It was the second time she had used it as a thoroughfare. And now, being evening, the place was livelier: Children were playing, the women were out for a walk with their babies in prams, and the elderly were sitting on benches lining the avenue. There was chatter everywhere. There were birds flying home in formation. There was life there.
She sighed. For all her lofty thinking and loftier ideals, this had to happen. From what heights had she fallen, and from where she had reached!
As she walked by, surprisingly alone from their point of view, everyone stood up and curtseyed. And in spite of her delicate state, she nodded at all of them, and had a smile for each. They knew that she was a simple middle class girl, so they suspected that she had a soft corner for them. They were not wrong.
This was a lesson for her, she ruminated. A bitter lesson for someone who only talked but never walked the talk. To her, it seemed destined to occur, a timely if tough reminder for her to stay grounded, to not take this royalty circus seriously.
As she entered her chambers, Mrs. Bradford came running to her.
"I was worried, my child!" she said, concerned.
Addie's pathetic state would never have missed her keen eye.
"I left a note," the princess said as explanation.
"I got the note, but you said one hour," replied the old lady.
"I didn't know if it was proper to come and look."
No, it wouldn't have been, said Addie to herself.
And glad you didn't come.
She went straight to her bedroom and fell on the mattress. That was as far as she could hold on. She must have fallen asleep at once, and she slept through for the next sixteen hours straight.
She was lying on the bed half-awake when Mrs. Bradford came up to her.
"Good morning, my child," she said cheerfully.
"Morning, Mrs. Bradford," Addie mumbled.
"How are you feeling now?" the old lady asked.
"Why, what happened to me?"
"You seemed to be so tired, sleeping like a log since last evening," Mrs. Bradford explained.
"I tried waking you up for dinner, but you were just groaning."
Addie groaned once more and turned on her side.
"Let me sleep some more," she sputtered.
*****
"Addie! Addie!" Someone was calling her.
Groggily she opened her eyes. A face was in front of her, blurred. Gradually, like a camera focusing itself, it became clearer. Cate.
"Addie, are you okay?" she was asking of her friend.
"Yes," Addie replied.
"I've been ringing you since last evening," exclaimed Cate.
"And since you didn't reply, I spoke to Mrs. Bradford. She told me you were unwell, so I came straight away to check on you myself."
Addie didn't say anything. She just reached out and held her friend by the hand, then she pulled her towards herself, and hugged her tight.
Without saying a word.
Chapter Forty-Eight
"So that was how the pompous bitch was taught the lesson of her life."
Kenrick was telling his best comrade about his own life's biggest sexcapade.
They were sitting in the prince's chambers, breakfast was done, and there was plenty of time to kill. For the past two hours, Pat had listened to the nitty-gritties of how, according to Kenrick, the shrew was tamed and how, at each stage of the process, he had the upper hand. The latter's 'gory details' went overboard. He sat quietly as Kenrick had droned on and on. It disgusted him.
It had been three days since it'd happened, and there'd been no more contact between them. Addie, of course, was the aggrieved party and hence, could not be expected to stay in touch. Kenrick, being the aggressor, couldn't care less. As far as he was concerned, yet another episode was over, yet another woman down, and that was that. He had to move on.
"Say, Pat," Kenrick thumped his friend on the back.
"How about taking off on a tour? Let's do the continent."
Pat was too preoccupied to answer at once. His mind was full of the hapless Addie – what could she be going through. That girl must be shattered, he thought.
Maybe he could find out from Cate later; of late, he had been exchanging calls and messages with his childhood friend. He always had a crush on her, and now their paths had crossed once again. Who knew–
"Pat! What, are you lost, man?"
When Kenrick appended 'man' to a question, it meant he was furious.
"Yeah, Phantom. Sorry, I was…"
"Yeah, that I could see!" he snapped.
"Are you commiserating over that full-rounded bitch, by any chance?"
Kenrick was accurate, of course. But no way Pat could agree with him.
"No, I was just… So what about that tour?" Pat's presence of mind kicked into action.
"Yeah, I was saying. Let's go to mainland Europe. It's less crowded in this part of the year."
*****
That was how their fifteen-day European tour happened.
It was a habit with Kenrick: He said Europe, but his only destination was France. Their itinerary would be Paris, Nice, Cannes and the Riviera. But mostly he would be in the capital, eyeing the fashionable femme fatales that crawled the city like ants on a molehill. There he could pick and choose, use and throw.
Of course, he never revealed his royal credentials – employing them only when deemed necessary. Mostly he went by his own physical qualifications – looks, charm and dick, though not always in that order – and more often than not, this armory did the trick for him.
