“Indeed.” My hand itched to reach for the bell to call for something to drink, but I didn’t want to give either of them the impression I wanted them to stay in my company for longer.
Then again...I had wanted Margaret in the palace earlier. It’d be easier to keep an eye on her here. And if I asked in front of Aunt Lisbeth…
“Why don’t the three of you come and stay at the palace?” I injected as much sweetness into my tone as possible, but knew my cousin would catch onto my true meaning. “We have plenty of space, and there’s the races next week…”
“Three?” Margaret choked out.
“Yes. It seems rude to leave out your future husband.”
“That’s actually what we were here to ask you about,” my Aunt interrupted.
I stayed silent. They might be hoping I’d say it for them, but I wasn’t about to oblige. If they wanted my permission for the two of them to marry, then they were going to have to work a little harder than just hinting at it. Maybe I was being overly harsh, but I didn’t think it was a coincidence that the law and Margaret’s engagement had surfaced at the same time.
“We were wondering if you would give your blessing to the union,” Aunt Lisbeth said after a moment.
“I would love to, but I don’t think I can,” I replied evenly. “You need the Queen’s permission, and until my coronation, that’s my mother and not I.” Technically a lie, but I was hoping they wouldn’t catch on to that. Plus, with them in the palace and under my supervision, it wasn’t likely they’d be able to get my mother’s agreement at all.
I reached over and rang the bell by my side. The doors opened instantly and one of the many palace servants entered, bowing and greeting me as he did.
“Can you ready my Aunt’s suite,” I requested. “Three rooms.”
“Of course, ma’am, I shall pass it on to housekeeping.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded his head and retreated from the room.
“Dinner at eight?” I asked, enjoying the dumbstruck look on Margaret’s face. She knew she’d been outmaneuvered this time. Instead of being able to make the moves she wanted, she was having to play to my tune. At least for now.
Chapter Six
If I’d been less aware of the murmering it’d cause with the staff, I’d have slammed my door shut in frustration. Dinner had been an uncomfortable nightmare I never wanted to experience again. But I likely wouldn’t have any choice. Everyone was staying at the palace now. The one saving grace had been that Vincent had stayed away.
“You don’t make it easy to spend time with you alone.”
I jumped at the sudden intrusion, before relaxing as I realised it was just Carter.
“Sorry, I got-”
“In the same way you did as a teenager. I know,” I cut him off.
“I’d have thought you’d have moved to the Queen’s apartments.”
“It didn’t feel right to.” I trailed my eyes over him, not sure what my next move should be. It’d been a long time since we were alone in my rooms together.
Carter didn’t wait for me to say anything else and stepped forward. Anticipation thrummed through me as my body remembered what it was like for him to touch me. We’d been young and inexperienced then. I had to wonder how things had improved.
I licked my lips, drawing his gaze to them. Would he ask permission? Or would he just take what he wanted?
I hoped for the latter as I couldn’t give the former.
“Amara.” His voice came out husky and hoarse, as if it was painful for him to say my name.
“Yes, Carter?”
“I missed you.”
Oh. That hadn’t been the response I expected.
“I missed you too.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, not that it made them any less true.
He lifted his hand and cupped my cheek, the bright moonlight coming through the window and falling on his handsome face. I was glad I hadn’t turned on the light. It would have ruined the intensity of the moment.
Indecision warred within. If I were to listen to propriety, I should kick him out of my rooms and never speak of this again. If I were to listen to other parts of myself…
I rose up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his, seeking the comfort of a familiar taste and scent. Carter kissed me back gently at first, but his kisses quickly became more and more demanding as he grew more certain I was still going to respond.
We broke apart, our breath mingling as we stood so close together. Without saying another word, I took his hand and drew him back towards my bed chamber.
I shouldn’t be doing this. And there was no doubt it was a terrible idea on my part. But Carter was safe. I needed something safe.
And something sure. There was far too much uncertainty going around for my liking.
Shutting the door behind us, I finally let go of his hand, but only so I could turn around and offer him the zipper at the back of my dress. Technically, I could have reached it myself, but where was the fun in that?
“Do you mind?” I whispered.
“Of course not,” he murmured. He stepped in so close I could feel his body heat against my back as he brushed my hair to the side.
With an aching slowness, he drew the zip down, his hand grazing the bare skin of my back as he slid it past.
Unable to take anymore, I turned, arching my back into him and wrapping my arms around his neck. I pressed my lips back against his, this time adding a slightly more searing level to our kiss.
Trying not to break contact, I squirmed out of my dress, leaving it to puddle on the floor around my feet. Not wanting Carter to feel too left out, I deftly began to unbutton his shirt.
I chuckled as I felt his hands drift to his belt and undo the catch. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who was looking forward to this reunion.
It took a surprisingly short amount of time before he was naked save for his boxers. I trailed my fingers over his hot skin, eliciting soft gasps from him.
“Are you sure about this?” he whispered.
