I glanced at my watch. “In an hour.”
Her mouth dropped. “A little presumptuous, aren’t you?”
I shrugged. “Hopeful.”
I pulled out my phone and texted George to come get us. Once we were on the plane, I’d give my sister a heads up. I had to pray she would help me out this weekend and make Charlie as comfortable as possible.
5
Charlie
I was a fool. Or insane. Or just plain stupid.
I asked Aiden for a moment to collect myself and ran to the bathroom. It was tiny and dimly lit but gave me a moment to process what I’d just agreed to.
Who agrees to leave the country with a stranger? I was breaking every rule I had. I couldn’t imagine what my dad and Liza would say if they knew. They’d probably demand I come home.
I sighed and sent them a message that I was leaving to see Lochland, but left it at that. I promised I would give them more information once I was there. Hopefully, that would help them find my body when I went missing.
I shook my head. Nothing bad was going to happen. Aiden and George had been nothing but honest and kind. If either of them wanted to hurt me, they already would have.
I splashed my face, not caring if I ruined my makeup and blinked up at my reflection. Maybe I was being too paranoid. I was going to a fancy wedding in a beautiful country I would have otherwise never visited with a charming, handsome man. That seemed pretty lucky, actually.
I checked the time and jumped up. It was now or never. I went back to where Aiden was sitting and smiled. “Let’s go.”
He beamed up at me and took my hand, leading us downstairs and out to the street where George was waiting.
I was beginning to realize how little I knew about Aiden. He said he worked in business and that might be true but it obviously wasn’t the whole truth. I turned to him as we pulled up to the airport passing the departure terminal.
“What’s going on?” I caught George glance over his shoulder to me.
“We’re going to the airplane.”
I narrowed my eyes. “But we just passed the terminal.”
George chuckled.
I looked from one to the other. “What’s going on?”
“You’ll see in a second.” George smiled while Aiden avoided looking at me.
We pulled up to a gate with a security guard standing out front. He came up to the window and George rolled it down to lean forward and smiled. The security guard didn’t even ask a single question. He just nodded once and let us through.
“You guys,” I said, “what is going on? Are you Secret Service? Double oh seven? Whatever it’s called here?”
They both started laughing as George drove directly on the tarmac and pulled up to a sleek white airplane. A small jet. I started shaking my head. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re flying on that?”
Aiden nodded. “How else would we get to Lochland?”
I pointed out the commercial jets behind us. “Taking one of those like everyone else in the world.”
Neither of them said anything else as George parked the car and got out to open my door.
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
George just smiled. “You’re in for a treat.”
I felt like I was on a reality show. Was this a prank? Was someone going to jump in and shout ‘just kidding’? That someone got me?
A man stepped off the plane and came down collecting our bags and then took them on board for us. I looked at Aiden and he just nodded for me to head up the stairs first. I continued to look around waiting for the cameraman to jump out but when nothing happened I finally took the stairs up. I ducked in through the door and fought the urge to gasp when I saw what was inside. Beautiful cream interior, plush leather, and a flight attendant poised and smiling.
“Welcome aboard miss. My name is Sheila.”
She looked at Aiden and stood up straighter. “Good morning, P-“
He cut her off. “Good morning.”
She smiled and nodded. “Can I get you guys anything to drink before we take off?”
I shook my head still in a daze but Aiden spoke up. “A couple glasses of orange juice.”
He directed me to sit in one of the front chairs with the table between it. One facing backward and I had a feeling that would freak me out and the last thing I needed was to get sick in a plane like this. I doubted I could afford to get it cleaned.
He sat across from me and smiled as my eyes narrowed.
“Is this unusual for you?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Do you always travel like this?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I guess I do.”
“What did you say your last name was?”
Aiden winced. “I never did.”
When he didn’t say anything more I attempted to prompt him. “Well?”
He cleared his throat. “Stewart.”
“Is that Scottish?”
“My ancestry is mainly Scottish Irish, but my mom is British.”
“Oh really.” I turned and looked back at George who had a newspaper unfolded in front of him. Of course. He seemed like the type that would read it in print. He must have felt me watching him or noticed the silence in our conversation. He peeked over the top and tilted his head with a smile before returning to his reading. So he was completely comfortable with this.
It wasn’t something new for either of them.
“What was it you said you did again?”
He smiled. “I run a company.”
“LochEnergy? What exactly does it do?”
He sat up straighter. “We produce renewable energy.”
That could be something that made him rich enough to afford this lifestyle.
“Anything else I should know about?”
He started shaking his head and I realized that if I wanted to play his game, I need to be more specific questions.
“What about the politics? What role do you have?”
“I mostly support my father’s position.”
I nodded slowly. So, he was the son of someone important. Well, his dad could be a mayor or maybe a governor. Did they have those in Lochland?
“Is there anything else I should know about?”
He shook his head a bit too quickly. There was definitely more to his story but he didn’t want to tell me. I was fine not knowing the whole truth yet, but he had better divulge everything to me soon.
