“Of course.” I placed my hands on her shoulders to reassure her. “I’ll do the interview today. We’ll visit people tomorrow. I’m heading to London on Friday for a meeting myself, so we can go together.”
“Okay.”
“You’ll stay here?” I ducked my head a little so we were at eye level. She still looked unsure, but nodded nonetheless. I let out a breath and kissed her lips softly. “I love having you here.”
“I like being here. I can see why you like your apartment more than Versailles. It’s a lot less opulent.” She smiled. “Dare I say . . . normal?”
I laughed. “It is normal.”
“I mean, except for the insane industrial kitchen.” She bit her lip to keep from laughing at whatever reaction was on my face. The kitchen was not insane. “And the huge bathrooms that look like mini-apartments. And the fact that it’s not an apartment, but a three-story penthouse in the most expensive residential building in Paris.”
“Addie.” I cocked my head, amused by all of this. Nobody had ever pointed any of that out to me. “This is normal to me.”
“Maybe your normal is everyone else’s unattainable.”
“You’re my unattainable.”
Her expression softened as she reached up and touched my face. “I’m here now.”
“And I plan to make every second—” Just as I was lowering my face to kiss her and moving my hand to slide into her robe, the door opened. I pulled back with a loud exhale. What was it with people and not knocking?
“Well, then, I guess that answers my question,” my mother said, looking between me and Adeline.
“What are you doing here, Maman?”
“I was going to ask you if there was any truth to any of this.” She lifted the newspapers. “But I see it’s true. You’re completely disregarding tradition because of a commoner. Because of this girl who’s probably using you because you’re king and that excites her.”
“Maybe you should come back when you’re ready to talk and not point fingers and accuse innocent people of doing things they are not doing.” I stepped forward, shielding Adeline from my mother. She put her hand on my back.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
“No, it’s not okay. My mother can come back when she learns some manners.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” My mother walked forward and took a seat on the loveseat in my office. She crossed her legs at the ankles and folded her hands over her knee. “Maybe you should both take a seat and enlighten me on what you’re going to do about this mess.”
I turned to Adeline, trying to gauge her reaction to this idea. She shrugged nonchalantly and brushed past me, taking a seat on the sofa opposite my mother, mimicking her posture, as if she too was dressed in head to toe CHANEL and not a pair of my sister’s tiny cotton pajama shorts, a white T-shirt, and a white fluffy robe. It was a striking image: two women who, if I had my way, would hold the same position, but were from completely different backgrounds. I followed and took a seat right beside Adeline, setting my hand over her exposed knee. I loved my mother dearly and respected her like crazy, but I wasn’t afraid of her. I had a list of nannies I’d cower to, and for Adeline, I had a feeling I’d go to war with every single one of them. My mother took a long, deep breath and looked at Adeline.
“I’m sorry I lashed out on you. That wasn’t fair. I would like to start over if you’ll allow me to.”
“Thank you for your apology. I’d very much like to start over,” Adeline said, her voice stern but soft.
“You must really like my son,” my mother said, rather than asked.
Adeline’s body tensed underneath my hand. She took her attention from my mother and looked at me. “I do.”
“And you were willing to plan his wedding to another woman?” My mother cleared her throat.
“My mother would have killed me if I turned that down. As it is, she’s going to be furious with me with all of these new developments.” Adeline gnawed on her bottom lip, glancing at me briefly. “I need to call her before you do that broadcast.”
“Adeline never asked me not to marry Emily. I made suggestions to her that we should see each other in secret and she refused.”
“How long has this been going on?” My mother blinked between us.
“A lifetime.” I brought an arm around Addie’s shoulders. “It feels like a lifetime.”
“That needs to stop.” Mother pointed at us. “Sometimes being in a position like ours means giving up small privileges and that includes touching.” She paused. “You will be given a list of things that you positively cannot do as King. You will never bow to her. Your father never bowed to me and I was rightfully Queen. Imagine what people will say if you bowed to someone without royal blood. Showing public affection is also on that list.”