Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“Adeline, correct?”
I nodded, still smiling like an idiot.
“Where do you live, Adeline?” He lifted his wine glass and took a sip, holding it with his hand turned up as if he was holding a chalet. Paired with that face and the filthy promises in his eyes, I could definitely see the appeal.
“London.”
“London.” He raised an eyebrow. “You came all this way for this dinner?”
“No. I mean, yes, but I’m staying nearby. My family owns a few villas in Marbella, so I’m technically not traveling too far today.”
“You’re a Bouchard.”
“Yes.”
“Louis Bouchard’s daughter?”
“Yes.” I licked my lips.
“Ah.” He grinned. “Your father has some interesting thoughts. I would love to hear yours.”
“Aramis.” It was a warning from Elias. He was looking at his brother as he leaned in and whispered something in his ear. I couldn’t make out what he said, but Aramis’s smile only grew wider and when he looked at me again, he chuckled.
“We’ll continue this conversation later, Adeline,” he said. “But rest assured, we will continue it.”
“I look forward to it.”
His smile stayed put. I had to look away and focus on my wine and not lift my gaze again. Nobody at this table felt safe. Thankfully, dinner was served—duck, quail, oysters, lobster. It was a meal fit for a king, literally. My eyes drifted toward the empty seat at the head of the table. I knew the king was too ill to attend public events, but dinner at his own house? Thomas and Joslyn caught up with London gossip as I sat between them and listened in. When she turned back to her food, he leaned in to speak into my ear.
“Did you know that the video disappeared?”
I turned my face to look him in the eye, which was a mistake. I hadn’t realized just how close his face was to mine. We bumped foreheads.
“Ouch.” I rubbed my forehead.
“Like we’re in grade school.” He chuckled under his breath.
“What do you mean disappeared?”
“Wiped. I asked a friend of mine at The Sun, you know, Darren, the only one who would take the video down from their website,” he said. I nodded. “Well, he said they were under strict gag orders. He couldn’t even tell me anything past the fact that everyone had been given a warning and took it down.”
“What kind of warning would be responsible for that miracle?” I asked, frowning. “I mean, we got lawyers involved and they weren’t able to do much.”
“Well, they did what they could, Addie. They did take it down from some places.”
“I guess.”
“To answer the question though, I don’t know. I mean, the only person I know with that kind of reach is . . . ” He stopped dead in his tracks as he spoke, and then looked at me like he’d suddenly found the answer to a riddle. “The king.”
Chapter 20
The king.
It was impossible, of course. How could the bedridden king make all of that go away? More importantly, why? My gaze traveled back to Elias, who was sipping his tea without a care in the world. His eyes lifted to mine. Of course. He had told me he would do this, after all, hadn’t he? I’d asked him not to meddle, and he did it anyway. I should’ve probably been more upset than I was, but it was hard when I felt such relief. The video had disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. It was gone and no one was allowed to talk about it. Wasn’t that the exact thing my father hated about the monarchy? Wasn’t that the kind of thing he fought against? He hated their power to silence the press, to take away freedom of speech. Personally, I didn’t agree with it either, but in this case it was definitely benefiting me. I was being a hypocrite. I knew I was, but I couldn’t help it. I just wasn’t sure how to deal with Elias. Should I thank him for it? Berate him for it? Leave it alone? He raised an eyebrow and I realized I was still staring. I blinked and looked away.
The queen stood and clinked her glass in a total movie moment move and the entire table quieted down and looked at her. She was smiling wide, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“As many of you know, we have a lot of things happening in our family, but I’m keeping this light and will be toasting to my son, Elias, who has chosen to marry Emily, the Princess of Austria. Cheers to them. May they have a blessed and happy marriage.” She raised her glass higher. Everyone in the room lifted theirs in a series of gasps and cheers. “Long live the Crown.”
“Long live the Crown,” everyone, including myself, repeated.
I set down my glass without taking a sip of champagne. It was bad luck, I was sure, but I couldn’t stomach it right now. It was something I should have been expecting, of course, but to hear it and have it celebrated was different from having Joss and Etienne and my mother tell me about it. Now, it was real. And when I finally chanced a glance in the prince’s direction and caught the Princess of Austria smiling and holding her hand up to show off her ring, it was definitely real. It took everything in me to stay rooted in my seat. It took everything in me to meet Elias’s eyes. He looked solemnly back at me, as if he too was heartbroken at the fact that he was engaged to another woman. Maybe he was. It didn’t matter though. Despite everything he said, he had an opportunity to put a stop to all of this and he continued to play the role of puppet and go along with his family’s wishes.