Darius stared at his plate, glancing at Esther out of the corner of his eye.
She sighed. “I was pregnant and that was the appropriate response as defined by my father, Darius’s brother, and the Trea...” She clamped her mouth closed.
“By the tree?” Samantha asked.
Darius glanced at Esther to see her watching him. He shrugged. He’d been told security had done a thorough background check and even talked to Prince Charlemagne about the other couple.
Esther closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “By the Treaty of 1702. If Darius didn’t marry me, my father could unseat Darius’s brother from the Eyjanian throne and place a person of his choosing, likely me, on it instead.”
He glanced at their guests who seemed more confused than anything. “My brother is King Benjamin of Eyjania. Esther’s father is King Edward of San Majoria. When we met last February, we hadn’t seen each other in years and were both rather circumspect about our identities. Esther realized who I was before she told her father she was pregnant. Getting married was the right decision, regardless of the international politics at play, though they did force my brother’s hand.”
Vince put his fork down. “You’re telling us you’re royalty?” He looked at Esther. “You’re a princess from San Majoria?”
Esther nodded.
Turning to Darius, he leaned forward. “And you’re a prince from Eyjenny?”
“Eyjania,” Darius corrected. “But yes. My father was King Alfred the Second. My brother is King Benjamin the First.”
Samantha blinked a couple of times. “I guess the right word would be wow. I get why you wouldn’t tell new friends right away, but why now?”
“Why not?” Darius leaned back. “No particular reason, but we know you can be trusted not to blab it everywhere.”
“How do you know that? Background checks?” Vince picked his fork back up.
Darius nodded. “I’m told security also talked with Prince Charlemagne, who vouched for you.”
“Prince Charlemagne?” Samantha asked.
“Charlie,” Vince reminded her quietly.
“Right. I never knew that was his name until the wedding announcement came out. I still don’t think of him as anything but Charlie.”
“I doubt anyone around here does.” Vince went back to eating.
“Do you know Charlie?” Samantha picked up her drink. “I miss him, but I miss his daughter more.”
Esther shook her head. “No, I’ve never met him. I think I met Queen Adeline in passing as a child, but I’m not even sure of that. I’m certain my father knows her.”
Darius took a sip of his drink. “I know my brother does, but I’ve never met either one of them.”
Samantha, more than Vince, peppered both of them with questions about growing up royal. Darius could sense Esther’s increasing reluctance to answer them, though she did graciously.
Esther set aside her plate after eating only a few bites. “I am not quite ready for a big meal, but it was delicious. I am certain we will be eating leftovers all week.”
The lack of contractions in her speech meant Esther was no longer comfortable with the conversation, though Darius knew she hadn’t been since it took a turn into royal life.
He changed the subject. “Vince, do you help with any of the other teams at the high school? Or just football?”
“Just football. Sometimes I coach baseball with the little kids in the summer, just depends on if there’s a team or two without a coach.”
“That is very kind of you.” Esther reached to the side of her chair and slowly lowered her feet. “I do apologize, not only for not eating much dinner, but for retiring early. I find myself quite unable to keep my eyes open.”
Darius and Vince both stood, though Darius went to Esther’s side. “Let me help you upstairs. I’ll be right back down,” he told them, glancing over his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around Esther’s waist, and struggled not to limp or put too much of his weight on her.
He helped her to the stairs before she turned to him. “I can make it from here, but thank you.”
“Get some rest. I’ll check on you in a little while.” He kissed her temple. “Be careful going upstairs.”
“I will.”
Darius returned to the living room and took Esther’s spot in the recliner. Discussion continued, revolving around American high school sports. Vince explained how it worked to be the best in the state. The Serenity Landing Varsity Boys Basketball team had won back-to-back championships a few years earlier.
Samantha insisted on cleaning up in the kitchen while Vince and Darius talked. Darius’s ankle appreciated being propped up so he didn’t protest too much.
Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Vince and Samantha said good-bye. Darius made it back upstairs and sank to the bed before flopping back onto his pillow.
“What is it?” Esther, clearly only half-awake, asked.
“I left my phone, meds, and ice pack on the counter.” He couldn’t believe he did that, after he’d reminded himself over and over as he said goodbye to Vince and Samantha.
“Your ankle is bothering you?” She pushed into a seated position.
“It’s throbbing and aches like you wouldn’t believe.” But some things were suddenly more urgent. He levered himself out of bed. “I’ll go get it, but first things first.” To the bathroom he went.
When he made it back to their room, the bed was empty.
19
The trip to the kitchen for Darius’s medicine, ice pack, and phone took far longer than it should have, but Esther wasn’t going to let him go. She might be weak, but she could walk without pain.
Mostly.
Everything ached, despite feeling somewhat better earlier. By the time she made back upstairs, Darius had changed into his pajama pants and had his ankle propped up on several pillows.
“Thank you.” His head rolled to the side so he could see her. “I was about to ask you to text Vesta or Louis or even Ian.”
