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An awkward silence settles between us, both of us staring at each other for several long moments. Then she steps back, eyes bright once more.
“Well, I should get to Gladwell and unpack. Although I’m sure it’s already been done for me, like everything else in my life.”
The annoyance in her tone is clear, but I don’t press the topic. It’s not my place.
“Don’t worry,” she adds quickly. “I’ll have one of the other guys on my protection team drive me so you can visit with your brother.”
“I appreciate that.”
She nods, a thin smile pulling on her mouth. “It was good seeing you, Creed.” She softens her expression. “Really good.”
Stepping back, I bow slightly. “Your Highness.”
She stares at me for a beat, lips parting as if about to berate me once more for the way I addressed her. Instead, she pushes out a resigned sigh. “Lieutenant Lawson.”
She spins, her steps full of purpose and frustration as she walks away from me. I debate going after her, asking if she wants to ride horses or take a walk along the canals, just for old time’s sake.
But those days are gone.
They ended the second I joined the military and took my rightful place in this world.
And my place in this world is to serve the royal family. To serve Esme. Not be her friend.
Or more than her friend.
Chapter Three
Esme
“So they want you to get engaged by the end of the summer?” Harriet whisper-shouts after I inform her and Marius about the unnerving conversation I had with my grandmother earlier in the week.
“Shhh.” I hush her, glancing around to make sure no one’s eavesdropping in on our discussion as we sit at a table outside one of my favorite cafés by the famous canals that line Belmont’s capital city of Montrose.
But no one’s sitting close enough to overhear our conversation. Captain Adam Lawson made sure of that after I informed him I wanted to stop for tea with my friends, something I haven’t been able to do for too long now.
“That appears to be the plan.” I grit a smile as I sip on my tea. “And I don’t even get a say in the matter. The palace PR team has already decided who I should marry, based on who the public seems most likely to approve of.”
“And who do the palace lackeys believe you should marry?” Marius inquires.
“Jameson Gates.”
My friends pause to consider my future husband.
“Could have been worse,” Harriet offers after a beat with a small shrug of her shoulders. “He’s not too harsh on the eyes. Plus, he does quite a bit of charity work. Like you. He’s a huge champion for conservation and green energy.”
“I know. And when I first met him, he certainly came across as much more genuine than most people in upper-class society. Especially someone with his family’s vast wealth. But I don’t know…” I slouch into the chair, throat tightening in irritation.
“It doesn’t matter that Jameson is a decent bloke.” Marius covers my hand with his, expression sincere. “It should be your choice who you’re to spend the rest of your life with.”
“Exactly.” I return his smile, then pull my hand from his, bringing my tea to my lips. “And who my first will be.”
“What do you mean, Ezzy?” Brows furrowed, he leans closer. When he speaks again, his voice is no louder than a whisper. “You haven’t had sex yet?”
Placing my tea cup on the table, I worry my bottom lip, remaining silent. But I don’t need to say anything, the answer clear in my lack of response.
“Seriously?” Harriet shoots back, eyes wide.
“It’s kind of hard to lose your v-card when you’re sleeping in tents on a humanitarian mission,” I remind them of how I spent my first three years following graduation from secondary school.
