Amanda
See you soon!
My mouth drops open.Standing outside my doorway with his arms crossed, scowling, is the last person I expected to find. “Arthur?” I sputter. “What are you doing here?”
“My job,” he huffs.
I resist the urge to face-palm. I wasn’t exactly looking for a literal answer. “I was expecting Bruce, that’s all.”
“He’s unavailable.” Arthur’s tone is curt.
“Oh, okay.” I close the entry door, and we start down the hall to the lift.
His strides are quick. I’m forced to walk faster than normal to keep up with him. He’s dressed in the same black suit, white dress shirt, and blue-and-red-striped tie as yesterday.
“The Duchess of Leeds and Amanda Collins will be joining us. I’m not sure which car their driver will be in, but you may have to ride in one of the trailing cars with their security teams.”
“I’m aware.”
We step into the lift. The whirl of the machinery fills the awkward silence.
“I hadn’t realized you and Angela were starting straightaway.”
“It’s our first day,” he says flatly as he checks his mobile.
“Uh-huh. So, you’ll be rotating with Angela and shadowing Bruce?”
“Yes.”
“Except for tonight?
“Yes.”
Why does he have to make conversations so difficult? It’s so frustrating. Is he not used to speaking with other people? Maybe he thinks I’m just a silly princess. This is going to be a very,verylong night. At least I’ll have Clara and Amanda to distract me.
The lift door opens. He shoves the phone into his trouser pocket and power walks ahead of me. I shake my head and follow him to the front drive, where a black Range Rover has just pulled up.
Before the driver can open the back door, it flies open, and Amanda spills out. “Alice! You look smoking hot!” She wolf whistles.
Her energy and excitement help me forget Arthur. I give her my full attention. “It’s the best I could do.” I slowly spin in a circle. I’ve picked out a light-blue long-sleeved V-neck dress that ends just above my knees. I’ve paired it with my favorite knee-high black boots and a black belt. My hair is styled in a half-up, half-down look, my default. It’s semi-casual, so I hope this will work for wherever our destination is for tonight.
“I love it.” Pulling out her mobile, she snaps a photo of me. Then Amanda’s gaze travels to Arthur. His stoic mask is firmly in place. She plasters a Cheshire cat grin on her face and waves. “Hi, I haven’t seen you before. I’m Amanda, Collins, or AC. Nice to meet ya.”
“Ma’am.” He nods.
“And I’m Clara.” My cousin’s wife, a petite woman with dark-brown hair, waves from inside the car. “Excuse me for not getting out.” She points to a walking boot on her foot. “My plantar fasciitis has flared again.”
“Your Grace.”
I let out a breath. He’s bordering on rude, makingno effort to give his name. Bruce would never do that. Arthur can act how he likes with me, but not with my family. “This is Arthur. He’s my Bruce tonight.”
“Cool beans. We’re happy to have you with us. Our security guys are in the other car. They’ll be excited to have you join them,” Amanda says.
Arthur doesn’t reply. Frowning, he wordlessly makes his way to the lead vehicle.
“I’m sorry for him.”
“Don’t worry about it. He just needs to be broken in.” Amanda links her arm through mine. “More importantly, now that you’re here, Ali, let’s get this party started.” We slide into the car and shut the door.