“There’s nothing else I need to know before we land? About the wedding or your family?”
His eyes flickered back to where George was sitting before returning to mine.
“No?” His response sounded more like a question. That made me nervous.
“Are you sure there’s nothing else I should know?”
He shrugged. “You’ll just be meeting some of my family, friends, and acquaintances. Things like that.”
I looked around the plane. “Will I fit in with these acquaintances?”
He smiled and nodded. “The most important thing is that you’re kind and you can make me laugh. Just be yourself.”
I smiled as heat crept up my cheeks. A little over an hour later, we landed, anxiety filling my belly as we stepped off the plane. I took in my first glimpse of Lochland. It looked similar to Ireland with rolling hills of emerald green but there was something about the atmosphere. They skies were grey and it was a bit colder, but that wasn’t it. It was somehow calmer which was shocking since Ireland was incredibly calm and peaceful but there was less noise here than Galway.
I waited for Aiden as he got off the plane and placed his hand on my lower back, leading me to the silver car parked a few yards away. George opened our doors and got behind the wheel.
“Where are we going?” I asked, hoping to get any more information.
“Patience, my dear.” He took my hand and it immediately calmed me. I didn’t need to know more than how I felt when he touched me. The rush and peace it brought all
at once.
I didn’t know enough about Lochland to know where we were headed. All I knew was that it’s major city, Tarramore, was the capital. Anything more than that was a distant memory from my European history classes.
I looked out the window and caught sight of a black car, I’d spotted it at the airport but hadn’t noticed it leaving with us. George made a turn off to another road and I waited to see if the car would follow. It did. Something didn’t feel right to me.
“George, have you noticed that car following us?”
He looked up at the rear-view mirror then made eye contact with Aiden.
Aiden nodded and looked at me. “That’s just security.”
He didn’t seem at all concerned about someone tailing us. I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of security?”
George gave a slight shake of his head but didn’t speak. Aiden cleared his throat. “My cousin is marrying a baron.”
My jaw dropped. I didn’t know much about the levels of royalty but this wedding sounded important.
“This is a bit more than the average family wedding, isn’t it?” I asked.
Aiden didn’t answer immediately. “I suppose.”
Great. So not only would I be meeting his family, just after meeting him, but this was also a super fancy wedding. One that probably required a hat.
That was the extent of my knowledge of royal weddings. I didn’t own anything worthy of an event like this, and even if I did, I wouldn't have packed it with me.
“I’m going to need a nicer dress,” I said it to myself, but Aiden laughed.
“I’ll make sure you have everything you need. My sister, Isla, is excited to have a new shopping buddy.”
I smiled and looked out the window. This was beginning to feel like a Pretty Woman experience. The poor girl that finds a rich guy to buy her fancy clothes and take her to fancy schmancy parties. Okay, so I wasn’t in the exact same boat as Vivian, but it was starting to get a little weird. I turned back to him. “I can buy my own dress.”
He looked guilty. “I’m not suggesting you can’t. I just wanted to take care of it since I invited you with such little notice. It’s the least I can do.”
The least he can do? I’d just flown on a private jet. My suspicion that Aiden was more than a kind “businessman” was growing.
Was this a Cinderella moment or a huge mistake?
“Here we are,” George announced as we pulled through gates and entered the most beautiful garden I’d ever seen. It was intricate and had spiral hedges, like mini corn mazes.
I cringed at myself. I was sure there was a proper name for them, probably something French, but they were amazing nonetheless.
We pulled up in front of what I could only describe as a castle. Or a palace?
Confused, I turned to Aiden. “I thought we were staying at your parent’s house.”
George coughed before he got out of the car.
Aiden smiled. “Change of plans. As guests of the wedding, we were invited to stay at the palace.”
Palace? It was a real-life palace? I looked out the window at the pale-yellow building that seemed to go on forever in each direction. There were at least two dozen windows across the front. That’s a lot of rooms.
George opened my door and I stepped out on the gravel driveway. The doors at the very center of the building swung open and a beautiful blonde walked out with her arms opened wide.
“Aiden.” She spoke with such a tender voice. I couldn’t help but wonder if this supermodel was his girlfriend. It would make a lot more sense than having me here as his date. I froze. Had he invited me as a joke? Look at this poor American. She thinks she’s here for a royal wedding.
I cringed when her eyes met mine. “You must be Charlie.” She hurried down the steps and threw her arms around me. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
Okay. Something was going on.
“Isla, let her breathe.” Aiden stood next to me when Isla finally stepped back. Isla? His sister? Now that I had that piece of information, it all made sense. I could see the resemblance. Frankly, I was relieved this bombshell was his sister.
“I’m sorry,” Isla said, patting my arm. “It’s just that I’m usually the only girl around here. I’m excited to have someone to hang out with.”
I smiled. She seemed like the type to say whatever was on her mind. I couldn't help but like her instantly.
