage, the royal family would like to welcome you to the Fourteenth Annual Royal Midsummer Garden Party.”

Everyone started spilling over the lawn toward the large stage just beyond the last tent, and I joined the current. I spotted Jo and Teddy and made my way over to them.

“Where the hell have you been,” I hissed, grabbing Jo’s elbow.

She snickered. “Teddy and I spent the last half hour trying to see how many daisies we can toss in the brim of Lady Hamilton’s hat without her noticing.”

Teddy leaned over. “So far we’re at sixteen.”

I rolled my eyes. “Tristan’s been looking for you. He’s worried that he’s done something to offend you.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “He’s fine. Shh, the speeches are starting.”

I glowered at her but she was right. We sat down just as the MC came onstage to introduce the king. When the man himself came out, the party erupted into polite but exuberant applause.

After the king welcomed everyone with a short but succinct speech, he welcomed Alex and Edward to the stage.

Alongside each other, the two brothers looked like they could accomplish anything. I saw Clarissa beaming from backstage, resting a hand on her barely visible baby bump, and felt a stab of jealousy. This was never the kind of life I pictured for myself, but something about the moment hit me over the head like a croquet mallet.

I shook it off and listened as Alexander and Edward announced the rebranding and relaunch of their mother’s charities, peeking around to gauge the reaction of the guests. Most people were smiling or nodding along. I figured many of them had positive memories of Noelle, which hopefully would work in Alex and Edward’s favor.

When they finished, the crowd applauded and a final speaker came onstage to make a toast to the royal family and thank them for their hospitality.

Before I could talk to Jo again, Alex found me and spun me off to introduce me to even more people. The duties of the royal family were never-ending.

* * *

The sun hovered low in the sky, casting the ground in orange light. I sat with my legs splayed in front of me, watching staff stack the chairs and dismantle the tents. Alex and his family were saying goodbye to the few remaining guests, but I was too exhausted to do anything other than sit and try to process all the faces I’d seen over the past few hours.

Jo caught my eye across the lawn and tromped toward me, a sour look on her face.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey.” She slumped down next to me on the grass and fell backward, lying with her arms straight and her eyes closed. “I screwed up.”

I glanced down at her. “What happened?”

“I saw Tristan. He was alone, so I tried to talk to him.” Her lips curled into a frown. “He didn’t want to talk to me.”

I lay down next to her, watching a bird circle in the air above our heads. I wondered what kind it was. I bet Alex would know.

“I shouldn’t have avoided him all day,” Jo continued. “I just completely freaked out, you know? Do you ever feel like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re in over your head with these royals.”

The breeze picked up the hem of my dress and it tickled my thighs. I took a breath. “All the time.”

Just because I felt like I was in over my head, didn’t mean I was, did it? Then why did I feel like I was drowning?