“I thought about it,” Esther admitted as she rounded the end of the bed. “But they’re at the other house.” After situating the ice on his ankle, she shook two capsules out of the medicine bottle as she walked to his side. Suddenly dizzy, she sat on the edge of the bed next to him.
“Are you all right?” He started to sit up but she pressed a hand to his chest.
“I’m fine. Just overdid it today.” Not the whole truth, but close enough. She really needed to stay in bed for a couple more days and not even try to venture farther than the bathroom.
His hand rested on her thigh, warm and comforting. “You shouldn’t have gone downstairs, but thank you. I wish I could help you to the other side.”
“I’ll be fine.” Her head had already mostly cleared. She gave it a minute or two longer than necessary before returning to her side of the bed.
With a groan, she pushed against the dog but he didn’t move. They’d discovered over the last few months that while they both preferred to share a bed, they didn’t sleep well if they were too close. Esther found fifteen pounds of dog warmed her back just right - when he didn’t try to take over half the king-sized bed.
Darius reached over and encouraged the dog to move. Relief washed over Esther as she pulled the blanket over her. She barely remembered the dog burrowing in close to her side before she fell asleep.
The next day was spent napping between bouts of dozing and managing to roll over. She did sit up and sip some more broth. The spaghetti hadn’t sat terribly well. The dog, as he’d done the last few days, spent most of his time at her side.
Esther dozed lightly when she became aware of voices downstairs. A minute later, Vesta appeared in her room.
“There’s someone here to see you, ma’am. Your husband is already in the living room waiting for you.”
Struggling to sit up, Esther gladly accepted her help to stand and put her robe on.
Weariness settled around her like a blanket when she saw Samantha and Vince sitting on the s
ofa. She liked them, but she’d seen it happen before. Someone would find out who she really was and suddenly nothing else mattered.
She became a princess in their eyes and nothing more.
Esther ceased to exist. Only Princess Esther Miriam Victoria Jasmine of San Majoria mattered.
But as she looked closer, something seemed off. Samantha sat perched on the edge of the sofa, her hands folded together as she stared at them.
“Good evening. I do hope you did not go to the trouble of making us another meal. Last night’s was delicious and will last us a while. Except the brownies. They will not last long.” She hoped it came across as light-hearted as she meant it to.
She could see Samantha crack a small smile. Good.
Esther sat on a chair, knowing she wouldn’t be able to stay downstairs as long as she had the night before.
“I want to apologize,” Samantha blurted out.
Esther shared a glance with Darius, though she couldn’t read his thoughts on the matter. They waited for Samantha to go on.
“You shared something with us last night. I’m sure it doesn’t come easily for you, telling people who you are when they don’t know, because you’re afraid they’ll react like I did. Addie, that is Queen Adeline, lived here for several years without anyone knowing who she was. The only reason any of us found out is because of Charlie and Lindsey seeing her on television after her father’s skiing accident. Otherwise, we might have been oblivious forever.”
Vince sat next to Samantha, clearly offering moral support. He hadn’t acted much different after hearing the news. Only Samantha had.
“I understand if you’d rather not spend much time with us anymore, but I hope you know we won’t tell anyone who you are.” She stood and looked at both of them, a wobbly smile on her face. “Thanks for hearing me out. We’re praying that you both feel better soon.”
Darius gave a slight nod that Esther caught out of the corner of her eye.
“Please wait,” Esther called.
They turned, though Vince’s hand remained firmly on Samantha’s lower back.
“Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate the courage it took for you to come here and say that. Admitting you might have handled a situation wrong is never easy. We’re delighted to get to know you better, though we would ask that you let us share about our ‘other lives’ on our own terms - when we’re ready and when appropriate.”
Samantha’s face noticeably lightened. “Do you mean that?”
“We do.” Darius answered for both of them. “We’ve enjoyed getting to know you the last couple months. You do know the real us, except for the tiaras and trappings.”
Samantha and Vince shared a look much as Esther had with Darius.
“Thank you,” Samantha said again.
“Fair warning, though. It may be after the first of the year before we have much time. Between playing catch-up when we feel up to it and finals and the holidays, we won’t have much time for socializing. Perhaps we’ll see you at church in a couple of weeks and can do brunch again.”
That seemed like a good compromise for now. See how things went before committing to a closer friendship. Esther felt much better having cleared the air with them.
She could have finally found a friend she might be able to count on. But first she needed a nap.
After Samantha and Vince left, Darius returned to the recliner and propped his foot up.
Esther had pulled a blanket over herself as she stretched out on the couch, Raja snuggling in next to her.
“What did you think of that?” he asked.
She considered her answer before saying anything. “I’m glad they came. I like Samantha, but I need to be able to be Esther, not Princess Esther.”
“I understand that need. Just like we both needed to be Dare and Star in Sargasso. Someone who only sees the tiara and the titles isn’t someone you can be yourself with. We both have siblings we’re close to or close enough anyway. That helps some.”
