“Oh, and why is that?” She waggles her eyebrows at me.
“Stop it, Marnie. Not everything has to do with sex.”
“But with that man, it should.”
I stand, pulling her up with me. “Marnie, I love you, but time to go. I need to finish my lunch before the students come back.”
“Spoilsport.” She sticks her tongue out at me as she waltzes out the door. Is this what my life is going to come to? Every person I know asking about the prince? Dad has remained relatively quiet on that front. Probably because he knows how angry I was at first. It’s the twenty-first century. Arranged marriages aren’t common here. But now? The thought isn’t nearly as unsettling as it once was.
“I can’t believeI’m meeting the prince!” Marnie’s voice is a loud squeal in my ear.
“You have to calm down. He’s just a regular person.” The car is pulling up to the palace gates, and my nerves are starting to get the better of me. Marnie is one of the most important people in my life. What if she doesn’t like James? What if she only sees his past and not the person he’s becoming with me? Shite, I’m a lot deeper into this relationship than I thought.
“He’s going to rule the country, Zara. Of course I’m going to freak out.” We pull up outside his door in the courtyard and Marnie flies out the door, not even bothering to wait for the driver to open it. James is standing there, casual as ever in jeans and a dress shirt, laughing as Marnie curtsies to him. She’s going to ruin this for me before it ever gets started.
“I’m so sorry about her,” I whisper, taking James’s hand, who is now helping me out of the car. Ever the gentleman.
“Not the first time that’s happened.” He gives me a wink that has butterflies swarming my stomach. No wonder women fall at his feet. “Now, since this is Zara’s first time here, would you both like a tour?”
“Not necessary.”
“Absolutely.” Marnie and I answer at the same time, and I give her a hard look.
“What? This will be your home soon, might as well learn the ropes.” She winks at me as James takes my hand.
“She has a point, you know.”
“Okay, Prince Charming. Lead the way.” I sweep my hand in front of me, as James gives me a soft stare. Those butterflies in my stomach? They’re ready to take flight.
James gives us a tour of the main part of the apartment. Twenty rooms spread over several floors would be too much tonight. To be honest, it’s a little overwhelming the deeper into the apartment we get. He’s leading us around one of the upstairs rooms, but I can’t focus on it.
I’ve always loved the quiet of my little house, tucked away in a nice London neighbourhood. But seeing where James lives reiterates the fast-approaching future and what my life is going to be.
“Hey, Marnie, why don’t you wait for us in the living room. My friend Oliver should be here soon.”
“Fab.” She waggles her fingers in our direction, as James nods to one of his advisors who is close by and shows Marnie out of the hall we’re in.
“What’s on your mind, love?” James is leaning against the window, haloed by the setting sun over the palace gardens.
“This is all just a bit overwhelming.”
“What’s overwhelming? A twenty-room ‘apartment’ on palace grounds that will soon be your home before eventually moving into another palace? Being trailed everywhere by security, for every minute of every day?”
“When you put it like that…” I trail off. Ornate gilding lines the high ceilings. Velvet lines every wall here. Nothing about this place is simple. And soon, it’s going to be the everyday reality of my life.
A worried look washes over James’s face. It’s rare that he’s anything but happy, which is something I’m finding so hard to comprehend when faced with the press now on a daily basis.
“What are you worried about?” His warm hand envelops mine, pulling me between his legs.
My free hand plays with the buttons on his shirt. “I’m a schoolteacher, James. How am I supposed to come to terms with this life?”
James tilts my chin up to face him. His brow is furrowed as pain pools in his blue eyes. “It’s a learning process, love. No one expects you to know everything on day one.”
“But what if I call a foreign dignitary the wrong title? Or trip and flash everyone?”
“I called the King of Sweden the Prince of Sweden if it makes you feel better. And have you seen the paparazzi’s coverage of me?”
“Way to quell my worries by bringing up your dick hanging out for all the world to see.”
