“When you first meet Arthur, he’s quiet and shy. He doesn’tspeak much until you get to know him. In fact, he annoyed me so much when we first met that I asked Papa to reassign him from my detail.”
Eddie snorts. “And Father said no? He normally gives you whatever you want.”
I nod. “Papa said Arthur was the strongest candidate he interviewed, and he wanted me to have the best on my team. He insisted that I wait until the end of summer to decide how things would play out.” I take a sip of coffee and let the strong bitterness roll over my tongue. “And I’m glad he did because I would’ve regretted never giving him a chance. The man I’ve come to know is witty, an excellent baker, caring, kind, and considerate. He’s the first man who’s everseenme. He gets me.”
“It sounds to me, baby sister, like you’re on your way to falling in love.” Eddie studies me for several moments, leaning back in his chair. My brother has a knowing look in his eyes. “What you’re describing is exactly how I felt when I first met Amanda. She was one of the first people I’d ever met who treated me like a person instead of a prince. It was an out-of-body experience for me.”
I nod, thinking back to how much my brother has grown and matured over the last several years because of the vivacious American’s influence on him.
“I knew early on that she was special and that our relationship would be different than the flings I’d had in the past.”
“How did you know you were in love with her?” I cock my head to the side.
“Instinct? Feelings?” His lips twitch. “The best way I can describe it is that the energy between us shifted. When we were together, everything felt deeper and more meaningful.”
As I sit here and listen to Eddie going on about all the little qualities he began to notice and love about Amanda, an image of Art pops into my mind. We’ve only been on a handful of dates, but my gut instinct tells me that, like Amanda, something about him is different.
Iwantto spend time with him. He’s always in my thoughts and on my mind. I’m not at the point where I’m ready to declare that what I’m feeling is love, but I’ve definitely begun to care for him more than I have for anyman.
“Ali?”
“Hmm?”
Eddie’s blue orbs look at me with sympathy. “I want you to know, like I said earlier, that I’m happy for you. I’ll do whatever I can to help you two out where I can, but you have to know that things are going to get ugly before they get better.”
I swallow hard. That’snotwhat I want to hear right now.
“We’ll have to speak to Father. I’ll leave how much you tell him up to you, but either way, Arthur is likely going to be suspended while an investigation takes place.”
“Suspended? Investigation?”
“Yes. It’s standard practice. Any rumor or allegation has to be investigated and go through the proper channels.”
I rub my temples. “There’s something I need your help with. I need to get in touch with him. But I don’t have his mobile number.”
Eddie frowns. “Ali, it would be better if you did nothing. His personal mobile will be subject to the investigation too.”
“Eddie, no,” I sputter. “I have to get in touch with him and let him know what’s going on. It has to come from me.” It’s all my fault he’s in this situation to begin with.
My brother sighs. “It means that much to you?”
I shoot him aDuhlook. For a man who’s been in love before, he can still be dense. “Yes, it does.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to figure something out. Maybe a message from a raven? Or a carrier pigeon.”
“Eddie,” I moan. “Now isnotthe time for bad jokes.”
He holds up his hands. “I’m sorry. I know this is difficult for you. Leave it to me. I’ll come up with a way for you to get in touch with him without using your mobile. It just needs to be done discreetly. In the meantime, you and I need to come up with a plan for Father.”
“He’s going to be livid.” I fold my hands and set them on the table. “Until I have a chance to speak with Art, I’d prefer to respect his privacy and not comment on the dating thing. I just wish I knewexactlywhat photos the papers have.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Eddie says grimly.
Twenty-Five
“These people are absolute scumbags.” My father slams his fist against his desk, sending several papers flying to the ground. Franny lifts her head, huffs, then resumes her nap, stretched out on the rug by the fireplace. “If it were within my power, I’d put all gossip rags out of business, then send the lot of them to be imprisoned in the Tower of London. I’m sick and tired of them preying on my family.”
“I fully support that,” Eddie says, trying to lighten the mood. He’s standing behind my chair with one hand resting on my shoulder. “But since you don’t have absolute power, like good ol’ Henry VIII, maybe you can settle for talking the PM into passing a law to ban the tabloids.”
