Page 24 of Royal Charmer
I take a sip of tea, easing the tightness in my throat. “That would be a great add-on.”
Anna is quiet for a moment, her eyes shiny. Her loss was more recent. Mike was her foster dad, and she looked after him devotedly. She sips her tea and puts her cup down. “It’s an honor to them both.”
“Agreed,” I say.
She turns to Alice, changing the subject. “So, any ideas sparking for your story?”
Alice looks to the ceiling for a long moment before saying, “We’ve already met the hero with inky black hair and glittering blue eyes. And the heroine will have long golden tresses, lively green eyes, and a fair complexion with a hint of pale pink. Diana is his ward’s governess.”
Anna leans over and whispers to me, “She sounds British.”
“Shh, don’t interrupt,” I return. “She said she’s been stuck for a while.”
Anna speaks anyway, doing her own thing as usual. “Alice, don’t you think Lucas’s aquamarine eyes are stunning?”
Both women stare at me, and I try not to blink. And, yes, my eyes are stunning. Women comment on them all the time. I wait impatiently for Alice to agree, but she remains quietly staring.
Anna goes on, staring into my eyes. “We know William’s eyes are blue, but couldn’t they be aquamarine blue up close? I’ve always marveled at Gabriel’s eyes. It’s a family trait. They match the sea here.”
Alice slowly turns from my eyes and tells Anna, “They’re certainly striking, but I’m not writing a memoir. It needs to be an Alice Segal original based on my previous world and loosely drawn from our fake-engagement premise.”
Anna mouths, “British,” at me before saying out loud, “Okay, then. Better get started.”
Alice abruptly stands. “You’re right. Thank you for everything, Anna. I will totally dedicate this book to you.”
Anna grins. “Excellent.”
“What am I, chopped liver?” I ask in a mock aggrieved tone. “The fiancé doesn’t get a nod?”
Alice is already halfway to the door, muttering to herself. I take my leave of Anna, giving her a small bow before catching up with Alice.
“When do you need to turn in this Alice Segal original?” Anna calls just as we reach the door.
Alice halts, her shoulders drooping. She turns. “First draft in two weeks. The final manuscript in six weeks.”
Anna waves her hand in the air like she’s granting a wish. “Then I hereby grant you the use of the guest suite for the next six weeks free of charge.”
My gaze collides with Alice’s. The air is suddenly sucked out of the room as the first lick of panic hits me. I tear my gaze away.Six weeks.
That’s long enough to form an attachment.
I mean, not for me. I’ll be fine. I never get attached. Not since…it’s Alice I’m concerned about. She just went through a brutal breakup. I can already see the drama that would follow if she became attached to me, and I donotwant to go there. I need to be crystal clear that we’re playing a game. It’s the only way to keep things light.
“Thank you!” Alice exclaims to Anna, and then takes off, muttering, “Good thing I never got a cat.”
Cat? Maybe she means there’s no one to feed her imaginary cat back home if she stays here for six weeks. Her mind works in unusual, fascinating ways.
I slowly turn back to Anna, suspicious for the first time. Was this not a straightforward gesture to test my abilities in the business, but instead a matchmaking setup?
She gives me a sly smile. “Better hurry up and get an engagement ring.”
I open my mouth and then close it again. Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth or, in this case, an unconventional queen with mysterious ways of getting things done. I’m CFO. It’s a step in the right direction and that’s all that matters.
~ ~ ~
Alice
My mind is a whirl of governess and duke, Diana and William, in their early encounters. Her—deferential with a beauty hidden to most under her drab clothing and cap. Him—dashing, only occasionally aware of his governess as she cares for his ward, a seven-year-old girl some whisper is his bastard daughter, but is actually his deceased cousin’s child. He cares not what society thinks, but he’s nearing the age where he must secure an heir. And he’s finding the marriage mart of the London Season insufferable.