Pat found these trips monotonous. He did have a roving eye, in good measure, but he thought he was far more choosy and conscientious. Not for him was a bargepole in a skirt and top, which worked for Kenrick. But then, Pat was no cock machine, either.
But this time, Kenrick did not seem his usual arrogant self. He snapped at Pat as always, but something was amiss. Nor did he bother much with the girls, too. That, in Kenrick, was a major departure.
Kenrick found himself brooding more than usual. He was sitting up in bed and thinking, resembling a sick man, or lazing in the easy chair with newspaper in hand, but not reading. Or he would be at the window of some unknown hotel (helps with anonymity), its glass pane latched up, and gazing out at the street scene.
*****
It'd been seven days since their arrival in Paris. And it'd been one week since Kenrick had stirred out of his hotel room. Pat, of course, went around town a few times, even picked up a girl once. In contrast, his friend seemed to be an alien from another planet this time.
Even the prince could not place this erratic behavior in himself. This was Paris, the home of the young and beautiful – and the hotbed of the brave. The place he always called his second home. The place where he had the hottest sex. Paris was all this and more. Yet, none of that excited him now.
He tried to trace the roots of his melancholia. He hated to admit it, but it had to do with Addie. But he could not pinpoint the emotion – was it guilt at the treatment he had meted out to her? Or was it something else?
It was true that Addie's face had been haunting him throughout. That innocent expression, bereft of any malice. It was like a baby's face, he thought, and as vulnerable. It was like a tender petal, or a thin film of glass… You wouldn't want to break it, he noted. And yet – he had smashed it into smithereens.
Addie's visage followed him wherever he went. In fact, it had begun back when he was at the palace; that was why he wanted to get away in the first place. But the haunting face chased him across the seas. There was no peace for the haunted.
He was sitting by the window, open now, purportedly gazing at the life moving outside on the streets of this romantic city. But his eyes were not seeing anything, and his brain was registering nothing. Because Kenrick was away, back in his palace, back in the Royal Gallery, back in that private cubicle. And he was with Addie.
Suddenly he sat up. A piercing thought had stabbed him like a knife.
&n
bsp; Could he be in love with Addie?
That was a kicker. Of course, he had pooh-poohed love as a spineless emotion meant only for sissies. But how else could he explain his unpleasant disposition, this constant depression?
His equally arrogant mind now turned inwards.
Kenrick, he demanded of himself.
If you are in love, you need to accept it first. Be man enough to acknowledge it.
"Phantom!"
That was precisely when Pat walked in from one of his walks around the place.
"Phantom, are you there?" He sounded more excited than normal.
Pat came running to the prince and thrust a newspaper into his lap.
"See this!" His thin index finger pointed to a news article with a photograph in it.
Kenrick looked at it disinterestedly. Whatever it was, however earth shattering, this was hardly the time for it. He said nothing, in contrast to Pat's enthusiasm, and his eyes wandered around the newspaper without seeing anything.
"Phantom, have a look!" Pat was egging him on.
Then it registered. It was Addie's picture.
Suddenly he was interested. He grabbed the newspaper and brought it closer to read the headline.
From Royal to Commoner: Princess Adelaide Sets up Charity
Underneath was Addie standing next to the logo of her newly formed charity organization. There was a royal entourage in attendance, and the media.
Kenrick glanced through the article.
Apparently the princess, who was a commoner herself till she became a royal by relation, had wanted to do something for the common folk for a long time. Now she'd taken the first step and had set up an organization that would bring with it a structured program. The objective of the charity was to work for the poor and underprivileged, especially those on the fringes of society…
"Well, Phantom," exulted Pat.
"What do you think of it?"
"Nothing," he replied. He flung the paper away.
Pat picked it up and walked out, wondering what was up with his best friend. What could be causing him such prolonged consternation?
Kenrick kept sitting there; now his mind had even more things to think about.
What was Addie up to? Was this her way of getting back at him? Was she doing this to gain publicity, and to trump him? Maybe she wanted to promote her goody two-shoes image, and contrast it with his image of a rogue and rascal. This needed more thought, he told himself.
For all his aggression, Kenrick was an honest individual. He was not double-faced – what you saw is what you got. If there was something inside him, it would come out sooner or later. And in this case, it was sooner.
Yes, I'm in love, he confessed.
I'm in love with Addie.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Addie was happy.
This was a dream she had carried in her bosom for far too long. Of course, her becoming a royal was a recent event, but she always wanted to do something for her simple countrymen and women.
