Page 64 of Royal Player
My father’s hands shake visibly, and he crosses his arms to contain them. One of his legs moves restlessly, which is a new symptom from the Parkinson’s. Time is of the essence. He doesn’t want to appear in public, and that is where the leader of Beaumont must be.
“Peter and I have come to an understanding,” I say.
My mother claps, her face lighting up. “I knew it!”
I go on. “He will walk away from the proposed marriage to me. He’s agreed not to claim your resort because I’m paying off the loan. As soon as he receives his insurance money from his destroyed resorts, he plans to retire to the Caymans.”
My parents both stare at me, confusion written all over their faces.
“How will you pay off the debt?” my father asks.
“Retire to the Caymans?” my mother echoes. “I thought you both wanted the match.”
“A friend is helping me with the debt. And, no, I don’t want the match. He was blackmailing me into the marriage, threatening to expose your forfeited loan, inciting people against you. He hoped to topple the monarchy.”
“That’s treason!” my father roars. “He will be banished at once.”
I go very still. I hadn’t considered what Peter threatened to be a treasonous act. All I’d thought about was protecting my family. I should’ve told my parents from the beginning. There was still the issue of the forfeited loan, but it would’ve saved me a lot of angst to know Peter could be banished.
My father stands with some effort, bellows for the servant who’s probably standing just on the other side of the door, and when the servant appears, my father barks out his orders to set things in motion.
Once my father is settled again, my mother says to me, “Why didn’t you tell us about Peter?”
“If I told you, you would’ve forbidden the marriage and he would’ve carried through with his threats. I wanted to handle him myself. I see now that I should’ve been more open.”
“And who is this friend helping with the debt?” she asks.
“Oscar Rourke. He’s a prince of Villroy and will be an asset to us. He’s more than a friend, actually. I love him and want to marry him.”
“Villroy’s economy is shaky,” my father says dismissively. “We need a more favorable alliance, especially now with the aftermath of this devastating storm.”
“Oscar sold his only asset to pay your debt,” I say through my teeth. “And he brings something even better than a wealthy alliance. He loves me, and I love him.”
My mother sighs and exchanges a look with my father. She turns back to me. “Marge said he was in love with you. We knew you would be sentimental about it.”
“There is no room for sentiment in the monarchy,” my father pronounces.
“In your monarchy that may be true,” I say. “Not in mine.”
My mother laughs. “Polly, you speak in riddles. They are one and the same.”
“I want you to give Oscar a chance,” I say. “You’ll see that his support of me will only make me a stronger queen. He’s protective and cares deeply for my well-being.”
“A guard could do the same,” my father snaps. “You do not get to choose your husband for sentimental reasons. He will be king, the head of our country, and that is not a personal choice. It is a choice of the monarchy.”
I give myself a moment to collect my thoughts, trying to find a way to speak to my parents that will get through to them. I sip my tea, buying time, as they both stare at me impatiently. They want me to get back to the regularly scheduled programming—the traditional rules of Beaumont. Turns out I’m still an impossible rule breaker.
Finally, I say, “In the past two days, I’ve been instrumental in organizing relief efforts. And before I arrived, I used every connection I had, along with the connections of Villroy’s kingdom, to send funds and humanitarian aid to Beaumont.”
“And we are grateful for that,” my mother says. “We were in a communications blackout and unable to do much at first.”
I give her a small smile. “Yes, I know. I took the lead, as I will continue to do.Iam what Beaumont needs now and in the future.”
“You’ve always been important to Beaumont,” my mother says.
“You are the sole heir,” my father says. “Your place was never a question, but you must marry well to take leadership. That hasn’t changed.”
I grind my teeth. “Marrying Oscar is marrying well.”
