by Ann Omasta
“What?!? Oh, no! That was just the alcohol talking.” Tess tried to explain away her bitter reaction to Mo catching the prince’s eye, but she knew there was a kernel of truth to what she had admitted to him.
Seeming willing to let her off the hook, Sebastian said, “Prince Pierce does have unique taste when it comes to the fairer sex. I’m sure that most royals would have chosen you.”
She appreciated that he was trying to make her feel better, but guilt overwhelmed her as she realized that she had shared her innermost private and hateful feelings with this man. He must think her to be a terrible person. “I don’t begrudge Mo happiness at all.” Her voice sounded rather intense, but she wanted to make it clear to him that she was being sincere.
“I know,” he reassured her.
Still feeling like a heel, Tess said, “It’s just that Mo has never had any interest in anything girly or fancy. I never would have pictured her even considering marrying a prince.”
“But you have a scrapbook filled to the point of bursting with your royal wedding dreams,” Sebastian filled in, making her wonder exactly how much she had divulged to him in her drunken state.
“I do,” she confirmed.
When he said, “Yes, you tried to get me to come inside your condo to look at it,” she buried her face in her hands again.
“No, I didn’t,” she pleaded with him, trying to ease her mortification over her appalling behavior when she was tipsy.
“You did.” She could see his bright white teeth gleaming in the moonlight. It dawned on her then that he was immensely enjoying making her squirm.
Swallowing her pride, she turned to face him. “Is there anything else I need to know about that night?”
“You mean how you tried to kiss me repeatedly and refused to accept no for an answer, or how you insisted that I come inside with you?”
Tess felt a flash of burning shame redden her cheeks. She was never that forward. To learn that she had thrown herself at this man and been shunned was utterly humiliating. She dropped her head into her lap and mumbled, “I’m never drinking again.”
Slinging an arm over her shoulders, Sebastian leaned in and said, “You were adorable. I just wouldn’t have been able to live with myself, if I had taken advantage of you when you weren’t quite yourself.”
Gently lifting her chin, until she was once more sitting upright, he said, “Now, if you were to decide you wanted to kiss me tonight, I wouldn’t put up a fight.”
“Gee, thanks!” Tess spluttered, feeling stung by his word choice. He wouldn’t put up a fight if she tried to kiss him?!?
She couldn’t help but wonder if she was some sort of consolation prize. Was it his responsibility to keep her busy, so the prince could spend some quality alone time with Mo? Did he actually want to be out here with her, or was it part of his job? She felt fairly certain that she was being ‘handled,’ and she didn’t like it one bit.
“Well, that’s never going to happen,” she hissed. “So, you can go back to whatever it is you do when there are no ‘stupid Americans’ invading your precious island.”
“I always do whatever the royal family needs me to do,” he answered her unasked question.
Feeling outraged, Tess snarled, “And right now they need you to do me?!?”
He had the audacity to laugh, which only served to increase her anger. “No, I’m not a gigolo.” He tried to appease her, but it was too late.
She stood in a huff and said, “I’m going up to my room… alone.” With that, she spun on her bare heel and stalked back towards the path to the palace. In her fury, she couldn’t be certain, but she thought she heard his amused laughter echoing out over the sea.
14
Tess paced the bedroom she shared with Mo and tried to calm down. She wanted to believe that Sebastian chose to spend time with her, but she had the feeling that it was merely one of the many and varied duties of his job.
In her heart, she wanted to be happy for Mo, but she couldn’t seem to keep her simmering jealousy at bay. It made her feel like a terrible friend to begrudge Mo’s much-deserved happiness, but it seemed like they had slipped into some sort of alternate universe where Tess’s lifelong dreams came true for Mo. It simply didn’t feel right.
When Mo finally returned to their room, her moony expression was so unlike her that Tess couldn’t help but smile at her. The ladies decided to sit outside on their balcony and enjoy the balmy nighttime air.