Aiden rolled his eyes. “You two will have plenty of time to shop later. Give Charlie a chance to look around and relax.”
Isla’s smile tightened. “Actually, we have a dinner to go to tonight. I was hoping to head out now with Charlie so we could both get something appropriate. Plus, the garden party is tomorrow. We have a lot to get ready for.”
Aiden eyed his sister before finally nodding. “Fine.” He turned to me. “Do you mind leaving already? She’s right that you’ll need a few things before tomorrow.”
Shopping with Isla? That didn’t sound bad at all. “Of course not.”
He gave me a brief hug before opening the car door for me. “I’ll see you soon.”
I nodded dumbly, a bit dazed from having his arms around me. It had been so natural, yet it had my insides quaking. I still wasn’t sure what I’d agreed to, but now that I was here in Lochland I didn’t mind not knowing.
6
Aiden
I smiled down at Charlie, who was sitting in the car, until Isla grabbed my elbow and spun me around. She shut the car door before addressing me. “My dear Prince. You might want to think things through before letting Charlie wander around.”
“Like what?”
She laughed. “You fool. Your portrait is the first thing you see when you walk through the doors.”
My head dropped. She was right, well partially. It was really my dad’s that you saw first, but it would only take a turn of the head to see mine and Isla’s on the wall.
“How do you plan on covering up the paintings and pictures? It’s not like people won’t notice the empty spaces. You’ll give Martin a heart attack.”
I laughed at the idea. Martin was the Master of the Household of Balivaughn Palace, our family’s primary residence. He’s been a grouchy old man since we were little and entertained ourselves by playing tricks on him. Moving the portraits is the exact kind of thing we would have done to drive him mad.
“You’ve pulled the wool over her eyes,” Isla said. “She’ll catch on sooner or later. Are you prepared for the consequences?”
Her eyes cut through me and I knew she was right. I couldn’t get away with not telling her for much longer.
She shook her head. “I’ll bring her home through the back entrance and take her straight up to the guest rooms. That gives you until tomorrow morning.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
She shook her head. “Don’t thank me yet. She could go exploring tonight and see something. Or I could get recognized while we’re out today.”
“You always call ahead.” Her favorite shops knew to clear their customers and keep away the paparazzi. They also called her Isla at her request. Something incredibly unusual would have to happen for her to be outed.
She shrugged. “You never know.”
“Just take care of her.”
She blew out a breath. “You’ll tell me later why this woman matters so much to you.”
It wasn’t a question. I understood that perfectly. “Of course.”
She walked around the car and George opened the door for her. She shot me one last look before smiling warmly at Charlie and sliding in.
I waved as they drove away then turned and walked into my home. The Tarramore palace was the official residence of the royal family, but unless there was official state business we stayed in the smaller and more private one in Balivaughn.
The family’s portraits hung along the entrance hall and I mentally slapped myself for forgetting. Isla was right that I needed to tell Charlie soon, but it was hard giving up just being Aiden. I liked that she didn’t agree
with everything I said. She challenged and treated me like anyone else. I didn’t want that to change, and it always did.
I didn’t have many friends that weren’t family or from other royal families for that reason. It was hard finding people to trust. People that weren’t just around for the perks or name dropping.
Charlie wasn’t that type. I had a feeling when she found out she’d be angry. Not just because I’d kept it from her, but because I wasn’t what she wanted. I wasn’t just a businessman visiting Ireland. I was a royal prince over the expansion of renewable and natural energy for Lochland. I was the CEO of LochEnergy, a billion-dollar international company. So technically, I hadn’t lied. I just left out a portion.
“Aiden.” I looked toward the stairs to see my brothers Cian and Ronan coming down. With one look of disappointment, I knew Isla had filled in my brothers.
“What were you thinking?” Cian asked with a worried tone. As the crown prince, he was perpetually concerned, looking at all angles at all times. How he wasn’t exhausted every second of every day was beyond me.
“Hi Cian, how are you? I’m doing well thank you so much for asking.”
He glared at me. “You’re a fool. Why haven’t you told the girl who you are?”
“Because I’m just Aiden to her.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That doesn’t matter. You’re a prince. You’re the head of one of the largest companies in Lochland. You have responsibilities and expectations. You will never be just Aiden.”
“But I am with her.”
“But you’re not.” He sounded too much like our dad.
“It was nice to pretend.”
Ronan’s head swiveled back and forth his dark blond curls swinging, watching us volley against one another. “How long have you been together?” he asked me.
I clenched my jaw and debated lying to them.
“That long, eh?” Ronan was grinning like a madman.
I muttered, “It’s recent.”
Cian dropped his head and closed his eyes. “You brought your new fling to the palace?” In my early twenties that wouldn’t have been too farfetched, but now I would have hoped he knew me better. “No. She’s not some fling or random girl. I really like her.”
His Royal Request: Royals of Lochland Book I Page 5