I hesitated, plane ticket in my hand, staring down the passenger boarding ramp of an airplane.It wasn't that I wasn't excited. It wasn't that nerves had finally gotten the best of me.It was that I wasn't sure this was real.The flight attendant at the gate smiled and scanned my ticket. She didn't call security on me or ask to see some identification. She didn't ask Freddie to show ID or to take a selfie. She just smiled and motioned us forward as if this were totally normal.As if getting on a plane with a prince was totally normal.Granted, Freddie was traveling under his alias, Fred Prescott. He wore dark sunglasses, a baseball cap, and an oversized sweatshirt that hid his identifiable features. I wore something similar, but mine was for comfort, not for disguise.Freddie squeezed my hand as we walked down the ramp and to the plane. We found our seats, which were more like private couches than seats. Not to mention the fact that our two seats were able to completely seal off from
No one was at the airport to greet us.Well, there was a chauffeur and a car, but none of Freddie's family or friends.We changed into nicer clothes in a private bathroom. I wore the suit I usually wore for job interviews- black dress slacks with a matching blazer and a conservative dark blue silk blouse. I'd managed to get two jobs wearing it, so I figured it was good luck.Freddie changed into a suit that had me feeling self conscious. His dark gray suit was impeccable. Mine suddenly felt a little threadbare. My slacks were slightly worn on the hems. The style was obviously dated. I fiddled nervously with a loose button on the cuff of my jacket I'd never noticed before.“You look great,” Freddie assured me, but I didn't believe him. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself more than me.I reached for his hand. He gave me one quick squeeze before pulling away.“We can't remember?” he said softly. “My mother has to accept you into the family before we can be seen togethe
“Hello, mum,” Freddie said, letting go of my hand and crossing the room. He kissed her cheek and she smiled at him. “Hello, Liam,” he said to the King.Liam stood from his chair and the two brothers shook hands.“I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Zoey,” Freddie said when they'd finished. I appreciated that he called me his girlfriend.Both the Queen Mother and King now looked directly at me. Freddie favored the Queen Mother in looks. They shared the same kind eyes, although hers were blue to Freddie's green. They had similar smiles, although Freddie had a much more masculine jaw that I assumed favored his father. Her graying blonde hair was pulled into a neat bun at the back of her head.King Liam was a slightly different version of Freddie. Where Freddie was all grins and bright eyes, Liam was stern and powerful. He was taller, paler, thinner, and much more serious than his youngest brother. They shared the same reddish light-brown almost blond hair, although King Liam had
Suddenly, I was very aware of how quiet the room was. And how I wasn't saying anything and neither was the Queen Mother. But I couldn't remember if I was allowed to say something first. All Freddie's lessons on proper etiquette all muddled and combined into blurry rules in my mind.“So, you're the girl that finally stole my baby's heart,” the Queen Mother said, handing me a cup of tea.I nearly dropped the delicate china. “I, um... I... uh...”She waved her hand and smiled. “Did you know you're the first girl he's brought home as a 'girlfriend'? The first girl he's ever actually wanted me to meet? The first girl he's ever asked to consider for the Stair Walk?”I shook my head no and her smile widened.“I believe he's absolutely smitten with you,” she said, taking a small sip of tea.“I'm smitten with him,” I blurted out. My cheeks flushed and I frantically took a sip of tea. It scalded my mouth, but I managed not to make a complete fool of myself by just swallowing the burning liquid
Everything was going wrong.My dress was wrinkled, my feet too swollen for my shoes, and to top it off, I was running late.I hadn't thought about the fact that my power cords for my phone wouldn't work in Paradisa since they used a different kind of plug, so my phone had died. My curling iron didn't work. I didn't have a hair dryer.The party was starting out in the garden and I wasn't anywhere near presentable, especially not to a queen and her friends.I was going to bring shame to the royal family and I hadn't even done anything yet. So much for helping Freddie's image.It didn't help that now I was crying, making my makeup run. I stood in front of the beautiful bathroom mirror and wished I was anywhere else. Why had I agreed to this party? I should have just waited until I was more ready to be in public.“It's fine,” Freddie assured me, putting his warm hands on my shoulders and smiling at me in the mirror. “Just take your time.”“But I want to be good!” I sobbed. “This is not t
It felt like everyone in the garden was whispering as I stepped out.This time, I was ready for the bright sunshine. I was ready for the beautiful trees and the careful lawns. I was ready for the photographer to flash a light at me.“There you are,” Freddie said, crossing the lawn to greet me. “Why did you disappear back inside?”“I needed a sweater,” I replied lamely.He frowned. “But it's so warm. Are you not feeling well? We can leave if you need.”I sighed. “Apparently, I'm not supposed to have bare shoulders.”Freddie's eyes went wide and his cheeks went red. It made the red in his hair stand out even more than usual.“I'm so sorry, Zoey,” he said softly. “I didn't even think... I didn't realize...The Duke had said to let you dress yourself...”I waved him off. “It's done,” I told him. “Now I know. And Mr. Irson is giving me a copy of the rules so I don't do it again.”Freddie sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I am sorry. It's my fault.”I shrugged. “It's okay. It's not th
“Well, that went better than expected,” Freddie said, wiping some dirt off his hands.His beautiful gray slacks were brown at the knees and a smudge of dirt lay swiped across the bridge of his nose.I raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously?”He leaned over and wiped some dirt off my cheek. “We made it, didn't we?”He motioned to the forest just past the small meadow we were currently walking through. I dusted my hands together, trying to get the mud off. I'd managed to keep most of the dirt from my dress, but I wasn't much cleaner than Freddie.Behind us, trapped in the cultivated gardens of the castle, music still played. A tug of guilt found my middle, but I pushed it away. I didn't want to be at the party. I didn't want everyone looking at me and whispering.I wanted to be out here.Instead of a proper moat, the castle had carefully manicured lawns. Freddie and I had crossed those easily. The neat grass was held close to the castle by a waist-high rock wall. We'd scrambled over it, g
“How do I look?” I asked Mr. Irson. “Better this time?”I wore the slacks and button-up silk blouse just like Sophie instructed. My hair was loose around my shoulders, but neatly curled. My makeup was light and sensible.Just like the fifty-page rule book said to be.Mr. Irson's eyes went up and down, evaluating every fiber of my clothing. I tried not to wiggle or fidget.“Perfect,” he said after a moment. “Just the shoes. You really don't have heels?”I crossed my arms. “No. No heels. I can't walk in them and I guarantee it would be a worse disaster than if I wore a bikini out on the tour.”Mr Irson's eyes went wide and he looked utterly horrified by the idea that I would even propose such a thing. “Then, the flats will do.”I grinned, feeling pleased. I was going to get this. I was going to follow all the rules the palace asked and I was going to do it well.“Thank you for helping me,” I told him. “I know it's not really your job, but I really do appreciate it.”“My job is to keep