The Throne

by Samantha Whiskey

  “Don’t spoil it!” I grabbed the book and clutched it to my chest.

  He laughed which made me laugh.

  “And ruin the fun? Never.”

  He sat beside me, his arms behind his head as he got comfortable against the wall of the house I leaned against. The flowers had just bloomed, and usually it was enough to hide me away from the world. My one place to escape the lessons of the day that never seemed to end. Other thirteen-year-old girls worried about classes. I worried about the class system in the history of Elleston and how Parliament would react to Jameson’s dad’s newest bill. We weren’t a normal family and sometimes I needed something solidly mine to feel grounded.

  But Jameson always found me.

  Not that I minded.

  I hadn’t for a year or so, now. I actually hoped he’d seek me out.

  “What are you doing?” I managed to ask as he continued to stare at me like I had something on my face. God, I hope I didn’t.

  “Waiting for you to start reading again.”

  I allowed myself a small chuckle. “Why on earth would you do that?”

  He wetted his lips, making my heart race as he smiled. “I want to see your face when the twist comes.”

  Another rush of heat over my skin, one I tried to hide by returning focus to the book in my hands and not the gorgeous boy beside me. Jameson and Xander were twins—sometimes even their own mother had a hard time telling them apart—but I could always tell. Subtle differences in the flecks of gold in Jameson’s eyes versus Xander’s, or the way he moved. But mostly, it was a feeling, a sense of warmth whenever Jameson was near.

  He sat there, silent, content, watching me read, as he’d done every day for these first months of summer. I think as wild as he was when his parents watched him, he actually craved the quiet, like me.

  After an hour, he slid his hand over my back, and I froze under the warm touch. “Same time tomorrow?”

  I tore my gaze away from the words that had captured me, and smiled at him, only able to nod in answer. I watched him as he walked away, never once disturbing the flowers that had become so much our place.

  When I was sure the blush was off my cheeks, I returned to the back patio, where my parents were popping champagne to celebrate something.

  “Charlotte, dear!” my mother called to me. “There you are!” She waved me over, her demeanor much more excited than usual.

  “What’s going on,” I asked, holding the book behind me as I made sure my shoulders were straight. Mother was crazy about posture.

  A loud whoop! sounded through the air, and I snapped my head to the right, watching as Jameson rid himself of his shirt and stormed down the beach, and dove into the ocean. Xander was already far out in the waves, likely his first break of the day.

  “We have exciting news,” mother said, drawing my attention away from Jameson who, after taking one quick dive, returned to the shore of the beach, his hair dripping wet and a wild grin on his face.

  “Yes?” I asked, glancing between the two of them and praying they were whisking us to some other location for the remainder of the summer. I liked it here…liked the ocean, the gardenias…Jameson. My eyes helplessly trailed to him again, unable to not seek him out when he was only at the edge of the beach.

  Mother gripped my shoulder in a side hug, her smile breathtaking. “Don’t think we haven’t noticed how the two of you look at each other,” she said, nodding toward Jameson and my entire body cringed.

  “Mom,” I groaned before I could think better of it. I took a quick breath. “Sorry.”

  “Quite all right,” she said, her smile only slightly faltering at my blunder. “We have spoken at length with their Majesties the Wyndhams,” she said, her tone bubbling with barely contained excitement. “And, well, honey, it’s official.” She motioned toward where Jameson kicked at the incoming tide, waving to his brother. “You are now betrothed to Alexander Wyndham, and will be the future Queen of Elleston.”

  The air rushed from my lungs as my eyes darted between where she stared Jameson down.

  “Well?” she asked, finally glancing at me before looking to Jameson again. “Aren’t you thrilled, Charlotte? Now the courtship you and Alexander have been conducting in secret will be nurtured and supported until it is his time to take the throne.”

  My mouth dropped, and not because she’d called weeks of reading in the flowers a courtship. “Mom,” I gasped, tears in my eyes. I lifted my finger, pointing to Jameson. “That’s Jameson.”

  “What?” She blinked several times, shaking her head. “No, dear, you’re mistaken. That’s Alexander.”

  I clenched my eyes shut. “No, Mom. That’s Jameson.”

  “But…” her voice trailed off, the rest of her sentence loss in the shock of ever being wrong.

  I stood there, frozen, incapable of words. Xander was my friend. I liked him, but Jameson…I loved him. He was the one who made my stomach flip, he was the one who made me laugh, he was the one who pushed me, who was content to be next to me in our secret place, quiet and lost and free from the world’s pressures.

  “Well,” she said after my stepfather had cleared his throat and taken his scotch inside. “You’re young. You will learn to love Alexander. And you will be the best queen Elleston has ever seen. That I’m sure of.”

  She patted me on the shoulder and left me standing there, tears rolling down my cheeks as I watched the boy of my dreams splash around like our world hadn’t been altered. Like my parents hadn’t just sealed me in the cruelest fate because they couldn’t tell the difference between the twins.

  I wiped the fresh tears off my face, somehow feeling like I’d been crying for over a decade, and pushed to my feet. I gazed out at the same spot I had all those years ago, and let my heart feel the break all over again.

