I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and nodded. “She checks all the boxes.”
“The car accident he suffered left him feeling less than,” she mused. “That’s the only possible explanation as to why he’s doing this. Of the three of them, he was the one with the best potential for a wife and he’s throwing that away and wasting his time. Your time as well. You should consider that you’re not getting any younger. If you want to find a suitable man to marry, you need to do it soon.”
“That’s not high on my list of things to do.”
“What is?”
“I figured I was doing a fine job as it is, working for your family.”
“Yes, but now we have to consider hiring a new secretary as I’m sure you’ll be busy with Aramis attending any event the King may have lined up for him.”
“I do that anyway. I’ve been doing that since the accident and I’ve still been able to consult Pilar and help Adeline when needed.”
“Queen Adeline.” The Queen Mother raised an eyebrow. “Don’t forget your place.” She took the folded newspaper and stood. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”
I felt as though she’d slapped me, but stood and curtsied once more before letting myself fall back into the chair. She’d always liked me. I swore she did, but everything she’d just told me felt like the complete opposite of someone who liked and respected me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Aramis
I wasn’t sure what changed between last night and this morning, or if it was general regret for what transpired last night, now that we were forced to take a look at everything in the light of day, but Joslyn was acting strange. I’d asked her to accompany me to two places today—I had to take Oscar back to his mother’s house and was slated to feed the less fortunate later this afternoon alongside Addie and Elias. Pilar and Ben were away on their mini-honeymoon, and it was my job to take their place. I figured, since the world knew about me and Joslyn, why not give them a show? Besides, she loved participating in things like that normally. Why not make it official? Well, the why not had her arms crossed, staring out the window during our ride to Oscar’s mother’s house. Oscar was playing with action figures from the wedding reception that he got to keep, and I was too busy trying to figure out her mood. Augustus, the butler, told me she had breakfast with my mother, which was odd considering I’d had breakfast with my mother and she never ate twice in a row. They spoke often though. My mother liked to be kept aware of things. I chalked it up to that. Still, I didn’t understand why Joslyn was being short with me. Unless she regretted last night. And fuck, the reality of that hurt more than I cared to admit.
Last night I’d lay myself bare for her. Literally. Something I hadn’t done since before the accident. Something I wasn’t sure I wanted to do again with anyone else. That was what struck me most about all of this. I loved playing the field. I loved being with different women. I loved not having to answer to anyone. Maybe that was the issue with all of this. Those were things I once loved, but no longer wanted. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I stopped looking at Joslyn and instead looked outside of the window beside me as the driver continued down the winding path that led to Oscar’s house. Whatever awaited there was another thing to prepare for.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Joslyn
I’d been in the sitting area of Esmée’s house for twenty minutes now, while Oscar and Aramis visited with her. The ride over had been uncomfortable, to say the least. I kept replaying my conversation with Aramis’s mother and coming to the same conclusion. The Queen Mother did not approve of our relationship, fake or otherwise. To make matters worse, she’d made me feel like a commoner, which I was, of course. I knew that, of course, but in the years I’d known her she’d always made me feel welcome, like family. It was a far cry from what was happening now. I tried to think back to when Elias and Adeline started dating and how she treated Addie, but as far as I remember, she’d always been nice to her. Maybe the King desperately needed a wife and wasn’t willing to play his mother’s game of Find an Aristocrat. All along, Aramis had been bedding them, so who was to say she didn’t think there was a chance he’d marry one and restore balance to The Crown once more. After all, how strong was a Crown made up of commoners?
I tried to picture the Queen Mother visiting this home, as they said she did often, to see her grandson and make sure he was well taken care of. Had she sat on these white couches? The house itself was very quaint, but adorable, and Esmée had it decorated with a very minimal style, though there were photographs of Oscar and their family hanging on the walls and over the mantle and as it was Christmas, it looked like a reindeer had barged in and proceeded to throw up in here. The house felt nothing like one of The Crown’s lavishly decorated places, and even though I was curious to meet the woman behind the light décor, and Oscar’s well-mannered upbringing, upon walking inside I quickly announced I’d wait here. It wasn’t that I was jealous of her, the poor girl was bedridden after suffering a fall in which she’d been decorating this very house. I just . . . I wasn’t sure how to feel about someone who held such an important role in Aramis’s life, albeit it being a newly important role. I was still lost in thought when Oscar ran back into the room.