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I looked to Georg, panicked.
“Oh girl, I’ve heard it all before.” He rolled his eyes; it was funny and sad at the same time. “You don’t dress hair without knowing why it got so FUBARed in the first place.” I think he was trying to make a joke, but it made everything all the more awkward.
“That’s not helpful.” I slumped in my chair.
“But, Georg, Avery is different, she’s going to be my wife,” Liam said with a disturbing reverence.
“On paper,” I added.
I could see a shift in Liam. My words had hurt. I didn’t feel terribly bad about that as he was the one who was bringing me into a loveless contract after deciding I was good enough to marry since he was suddenly up against a time crunch for the throne. Seeing Liam brought down just a little made me feel more prepared for what was ahead.
“And we’ll be married in person,” Liam added trying to salvage what he’d set in motion.
“Okay, so don’t eat before the king. Anything else? Can I use my fingers? Scratch my armpits? Discuss politics? Talk with a brogue and pretend I’m more Irish than I am?” I was teasing as I couldn’t take the intensity anymore.
“Yes, do all those things, Daddy will be thrilled,” Liam volleyed back. “Just, sit up straight, use the utensils on the outside before those nearest your plate, if you don’t like something just don’t eat it. If you’re not sure about something take one bite, if you love something you may discretely ask for seconds. The magic of the castle is, if you leave food on your plate, it will never come back. If you ask for seconds you’ll see many variations of the dish often. Address my father as Your Highness, but you know that. You don’t have to engage him in conversation, but you’ll win points if you do. He likes horse racing, hunting, current affairs, global news, the ballet, opera, and children. If you can find anything amusing to discuss along those lines, please do. If not, just smile and laugh politely when appropriate. He doesn’t expect you to talk, especially since you just got off a plane. Any questions?” I could tell he didn’t really want to ask for my concerns but was trying to be the bigger man in this picture.
“Can I go home now?” I put a lightness in my voice I hope he took as an attempt at joking when I wasn’t joking at all.
“You can at any time, but let’s give this a whirl, it won’t last forever.”
I wasn’t really sure what he was referring to, our lunch, my time in Ireland or our whole arrangement.
Chapter 16
Liam
Avery looked positively glorious after Georg had finished with her. She was elegant and regal, and I hardly recognized her as the wild and fun fashion designer from the gala just days ago. I could see in her the makings of a true Queen. That is until she opened her mouth and let her true self out, then she was the warrior princess from a movie, beautiful but fierce. She was geared for battle when we walked into the dining room to see my father and his attendants standing at the table. We were not late, but my father loved his petty intimidation. By arriving early and standing as if he had been waiting implied we were keeping him and had already failed in our mission.
Avery tensed the moment we entered the room and I softly let my thumb massage her forearm trying to calm the nerves which had spiked. She was stressed before when Georg was preparing her. I wanted to lean in and whisper words of encouragement, but I assumed my father would misperceive that as a defensive move against him. Now I was armed with a date and all he had were his ‘people.’
“Ah, Father,” I played along. “I hope we didn’t keep you. We’re both a little tired from our long flight.” I pulled out a chair for Avery and she stood beside it, waiting for my father to sit down. I made a point of pulling out my own chair and standing until he was seated, she was so clever and caught on very quickly. Not wanting to drag the affair out, my father took his seat and we followed suit.
“No, I’m just excited to get to know your friend.” He nodded to Avery and she politely nodded back.
As much as I wanted her to be the feisty woman I met at the bar I was happy to see her showing some restraint. I wanted nothing more than to bring a brash self-confident immensely talented independent woman to my father’s table and thumb my nose at him, but I also understood that wouldn’t be the best strategy for our future.