  Jaime and I had never been meant for each other, despite how well we fit together.

  The world wouldn’t allow it, and now it was much too late to spend time living in a dream.

  “I’m so pleased to see you again, Duchess,” Lady Julia said, greeting me with a soft handshake as I took a seat in her office.

  The building that housed the Foundation for Women’s Progression was over a hundred years old with some of the most beautiful architecture I’d ever seen. The intricate details in the stonework alone were enough to captivate you for hours, but the history soaked within the walls was rich with women doing all they could to make a change. Even when it seemed inevitable.

  Women just like me—in a position of power because of their blood, and willing to do whatever it took to bring parliament, and Elleston, into the modern world.

  “We’re so thrilled you’re considering becoming chairman. A woman with your familial ties and connection to the Royal Family will make a tremendous difference.” She had a kind smile as she shuffled some papers around on her immaculate desk. “Parliament might actually listen to us with you behind the wheel.”

  I inhaled deeply, the pride in the thought filling the aches in my heart. This was what I needed. Something that I could do on my own, without being told to do it. “I was honored when you contacted me about the position.”

  “Well,” she said, grinning. “How could I not? I know your plans were elsewhere, but given the situation, I wanted to make available to you a position where you could make a real difference.”

  I nodded. I intended to, as well. Xander’s abdicating the throne occurred because Parliament was stuck in a dead tradition, and while I knew Jaime would be an excellent king to usher in a new era, I wouldn’t sit idle while he did. I had been bred to lead, to inspire change, and I would be able to do that here...and it would be for me. For the country I loved. Not because of a title attached to it.

  “I’m eager to see what you have in mind,” I said, taking another full breath. Half of me still ached with the wounds leaving Jaime had left on my soul, but the other half was bursting to make a change on my own.

  No one told me to take this position—in fact, my moth
er had advised against it. Heading up such a progressive organization would draw attention not only from Parliament but from those wishing to bring it down as well. But I’d been in the public eye my entire life, and at least now I would be the one behind the decision-making process, and behind the way I was viewed.

  “This is an informal interview, as you know,” she said. “We’ll have a proper interview with the board in a week, but honestly with your credentials, I don’t believe there is a better woman suited for the job.”

  “Thank you,” I said, mimicking her as she stood from her chair. She came around the desk and beamed up at me.

  “Let me give you a tour of where you’ll be working,” she said, winking as she looped her arm within mine.

  Working. Job. Mine.

  I sighed, smiling and trying to ignore the slight sense of loss as I walked toward my new future, and said goodbye to what I’d for the briefest moments…ones between Jaime’s kisses…dreamed could be mine. And I hated that the ache in my heart begged me to fight for both—to be both myself and his. In a perfect world, one where I had the sayso, one where a tradition or Parliament didn’t dictate his or my actions, then he would always be my choice.

  Jameson

  Corbin was only a few hours away by plane, but it felt like a different world. Things had always been slower here than in Rhysland. Kind of how visiting the coast of Maine had felt like once I’d gotten out of New York City in America.

  God, even the air reminded me of Charlotte. She’d been gone for four days, and I was about out of my damn mind.

  My phone rang as I descended the steps on the private landing strip at the airport. I answered it as Oliver opened the door to the waiting car, and I slid inside.

  “What’s up?” I asked, recognizing Xander’s cell.

  “You made it.”

  “Just landed. Not sure what the fuck I’m going to say, but I’m here.”

  “You lay everything bare. Be completely honest with her about your feelings, and see where it leads.”

  “Yeah, I tried that once. It didn’t go so well for me.”

  “Try again.”

  The car started toward the airport exit, and I tried to ignore the nerves in my stomach.

  “I’m not sure I’m what she wants.”

  “And what do you think that is?” he asked.

  “You. She wants me to be you. And I’m not. It doesn’t matter how much we look alike; I’m not you in what really matters to her. The polish, the manners, the giant stick up your ass that matches hers most days.”

  Laughter rumbled through the phone.

  “I’m glad you find this so amusing, jackass.”

  “It’s only funny because I was never what she wanted. No matter what she said, or how she acted after that damn agreement was signed, she never wanted me.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “I’m fucking serious, Jameson. Listen to me.”

  “Yeah, yeah, she never wanted the most eligible bachelor in the world, yadda yadda.” God, the moment they’d told us about the arrangement, I’d stormed out of the beach house and rowed myself onto the ocean as far as I could go until no one could hear me scream at the top of my lungs.

  “She wanted you. Everyone saw it that summer. There was something palpable in the air when you two were together, and it’s still there. You guys disguised it the best you could, but it never disappeared. Why do you think I never touched her? Never even tried?”

  “Because she’s like your sister...at least that’s what you said.”

  “Charlotte is a beautiful woman. Don’t you think I would have at least tried to make something work? To experiment to see if we had any chemistry?”

  I slouched against the leather seat as the scenery flashed by the windows. I had another ten minutes before I pulled up to Charlotte’s house.

  “I don’t know,” I said in excuse.

  “It’s because she was yours, Jameson. She was yours, and our parents fucked up. When her parents came looking for the marriage, they agreed, thinking it was what I wanted. It was all a big fucking mistake.”

