A Royal Engagement: The Young Royals Book 1 (37 page)

I closed my eyes against the onslaught of sensation and swallowed hard.  The things this man did to me without even touching me.  I took a deep breath...bad move, my nose was now full of him, the smell of him overwhelming me.
 

"Meet me in the Rose Room," he said, "It's important."
 

I opened my eyes as he stepped away and noticed a change in the demeanour of the security personnel in the room.  It was subtle, but there was definitely a change and it was enough to put me on high alert.
 

There had been threats against the Queen, there were always threats, but in the lead up to the coronation, they had increased in both number and ferocity.  She had been kidnapped a few months earlier by someone that no one had suspected capable of such a crime and since then security had been overhauled and stepped up, although to most people it didn't look it.  Most people assumed that now the immediate threat had passed, security had returned to normal, when in fact it had just gone more covert.  There were extra security around the castle, they just weren't the visible type.
 

I turned to talk to Freddie, to ask what was going on, but he had moved away and was conferring with his sister, Meredith, on the other side of the room.  She was also part of the Queen's security detail, but her role had changed somewhat over the last few weeks, not unlike everything else.  She now served as The Queen's second assistant as well as being part of her security.
 

The two women had been together a long time and Meredith knew the Queen better than anyone else, so it was a good match, even if it did leave me feeling a little bit like the third wheel at times.  Not that they hadn't tried to make me feel welcome and included, both Meredith and Alyssa (Queen Alyssa) had fully embraced me into their clique, along with the four other women that made up the Queen's Ladies in Waiting.  But there was a special bond between Queen Alyssa and Meredith that couldn't be replicated.
 

Freddie chose that moment to make eye contact with me and he gave me one of his secret smiles.  One that had my pulse rate skyrocketing and my skin flushing.  And he knew it too.  His eyes widened as he catalogued my response and his grin got wider.

He was incorrigible.
 

Not that I would have him any other way.  I might not openly admit to being flattered by Freddie's attention, but I couldn't lie to myself.  Not that it mattered.  Freddie flirted with anyone in a skirt and the fact that I hadn't fallen at his feet like most other single women (and some married ones too) only seemed to egg him on.  He liked the chase, he liked the thrill of cornering me and getting me flustered.  I knew that as soon as I started to respond positively to any of his advances, he would lose interest.
 

So while outwardly it looked to everyone else that I really wasn't swayed by his charm, inwardly I relished every little bit of it.  It may never go anywhere, but it did make me feel good.
 
And if playing hard to get meant that I remained in his sights, well then, that wasn't such a bad thing.

Freddie winked at me and I turned away so he wouldn't see the smile on my face or the flush that crept into my cheeks.
 
Meredith had warned me that Freddie was an irrepressible flirt, but it was one of the things I really liked about him.
 
He'd charmed me from the moment we met and even though I knew I needed to keep myself from falling for him, it was flattering all the same.
 
Freddie was a good-looking guy and I liked spending time with him.

And he was a good distraction...and I needed that.
 
I needed something to keep me from thinking about the reasons I had come to Merveille in the first place.
 
The offer from the palace had come at a time when I had needed an escape and I had jumped at it.
 
Now I was waiting for the other shoe to drop because I knew there would be consequences for my actions.
 
It was just a matter of time before they caught up with me.