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Which meant he’d be caught up in this charade for the foreseeable future.
“If you help us, not begrudgingly, but as if you valued the institution and what it means, showing all the charm and charisma you displayed during the tribute, then you have my word your mother will be fine.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Meaning?”
“My mother doesn’t like when people oppose her will. You’ve done it twice already, by failing to take over your father’s duties when he died and by choosing Dani when she expressly forbid it.”
“The queen already promised to let my mother be if I did what she asked.”
“She made that same promise to you before the tribute; said you’d be able to go back to lecturing at uni. Yet here you are, doing exactly what she wants you to do.”
He curled his hand into a fist, realizing Catherine was right. What could he do? In the end, all he had was the queen’s word that she’d hold up her end of their bargain.
“And if you’re coming up with some sort of plan to leave the family, she’ll see it as an attack on her legacy and she’ll do whatever she can to try to stop you. But I can guarantee she won’t use your mother again as a bargaining chip. As long as we’re here, Calanthe can stay where she is and have all the protections she needs.”
“You can do that?”
Catherine stared back at him, her confidence evident in her steady eye contact. “It’s what my brother would’ve wanted.”
He nodded, trusting what he saw in her principled gaze. “Okay.”
“Thank you, Jameson. Can I give you a piece of advice?” Shedidn’t wait for his response. “You are the Duke of Wessex. You need to stop fighting it and accept it. We can never escape being a member of this family, no matter how much we may want to. But you don’t have to occupy the title the way your father did. You can make it fit whoyouare.”
The way Catherine had done as the spare.
She stood and reached for her purse. “The queen’s private secretary will contact yours and set him up with the information from the others.”
He clenched his jaw but nodded.
“You may not like everything we do in service to the monarchy, or even understand it. That’s because your focus is on what will make you happy today, tomorrow, or next week. But we have to look far ahead, and I don’t mean next year but the next fifty or one hundred years.” She pressed her hands together, her blue eyes steady and resolute. “Julian will do what he’s told. And he will be king. That’s his role to fulfill. Ours is to ensure there’s a throne for him to ascend to.”
Chapter Nine
Remember when y’all were on here calling out Duchess & siding with Sa-messy Banks? I do, screenshots don’t lie! Banks still desperate to be a Duchess even if she has to pop out a baby.??#Isaidwhatisaid #julianmybabydaddy #justiceforduchess
@InDuchessIStan, Twitter
“Welcome back to Primrose Park, Ms. Nelson.”
Past the guarded, gated entrance, beyond the tall trees that lined the long private road—Amos timed his words perfectly, and when the view opened up, Dani pressed a hand to her chest as emotions overwhelmed her. Not because of the house, although the large three-story gray stone building, bordered by a lake, was absolutely stunning. But because this is where she and Jameson had fallen in love.
“When I was told the prince had invited me, you definitely weren’t what I had in mind.”
“Did you just throw your sponge at me?”
“What are we going to do... about this... thing between us? Aren’t you tired of fighting it?”
“Jay, I like you.”
“I like you, too, Dani. A lot.”
This house had been the cocoon that had protected them and allowed their feelings to grow.
Where they’d been just Dani and Jay.
Before the world knew about Duchess and Prince Jameson and believed their opinions on the couple’s relationship should be heard and validated.
Amos pulled the car into the circular drive and Jameson stood waiting, the wind tousling his dark hair. Dani gave thanks to the guards who must’ve called down to the house and let them know she was coming. Now she wouldn’t have to search eleven thousand square feet to find him.