I nodded my head. “It’s not like it’s the first time,” I teased, my voice low and needy as I guided him towards my bed. He came willingly, as overtaken by the moment as I was it seemed.
I leaned back on the soft bedding, bringing him with me so he hovered over me. Our eyes met and something more than physical passed between us. But now wasn’t the time for me to revisit my school girl crush.
Hands glided over my skin and I arched into him, begging him for more without the need to use words. We’d done this enough times as teenagers that he’d be able to read my non-verbal signals, even if we’d still been learning then.
Carter’s hand slipped beneath my back and unhooked my bra in one swift movement. He lifted off me slightly so he could slip it over my arms and throw it to the floor.
A wicked grin spread over his face as he looked down at me and I just knew what he was going to do next. Not that I planned on stopping him. At this point, he could do anything he wanted to me and I wouldn’t complain at all. I always had turned into putty in his hands.
Carter peppered my face with kisses, then began to trail them down my neck and across my collarbone. I didn’t know how I was going to last long, I could already feel myself building towards release and he hadn’t even touched my most sensitive places yet.
I both wanted him to hurry up and slow down.
He hummed, sending vibrations through me as he took my nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue over it. If he kept doing that, I’d be grabbing his hair and pushing his head downwards.
Lucky for me, Carter seemed to be having similar thoughts, and his hand trailed up my thigh, creeping over the soft skin to the spot between my legs still hidden by a scrap of lace.
He brushed his finger over me and I whimpered, half way between begging him to take off the rest of my clothing, and begging him to stop.
Leaving my nipple, he didn’t waste any time in dropping so he was perched on the floor, and betw
een my legs. His fingers hooked over the straps and he whipped the lace down my legs faster than I would have thought possible.
Not that I cared. I was naked before him and didn’t think I’d ever felt so sexy before. Not even with him.
With aching slowness, he kissed the inside of my thigh until I couldn’t resist the temptation anymore and threaded my hands in his dark hair, trying to steer him to where I needed him most.
Carter chuckled. “Patience, Amara.” His breath tickled against my skin.
“I’ll have none if you keep doing that,” I responded through heady gasps.
He took pity in me and leaned in closer, his tongue shooting out and drawing along my folds. I moaned loudly. He knew just what to do to drive me crazy, and had no shame in doing it.
He circled my clit with his tongue, using just enough pressure to keep me squirming, but not quite enough for me to let go quite yet. It was almost as if no time had passed since we’d last done this. Except the hands holding my thighs apart were bigger and with very different calluses than before. This man wasn’t a gardener’s son anymore.
An increase of pressure had me squirming and reaching for my release, which Carter no doubt realised as he sped up in ministrations.
The build inside me grew again and without intending to, I exploded, letting out a short cry before falling back to the bed in a sated heap.
If he gave me a moment or two, I should have the energy for more.
Chapter Seven
Albert pushed the bishop forward, pushing one of my pawns out of the way and putting his piece in danger from my queen.
“Maybe not the best move,” I teased.
“Maybe not, Your Majesty. But it’s always a pleasure to be taken by a Queen.” The twinkle in his eye caused butterflies in my stomach.
“I hope you remember that,” I said as I took the bishop. And I meant it. Albert seemed to have loosened up a bit in the past week or so. A little more, and I was sure he’d be well on his way to falling for me. And me to him.
Though I had to admit that Carter’s continued night time visits were confusing me a little on that front. As it stood, I seemed to want them both. I’d tried not talking in much depth to Carter about things, but it just wasn’t possible. We’d known each other for so long that it didn’t take long for us to fall back into comfortable conversation.
“Your Majesty?” Albert frowned.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought,” I apologised hastily.
“It’s your turn.”
“Oh, sorry.” I looked down at the board, trying to work out what he’d done so I could plan my next move. I couldn’t say I was good at chess, per say, but Albert seemed evenly matched with me. At least, I hoped he was and he wasn’t just trying to lose because I was the Queen.
“I took your pawn.” He pointed to where his other bishop was now standing.
“Thank you.” I beamed at him, trying to distract him while I thought about what to do next. He’d actually made a good move. I couldn’t move my own bishop due to his rook, and the only way for me to get him in check was to forfeit my own queen. I wasn’t ready to do that. For once, I was enjoying the game. Albert’s company was the main cause of that.
“I see you’ve left your king exposed,” he said as I took one of his pawns with my knight.
“It’s the most useful he’ll be.”
Albert chortled. “I never really understood why he’s seen as the most important piece when losing the queen often means losing the game.”
“Are you admitting defeat?” I raised my eyebrows and indicated towards the pieces I’d already taken.
“Not at all, I’m just looking for a new queen.”
“I have one just here you can take,” I replied, caressing the top of my piece ever so slightly.
“That isn’t the one I have my eye one…”
I swooned a little. It was hard not to. It was the first time he’d openly admitted to being interested in me. Though I did hope that was more to do with me than the crown I’d soon be wearing.
“Check,” I announced once I’d gathered my wits, sliding my queen diagonally so she was facing his king.
