Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1

by Carol Moncado

She’d read between the lines. Not only was he busy with planning the Games of the Sargasso Sea that had occurred in July, but he was annoyed with her for being absent and not telling him why.

  Their father took a seat on the other side of her.

  “I was just telling Esther something,” Kensington started.

  She should get up and walk away, but she kind of wanted to see what her father said.

  “I heard her arguing with a man late last night, in her quarters.”

  Her father shrugged and took a sip of his drink. “I don’t see how that’s any business of yours.”

  “So you know there’s a man staying with her.”

  “You don’t know he’s staying,” her father pointed out. “All you heard was a man’s voice. For all you know, he was on speaker phone or a video conference.”

  Of course, he wasn’t on speaker phone. Kensington would know the difference between an electronically transmitted argument and an in-person one.

  This one had most definitely been in person.

  One that started after Darius decided he should sleep in her bed with her, and she’d tried to kick him out.

  By the time it was all said and done, he’d kissed her - or she’d kissed him, she wasn’t really sure which - and that was the end of that. For the second morning in a row, she’d woken up next to Darius, wearing far fewer clothes than she should have been.

  Her father looked straight at her. “I’ll be down later to talk to you before you go back to University.”

  Esther nodded. “I’ll be leaving later tonight. I have class Monday morning and some homework to do that I forgot to bring with me so I need to get back.” She pushed up out of the rocking chair. “I need to go home so I can do it.” And tell Darius they were leaving a day earlier than expected.

  “I think I’ll come with you and have this discussion now.” His arm went sort of around her until his hand could rest on her shoulder. “No time like the present.”

  She didn’t say good-bye to her other siblings, just sort of nodded in their general direction. She doubted she’d see them again before leaving, but it was for the best. Her disappearance and sudden reappearance had been the elephant in the room all weekend. Saying good-bye would just invite questions she didn’t want to deal with.

  Back in her quarters, Darius was nowhere to be seen.

  “I’m in here,” he answered when she called for him.

  Her room. No way she was going in there with her father.

  “My father wants to talk to us,” she hollered at him. At least everyone else was upstairs.

  Darius emerged from her room wearing shorts and a shirt he’d bought the day before. It was neat and tucked in, so he must not have dressed in a hurry. Which meant he hadn’t been in there waiting for her to come back.

  “Darius,” her father said.

  Darius inclined his head toward them. “Your Majesty.”

  Her father waved toward the sofas. “Have a seat. Both of you.” That he hadn’t told Darius to call him Edward meant they were still in trouble. She’d noticed both Anabelle and Jordan called her father by his name when they weren’t in public.

  She chose a chair only big enough for her. Darius sat on one sofa, her father on the other.

  “I’ve heard about your lives in Serenity Landing, and things are about to change. A lot.”

  That didn’t sound good. Esther glanced at Darius who was staring at his clasped hands.

  “Neither one of you are equipped to deal with the real world. Darius, your father died when you were young, and your mother had so many other things on her plate, I suppose it’s not surprising a few things have fallen through the cracks. But there’s no excuse for why I haven’t made sure Esther knew how to live outside these walls.”

  “What exactly does that mean, sir?” Darius asked quietly.

  “For starters, you’re going to learn how to drive. You’re going to do laundry. Clean your house. Make your meals.” He paused then went on. “I don’t much care what you do or don’t do in there, but you’re going to start sharing a bedroom like a married couple.”

  Esther felt heat rush to her face. What you do or don’t do could only mean one thing. Having her father discuss that with her and the man she’d been with when she shouldn’t have, even in the vaguest terms, was too much.

  “You will have minimal security with you, but you will continue to pursue your education and learn to act like adults and be a family at the same time. Do I make myself clear?”

  Esther nodded as she heard Darius’s answer.

  “Yes, sir.”

  6

  Darius sat in the executive jet and stared at Esther as she typed away on her laptop. She’d chosen to leave a day earlier than originally planned. The issue with his card hadn’t mattered to the private plane company either since he’d already paid for the round trip. He’d called Benjamin but had to leave a voice mail on his brother’s office phone. The cell phone didn’t even have that option. If he didn’t hear back in the next day or so, he’d call Mother.

  It wouldn’t surprise him if Isaiah was screening Benjamin’s calls. Darius hadn’t said what it was about, though, just that he wanted to talk to Benjamin. If Isaiah was the one who blocked the card, he’d know that’s what Darius wanted to discuss.

  “Do you have homework?” she asked without looking up.

  “Just that sociology assignment.” The only class they had together. His degree in international relations probably wouldn’t amount to much in the rest of his life, but he hadn’t known what else to choose. If his brother ever let Isaiah’s influence wane, Darius might use it. Otherwise, even given the strained relationship with his in-laws, it seemed more likely that he’d use the degree on behalf of San Majoria than Eyjania.

  “That’s the only one I have done.”

  “What are you working on?”

  Esther closed her laptop. “Nothing. I should be, but I’m not.”

  He swiveled his seat until he could prop his feet up on another one. “What do you make of all of this stuff your father said?”