“It does. I had some friends in San Majoria, but no one I was very close to. I was hoping here, where no one knows who I am, I might be able to find someone who I can be myself with, even if that meant not telling her my true identity.”
He wished he was close enough to have physical contact with Esther, but he wasn’t. “I do understand...” He let his voice trail off.
“But?” she prompted when he didn’t continue.
“But if you never tell someone the truth about your identity, do they really know the real you?”
She pulled the blanket further around her shoulders, a sure sign she was about ready to fall asleep on the couch. “I know, but sometimes, it’s nice to just be the non-royal part of myself with someone who doesn’t know there’s another side.”
Darius just nodded, knowing she wouldn’t see it, but she also wouldn’t realize he hadn’t responded. What she was saying had merit, but just as it wasn’t a good thing for people to see only the royal prince, it was equally disingenuous to only let people see the other side.
It had grown late enough that they likely wouldn’t make it all the way to bed. He couldn’t move Esther on his own, and he’d told Ian, Louis, and Vesta they could have the rest of the night off.
Another blanket lay within his reach. Darius pulled it over himself and soon drifted to sleep.
Despite sleeping on the couch for the first half of the night, Esther finally began to feel somewhat better Wednesday morning, though her body still ached. The clammy, sweaty feeling when she woke meant her fever had likely broken. Finally. Medicine kept it from getting too out of control, but she definitely felt the effects.
“How are you feeling?” she asked Darius as he walked in yawning and sat in the recliner that had been moved into their room a few days earlier. It gave them somewhere to be comfortable besides the bed.
“More human than I have since Friday.” He raised the back to a more seated position. “Jonathan stopped by a few minutes ago.” Darius nodded toward her side table. “Dropped off some flowers and said they’re both feeling fine.”
“Thank goodness.” She pushed up until she could swing her legs over the side of the bed. “I think I’m going to take a shower.”
“Do you need any help?”
“I think I’ve got it, but I’ll let you know if I do.”
She managed a full shower, including washing her hair, all by herself. By the time she was finished, Esther needed another nap, but she felt like she’d actually accomplished something on her own.
Mostly she was relieved there had been no spotting or other signs of a miscarriage.
As she snuggled under the covers for a nap, she told Darius that.
“An answer to prayer,” he replied.
“Definitely.”
“I talked to my mother about Christmas. Invited the immediate family here. She said she’d discuss it with my brother, but since I know your father already talked to Benjamin, I’d say it’s going to happen. I already told Jonathan to reserve that house. And I had an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Why don’t we tell our families no presents for the reasons we’ve already talked about.”
“Okay.” There had to be something more.
“But we get all of them something local, something they can’t get back home. Maybe art or jewelry.”
Esther nodded as she turned the thought over in her mind. “I like that idea.”
“Me, too. It’ll be the traditional American Christmas none of us have ever had.”
Esther drifted to sleep. It wasn’t worth worrying over right now.
As long as she didn’t have to make Christmas dinner for all of them, it would be fine.
20
Darius used his crutches to make his way to the front door. Ian hadn’t stopped him, so whoever it was must be all right.
He opened it to find Esther’s friend from school looking nervous. “Abi, isn’t it?” He hopped backward. “Come on in.”
“Hi, Darius.”
Abi inside. “How’s Esther?”
“She’s been better,” Darius admitted. “But she’s doing a lot better than she was a couple days ago. Did she know you were coming?”
Abi shook her head. “She emailed me and asked for my notes.”
“Then how do you know where we live?” Security needed to know if it was too easy to determine where they lived.
A smirk crossed Abi’s face. “I have a good remember-y, and she’s told me enough about it that I could make some deductions and find the right place.”
Darius tilted his head and started for the living room. “Like what?”
“She can’t see the lake, but isn’t too far. Serenity Creek is in the neighborhood. Those two things narrow it down to three neighborhoods. Her email said the accident was on the bridge leading in. That took two of them out. The house next door is newly finished, and the one on the other side of that isn’t done yet. There are three houses under construction in the neighborhood and two of them are near another house that looks like it was just finished recently. Plus, the neighbors across the street have a gnome guarding their mailbox. And there you go.”
So not easy, just someone who could put clues together. Still, he probably needed to mention it to Ian and Esther both. She needed to be more careful.
Darius motioned to the couch. “Have a seat. Let me see if Esther’s feeling up to coming downstairs for a little bit.”
She was already sitting up when he made it to their room. “Who’s here?”
“Your friend Abi.” He let his weight rest mostly on the crutches.
“I never told her where we live.” Worry filled her eyes. “How does she know?”
“She remembered some things you said and figured out which neighborhood. From there, basically, she found the house across the street from the gnome.” He quirked an eyebrow. “You need to be more careful, love.”
Esther sighed. “I will. I never even thought that someone could put all of that together.”
“Ian didn’t stop me from opening the door, so he must have been okay with it.”
A Royally Beautiful Mess Page 15