It was in her upbringing – charity. Though they did have their hand-to-mouth days, Addie and her mother lived a life of contentment. And part of that joy came from sharing what little they had. It was common for her mum to dedicate a part of her income – which was not much to begin with – to the church. She routinely contributed to causes dear to her heart, ranging from destitute people on the street to orphan children to the unwanted elderly. As a child growing up in this generous environment, Addie imbibed a lot of that.
Now she was Princess Adelaide. She had the power and influence to implement whatever she wanted. And she did just that.
*****
Fresh from the scars of her encounter with Kenrick, she was lost. But she could not afford to be that way – exams were now at her doorstep. So Addie dug deep into the depths of her own fortitude and resilience. It was something she did when desperate. And this time she was.
She shut herself – physically and figuratively. When Cate called, she suggested that they study separately; it would be in the best interests of both. Then she withdrew into her study, instructing Mrs. Bradford to bring her breakfast, lunch and dinner inside at the appropriate times. The next few days or so would be spent only with her books.
Then Addie did something that only she could: Compartmentalize her mind. She opened a couple of drawers (much like you'd open new files on your computer, or new tabs on your browser). In one of them, she deposited everything Kenrick. In another she placed everything pertaining to their big lovemaking scene – for her it was lovemaking, not raw sex. Then she shut both the cabinets, locked them, and hid the key at a place where she could find it later, if she wanted to.
She knew her heart was raging and her mind was in turmoil. But now was not the time to attend to that. Now was the time to focus, to channelize every ounce of her energy towards her studies. Later, when this pressure was over, she would go back to those temporarily closed recesses of her mind, open their doors, revisit them with a calm approach, analyze them, and deal with them as she deemed appropriate.
Only Addie could do it.
She plunged headlong into her studies. For several days straight, she was inaccessible to anyone – including her mother. The only conduit to reach her was Mrs. Bradford, and the old lady was under strict instructions to not let anyone bother her, whomever it was.
When exams got over, Addie breathed relief. She was glad her will was strong still. And it did not sway even once, or lead her into realms unknown and tempting. Her unwavering mind was her strength; well, one of her strengths.
But there was another problem. In the absence of anything to engage in deeply now, her mind started its old pattern on being restless, and not letting her sleep. She had to find something, anything, to rein her mind back, to give it enough activity, to keep it occupied twenty-four by seven.
That was when she remembered something she had stored in one of the other recesses in her mind: Her concern for her fellow citizens. Truth to tell, when she had opened this recess in her mind, back when she was just a child, she had no idea what form it would take. It was merely a hopeful wish back then. But now, with all the might of royalty behind her, she could give it concrete shape. And that was how her charity was born.
She'd roped Cate in. In an initiative as mammoth as this, she needed help. They sat up nights and worked out the details. She got the assistance of her staff in taking care of the legalities and organizing a low-key launch event – quite quickly, too.
Her determination, Cate's being with her throughout, and her efficient staff ensured that her charity took off in a matter of days. It was a perfect testimony to single-mindedness and working together as a team.
But what was more heartening for Addie was the unconditional participation of the common folk, for whom the charity was set up in the first place. She was planning to use her Royal Endowment Fund for the charity's expenses, but was pleasantly surprised when commoners started donating whatever they could. This further cemented her belief in the middle class, and her heart went out for them even more.
The poetic justice of the whole endeavor was not lost on her, either. Here was a commoner, who had found herself amidst royalty and had become a royal herself, working for the commoners. And the funds for it were earmarked from the Royal Treasury – to which was added the small pennies of the hardworking middle and lower classes. How wonderful was that!
It's time they got their due from the royals, Addie said to herself.
Chapter Fifty
Kenrick's stay in France had promptly turned into a disaster. Not only was he in a foul mood, he was also sulking with Pat. Finally, at the end of the first week, Kenrick decided to return; spurred, no doubt, by the disturbing news about Addie.
"She and her peasants!" thundered Kenrick later that evening after Pat had shown him the newspaper report.
Pat said nothing, and Kenrick suspected that his friend's sympathies were indeed with the peasant-turned-philanthropist. Now that Pat had rekindled his friendship
with Cate (who seemed like Addie's twin to Kenrick), all of them seemed to form one group, and he was the outsider. Of course, he cared two hoots for their 'peasant gang' – these middle class folk preferred other middle class folk for company. You could lay them up in royal accommodations for all you care, but in the morning they wake up and go right back to their ramshackle dwellings.
Royal S.O.B. (A Bad Boy Romance) Page 20