“Or not.” He moved his rook to protect his king.
I moved my second knight in anticipation of taking the rook.
He moved his bishop to threaten the one I had protecting my king, forcing me to castle, luckily keeping a rook in the same place.
One of his rooks took my last remaining bishop.
I studied the board. I was a move or two off checkmate, but how to get there. Then I spotted it.
“Checkmate,” I announced proudly as I took the rook protecting his king with my queen, leaving our pieces face to face.
He took a moment to study the set up, but there was no doubt I had him with my queen and two knights.
“Maybe next time I should play on your side,” he said as he knocked over his king before me.
A good omen, I would think.
“I’m sure that could be arranged,” I tried, hoping he’d stay with me on the flirting. This was definitely the closest he’d been to actually expressing an interest.
“I hope so, A-”
A crash sounded outside, drawing our attention and breaking the moment.
Damn, he was so close to calling me by my name. I hoped the commotion wasn’t enough to put him off saying it for long. I really was fed up of the formality between us.
I beckoned for one of the guards. “What happened?”
“Nothing to be concerned about, ma’am. Someone got into the palace, but we caught them.”
My heart thudded in my chest. I heard what he was saying, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe him. If there was someone in the palace that shouldn’t be, there were a lot of reasons to be concerned.
“Please excuse me, Your Highness, I need to go see to this,” I told Albert.
“Of course.” He rose from his chair and bowed to me, deeper than he had to. The ultimate show of respect.
“Thank you for an enjoyable game,” I said.
To my surprise, Albert took a step towards me and took my hand in his.
“The pleasure was all mine, Amara.”
I hated to be so cliché, but I could have sworn my heart skipped a beat.
“I’m sure we can agree it was both of ours, Albert,” I replied, loving the feel of his name on my tongue.
He grinned back at me, a twinkle in his eye which spoke of relief. He must not have known how using my name would go. But I was glad he did.
“Will I see you at dinner?”
“Yes,” I answered instantly.
I waited for another moment, then turned to leave. I had to go sort out whatever was happening in my palace.
Chapter Eight
Two guards were hauling Vincent down the corridor.
“Wait,” I commanded, holding up my hand in a completely unnecessary gesture. They’d stop just based on my word, they didn’t need my hand signals for that.
“He was trespassing, ma’am,” one of the guards said, shuffling his feet ever so slightly. I didn’t recognise his face, so he must have been new to the palace.
“Thank you, I’ll handle him from here.”
“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” the second guard asked with a gasp.
“Amara wishes she could handle me,” Vincent sneered. I glared at him slightly, but not enough for the guards to pick up on my thoughts. What the hell did he think he was doing?
“You can leave him here,” I repeated. “He knows better than to do anything to hurt me.”
Vincent nodded enthusiastically. If it wasn’t the middle of the day, then I’d have thought he was drunk. Then again, it was the weekend. Maybe he was drunk.
“Just call for us if you change your mind, Your Majesty,” the first guard said.
“Thank you.” I dismissed them with a wave of my hand and the two of them left, dropping Vincent to the floor. Alright, that was kind of satisfying, I would admit.
He got
to his feet a little bit more deftly than he perhaps should have. Not drunk then. Interesting that he’d felt the need to pretend.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I’m here to help you.”
“Yes, you said that before. All you succeeded in doing was annoying Prince Albert.”
“Ah, yes. Prince Formal. He wouldn’t know how to be close to anyone if he tried,” Vincent responded.
“That’s hardly true,” I replied instantly. Annoyed on Albert’s behalf. Admittedly it’d taken a fair while for us to get to this place, but I wasn’t having Vincent take that away from him.
“Oh, I see. You actually like him. But do you like him as much as the gardener’s son?” He cocked his head to the side and smiled at me in a way that screamed ‘I-got-you’.
The blood drained from my face before I could deny it.
How did he know about that? Carter had been using the backstairs and the secret entrance only a few people even knew about. And no one would be watching my rooms too intently. Publicly, I’d never shown any interest in anyone. Mostly to protect myself.
“My relationship with Prince Albert has nothing to do with anyone else,” I attempted to protest.
“And here was me thinking it had everything to do with everyone else. Or aren’t you after him so you can secure your crown?”
I spluttered, trying to grasp hold of words.
“I see, you just want to have your cake and eat it too. A modern day Marie Antoinette,” Vincent mused.
“What? That’s not what Marie Antoinette did.”
“Isn’t it?” He shrugged.
“How do you even know any of this?” Ignoring his completely inaccurate knowledge of French history.
“Your palace isn’t free from spies, Amara. I’d be very suspicious if it was.” He studied his immaculately manicured nails.
“Why do you even have spies?” I demanded. He might be the landed gentry, but he wasn’t anywhere near close enough to the throne for him to need spies.
“I don’t have spies in your palace, if that’s what has the royal knickers in a twist.” He leaned in close so his lips hovered by my ear. “But I do have spies on the spies.”
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