Page 54 of Her Royal Highness
“Interior design as revenge,” I muse. “I like it.”
Smiling, Flora closes the door, and we continue along the hall and down the stairs into the main foyer again. Sherbet isn’t there, but there is a man standing in a tweed suit, a cane in one hand, tapping impatiently on the marble floor.
“Uncle Henry!” Flora calls, and the man turns to look at her, his wrinkled face splitting into a grin as he spots her.
“Ah, there’s trouble,” he says affectionately, and Flora steps off the stairs to give him a hug.
Lord Henry is in his seventies, but moves and stands like a much younger man, his shoulders back, his hair thick and white. And when he looks at Flora, there’s a twinkle in hisblue eyes. “Wasn’t sure you’d make it,” he says, bending down to kiss her cheek, and Flora squeezes both his shoulders before pulling back.
“I wouldn’t miss one of your dinners for anything, Uncle Henry,” she says, then waves at me. “And I brought my roommate, Amelia.” She lowers her voice to a stage whisper. “She’s American.”
“Ah,” Lord Henry says, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “As are some of my grandchildren, so I have a lot of affection for your countrymen.”
“Lord Henry’s daughter, Maggie, married an investment banker from New York.”
“She did indeed,” Lord Henry confirms. “He’s terribly boring, but I won’t hold that against all Americans.”
With that, he winks at me, and I relax a little. So far, my first look into Flora’s World isn’t too scary. Sure, we’re in a castle, and yes, I’ve just met a lord, but he’s still just... a person. A nice person who likes Flora and is welcoming to random Americans in his house.
Then he asks Flora, “You haven’t seen Tamsin yet by any chance, have you?”
Flora’s smile dims a bit, and she straightens her shoulders, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “No,” she replies. “I actually didn’t know she’d be here. It’ll be nice to see her again, though.”
“Ellis wanted the house full of young people for the weekend,” he replies. “Says it keeps us young. In any case, if you see her, tell her my wife was looking for her, won’t you?”
Flora nods, her expression pleasant enough, but I can tell something is up as Lord Henry wishes us a good afternoon and heads up the stairs.
“Who’s Tamsin?” I ask once he’s out of sight, and Flora tosses her head, moving toward the front door.
“Lord Henry’s granddaughter,” she replies, and as two footmen open the heavy doors for us, I trudge after her onto the steps. “Not one of the American ones.”
“That wasn’t really what I was asking, and I feel like you know that?”
Turning to face me, Flora pulls her sunglasses over her eyes, giving me that appraising look she’s so good at.
“Playing Nancy Drew, Quint?”
“Just being nosy, actually,” I reply, and Flora’s cheeks dimple as she struggles against a smile.
“No one talks to me like you do,” she says, and I scoff.
“Honestly, Flora, I think that’s half your problem.”
Flora snorts at that, but when we move down the stairs, she reaches out and plucks a rose off a nearby bush, twisting it almost nervously.
“Tamsin is a girl I used to date,” she says finally. “Not that anyone really knew that. She’d been earmarked for Seb, but that was a no-go, obviously. But then,” she adds, pulling a few petals off the rose, “I suppose I was a no-go, too.”
She says it lightly, but I think there’s actual hurt behind the words, and I know how she feels.
So I step forward, almost laying a hand on her arm before I think better of it. Instead, I ask, “Flora, did she break whatever it is you have in place of a heart?”
Bursting into laughter, Flora swats at me with the mangled rose. “You’re the worst,” she says, but then she grabs my hand. “Come on, let’s go down to the beach.”
We spend most of the afternoon down there, just walking and talking. Not about anything all that serious, but still I’m kind of amazed at how easy it is just to... talk to Flora. Like a person. She actually listens, for one thing, and seems interested. Maybe that’s just a Royal Skill, being able to feign interest in anyone and anything, but it feels genuine.
We enjoy the beach so much that we’re nearly late getting back to the house, and then it’s a rush to get ready.
I take a bath, marveling at how big the tub is even if the hot water doesn’t last nearly long enough to fill up to the top, and when I get out, I discover someone has laid a black garment bag on my bed.