“So?” Tess asked her friend once they were settled in the comfortable, white wicker rocking chairs.
“What?” Mo asked her, but she gave a knowing smile.
Tess shoved her arm playfully. “You know what… how are things with the prince?”
If Tess thought Mo had a dreamy expression before, it was nothing to the far away look she adopted now. “He’s so wonderful,” she gushed. At Tess’s chuckle, she tried to explain better. “You know how I always seem like I’m stomping through my life like a bull in a fine china shop?”
That wasn’t exactly how Tess would have described it, but she knew what her friend meant, so she nodded to encourage her to go on.
“When I’m with Pierce I feel like I’m floating on air. Even though I’m still loud and lacking in certain social graces, like with the queen tonight,” Mo looked down as she remembered their awkward dinner, “Pierce makes me feel like none of that matters.” She had raised her gaze to look Tess in the eye. “It doesn’t make any sense, but when I’m with him, I feel graceful and desirable.”
Smiling and genuinely feeling happy for her friend, Tess said, “It makes perfect sense. You’re falling for him.” The last sentence was more than a guess. Tess had never seen Mo so gaga over a guy before.
Mo looked out over the moonlit sea for a long moment. Turning back to Tess, she said, “Yeah, I guess I am falling for the prince.”
If ever there were words that Tess had never imagined Mo saying, those were the ones, but she smiled and silently wished for the strength to be there for her friend on this grand adventure.
Mo’s green eyes took on a mischievous sparkle when she rocked back in her chair and announced, “I haven’t even told you yet about the hot springs we soaked in tonight!”
It took a moment for Tess to let that sink in. “Wait… what?!? Tell me everything!”
15
The women had stayed up way too late rocking in their chairs outside, absorbing the fresh island-scented air, chatting, and laughing. When the sharp rap sounded on their bedroom door, both of them were tempted to ignore it and stay tucked in bed.
Mo covered her head with the fluffy, light pink, flower petal duvet, refusing to acknowledge the intrusion, so Tess reluctantly got up, donned her turquoise fuzzy slippers, and shuffled over to answer the door. To her surprise, no one was on the other side of the door. A gold-leaf trimmed agenda card was on the floor right outside their room.
Tess picked it up and inspected the elaborate and fancy scrolled font. It appeared that every moment of their day was scheduled, starting in fifteen minutes.
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” she said to Mo. “We have a big day ahead of us.”
Mo ignored her friend, choosing instead to burrow deeper into the covers. “We need coffee,” Tess said to the intricately hand-painted ceiling.
As if she had somehow summoned it, another rap sounded at the door. This time, when she flung it open, Tess was pleased to discover a housekeeper pushing a cart loaded with a pot of coffee and all of its accoutrements, as well as a generous pile of flaky and delicious-looking breakfast pastries with fresh fruit jams.
“Bless you,” Tess said to the woman, which earned Tess a tentative smile. After confirming that they didn’t need anything else, the woman nodded and quickly left, closing the door behind her.
The delectable scent of coffee was enough to rouse Mo. She bolted upright in the bed with her thick, bright red hair shooting out in impossible-looking directions. “Coffee?” she croaked.
“Yep,” Tess co
nfirmed before she poured them each a cup, doctored them up with cream and sugar, and delivered Mo’s to her in bed.
At the first sip of the steaming brew, Mo’s emerald eyes came to life. Knowing that they were wasting precious time, Tess said, “We are down to about ten minutes to get ready before we are supposed to be downstairs to begin our day.”
It only took Mo a moment to process this. They both scurried as quickly as they could with their coffees in tow, to their separate, luxurious bathrooms. When they emerged and met in the hallway, they discovered that they had both chosen a casual chic look of capri pants and cotton Oxfords. Other than Mo’s loafers and Tess’s strappy sandals, they looked like twins again.
“Nice outfit,” Tess teased her friend, which earned her a light shove on the shoulder.
“We look like we plan out what to wear together, like silly schoolgirls,” Mo decided.
