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“Is everything okay?”
“Years ago, I asked Margery to remove that phone and she informed me all royal residences were required to have a working landline. In more than a decade, that phone has rung twice. This past week? Several times daily.” He exhaled and stood. “Let me take care of this and we’ll get back to our conversation.”
He kissed her forehead and reached around her to pick up the black receiver.
“Yes?” His tone was clipped, and tension seemed to stiffen his shoulders with every second that passed.
His expression hardened and, that quickly, he morphed from Jay to Prince Jameson. This was the man she’d first met when she’d arrived back in June. The one who’d been arrogant, judgmental, and dismissive.
And yet, even in that persona, she’d still found him sexy as fuck.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, when he’d hung up the phone.
He stared into the distance, his hands perched low on his hips.
“This Julian and Samantha Banks scandal is affecting everything.”
“I’ll bet. The next in line to the throne impregnated a woman other than his wife. Who was half his age! There must be protocol for something like this?”
“There is.” He shook his head. “But Samantha Banks defies protocol. Apparently, she goes on social media every day with a new post!”
It was true. Samantha had hit the motherlode with this one. Her feud with Duchess had helped her to stay relevant and get more followers. But her affair with the prince and possible pregnancy would help her make history. Her followers increased with each post. And she’d started doing daily IG stories where she’d update everyone with how she was feeling. #RoyalSparkleBabyBumpWatch.
In a way, Banks was still biting off of Dani, trying to copy her life. Dani had found her prince. Samantha was determined to do the same.
Dani would actually feel sorry for Julian if he hadn’t brought it all on himself. He’d welcomed Samantha Banks into his life as a way to hurt both Jameson and Dani. Now he was reaping what he’d sown.
“What is the palace doing about it?”
“Besides removing Julian from his scheduled events and trotting me out in his stead?”
“You can’t solve the problem single-handedly!”
“I’ve told them that. Repeatedly. Friday, I was in Blackpool. Between briefings on the town’s challenges, investments, and regeneration efforts and tours of the community gardens and parks, I was constantly asked about the scandal and the truth of the rumors. And about you and our relationship.”
“Poor baby,” she said, rubbing his back.
He must’ve hated doing that. Unless he was lecturing or giving a speech on the issues he was passionate about, he didn’t like being the center of attention, even as he’d charmed everyone he’d met while they’d been in the U.S.
Which is why you know he’s not going to like doing what Genesis has suggested.
“I was so close to saying, Sod it! To telling the queen I refused to get involved.”
Dani gasped. “You can do that? I thought you had no choice once she appointed you a Counsellor of State?”
“That only matters if I remained a senior working member of the royal family. I could’ve said no.”
This was all news to her. “What would’ve happened?”
“Most of it comes down to money. I could’ve lost financial backing, my home, my titles. It all belongs to the monarchy. But my father and grandfather left me money and I’ve never had to touch the income I’ve earned as a lecturer. Let’s just say I won’t starve. Outside of money, the queen could’ve stripped me of my titles. Again, not a hardship. And it would hurt my mother more than me.”
“Then why didn’t you say no the last time?”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Because she played on my grief and love for my grandfather while assuring me it would only be temporary. And since my dealings with the queen had been quite limited before, I believed her. Once I knew better, she turned to blackmail using someone I loved.”
“Like when she threatened to turn over pictures of us kissing to the press and saying I was trying to trap you.”
Which would’ve all but guaranteed Dani lost her deal with Genesis.
