Chapter 19
Thomas held my hand as we walked into the party. I nearly jumped at the motion.
“If you want to make someone jealous, you have to play the part.”
“I don’t want to make anyone jealous,” I said, but kept my hand in his nonetheless.
He snickered under his breath as the enormous double doors opened before us and my hand tightened in his. Even though I’d just planned a party in Château de Versailles and had been there as a tourist and stayed there the week of the festivities, I didn’t consider it a real castle. It was a far cry from the truth, with as many kings and queens and courts as it had seen, but it still somehow seemed fake to me, like a fairy tale, whenever I walked its grounds.
Palace of Fontainebleau was different. Although lavish, it felt very real. Maybe it was because I knew this was the most used residence. It was where they took their Christmas and announcement photos. It was where the princes and princess grew up. I tried to picture a childhood here, surrounded by such grandeur, and failed. I couldn’t imagine scattered toys or children running on these marble floors. It seemed untouchable. Just like them. I realized that this was what my mother and Etienne and Joss had warned me about.
As we walked the hall, I examined the portraits that lined the walls. With each step we took, kings and queens of the past seemed to have their eyes on us, looking at us beneath them, where we’d always belong. Their regard for tradition wasn’t for naught. They truly lived it.
“This is crazy,” I whispered.
“Wait till they announce us,” Thomas whispered back.
“Announce—”
Before I could finish the question, the doors we were walking toward opened before us and a man stood on the other side with a paper in his hands. I looked forward and saw the room held at least thirty people and suddenly I wanted to retreat and bury myself in the sand. I was standing here with Thomas, of all people, who most of society had seen me naked with. Doing things with. My grip tightened in his. He tightened his own and brought his other hand to cover mine as well in a way that comforted me so much I thought I could cry. It empowered me to stand there, head held high, and not back down.
“Miss Adeline Sofia Isabella Bouchard and Sir Thomas Evans,” the man said in a clear, loud voice.
“Sir?” I whispered.
“You don’t know everything about me.” Thomas chuckled.
The people gathered in the room, looked at us. My eyes jumped to each one of them, stopping on the queen before I saw Elias. His expression was completely unreadable, but his jaw was set and he looked pissed. At me? No. I’d given him no reason to be angry. Beside him stood a tall, slender, blonde woman with a warm smile and a small tiara on her head: the Princess of Austria. If I had to guess, I’d say she’d won the coveted position of future queen of France. Because I was uncomfortable with the attention, the thought didn’t stab at me like it had before. She also didn’t have a ring on her finger. Yet. Thomas pulled me along and introduced me to a couple of friends gathered there. I smiled and shook their hands, all the while, trying not to think about the fact that they’d all seen us having sex. They didn’t have to outright say it. I could see it written all over their faces as they said hello. They weren’t smug about it. If anything, it was awkward for all parties involved, and oddly enough, I was grateful for that. The doors opened again and the man beside it announced the next people to enter. “Miss Ambrosia Agnes and Mister Benjamin Drake.”
“Holy shit,” Thomas said beside me.
“Holy shit is right,” I agreed. “I went to a party he was at recently, but I didn’t get a chance to see him in all his glory.”
Benjamin Drake was one of France’s elite football players. Thomas and I were both huge fans of his. I had been following him since he’d started playing for our beloved Les Bleus and had two jerseys of his, one signed, which Thomas had gifted me for Christmas last year.
“Well, the good news is, you’re free to flirt with Drake tonight and hopefully get together with him and invite me over for dinner,” Thomas said.
I laughed, throwing my head back. When I straightened, my laughter caught in my throat as my gaze caught Elias’s on the other side of the room. I knew coming here was a bad idea. I wasn’t even anywhere near him and I felt like it was my back his hand was pressing against, not the woman he was here with. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I smile? Or wave? Or just look away? I couldn’t seem to do any of those things. I wished I could hate him or find something wrong with him, but there was a longing in his eyes I hadn’t expected, and it made it that much harder to find anything at all. Besides, my heart didn’t seem to care about any of that. It was beating faster and unsteadily, making it nearly impossible for me to catch my breath.