“I don’t care.” She shrugged and looked at Nana. “My father stopped talking to me for a mistake I made in the past and this whole thing hasn’t helped.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, love. That must be difficult.”
“You know, surprisingly, it’s not,” Addie said. “I feel kind of . . . free. That’s horrible, isn’t it?” Her shoulders dropped slightly.
“It’s not horrible. It’s human.” I set my hand over her knee.
She smiled at me.
“You two look beautiful together,” Nana said. “Your children will be the most gorgeous little angels.”
“Not so fast, Nan.” I chuckled, unsure what reaction Addie would have, but when I looked at her, she was still smiling, and that made me a lot more comfortable.
We stayed the entire afternoon at Nana’s, just talking, like normal people, like all the commoners my father had looked down upon all those years and taught me to do the same, and I felt . . . free.
Chapter 39
Adeline
I’d officially been living in Paris for a month and as Elias promised, I hadn’t been the least bit bored. I was still commuting to and from London, which as my mother warned, wasn’t great. It was exhausting and would definitely get old soon, but I enjoyed helping Elias with things for the Crown and seeing him whenever I had a chance. He’d been so busy setting things up for Parliament and a more democratic government that he barely had time to sleep, let alone travel to London to see me. Joslyn and Pilar had been keeping me company when I was in town and he was holed up in his office or holding cabinet meetings in Versailles.
I’d gotten into town yesterday, went straight to a shelter for abused women, and had tea with them on behalf of the Crown. It was part of Elias’s newly established outreach, where each one of us—Elias himself, Aramis, Pilar, and I would back causes and build foundations. He was definitely taking a playbook from the English, and I was here to root him on along the way. Today, I had to fly back to London for a meeting, and after that, I promised my uncle I’d go to Marbella to attend the grand opening of his bookstore. I’d be back in Paris on Tuesday, then back in London on Thursday, and back in Paris next Sunday. It was definitely a lot, but for Elias, I’d shoulder the burden for now.
When we were together, we discussed everything before getting lost in each other’s arms. In the morning, we woke up and shared breakfast before going about our days. Today was no different. I’d just finished packing a small overnight bag for my trip; since I had everything I needed here and in London, I didn’t really need much. Now all I had to do was wait for Elias to finish up the meeting he was holding in his office so that he could drop me off at the airport. For now, I’d be flying in a private jet owned by the Crown and used by them and their staff. I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want to be followed by frenzied cameramen asking questions about an impending engagement. According to the tabloids and all of the news channels in France, everyone was rooting for us to be married and start a family.
I was walking by his office when I noticed the door slightly ajar and slowed down. Maybe he was done with his meeting. When I heard voices, I stopped walking and waited just outside the door.
“Well, I have to say, making her your girlfriend definitely helped you with the press,” the man said.
“It was a leap of faith,” Elias stated.
“All because of a commoner,” the man said. I couldn’t see him, but I could hear the awe in his voice. “You have to keep her around until after Parliament is complete.”
“I will,” Elias said. “She’s also taking up some responsibility on behalf of the Crown.”
“That will boost morale through the roof,” the man said. “Incredible.”
“It is incredible indeed.”
“I wanted to understand what would lead you to break things off with my daughter, and I guess I understand. Your father was always a very traditional man, but he’d lost his touch.”
“The people lost faith in him,” Elias said. “Probably because he held tradition a little too closely.”
“I understand,” the man said. “The throne always comes first.”
“It does.”
“Any chance you’ll go back to my daughter once everything works out? Maybe you’ll need to add a little flair to this love story and keep the people on their toes. Take the spotlight away from Parliament for a second while you finalize that,” the man said with a hearty laugh.
“Maybe.” Elias laughed. “You never know what might happen.”
My heart sank. I pressed my back to the wall behind me.
Maybe?
Had all of this been to better his public image? Using me, a commoner. As I stood there, letting that sink in, it all started to make sense. It wasn’t possible. Was it? I thought about what Aramis had told me. We’re actors, Adeline. We pretend a lot for the public. Had he been pretending when he said he broke things off with Emily? Was he still seeing her while I was away? I felt sick. Clutching my stomach, I ran to the guest bathroom nearby and locked myself in it, dropping my duffel bag and holding onto the sink. It had to be a mistake. All of this was obviously a misunderstanding. I heard footsteps and doors open and close and when I was ready, I took a nice deep breath and let it out. I grabbed my bag and walked back to the office. The doors were closed, so I pushed one of them open, but it was empty.