  “You mean about how we have to fend for ourselves?”

  Darius nodded.

  “He’s not wrong. I have no idea how to make dinner or clean house or any of that stuff.” She shrugged. “Why would I? We always had staff to do those things.”

  “And drivers.”

  “Exactly.”

  A grin crossed his face. “You know, I’ve seen pictures of Richard from Montevaro in his cars. He’s got a couple of sports cars that look like they’d be a blast to drive through the mountains.”

  “We don’t have mountains in San Majoria.”

  “We have enough in Eyjania to be worthwhile.”

  “Can’t we just use virtual reality? It’s a lot easier.”

  He chuckled. “But not nearly as much fun as the real thing.”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure it’s worth putting your life in my hands if I’m driving.”

  He leaned back and closed his eyes. “Can I tell you something no one else knows?”

  “Sure.”

  “I know how to drive. Not officially or legally, but I do.” It had been a while, but it was like learning to ride a bike, wasn’t it?

  “How’d you learn?”

  With one eye partially opened, he could see and hear her curiosity. “I got my security team to teach me a couple years ago. Isaiah thought learning was unnecessary, even beneath us, so officially we didn’t. Then I saw this story online about Queen Elizabeth when she drove the Saudi king around Balmoral a while back. Women couldn’t drive in Saudi Arabia, but she drove him around the estate. She learned as a princess during World War II and is apparently still quite proud of her driving skills. If she could do it, why couldn’t I?”

  “So you learned enough to be proficient?”

  “I could pass the test, but never did. Isaiah would have found out.” Maybe he should have talked to his father-in-law about getting a driver’s license in San Majoria that woul
d be legal in the States. Would he need to move his legal residence to San Majoria for that, or could he get a special dispensation of some kind?

  He’d send an email to the king and see what could be worked out. Darius opened his mouth to say something else to Esther, though he wasn’t really sure what, only to find that she’d pulled a blanket up over her shoulders and turned her head against the seat. Given how well he’d slept the night before, he knew she hadn’t slept well at all. They both tried to be quiet and still so as to not disturb the other one, but it hadn’t worked. He knew she was awake. She likely knew he was.

  But neither one of them rolled over to try to fix what was wrong between them.

  Several hours later, they arrived back at the house just south of Serenity Landing. Neither of them had spoken, so he went straight to his room. The whole “living like a married couple” could wait a night.

  As soon as he walked in, he realized the decision had been made for him. His things had already been moved. If he didn’t need to brush his teeth it wouldn’t have been too bad to sleep in there anyway, giving them both one more night before this became more real.

  Her door stood open, so Darius just sort of knocked as he walked in. He could hear her moving around in the bathroom. A second later, she walked out, pulling her light brown hair up into a ponytail as she did.

  “Your things are already in the bathroom and closet. Go ahead and get ready for bed if you want. I’m going to do some homework.” Before he could respond, she was out the door.

  A tactic she used to avoid him. Darius knew she was much more of an early bird that he was, generally going to bed by ten at the latest and waking up sometime before seven. He only knew that because he stumbled downstairs about 7:30, and she always looked put together as she drank her second cup of coffee.

  He had a feeling he was about to get a crash course in a night owl living with an early bird.

  In just a few minutes, he was ready for bed, complete with pajama pants, though he tossed a t-shirt over the side table rather than put it on. He found the remote controls and turned on an American sit-com rerun, letting his mind wander when he realized he’d already seen the episode.

  Just over a year. That’s how long they had until they both finished university. Whatever happened here in Serenity Landing would have to be the foundation for both their personal and professional lives.

  In both of their families, divorce was frowned on. They were both far enough down their respective lines of succession that it wouldn’t affect their claims to the throne or force their families to disown them like it would if they were further up. But Darius knew the look his father would have given him - first for sleeping with a woman who wasn’t his wife and getting her pregnant, and second for not giving his marriage his best effort.

  If they didn’t learn to make this marriage work, it was going to be a very long life.

  By midnight, Esther could barely keep her eyes open, but decided instead of going upstairs, she’d just sort of fall sideways on the sofa and “accidentally” fall asleep in the living room.

  She didn’t want to be that close to him, to the warmth his body practically radiated. The warmth that made her want to snuggle close to him and never leave. Since moving to Serenity Landing, she’d noticed she was much more cold-natured than she’d ever realized. San Majoria didn’t have winter as such, but a Missouri September cold snap left her wondering how she was going to survive an actual one.

  At least the house was equipped with one wood-burning fireplace and several gas ones. She’d tested the one in her room during a late spring winter weather watch, and it did an excellent job of warming up the room.

  Darius would do a better job of keeping her warm.

  Pulling a blanket over her shoulders, Esther succumbed to the call of the sandman.

  Troubled dreams haunted her sleep until someone started shaking her.

  “Hey.” A voice finally broke through.

  “What?” she muttered, propping herself up on an elbow, but keeping her eyes closed against the light spilling in the windows. “What time is it?”

