“Your Royal Highness.” The man bowed his head. “Thank you for coming today. We’re honored by your visit.”
“Oh, thankyoufor inviting us.” Nicky shook his hand. “May I present Kyra, my fiancée? Kyra, this is Mr. Anthony Nickles, the coordinator of the center.”
Mr. Nickles offered me his hand, smiling widely. “The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Duncan. Felicitations on your coming nuptials.” He paused. “That’s the correct thing to say, isn’t it? I studied up on it, as my wife was positive I’d get it totally wrong.”
I laughed. “Oh, it seems you and I were both cramming to be ready for today, weren’t we, Mr. Nickles? Well, I’ll tell you what: I won’t point out your mistakes if you don’t judge me on mine. Is that a deal?”
The gentleman chuckled. “Absolutely, Ms. Duncan. You are just as charming as I expected.” He spread out one arm, ushering us further into the room. “And now, if you’ll come right this way ...”
“That was well done,” Nicky murmured at my ear. “You’re doing perfectly.”
Relief and pleasure coursed through me at his praise. Maybe this royal thing wasn’t going to be so hard after all.
Two days later, still flushed from the success of our visit to Brixton, Nicky and I joined his sister and her husband for a benefit performance of the balletGiselleat Royal Albert Hall. I was excited about this outing; I was wearing a long black gown of satin and tulle, with a simple V-neckline. Three thin straps ran over each of my shoulders and then joined together to form an intricate design on my back. The skirt was formed by multi-leveled tiers of satin-edge tulle that danced around me.
I felt glamorous, like a celebrity on the red carpet.
“You look amazing, Kyra, really.” Alexandra leaned forward to offer an encouraging smile as the car sped through the dark night. “And this sort of thing is actually much easier than an engagement during the day—you needn’t say much of anything, just smile and nod and have a good time.”
“That’s true,” put in her husband, Jake, an irreverent man whom I’d come to like a great deal since I’d gotten to know him. “But do pay attention to what people are saying before you nod. Once, right after Alex and I were engaged, I found myself stuck in conversation with an elderly gentleman at the theatre. My mind drifted, but I kept nodding, and I only came aware when I saw Alex’s face go red. Turned out the old gent had segued from horses into, er, his struggles with erectile dysfunction. He’d asked if I knew much about it, and apparently, I’d nodded vigorously and said, ‘Oh, quite so. Very much.’”
I fell against Nicky, shaking with laughter. “Oh, Alex, what did you do?”
She grinned and shrugged. “He got himself into the mess, so I let him flounder a bit before I extricated us both. And I never let him forget it, either.”
“That’s true.” Jake dipped his head to kiss his wife’s long, elegant neck, exposed by the plunging neckline of her silver gown. “But on the plus side, whenever Alex brings it up, I’m compelled to prove my manhood to her. And that’s a good time for everyone.”
Alex rolled her eyes. “You’re a scamp, as my great-grandmother used to say.” She smirked. “Actually, I think she used to say it about Nicky.”
“I might be a scamp, but you know you love it.” Jake tipped Alex’s chin up and planted a firm kiss on her lips. “And you love me.”
“I think when Gan Gan called me that, it was a term of affection, not of disapproval,” Nicky added. “She adored me. She thought I was a lovable scamp.”
“Hmmm.” Alex’s tone evinced skepticism. “Well, at any rate, Kyra, my point was that tonight you should be able to relax and enjoy the ballet.”
“There’ll be some representatives from the charity sponsoring the benefit whom we’ll have to meet as we go in, but beyond that, it’s just sitting in a box, watching the show.” Nicky ran a finger down my arm over the skin exposed beyond my black wrap, making me shiver.
“And the charity—Service Support—it’s an organization that works with military families, right?” I’d done my homework, not wanting to embarrass my soon-to-be sister-in-law.
“Yes.” She paused. “Specifically, tonight’s benefit is raising money for AfterCare, the branch that offers help to families after a loved one has been lost. It’s the grief support network, which includes counseling, fundraising and guidance going on ... after.”
I nodded, and the car was quiet for a few moments. I didn’t know all of the details, but years ago, when Nicky and I were both teenagers, Alex had been engaged to another man, Grayson, Viscount Elmore, someone whom she’d known since they were children. Nicky had told me that they’d been deeply in love and happily anticipating their wedding until one night, driving back to London from a weekend house party, they’d been run off the road by a man who’d stalked Alexandra for months. Grayson had been killed instantly in the crash, and Alex had been in grave danger, held at gunpoint by their attacker. If it hadn’t been for the quick and heroic action of Alexandra’s policeman, she might have died, too.
Nicky alluded now and then to the years during which his sister had struggled to overcome the devastating grief at her loss. Listening to her tonight, I couldn’t help wondering if it was her own experience that had attracted her to this particular charity.
The car drew up in front of Royal Albert Hall. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach; I wanted to lean forward and crane my neck to see the famous venue, but if I did, that would probably end up being captured on film. I could just see the headlines now:
Hick American Looks in Wonder at British Landmark
Stifling a sigh, I waited by turn as first Jake and then Alex exited the car. Nicky went next and turned to offer me his hand.
Climbing out of a limo like this was considerably easier than getting out of the backseat of a smaller sedan, but even so, tonight I had to worry about the voluminous layers of my skirt. I was glad I’d practiced at home; otherwise, I might have ended up flat on my face in front of the photographers.
I tucked my small black clutch under one arm, gathered the material of my dress in both hands and eased out, bending slightly until I cleared the car’s roof. Nicky caught my arm to steady me, and I released the dress, smoothing it down before I allowed Nicky to take my hand in his.
The flashbulbs went off, their effect intensified by the darkness. I smiled and looked beyond them to avoid the glare, keeping my fingers tight around Nicky’s. He stepped a bit in front of me, shielding me from the worst of the press, until Alex leaned toward him and murmured something.
Nicky glanced back me with a small smile and slid his arm around my waist. “Alex says I need to let you shine and stop trying to protect you.”
