I laughed, kicking off my slippers. “Every single word.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
SEBASTIAN
Several Months Later
For perhaps a week after we’d graduated, I’d witnessed a weight lift from Lily’s shoulders. She was relaxed in a way I hadn’t ever seen and seemed determined to enjoy the break from studying before her postgrad started in September.
Now, however, the tension was back. If you didn’t know her like I did, you might never notice it. But it rode her shoulders and tightened her lush mouth ever so slightly.
There was reason for it, though, as we were attending the first day of the Royal Ascot. For five days, Queen Anne officially opened the race meet, and Opening Day was one of the biggest deals in the royal calendar. Many royals attended, and it was the one event my mother and father put in an appearance. I think mostly because my mother loved horses, and my father loved the food.
Lily and I stood with my family in the royal enclosure, a coveted and exclusive area of the racecourse atrium. The Royal Box sat dead center of it. Queen Anne and her eldest son, PrinceAlexander, were currently seated in it, laughing together. My cousin Alexander had a rapier wit and was the only one who seemed to be able to make his mother laugh like that in public.
We were surrounded by aristocrats, world leaders, a sheikh or two, and celebrities. Lily spotted the reigning princess of pop and one of the most famous people on the planet drinking champagne with her famous actor boyfriend. I saw the surprise flash across my girlfriend’s face as her head whipped to mine.
My lips trembled with amusement as I watched her carefully blank her expression once she realized how obvious she’d been. I slipped my hand discreetly into hers and squeezed. “Are you all right, my love?”
“Aye,” she replied. “Just don’t leave me.”
“Never. Have I told you how beautiful you look?”
She gave me a grateful smile and squeezed my hand in return. Therewasa dress code and Juno had helped Lily pick an outfit. A little blue straw beret with a veil was pinned into a hairstyle that had taken Lily ages to do this morning. My girlfriend looked like a 1950s movie star in an ankle-length retro dress with a conservative neckline and short sleeves. The skirt poufed out because of the petticoat underneath it, and the tight bodice accentuated her tiny waist and curvy chest. It was supposed to be demure, yet I still wanted to rip it off her in a not-demure-like manner.
Her eyes flashed at whatever she saw on my face. “Stop looking at me like that,” she demanded through gritted teeth. I barely heard her over the noise of the loudspeaker and din of the crowd, but I understood her well enough.
I gave her a cocky smirk and sipped at the champagne from the flute I held in my free hand. I was already planning how to seduce her out of the dress tonight. I might even ask her to keep the hat on. And the shoes. Her shoes were distractingly sexy.
“We’re here, we’re here!” Juno’s loud voice had us both turning to find her and Leona coming down the busy steps of the atrium toward us. Thankfully for my sister, Granny didn’t give two hoots about sexuality. She was fine with Juno publicly being in a same-sex relationship. She just didn’t want her talking about it on a bloody podcast.
Okay, maybe I was still holding a grudge.
Lily hugged Juno and Leona, some of her tension easing at their appearance. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Terrified, are you?” Juno asked. “Yes, it is all rather intimidating until you remind yourself every single one of these people have to evacuate their bowels every day. They get diarrhea too. Isn’t that reassuring?”
Princess Olivia, wife of Prince Frederick, the son of my grandmother’s grandfather, turned to glower at Juno in distaste. She stomped her cane down hard before her aide helped her further downstairs.
We waited until she was out of earshot before bursting into laughter.
“Are you all causing trouble?” Mum popped up behind us with Pa in tow. They were dressed in their finest. The sight of Pa’s tie made me very aware of the one currently strangling my own throat. I hated a bloody tie. Not to mention the layers of clothing I was currently sweltering in because it was June. Whoever decided men’s attire for the Royal Enclosure should include a three-piece morning suit with a top hat in the summer was a sadist.
“Juno is being her charming self.”
“Princess Olivia looked like she’d swallowed?—”
“Her husband’s?—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Mum cut off my sister’s interjection.
Lily and I had to look away from each other or we’d dissolve into another round of raucous laughter.
I’d introduced my parents to my girlfriend after our final exams. Lily had returned to my childhood home with me for a long weekend. Not only did it give my parents a chance to get to know her, but I got to see for myself that my parents’ marriage really was back on track. Pa had stopped drinking too. Clearly scared by his dependency on it during his separation from Mum, Pa was sober. In solidarity, Mum had rid the house of every single drop of alcohol.
Being home, seeing them doing so well, gave me a chance to tell them about my change of career decision. Bolstered by interest from a prestigious art gallery in London, I’d decided to pursue my art career. I didn’t take up their offer to sell my artwork because they expected a whopping eighty percent commission, but it gave me the confidence to increase my prices exponentially. Unbelievably, my original pieces were selling for thousands of pounds.
I explained to my parents I was going to use some of my trust fund to buy a proper studio and my own gallery in Edinburgh. They were taken aback but seemed prepared to support me no matter what. Especially once I showed them the art. Mum got misty-eyed at the idea of me hiding my talent from her.