  Darius crouched in front of her. “Almost eight. I thought you might want to go to bed upstairs.” He hesitated. “Or maybe go to church with me.”

  “Church?” They hadn’t attended since moving to Serenity Landing. She wasn’t sure his family ever did, though vague comments made her think they were Christians. Being royal made it hard to attend without distracting everyone from the reason they were really there.

  “Security approved one of the churches in town pretty quickly. I guess they already have a couple of high profile attendees, and no one pays much attention. It’s unlikely anyone would recognize us anyway.”

  Esther pushed herself up into a sitting position as she tried to process it all. “Um, sure. Let me get ready.”

  “How do you take your coffee? I’ll make you some.”

  She stood and stretched as she yawned. “Just stick one of the cups in the thing and hit the button. It’s already flavored.”

  “On it.” He started for the kitchen as Esther shuffled toward the stairs.

  “What time do we have to leave?” she called as she started up them.

  “About forty minutes. It starts at nine on the west side of Serenity Landing.”

  Enough time for a shower. Not enough time to wash her hair, unless she wanted to go with it still damp. There was enough of a chance someone would recognize her that she didn’t dare do that.

  As Esther stepped under the water, she realized her coffee wouldn’t be hot if she didn’t hurry. As quickly as she could, she showered and dressed in a pair of navy slacks and an emerald green shirt Anabelle found for her at a boutique. In keeping with their more low-key lifestyle, she decided on flats instead of the heels she would have worn at home.

  She’d come back to do her makeup. Coffee first.

  When she walked into the bedroom, Darius was already there with an insulated mug.

  “Here.” He held it out to her. “I have no idea if I made it right. There’s more buttons on that thing than the space shuttle.”

  “When you turned it on, it should have used the most recent settings.” She took the cup from him.

  “You’d think that would be easy, but I hit a button and then it blinked and made this whirring sound...” He shuddered. “I have no idea what I pushed but eventually liquid started coming out, so I started it somehow.”

  Esther sniffed at the opening in the cup. It smelled fine. Eyeing Darius, she took a sip, then a longer drink. “I think you set it to the next biggest size cup.” She’d never used this mug so she wasn’t sure how full it should be.

  “What’s that mean?”

  “It used more water than I normally do so it’s a little watered down.” She took a bigger sip. “It’s fine, though. Not so weak I can’t stand it.”

  “Will you show me how it works later? I don’t drink the stuff, but at least I could make some for you occasionally.”

  She knew he didn’t drink it. Was wanting to learn on her behalf sweet? Or just trying to butter her up for something?

  “Are you almost ready?”

  After another sip, she turned. “A few more minutes.” In the bathroom, she started to put her makeup on.

  “I think the service is only a little over an hour long if you want to get a bite to eat afterward. There’s a café that serves breakfast all day.” His words drifted in from the bedroom.

  “Sure.” That was being a married couple, wasn’t it?

  “I still haven’t gotten in touch with my brother about why my card didn’t work, though. I have some cash, but not much.”

  Had he tried to get in touch with Benjamin? Or just sort of left it so she’d pay for anything? As annoyed as she was with Darius in general, that didn’t seem likely.

  “Mother?” His voice drifted in again. “Everything’s fine, but I need to talk to Benjamin. I can’t get in touch with him by phone, though. Can you have him call me as soon as h
e has a chance?”

  Unless he was faking the call, he really was trying.

  “I’m good, Mother. Just attending University in the States. I know I haven’t been home in a long time... I miss you, too. Give everyone hugs for me.” He laughed. “Except Benjamin.”

  Esther turned back to the mirror and carefully applied lip gloss. Movement in the reflection caught her eye, and she looked up to see Darius in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. “Does your mother know about us?”

  He shook his head. “Only my brother and Isaiah as far as I know.”

  “Does that bother you?” Esther wished her whole family knew, while at the same time being glad they remained unaware of her indiscretion in Sargasso.

  His head lowered as he sighed. “More than you can imagine.”

  7

  Church was different than anything Darius had ever been to. The message wasn’t all that different from what he would have heard in Eyjania, but the church where the royal family attended was much more formal and far less welcoming.

  The message was generally presented in much stuffier terms, fancier language, at least when Benjamin was present. The down side of having the monarch around.

  As they left the sanctuary, Darius slid his hand into Esther’s. He didn’t want to lose her in the crowd. If she said anything, that would be his excuse, even though the crowd wasn’t nearly as pressing as it could have been.

  “Excuse me.”

  Darius looked up to see a man about his height with a smile on his face. Probably in his mid- to late-twenties, the man looked familiar, though Darius couldn’t place him.

  “Darius, Esther.” The man bowed his head slightly though no one would think anything of it, then held out his hand. “I’m Jonathan Langley-Cranston. I have some very well-connected friends in the governments of Belles Montagnes.” He leaned closer as they shook hands. “I dated Addie.”

  Addie? Darius’s mind scrambled to figure out who that was.

  Jonathan shook Esther’s hand.

  Esther smiled back at him. “You know Addie, Rick, and Ana?” she asked, clearly picking up on the clues faster than Darius was.