Page 2 of Royal Darling
“Thank you,” I say absently. My modest long-sleeved pale rose dress with a delicate overlay of lace is beautiful. My wardrobe has always been modest and proper, favoring pastels, my shoulders and cleavage always covered, the hemlines ending at the knees. My wedding gown is a gorgeous but modest confection of silk, lace, and tulle. Even my wedding night lingerie is modest, a white full-length slip with a matching robe. My mind flashes to what, if anything, I might feel on my wedding night for my new husband. He hasn’t touched me, not even to hold my hand. He doesn’t know I’m not a virgin, that I once experienced passion. I will tell him the truth if he seems understanding of young reckless actions, but if his expectation is a virgin bride—a possibility in a traditional kingdom such as his—I have a lie at the ready. I always think quick on my feet.
I cross to the bedroom window and gaze at the sea, the familiar view soothing me. They cannot begin rehearsal without the bride, so if I take a few extra moments to compose myself, it will be fine.
“Will there be anything else, Your Highness?” Lina asks.
It’s on the tip of my tongue.Am I making a mistake?I turn from the view. “Nothing else, Lina. Thank you.”
She bows her head, does a quick curtsy, and leaves, the door quietly closing behind her.
I tell myself to move, one foot in front of the other. My body doesn’t cooperate, so I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. Someone knocks. Lina must’ve decided to ask if I’d like an escort to the palace chapel. I once imagined it would be my mother by my side.
“Come in, Lina.”
The door opens slowly, and my sister-in-law, Anna, with her wild mass of dark curls, pokes her head in. “Got a minute?”
I gesture her in, then do a quick head bow and a deep curtsy.
“Please, Emma, you don’t need to curtsy to me in the privacy of your room.”
I bite back a smile, mildly amused at the way she keeps forgetting she outranks me. She’s now the queen of Villroy, ever since she married Gabriel two months ago.
“You are my queen,” I remind her. She’s an American, who’s had to learn the royal protocol.
She steps close and lowers her voice. “Do you want to talk?”
“About what?”
She smiles gently, her brown eyes warm. “Emma, getting married is a big deal, especially when it’s an arranged marriage you agreed to sight unseen when you were only sixteen.” Since the age of sixteen, I have faltered only once from my chosen path, and the crushing heartbreak of that misstep made me come to my senses. Passion only goes so far.
I paste on a polite smile. “My parents had an arranged marriage that turned out beautifully. I’m sure it will be just the same for me. Abdul is everything I could want in a husband.”
“Do you love him?”
I steel my nerves. “I will learn to love him.”
She jabs a finger at me. “That is your mother talking.”
“That is me talking,” I snap. She doesn’t understand my mother or our bond. The two of them are like oil and water.
She sighs. “There’s a silver Renault Clio parked on the service road by the side of the chapel, the keys under the mat, in case you’d like to get away and think.”
I blink, surprised at her insight, knowing I might need a break from the pre-wedding preparations. Still, I can’t admit to my nerves. She’s so brash and outspoken, she’d want to…I don’t know what, but she’s capable of anything. The woman single-handedly came up with a brilliant plan to transform our dying fishing industry into a manufacturer of natural beauty products featuring fish oil, algae, sponges, sea salt and the like to be used and sold at a new day spa on Villroy. The success of the venture is uncertain since it’s still in the planning stages, but there’s no denying its potential. And the fundraiser to kick off those plans—all her idea—was a royal bachelor auction featuring my single brothers! Quite scandalous! I heard my brothers showed some skin, flashing pecs and abs. Lucas even caused a riot by preparing to unbuckle his belt. My brothers have been given freedoms I was not, and are not nearly so proper as me. Gabriel, the heir, being the exception. Is it no wonder I look up to him?
But with the rehearsal tonight, followed by dinner, and the wedding tomorrow, I don’t have time to get away and think. Besides, thinking will only lead to more nerves. I need to be stronger than that.
I lift my chin. “No need, but thank you. Now I must get to the rehearsal.”
“I’ll go with you.”
I stifle a sigh, knowing Anna won’t let the topic go. She’s used to speaking her mind, and Gabriel indulges her. She’s changed him. Gabriel isn’t as proper anymore. He’s relaxed about a lot of royal protocol; even his demeanor has changed. He smiles a lot, his posture less rigid. Between the change in Gabriel and my mother withdrawing from royal life and duties, I’ve been adrift. They were my role models. A small voice in my head whispers that my rigid adherence to royal protocol and tradition is no longer needed or appreciated. But who am I without the rules I’ve lived my life by?
I square my shoulders and straighten my spine, maintaining a composed pleasant expression as I walk down the hallway with Anna.
“Gabriel married me for love,” she says. “He turned down his arranged marriage.” She knows I’m partial to Gabriel.
I say nothing. This is not news.
She grabs me by the arm, startling me. No one ever grabs a princess. Her grip is tight, her voice urgent. “I wish you the kind of happiness I share with Gabriel. Please, Emma, if you have any doubts at all, even just a tiny little hint of a doubt, then we’ll postpone.” She whispers directly in my ear, “Or cancel. I’ll smooth it over, make amends where needed.”
