Page 66 of Royally Wed
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
“What just happened?” Eleanor gaped at the closed door.
Amelia’s breath lodged in her throat, as thick and hard as a stone. She couldn’t form words. She couldn’t take a breath. Asher had taken all the air out of the room with him.
“Um...” She cleared her throat.
Eleanor was looking at her now, with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. Her stance was steady as a rock allof a sudden. Asher’s unannounced visit seemed to have had an instant sobering effect on them both.
“Amelia, tell me what’s going on. Please. Whatever it is can’t be as bad as what’s going through my head right now.”
Keep calm and carry on. It wasn’t that bad.
Except it was. She’d seen the stunned hurt in Asher’s eyes. It had been unmistakable, for just a fraction of a second, before the flashof anger that followed it. Had Eleanor seen it, too?
Apparently she had.
Her chin trembled in a way that Amelia couldn’t bear to look at. “Who was that guy? And don’t say no one, becausethat’s clearly not the case.”
Amelia took a deep breath. She couldn’t keep standing there, mute. She had to say something to fix the mess she’d gotten herself into. “He’s the cello player from America—one ofthe musicians for the ceremony.” She couldn’t bring herself to say the wordwedding.
Still, it loomed over them like a dark cloud.
“You’re marrying my dad,” Eleanor said.“Tomorrow.”
As if Amelia could forget. “I am, yes.”
Her gaze flitted toward the door, and she realized she was tapping her foot. She knew she needed to stay put and make things right with Eleanor, but all she wanted to dowas go after Asher so she could explain.
“Then why is an American musician knocking on the door to your bedroom at nine o’clock at night? AhotAmerican musician?” Eleanor shook her head, as if she could rattle the memory of Asher’s hotness clear out of her mind.
It wouldn’t work. Amelia ought to know. She’d attempted that kind of voluntary amnesia herself on more than one occasion in recentdays.
“It’s not how it looks.” Amelia’s cheeks grew warm. Wasn’t that precisely what people said when things were exactly how they appeared? “He was a last-minute substitute for Yo-Yo Ma. Every hotel in London was booked solid, so he’s staying here. Right next door.”
“This is the person you mentioned before? The one who’s staying in the Blue Room?”
Amelia nodded and allowed herself to breathea tiny sigh of relief. She’d forgotten she’d already told Eleanor aboutAsher. She hadn’t tried to hide anything.
Keep telling yourself that.
She glanced at the door again.
Stop it.
“Is there any particular reason you failed to mention that Asher Reed is the musical equivalent of Ryan Gosling?” Eleanor’s lips compressed into a flat line.
Amelia didn’t have a reasonable explanation for sucha glaring omission. It was exactly the kind of thing they’d normally talk about. So why hadn’t they?
“I hadn’t noticed his looks.” Now she was really piling it on thick. There was no way Eleanor would buy that. “Okay, maybe I did, but it didn’t seem relevant at the time.”
“Is it relevant now?” Eleanor’s tone was growing more accusatory by the minute. “Is this why you were just asking me aboutmy dad and Willie? Are you looking for an excuse not to go through with the wedding?”
“Eleanor, no. I promise. That has nothing to do with Asher Reed.” She sighed.
Now was the time to mention the watch. She had no choice.
