Page 19 of The Unlikely Heir
“Holy shit, Callum. I can’t believe this is happening to you,” Cliff says.
“Yeah, me neither,” I say.
Cliff shakes his head. “I mean, you told me at that party how your dad was a prince, and you were in line to the throne, but I thought it was just a strange Callum fantasy.” Cliff’s drawling voice normally has a mocking edge, but today it’s just straight-up astonished.
I shift uncomfortably. I’d told Cliff I was in the succession line to the throne at a New Year’s Eve party when I’d had a few too many Sunset Strip cocktails.
Scott had been off with his girlfriend, Natasha, and I’d seen Cliff’s gaze surveying the party like he was evaluating who would be better entertainment than me.
I’d met Scott and Cliff during my freshman year of college, but Cliff has always been more Scott’s friend than mine. I don’t know what it is about him, but I’ve always had this deep urge to impress him. It became even more desperate that night when I thought he was about to ditch me at a party where I didn’t know anyone else. Cliff is extremely good-looking, with auburn hair and large gray eyes, but unlike me, he has the smoothness and charm to match his good looks.
So, I’d blurted out. “Did I ever tell you I’m eleventh in line to the British throne?”
And that had kept his attention on me for the next hour as I talked through my memories of visiting my father in Britain.
“You didn’t actually believe me?” I say now. “But you asked all those questions about my family.”
“I just thought it was amusing to see how far you’d take your delusion.”
Scott snorts. “I’d say he’s taking it quite far now. So, how is everything going over there, anyway?”
“It’s going okay, I guess.” I take a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “It’s still just completely surreal. I wake up every morning, and there’s this moment when I’m like, ‘How on earth did this happen?’”
“It happened because your relatives decided to sell their influence to the highest bidder,” Cliff helpfully supplies.
“Trust me. I know that,” I say.
“I guess the bonus is you’ll get to know your dad’s family better, right?” Scott asks softly. Scott was the main person I turned to for support when my mother died when I was a junior in college.
“Yes, that’s definitely a bonus,” I say, my chest growing tight. I’ve been feeling my mom’s loss more acutely over the last week. There have been many times in the last few years when I’ve wished she was still alive, but never more than now when I could really use her guidance.
“Have you seen your brother or sister yet?” Scott asks.
I scrub my hand through my hair. “Yeah, I saw them yesterday.”
“And they’re supportive of you?” Scott says.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s a shock to the system for them too. But at least they’re English. For me, it’s like I’ve been transported to this alien land where everyone knows the culture and I’m desperately trying to learn it,” I continue.
“I guess the British are pretty alien when you think about it,” Cliff says.
“I’ve got my first charity gig today. And the whole world will be watching.” Nausea rises in my stomach as I say the words, and my few sips of coffee threaten to reappear.
“Just relax and be yourself,” Scott says.
“But maybe not too much,” Cliff adds.
* * *
My first public engagement as Prince of Wales has been a matter of fierce debate among palace staff. I doubt even the UN argues about the solution for climate change with the same intensity.
Unfortunately, the sudden withdrawal of all the senior members of the royal family has left a lot of charities without their patrons. My grandmother is trying her best to plug the gaps, but the laws of physics make it impossible for one person to be in two places at once.
Which is why they need me to step up as soon as possible.
The palace staff decided eventually that the best option was a low-key event, which is why I’m currently heading to the Sooty Bottom Wildlife Reserve in Kent.
“You don’t have to give a speech, they’re just going to give you a tour of the center, and then you’ll have afternoon tea,” Raymond briefs me as we drive through the Kent countryside.
