A Royal Engagement: The Young Royals Book 1 (35 page)

The days fell into a predictable rhythm.
 
My mother eventually made an appearance, but she was cold and almost indifferent towards me.
 
She was disappointed in me, but I couldn't allow her disapproval to sway me from my destiny.
 
I would never have wished for this in a million years, but it was the hand I had been dealt and I needed to make the most of it.

Throughout it all, Will supported me.
 
We didn't get to spend a lot of time together, but when we did it was the highlight of my day.
 
It was good to have someone to bounce ideas off, someone who didn't have a stake in the government.
 
He was always honest with me, calling me out when I was being a coward and backing me up when I needed to step out of my comfort zone.
 
He helped to refine the ideas I had, stripping away the extraneous fluff and getting down to the nitty gritty which in turn helped me articulate it to the rest of my team.

As the day of my coronation approached, I knew that if I wanted Will as a permanent fixture in my life, I would need to make the first overtures.
 
I didn't know how it could work with his business and his title, but I wanted to know that it could work.
 
I wanted him to be alongside me, helping me, working with me.
 
I wanted to know that at the end of a long hard day, I would be going home to him.
 
I wanted to go to sleep with his warmth and sandalwood scent surrounding me and I wanted to wake up in his arms.

We'd had a rocky start, but his quiet manner and steadfast strength had grounded me and restored my feelings of safety.
 
His kisses heated my blood and his intelligence and dry wit entertained me.
 
I had fallen in love with him and I wanted him to know.
 
I wanted to know if he loved me too.

It was a rare free afternoon and I had coerced Will into joining me for a horseback ride and a picnic lunch.
 
I had picnicked with Jordan so many times and I wanted to replace those memories with new ones, so I packed the saddlebags with food that Chef had prepared for me and refused to take no for an answer from Will.

I rode Monty, he had become mine now and we had bonded over stolen gallops across the fields whenever I could extricate myself from my staff and the increasing demands of my life.
 
Will rode his own horse, a big black brute called Gibraltar.

Jamie and Carlos followed in an ATV at a respectable distance.
 
Since Jordan had been caught and sentenced, the increased security on my person had been scaled back.
 
I only needed one person to accompany me through the palace and two when I was outside on the grounds.

Jordan's trial had been swift and he'd been tried with manslaughter (for my father's death), murder (for my brother's), kidnapping and attempted murder (for me) and various assault, bribery and corruption charges.
 
The prosecutors had tried to have him charged with treason, but his defence team had argued that he thought what he was doing was for the best of the country, not the detriment.
 
It was a lie, he had done it for his own selfish reasons, none of which had anything to do with Merveille, so the prosecutors let the matter drop.

He was being held in a high security prison and undergoing psychiatric assessment.
 
I didn't have any concerns that he would be released any time soon and was content with the sentence that had been handed down.
 
It didn't bring my father or brother back, but it did give me closure.

"You're quiet today," Will observed as we plodded along the bridle path.
 
It was autumn, my favourite time of year and the weather was just beginning to turn cool.
 
The sky was clear and blue and the breeze crisp, it was the perfect day.

"I'm contemplative," I replied with a grin.

"And what are you contemplating?" he asked, bringing Gibraltar to a stop and sliding from his back.

He took Monty's reins from me as I dismounted and hobbled the horses, allowing them to graze on what was left of the summer grass.

We unpacked the saddle bags, spreading a large blanket on the ground and then filling it with various containers from Chef's kitchen.
 
I sat down and he joined me, sitting beside me so that we could hold hands.

"I'm contemplating the future," I said to him.

He studied my face, lifting a finger to brush a stray strand of hair out of my eyes.

"I hope you are contemplating me in your future," he spoke softly, tenderly.

"I am," I replied, "I just..."
 
I let the sentence fade.
 
How do you ask someone to walk away from their business and estate to be with you?
 
Will had worked so long and hard to build up Pemberton Cheese and I was contemplating asking him to walk away from it.

"What is it Lys?" he asked, his face sombre, "Have I done something?"

"Oh, no, no," I assured him.
 
I took a breath and took the plunge.
 
"I'm in love with you Will," I said, "And I want you in my life, but..."

"But?"

"But what about Pemberton Cheese and your estate and Georgina?
 
I want to marry you, I want you to help me rule Merveille, but how can I ask you to give up your life for me?"

He kissed me, his soft lips sliding across mine and I let my eyes flutter shut as I basked in his attention.
 
He stroked his tongue across my bottom lip and I opened for him, allowing him in.
 
His hand cupped the back of my head and my own hands came up to grip the front of his shirt.
 
He deepened the kiss, plundering my mouth and causing a riot of sensations to cascade through me.
 
I could kiss Will for hours.

"Yes," he said when he lifted his head.

"Yes?"

"I will marry you," he said with a smile.
 
"Georgina is my heir, so the estate will go to her.
 
The crown already has a substantial stake in Pemberton Cheese, so I'm not losing anything by signing my shares over to Georgie.
 
I want to be with you Alyssabeth St Benét, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No amount of smelly cheese can come between us."

