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I wasn’t going to disagree with him.
“Goodnight.” Gabi kissed me on the cheek and squeezed Adelaide’s shoulder, then disappeared.
Adelaide turned to me. “Just us left, then.”
“Just us.” I nodded slowly. “I’m surprised I’m not alone. Your mini date with Tim not go well?”
She side-eyed me. “I’m hungry.”
“We can order room service.”
“No. I’ve had too much wine for that fancy crap. You know what I need?”
“I can guess.”
“A huge pizza, a kebab, and chips.”
I dropped my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. “You want me to go and find all that for you? Don’t we have apps for that now?”
She laughed and stood up. “No, don’t be daft. We’ll go together and you can tell me why you hate Tim so much.”
I followed after her. “I do not hate him.”
“Every time you looked at him tonight, you had a face like you’d just swallowed a quart of vinegar.” She led me out into the lobby and peered over her shoulder. “And I want to know why.”
“There’s a sofa there, Addy.”
“Oops. Thank you.” She made a swift diversion to avoid the sofa.
“Perhaps you should consider watching where you’re going?”
“Valid advice.” She got to the doors before me and waited. “Come on. I’m starving.”
“Aren’t you going to be cold out there? It’s past eleven. It’s not going to be as warm as you think it is.”
She waved her hand and grabbed my arm. “It’ll be fine. Come on.”
The doorman who’d been here all night stepped forward and opened the door for us.
Adelaide beamed at him. “Thank you, George.”
“You’re quite welcome, Miss Astley. Lord Worcester.” He nodded to me and closed the door after us.
“Ooh.” Addy stopped right in front of me. “Maybe I should go and get a jacket.”
“Absolutely not. I’m not waiting out here for twenty minutes while you get lost.” I unbuttoned my suit jacket and slipped it off. “Here.”
“That’s yours. You’ll get cold.”
“Excellent. Then I can guilt trip you about it later.” I draped it over her shoulders.
She smiled up at me. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” I put my hand on her back and guided her down the pavement. “Do you even know anywhere around here to get the food you want?”
“Actually, I do. I’ve stayed here before and there’s a place right around the corner. Turn right.”
We turned right.
“Of course you have. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m bloody hungry, too.”
“That’ll be the whiskey. Oh, explains why you’re not cold.” She laughed and slipped her arms into my jacket so she was wearing it properly. “Help. This road has some cobbles.”
“You’re in heels!”
“Well observed. That’s why I said help.” She grabbed my arm and hung off it, carefully navigating the cobbles.
“Isn’t there another route to this place? Or another place?”
“Yes, but this is a shortcut.”
I watched as she balanced on one large stone before hopping onto the flat pavement again.
“That was fun.” She grinned, still holding onto my arm. “Thanks for the jacket. It is cold out here. Oh, look, we’re here!”
All right.
She was a cute drunk.
“Let’s get you some food.” I held open the door for her and we stepped into the takeaway shop. Adelaide placed her order while I added something on for me, and then I paid for it, much to her chagrin. She insisted she’d get it next time, but I wasn’t entirely sure there would be a next time.
It was only four weeks until she was supposed to go home, and we didn’t have a takeaway like this in Whitborough.
We headed back to the hotel when our food was ready, and Adelaide once again attached herself to my arm to walk over the cobbles. Again, she didn’t let go when we were clear of the other side, and I didn’t mind.
She was a cute drunk, but also a bit of a clumsy one.
A flash caught my attention outside the hotel, and I stopped us short of turning the corner.
“Hold on,” I said quietly, extracting my arm from her and peering around.
Someone had called the media, and in the fifteen minutes since we’d gone, a small group of photographers had assembled behind a rope fence. The fence hadn’t been there before, and I was thankful for the fast decision making the hotel security had clearly made.
As aristocrats, we weren’t celebrities by any means. Unfortunately, we were still a point of interest, especially the younger crowd, and the line between celebrity and nobility was slowly blurring.
I also knew exactly who’d called the media.
Charlotte.
CHAPTER TWELVE – ALEXANDER
“What’s wrong?” Addy asked.
“The media is here. I think Charlotte called them.”
“Oh, bollocks. It’s funny how they never show up if she isn’t at an event, but every time she is…” She sighed. “Give me a second.”
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.
“Are you all right?”
“If I get photographed while drunk and hanging off you like a two-bit Instagram influencer with fake boobs, my mother will have my guts for garters.” She opened her eyes. “Let’s go. I’m sure we both know the drill. Head down, don’t look at the camera, walk like you don’t know they’re there.”