“What’s silly about that?” Tess asked, feigning innocence, but the look of concern that registered on Mo’s face made her turn serious. “I think we look cute.”
“You’re sure?” Mo asked, always willing to trust Tess’s fashion advice over her own.
At Tess’s confident nod, they scurried downstairs––not wanting to be late for the start of their agenda.
When they arrived in the formal sitting room at the appointed time, they met their etiquette and royal protocol instructor, Priscilla. Although Priscilla didn’t appear any older than the ladies, she treated them like children––going so far as to roll her eyes at their ‘appalling’ manners. Tess had attended loads of fancy dinner parties and formal dances, so she knew their trainer was being overly harsh.
Priscilla sat on the edge of her chair with her back perfectly straight. When she demanded that Mo do the same, the woman asked why the chair had a back if she wasn’t permitted to use it. Her complaint earned her a sharp look from their teacher. Giving in, Mo sat up straight and tried to lift her spine from her core, as she was being instructed, even though it was incredibly uncomfortable.
When Priscilla gave their summery outfits a quick perusal, she informed them sternly, “If you two intend to be accepted by the royal family, you’ll need to wear much more modest and classic attire.” Tilting her pointer finger up and down in Mo’s direction, she said primly, “We do not show any cleavage or too much leg. We don’t wear form-fitting clothing or clanging jewelry, and we do not ever expose our knees or shoulders.”
It seemed that Priscilla didn’t like the way they sat, stood, dressed, walked, talked, or even breathed. She was particularly hard on Mo, informing her that royals are not mouth-breathers. When Mo closed her mouth, as requested, the books she had been balancing on her head fell. “This is impossible,” Mo whined, but Priscilla didn’t ease up in the slightest.
By the time the silver tray of tiny sandwiches with the crusts cut off, scones, cookies, and tea was presented to them, the girls were exhausted and famished. Mo quickly shoved an entire lemon cookie into her mouth. At Priscilla’s shocked look, she said around her mouthful of food, “What? They’re small.”
In an obvious snit, Priscilla removed the linen napkin from her lap, tossed it onto the table, and announced that they were ‘hopeless’ before storming off in a huff.
“Good… More for us,” Mo said around another cookie as soon as the woman was out of earshot.
Now that she was gone, both women dug into the fancy treats with vigor. “Who would have guessed that being proper, polite, and polished would be so grueling?” Tess asked. She would have assumed that she was already all three, but apparently even she wasn’t up to royal standards.
Once they had downed a couple of platefuls of food and two cups of English Breakfast tea each, they sat back in their chairs and relaxed.
Mo seized the moment to chastise Tess for slouching. Using a high-pitched voice to mimic Priscilla’s shrill tone, she said, “Spines are meant to be straight. We are not monkeys. Crossing our legs is frowned upon, but if you must, it should be at the ankle only.”
Shaking her pointer finger as she spoke, Mo did a spot-on impression of Priscilla. Tess giggled and joined in. Sucking in a deep breath as if she were shocked, she lifted Mo’s hand and said, “Those fingernails! We do not bite our nails, Ms. O’Malley. Were you raised by wolves?!?”
Mo cackled because the ridiculous impression wasn’t that much of an exaggeration. Fanning herself prissily with her hand, Mo said, “These lips are too pure to curse, but if they weren’t, I would pull this stick out of my behind and tell you two where to insert it!”
Mo guffawed with laughter at her impression of the hoity-toity woman, and failed to notice that Tess had stopped laughing and was bugging her eyes out at something over Mo’s shoulder. Oblivious to Tess’s silent message, she went on mocking Priscilla.
Scrunching up her nose in mock distaste, Mo did a perfect impression of how Priscilla had reacted to the perfume she had purchased especially for this trip. “What is that god-awful smell?” She fanned herself, just like the other woman had. “Is it my armpits,” she ad-libbed as she pretended to sniff under her arm.
