Page 27 of Break Me: Smith and Belle

“I haven’t missed that,” he gritted out.

“Honestly, I forgot how much of a stir you cause.”

“Trust me, it’s been worse the last few months.” He forced a smile, but it was flat on the edges like his body wanted to grimace instead.

I could only imagine after his husband died so soon after their overly politicized marriage that the reporters had been relentless. The last time we’d been here before Penny was born, he’d kept a low profile by sporting a style that was somewhere between panhandler and rockstar chic. Now, in his pressed khaki trousers and oxford button-down, he was instantly recognizable.

“Where to first?” he asked, displaying a remarkable tenacity for forgetting that dozens of people had just stopped to gawk at him. The looks continued inside, but due to the upscale nature of Harrods where it wasn’t unusual to see a celebrity, or in this case a prince, shopping amongst you, no one approached us.

“Third floor,” I chirped. We were here for the guesthouse, not ourselves, which meant going to the home department.

“Okay, but I have strict instructions from Smith,” he confessed to me.

My eyes shuttered for a moment, wondering if I’d even be allowed to use the loo alone, but to my surprise, Edward added, “He says I’m to make sure you pick up something really expensive, and really useless, for yourself.”

“Am I, now?” I said with a laugh. I shouldn’t be surprised. Smith had always known how to spoil a girl. I’d once discovered he bought the entire fall collection of Louboutins and had it delivered to his closet for my use.

“Deal.” I dragged him toward the lifts, bypassing the bronze escalators that led to more tempting pursuits. It also avoided a half dozen new arrivals who were pointing at Edward like they were visiting a zoo. “But first, let’s figure out what to do about the guesthouse.”

Part of me had hoped that Georgia would take the opportunity to return to London full time on this trip, but she’d insisted on driving us here and back. Whatever she was up to with Smith, they were still in the thick of it. I chose to trust my husband, not pushing him for answers as to the real reason behind her stay. I knew he wanted to keep an extra set of eyes on me and the baby, but it was more than that. Doubt tickled the back of my mind. We’d been through this before, but then he’d been more honest about what was happening. I didn’t know if he was trying to keep me from more anxiety or if he saw me as the primary danger confronting us.

“Don’t do that,” Edward said, breaking into my thoughts as the lift dinged, announcing we’d reached the third floor.

“What?” I asked, blinking and trying to get my attention back on him.

“You’re worrying,” he told me. “I’m going to have to start plying you with champagne before noon if you don’t stop.”

“I’m not sure Smith would approve of that.” I trailed my finger along a table, displaying a lovely selection of Wedgwood plates as we made our way to the bath and bed linens.

“It was his idea.”

“It was?” I stopped.

“Well,” Edward hedged, nudging me onward, “he said to make sure you enjoyed yourself by any means necessary.”

“That sounds like permission to me.” I couldn’t help giggling as I looped my arm through my best friend’s. All around us, displays of luxury fabrics and bespoke decor tempted shoppers into redoing every room in their house. Thankfully, most of Thornham had been recently decorated or I might find myself spending a small fortune. Shop attendants murmured hello’s and polite questions as we passed, but we simply nodded and thanked them. The one nice thing about the luxury store was how well it trained it’s employees to be helpful but not bothersome. Still, we were gathering the usual amount of interest I expected anywhere I went with Edward.

“What about this one?” He asked, pointing to a classic Ralph Lauren-designed bedding set, its tartan duvet cover perfectly complimenting a thick, navy velvet coverlet. It was simple, elegant, and would do for most guests. I nodded. “That will be good for Georgia’s room.”

“But I suppose we should do something a little more eccentric for Jane?” he guessed.

“Other people will stay there,” I murmured, considering my options, “but I want Jane to visit as often as possible and feel comfortable.” We meandered over to a different display, this one with silk sheets in rich, jewel tones. I was debating whether I should continue the blue into the other side of the guest house or go with the deep plum color I preferred when Edward muttered beside me,” Are you fucking kidding me?”

“What?” I looked up to see Georgia striding toward us, but she wasn’t alone. My eyes flashed to Edward, worried that he might explode or make a run for it, but all he did was stand there with clenched fists as Clara made her way to us, pushing a pram.

She shot me a nervous smile. If there had been attention on us before, it would be unbearable soon. I looked around, prepared to step between Clara and other shopper’s mobile phone cameras, but the department was curiously empty save for the sales associates. We’d been duped. Georgia told Clara we would be here, and Clara had arranged to crash our shopping date.

“I hope you don’t mind if I join you,” Clara called, maintaining a safe distance by staying behind the pram. Her eyes flickered to Edward before skittering quickly back to me.

“We’re just surprised,” I said quickly. I circled around the baby carriage and gave her a tight hug. Lowering my voice, I whispered, “I don’t know how he’s going to react to this.”

“I know,” she whispered back. “But since neither of you return my calls I didn’t have any other choice.”

Loneliness trembled in her voice. Clara was happy in her marriage to Alexander. The two adored each other with an obsession that dictated their every move. But he was a powerful man, and with that power came responsibilities that meant they couldn’t be together all the time. I thought of how it felt to be cooped up in Thornham for the last few months and sympathy swelled inside me. How much worse had it been for Clara during that time? She couldn’t go anywhere without a security entourage. After her kidnapping, Alexander and her rarely left Buckingham. And the whole time she’s been doing that without a word from her best friends. Edward had every right to maintain his distance after what had happened, but what excuse did I have? I’d even unintentionally claimed her only companion, drawing Georgia to Briarshead to help me and Smith.

“Sorry,” I said earnestly. “I’ve been a cunt.”

“You have a baby,” she said with a laugh at my choice of words. “But I did hear some things that worried me.”