  I scoffed. “Yeah, right. Charlotte’s parents knew exactly what their daughter was worth, and it was the heir. Not the spare. Maybe it was a mistake on our parents’ parts, but not theirs. I’ve never been good enough. Not for them. Not for her.”

  Maybe it wasn’t too late to tell Oliver to turn us around. I could go straight back to the airport, get on the fucking plane, and she’d never be the wiser. Hell, she’d probably be happier without me bleeding my heart all over her and begging her again to be mine.

  Me. The guy who never had to ask, let alone beg.

  “Jameson, let me ask you one question.”

  “Shoot,” I said, watching as we turned off the main highway to the road that led to the Carlisle estate.

  “Have you ever once thought of abdicating?”

  Words stuck in my throat.

  “Have you?”

  “No. Not really. I mean, I threatened Parliament, but I figured after you’d walked out, my threat was all they’d need. I’d never leave this to Sophie or Brie. They deserve their lives, and I’m capable of ruling. Hell, I think I might be good at it.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I heard him shifting the phone as words mumbled around him. He was no doubt needed momentarily.

  “You are fighting for your country. For the woman you love, and that makes you ten times the man I was. I told everyone to fuck off and took Willa because I wanted her, loved her, and I left you to handle everything. You might feel like the more reckless of us, but I’m telling you that from where I stand, you’re the most responsible.”

  I took a steadying breath. I’d been called a lot of things, but responsible was never one of them.

  We pulled up to the Carlisle estate, the seat of the Corbin Duchy, and I looked up at the ancient stone castle that had stood the test of time.

  “She’s better than I am,” I whispered my truth to my twin, the one person on the earth who knew me better than I knew myself.

  “Yeah, well my wife is better than I am, too. The good ones always are.” Another muffled sound came through. “Shit, they’re calling me on. One more thing. You listening?”

  “Well, I haven’t hung up on you yet, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Jaime. You deserve her. Do you hear me? You are exactly the man she needs, and you. Deserve. Her.”

  He hung up without saying goodbye or giving me a chance to argue with him.

  Oliver came back down the stone steps and opened my door. “She’s in the family den, and has no clue.”

  Stepping into the brisk Corbin air, I nodded, tugging at my button-down shirt and leather bomber jacket like it would shield me from whatever she was going to say. It was all or nothing here, and I was all in.

  I followed Oliver into the castle, which had been fully modernized in the last century. God, nothing changed. It looked exactly as it had when I was younger.

  “Your Highness,” Charlotte’s Mom said quietly, dipping into a curtsy.

  “Jameson,” I corrected her.

  She flashed me a sad smile. “I’m glad you’ve come for her.”

  “You don’t look pleased,” I told her honestly. There was no point lying to the woman if I had any hope of her being my mother-in-law.

  “Oh, I am. You see, I did you a great wrong a very long time ago, and though I never righted it, you found your way here, anyway.” She stood as graceful and poised as Charlotte, but there was a slight tremble in her smile.

  “What wrong is that?”

  “She wanted you,” she said softly. “That summer, when you were here, it was you that she wanted.”

  I stared at her, dumbstruck.

  “Charlotte,” she added as if she needed clarification.

  “I’m sorry?” I asked, unable to think of something more eloquent to say.

  “That summer when you were teenagers? Charlotte fell for yo
u so very hard. We all watched it happen, and I was so happy. To think that my daughter would fall for the son of my best friend was so...fortuitous.”

  “Indeed. Fortuitous when he was the heir to the throne.”

  She winced.

  “No, it was never Xander. It was always you. When I went to your parents to suggest a betrothal...well, I assumed because of his more reserved nature…” She blushed furiously before meeting my eyes. “I couldn’t tell you apart and assumed it was Xander she was in love with. But I was so very wrong. She was destroyed when she found out the truth. She only loved you.”

  “She loved me,” I repeated. “She was only thirteen.”

  But I had loved her then, a fierce devotion that had never wavered, no matter how many other women I took to my bed in hopes to replace her.

  “Charlotte has always known her own mind. Oh, Jameson, I’m so sorry for the pain we caused you both with my mistake.”

  Pain. So much pain. Enough to go around more than once.

  “And Xander? Do you wish I was him?”

  She blinked at me, her mouth dropping open for a second before that legendary composure came back. “Never. Charlotte is sensible enough for two people. Hell, for the whole country. She needs someone to rip her out of her safety zone and drag her into the light, kicking and screaming if need be. That was never going to be Xander.”

  I nodded, emotion clogging my throat. “Ma’am, I’d like your permission—”

  “You have it,” she said with a tearful smile, breaking every royal protocol and interrupting me. “She’s in the den.”

  “Thank you,” I told her before I damn-near raced toward the residential wing where the den was. Good thing I knew this place as well as the palace.

  I quietly opened the den door and saw the back of Charlotte’s head as she watched the enormous television—an all-too-familiar face consuming the screen.

  “What’s wrong, dear?” her stepfather asked, looking over his paper at the screen.

  “Shhh!”

  “His Royal Highness, Prince Jameson Wyndham.” The television announced.

  She leaned forward, no-doubt examining the picture.