Page 24 of Rogue Royal
“You too. Thank you.”
He knew the guard would be watching him closer—they were never too careful when someone started acting strange—but Mav didn’t want to have to explain the reason for his behaviour. He could imagine the scenario. Grabbing his bag and jacket, he climbed out of the car, locked it and aimed for the main house. His hands felt clammy, but he continued until he entered his room and took a deep breath to settle himself.
“What the fuck am I doing?” His words were a whisper.
Ignoring the proposition for the moment, Mav strode to his desk, slid the jacket on the back of the chair and booted up the laptop. While it started, he unpacked his bag. Once he had his bottle of water by his side, he sat, bringing up the schedule. His eyes widened. Douglas had added Mav to the schedule…three hours before dinner. His heart raced, and he was tempted to cancel it, but since he’d come this far, he might as well continue.
He pushed the appointment to the back of his mind and concentrated on what was happening that day. Douglas had an appointment to visit a military school that morning and would stay for lunch. Mav had arranged for a photographer to be there to capture some photos to help mend Douglas’s tarnished reputation. He needed to meet with Douglas before he left to go through some things, but he didn’t want to.
Rolling his eyes at himself, he stood, grabbing the tablet, which was linked to the laptop, and strode for the door. He reached for the handle as a knock sounded, and he hesitated for a second, then opened it.
“You are here! Fantastic.” Douglas slid past Mav into his room, and Mav stared at him. He didn’t remember Douglas having visited him there before—except when he’d helped with his migraine—and it was disconcerting.
“Yes, Your Highness. How can I help?”
“I’m going to the Royal School of Military Engineering in an hour, but I wanted to check in with you if there was anything I needed to know that I didn’t already.”
Mav rolled his lips inwards, trying not to laugh at his words. How would he know what Douglas knew and what he didn’t? He cleared his throat. “I can certainly explain the basics of the school if that’s what you need?”
“Yes! I don’t want to go in and sound like an idiot. I checked out the website and the document I’d received, but I know this is a big deal. Why Father wants me to do this visit, I have no idea.” Douglas paced across Mav’s room, sliding his hand over his head and down his face several times. It was unusual to see Douglas so…apprehensive.
Mav inhaled and sat on the sofa. “Your Highness, please, have a seat.” He waited until Douglas sat opposite him. “I’m sure your father believes in your abilities. He’s giving you a chance to show what you’re capable of. I’ll go through what I can with you, but we only have an hour.”
“Brilliant. Give me the most important details.” Douglas leaned forward on his knees, staring at Mav with enough focus Mav shivered.
He brought his tablet up, pressing a few buttons and trying to regain his equilibrium before showing Douglas as much as he could. Partway through their conversation, Douglas moved to sit beside him, stating it was easier to see the tablet, but Mav wasn’t sure he believed him, as they were hardly using it. Ignoring their proximity, Mav continued until Douglas needed to leave.
The prince stood, and Mav followed suit, not wanting to be at too much of a disadvantage, height-wise. He smoothed a hand down the front of his clothes and glanced up, startled to find Douglas close.
Douglas clasped his hand. “Thank you. I appreciate you going through it with me. I don’t trust anyone else not to tell me incorrect information to make me look a fool.”
They stared at one another for a second longer than appropriate, then Douglas smiled and bid goodbye. Mav didn’t move as he exited the room and silence descended. What the hell?
Mav exhaled and slumped. What he wouldn’t give for coffee, but he’d have to make do with tea. For him, unless it was decaf, coffee gave him migraines, so he avoided it where possible. He’d never requested decaf while he’d been at Windsor and had chosen tea instead.
Once his beverage was ready, he sat at his laptop and dug into the reams of emails and correspondence he needed to catch up on. Also, he had to analyse how Douglas’s reputation was faring in the media and figure out how to do more to help him recover. It would mean spending most of the morning updating Douglas’s social media platforms and scheduling some more posts to go live at relevant times. When today’s photographer provided the images, he could add more posts, too.
Despite the long hours—and troublesome charges—Mav enjoyed his job. Researching and analysing performance and creating engaging activities were what he did best.
His phone rang, and Mav sighed when he saw who it was.
“Hello?”
“Mav, status update.”
His boss’s voice had Mav resting his forehead in his palm. “As per usual, I’m updating the analysis now. I will give the results to you in a couple of hours.”
“You should have updated them yesterday.”
Mav’s eyes flicked to the calendar, and he winced. “Yesterday was busy. They will be with you shortly.”
“Don’t take that tone with me, Maverick. You know the result of talking back to me. I’m sure your father would love to know what you’ve been up to. He’d be so disappointed.”
Mav gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw. “I understand. You will have the analysis shortly.” There was nothing else he could do except get it done as soon as possible. Bert was within his rights to demand the results because you should have submitted them yesterday. Mav had, unfortunately, forgotten the date. Otherwise, he would’ve returned the previous day.
“If they are not in my inbox within the hour…well, you know what will happen.” He hung up.
Mav dropped the phone on the desk. If only he’d minded his manners two years earlier.
