I smiled. “Yeah, there is. If I don’t completely obliterate my chances with her.”
While I so badly wanted to watch Ella’s reaction to the question, I remained focused on Cressida. I wouldn’t be dumb enough to give that much away.
“So is it serious?”
“I think I perhaps want it to be more than she does at this moment, butIconsider it serious,” I agreed.
“Salacious. Can I hear who?”
“Absolutely not,” I chuckled. “That would be unfair to the young lady.”
And with that, we wrapped. Everyone from the crew filtered out. John and Eloise remained momentarily, refreshing my knowledge of tomorrow’s schedule. But all I wanted to do was kiss Eloise and tell her I meant every word.
“Sir, there is a briefing your mother’s team is insisting on,” John said. “It will take some time. Perhaps, over dinner? It’s a diplomatic concern.”
That meant Eloise wouldn’t be privy. I read her disappointment.
“Sure. I am famished,” I admitted. “But given all the work Miss Mills put in today, I think she deserves a nice dinner, too.”
Eloise blushed. “I’m fine. I was just going to pop into the restaurant?—”
“I will send you a steak,” I insisted. “Let me order it. Just relax and it will be on the way.”
She smiled while John’s gaze flitted back and forth between us. I was love drunk and couldn’t even begin to deny it at this point.
“Well, that would be nice,” Eloise said. “You shouldn’t, but I’m too tired to argue.”
She left and my heart ached. All I wanted to do was fuck her and eat room service in bed. All I wanted was to wake up next to her tomorrow. And perhaps even more than both of those things, I wanted to hear her words of affirmation.
49
FOUND OUT
ELOISE
10 February
London Daily Times
The Prince of Wales continues his tour of North America crossing province after province, meeting with service organizations, and talking to businesses. Canada is a large trading partner for the UK and it is his job to make inroads for the British government. So far, he appears to be doing well.
While we hate to call it and say the Prince is in the full swing of his redemption arc, we must hand it to the capable young Eloise Mills. Not only has she survived as social secretary longer than we ever thought she would, palace insiders sing her praises. They say she was hired because she was responsible for engineering the Prince’s comeback and that Her Majesty hand-picked the young woman for the job. We can hope he continues to behave.
By night I was the secret girlfriend. By day, I played the formidable assistant to one of the most visible men on earth, leaving no one the wiser. No one knew about us. Or, so I thought. Duncan’s detail did, no doubt, but no one treated me differently. We kept it professional. He was always deferential and respectful to me at work. And after work, he was adoring and willing to do anything I asked. We were in that very happy, sweet place at the start of a relationship where everything felt perfect and fuzzy.
The honeymoon phase was great. I got to be the target of Duncan’s fantasies, his ear to the ground, and his person to decompress with. What I expected was a fun fling that fizzled after a month. Instead, I got his utter devotion. And funnily enough, I didn’t see an end.
Then came the schedule’s most grueling part. Duncan and I had so much travel for two days, that we couldn’t connect. He whinged via adorable, passed notes. I luxuriated in those. It made it all a secret. We had this glorious little thing.
It was a blissful fantasy until it wasn’t.
Duncan visited my room while we were in Manitoba. Finally, we had time together. He snuck in late and climbed into bed, but wasn’t immediately coming onto me. And it wasn’t that he wanted me to take it out on him. No, it was something else. He was pensive.
“What’s going on? You’re being fucking weird, Duncan,” I said.
He let out a long sigh.
“Out with it, Duncan.”
