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Since everyone else is sitting on the sofa or in the armchairs, they couldn't hear what Ben said.
I lean in to kiss his cheek and whisper, "You're on."
The doorbell rings again, then a fist raps on the door. Jeez, whoever that is, they're insanely determined.
I swing the door open.
A woman fixes her sharp gaze on me, eying me up and down like I'm auditioning for a modeling job and she's not too pleased with what she sees. The woman wears what looks like a designer skirt suit, with a fancy gold brooch pinned to the jacket's lapel. She has her honey-blonde hair pinned up in an elaborate bun, and her makeup is flawless. How she managed to walk across the snowy driveway while wearing high heels, I can't imagine.
"I would like to see my son," the woman says. "Now."
Oh yeah, she's got the commanding tone down pat. I feel a bizarre impulse to bow or curtsy or something. Her British accent has me wondering who this elegant, haughty woman is. But I get a wriggly feeling in my gut that warns me I should know the answer.
My dad comes up beside me. "Hey, what's up?"
The woman lifts one manicured brow. "I'm here to retrieve my son. Where is Bennett?"
Oh holy shit. This woman is Ben's mom.
Princess Olivia is standing on my front porch.
Chapter Nineteen
Ben
"Where is my son?" a familiar female voice says very loudly from the direction of the front door. My mother continues speaking, but not with as much volume, so I can't understand whatever it is she's saying to Sam and Chuck.
How did Mum find me?
The rest of the Lockharts have started to stare at me, all of them seeming confused to varying degrees. I had told Sam's family about me shortly after her brother arrived with his wife and daughters. Ella and Lily thought it was "so cool" and asked if I have a crown and could they try it on if I did. I don't have a crown, so they were disappointed. But now, even the little girls give me confused looks.
I march over to the front door, where my mother stands just outside the threshold, giving Sam and Chuck her best haughty expression. Of course, being a princess, she also stands with her shoulders rolled back, her spine straight, and her chin slightly lifted. Mum isn't a cold, pretentious royal. She has a softer side, but no one outside the family ever sees it. I haven't seen it in ages—except maybe on the day I ran away. During our conversation on the balcony of my bedroom, right before I sneaked out of the castle, for a moment she'd been the mother I remember instead of the untouchable princess.
Right now, she wants everyone to be intimidated. That might be working on Sam a little bit, but Chuck seems more entertained than cowed.
"So you're Olivia," he says, and thrusts his hand out to her. "It's a real pleasure to meet you. I'm Chuck Lockhart, Sam's dad."
Mum lifts one brow. "Sam? Who on earth is that?"
Chuck nods toward his daughter. "She's Sam. Didn't Ben tell you they're an item?"
Oh bugger. Of course I hadn't told Mum, because I haven't spoken to her or anyone except the Lockharts since I came to New Hampshire. Well, them and the people in town, but they don't know I'm a sodding crown prince. I'd texted my sister, so I hadn't actually spoken to her either.
Princess Olivia of Mithoria rotates her cool gaze toward me. "Bennett, I believe we need to speak in private."
Suddenly, I feel like a little boy again. Only my mother can do that to me.
"Now, Bennett," Mum says in her most authoritative tone.
Chuck's eyebrows draw together. "Uh, maybe we should let you guys have some time alone. We can go into town to buy groceries."
"You guys go on without us," Sam says. "I'm staying with Ben."
Mum aims her coolest stare at my girlfriend.
Sam bites her lip briefly but does not back down. Instead, she squares her shoulders and lifts her chin much the way Mum does. "I love Ben, and I'm staying. Deal with it."
An expression resembling genuine shock flashes on my mother's face, but it vanishes so quickly that I can't be sure I saw it. Princess Olivia is never shocked. She handles every situation, no matter how troubling, with regal composure. Even when she's angry, like she was a moment ago when she commanded me "now, Bennett," she didn't look furious or even annoyed. Her commanding tone is regal too, just like her haughty stare.