I tackled him then, launching myself against his chest causing him to fall backward and allowing me to land on top of him and I kissed him soundly as his arms tightened around me.
 
His firm body beneath me felt good and I couldn't wait to delight in the pleasures of it.
 
I had the rest of my life to enjoy them.
 

Epilogue

Alexandra

I closed my eyes and inhaled the spicy smell of the aftershave that had been haunting my dreams.
 
Frederic Bingham, Earl of Avonlea had been invading my dreams and private thoughts for months now and whenever I smelled that scent, it had my heart racing and my skin prickling.

In the lead up to Alyssa's coronation, the Earl had been spending more time in the palace.
 
He was one of her most vocal supporters and she had added him to her advisory team.
 
That meant that I had to spend a lot of time with him and his lazy, blue eyed gaze had been driving me to distraction. As were the little incidental touches that were too frequent to be accidental but not obvious enough to be more than a tease.

But I couldn't afford any distractions today, especially not of the handsome, blue eyed variety.
 
It was coronation day and Merveille was about to crown their first ever female Head of State.
 
Everything had to be perfect and it was my job to ensure it was.

"Alex."
 
His voice flowed over me like a caress and I steeled myself against the reaction it set off in me.
 
I closed my eyes briefly, taking a deep breath and then turned to face him.

"Lord Bingham," I said, letting my eyes fall respectfully down.

"Come now, Alex," he said, "I think you can call me Freddie by now, in fact I believe you have been calling me Freddie already."
 
His eyes sparkled with mischief and the lopsided tilt of his lips caused a full body tremor to go through me.

"Not today, Lord Bingham," I said, trying to keep her voice cool and professional, "Today your are the Earl of Avonlea and I am the Queen's assistant."

He took a step closer to me, invading my personal space with his heat and his spicy aftershave.
 

"Oh, my dear Lady Alexandra," he murmured, his voice husky, "You are so much more than just the Queen's assistant."

How could he flirt with me on today of all days?
 
I had been warned by his sister, Meredith, that he was an incurable flirt and for some unexplained reason, I had become his
objet d'affection.
 
I didn't know what I had done to deserve the honour and I wasn't exactly disappointed with the attention, but it made doing my job really hard, especially when he took liberties like now.
 
We were hours away from one of the most important events of our small country and he was flirting with me.

I took a step back, breathing in the air untainted by his scent and tried to clear my head.

"Not today," I reiterated, "Today I am nothing more than the Queen's assistant and I am running late."

I sketched him a polite curtsey and continued on my way down the hall towards the Queen's wing all the while trying to rid my traitorous mind of thoughts of the Earl of Avonlea.
 
A feat easier said than done.

Frederic

I watched the very well put together Lady Alexandra Fornette walk away and smiled.
 
I loved getting her riled up, I loved flustering her.
 
The way her cheeks pinked adorably when she caught me staring at her and the little intakes of breath when I brushed past her, making sure our bodies made contact were my obsession.
 
Hell, she was my obsession.

I hadn't looked forward to returning to Merveille to take up the family seat in preparation for my father's retirement.
 
I'd had a life and a lucrative career out in the real world which I'd had to give up to return to the fold and, to tell the truth, I'd been a little annoyed.
 
But discovering Alex had taken the sting out of my return.

I had no intention of settling down anytime soon, but having a pleasant little interlude with Lady Alexandra was tempting.
 
So far she had shown herself to be far too well-bred to fall into my arms, but I had plans to soften her up.
 
Each time I saw her, I made sure to leave her a little off kilter and my plan seemed to be working.
 
Besides, it was fun to watch her squirm.

One of these days I was going to corner her and taste those very tempting lips or maybe thread my fingers through her very carefully constructed chignon.
 
She was always so well put together, my fingers itched to mess her up a little.
 
I could only imagine how she would feel pressed up against me, all her soft, delicate curves moulding around my body.

But that day was not today.
 
She was right to be on her best behaviour today.
 
The coronation of the first female Head of State in the history of Merveille was not something to be sneezed at and I had duties to attend to.
 
I whistled as I continued on my way towards the Queen's rooms, smiling to myself.
 
Alex would be there and I would get another chance to ruffle her feathers.

She really had become a bit of an addiction for me and I looked forward to the moment I could savour her.

"Lord Bingham?"

I turned to see who was addressing me.
 
It was one of the Queen's household staff and they looked a bit out of sorts.

"Yes, what is it?"
 
I asked haughtily.

"Um, there is a man here," the attendant said, "Demanding to see Lady Alexandra."

"Does he want an audience with the Queen?" I asked, puzzled.

"Ah, no," he said, "I don't think it has anything to do with the Queen," he replied, "The man is an American and he claims to be Lady Alexandra's fiance."
 
He said this last in a whisper, covering his mouth so that no one would overhear.

"Alex is engaged?" I blurted out and then shook my head.
 
"Best take me to him.
 
We can't afford any scandals today of all days."

I followed the attendant, all the while my head was spinning.
 
Alex had never once mentioned being engaged, what the hell was going on?

The End