CHAPTER 8
Archie
Betty arrived at thestables carrying two travel cups and wearing an expression that suggested her morning had been roughly as pleasant as mine.
"Croissant torture?"I guessed, accepting the latte she handed me.
"Croissant torture, followed by napkin-folding seminar, followed by a lecture on the proper way to acknowledge servants without actually speaking to them like human beings."She took a long drink from her own cup."I may have committed a small act of rebellion by thanking the footman who brought my water.Madame Delacroix looked like I'd set fire to the palace."
"The audacity of gratitude."
"Right?There's a special kind of nod you're supposed to use instead.Very slight, very controlled, like you're acknowledging the existence of furniture that happens to be breathing."She shook her head."I don't think I'm cut out for this whole princess thing, Peter."
My fake name still sounded wrong coming from her lips.Three days until the wedding, and I was running out of time to tell her the truth.Running out of excuses to keep lying.
"You're more cut out for it than you think," I said, taking a sip of the latte.It was just as good as yesterday's, maybe better.She'd added something different to the cinnamon, a hint of vanilla that made the whole thing taste like comfort."This is incredible, by the way."
"I tweaked the recipe.Added vanilla bean paste instead of extract."Her face lit up the way it always did when someone complimented her coffee."You really like it?"
"I really like it.I might have to marry you just to ensure a lifetime supply."
The words were out before I could stop them, and I watched her cheeks flush pink.
"Too bad I'm already spoken for," she said, but her voice was lighter than her words."Some prince I've never met gets first dibs."
"My loss is his gain."
She laughed, that bright, genuine sound that made my chest do complicated things."That doesn't make any sense."
"It does if you think about it."I set down my cup and moved toward Celeste's stall."He lost the chance to meet you as a normal person.But he gains a wife who makes the best coffee in Europe."
"I'm not sure 'good at coffee' is on the list of desirable princess qualities."
"It should be.Right after 'makes me laugh' and 'doesn't take any of my royal nonsense.'"
She followed me into the stable, helping me gather Celeste's tack with the easy familiarity of someone who'd done this enough times to remember where everything went.Three days of lessons and she was already moving through the routine like a natural.
My wife, I thought, watching her stroke Celeste's nose.In three days, she'll officially be my wife.
The thought should have filled me with guilt about the deception.Instead, it filled me with hope.
"Peter?"Betty was looking at me with curiosity."You went somewhere just now."
"Sorry.Just thinking about the training schedule."
"Liar."She said it without heat, almost fondly."You had this look on your face like you were solving world peace or planning a heist."
"Maybe I was planning a heist.Stealing the princess away from her fancy palace life."
"Tempting offer.Where would we go?"
"Somewhere with horses and good coffee and absolutely no lessons."
"Paradise," she said, grinning."Sign me up."
We saddled Celeste together, our hands brushing occasionally as we worked.Each accidental touch sent electricity racing through my nervous system in ways that were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
"Ready to work on your canter transitions?"I asked once Betty was mounted.