Mo was cackling at that when she finally realized that Tess was no longer laughing with her. Mo’s face fell as realization sank in. “She’s right behind me, isn’t she?”
At Tess’s nod, the blood drained out of Mo’s face, leaving her pale and ashamed. Her first instinct was to apologize for making fun of the other woman, but everything she had said was accurate.
In a crisp, curt tone, Priscilla said, “If you’re finished mocking me, it’s time to continue with your much-needed lessons.”
Feeling like heels and knowing they were in for a double dose of mean, the ladies nodded their heads, ready to accept whatever punishment Priscilla planned to dole out.
16
The remainder of their time with Priscilla wasn’t as bad as they expected. The woman clearly didn’t like them, but she maintained a professional distance and courtesy as she taught them the intricacies of spending time with the royal family.
Later, the day turned more physical. Geoffrey changed out of his butler’s uniform and into a sporty tracksuit, so he could teach them some self-defense basics. When he informed them that they could no longer be in public alone for security reasons, they both balked.
“You are in the public eye now. Whether you like it or not, you must abide by the royal protocols.” He told them firmly.
Neither woman liked it one bit, but it seemed childish to put up a fight about anything that might help keep them safe. When Geoffrey began giving them training on how to handle a kidnapping, it finally began to fully sink in with both of them how serious it was to be in any way linked to the royal family.
“While you’re staying in the kingdom, you need to limit your social media posting, unlike your American leaders.” Geoffey rolled his eyes to express his disdain before continuing. “In fact, anything you post will need to be sent through the royal censors before going live.”
The women didn’t even bother to respond to that. They both flopped down to rest on their training mat, feeling emotionally and physically drained. They hadn’t realized how big of a deal this was, and now that they were hearing all of the absurd rules and restrictions, it was tempting to push back or downright rebel. Neither of them were used to being told what they could do, when they would do it, or how it should be done.
Mo swiped her sweaty hair back away from her face when Geoffrey informed them that they could no longer take selfies or hug any fans that might approach them. They also weren’t allowed to give autographs.
Feeling utterly frustrated by the entire afternoon, Mo said, “Maybe it would be easier to give us a list of things we are allowed to do, rather than listing off all of these restrictions.”
Revealing that he was indeed human, Geoffrey chuckled at that, but he didn’t let up on their training in the slightest. By the time they went up to dress for dinner, both women were exhausted and overwhelmed.
They showered and primped half-
heartedly. Tess admitted to Mo as they walked down the stairs that she would have been happier to climb into bed and skip dinner tonight.
Mo agreed, but said the only thing that had gotten her through the strenuous day was the thought of seeing Pierce tonight. Tess wished she had a love interest like that to make her evenings thrilling. Although excitement pulsed through her veins at the thought of seeing Sebastian again, she was fairly certain that he viewed her as merely another job responsibility.
It was possible that he even had a real girlfriend, whom he couldn’t wait to get back to, while he was stuck entertaining the prince’s love interest’s best friend.
The women had purposely arrived for dinner early, in an effort to appease the queen. They were surprised to find that Pierce and Sebastian were already seated at the massive table. Both men stood to greet them.
“Ah good, we beat her,” Tess said under her breath. The others gave her knowing smiles, proving that she must have said it louder than she intended.
Before long, the queen joined them. With little preamble, the first course was served. Both ladies waited until the queen was served before picking up their utensils. Tess couldn’t deny the swell of pride over how quickly they had learned all of the ins and outs of dining with the monarch. They might be uncouth Americans, but they could at least be taught the finer points of decorum.
The queen seemed to be in much better spirits tonight. She didn’t address the women directly, but chose instead, to chat amiably with Pierce and Sebastian. As they droned on about a particular ruling that the government was trying to slip through the cracks while the king was under the weather, Mo’s eyelids grew heavy.
She wanted to be interested in the details of what they were discussing, but it had been such a long and stressful day that she just couldn’t seem to focus on the legalese they were discussing at length.