"Just spit it out." Before I turn into a nervous wreck, thanks to my fantasies of his bigamist lifestyle.
He straightens, lifts his chin, and looks straight at me. "I am Bennett Worthington Montague, crown prince of Mithoria."
My jaw drops.
Chapter Eleven
Ben
Samantha Lockhart is gaping at me like I've just told her I'm an alien from Jupiter and I want to impregnate her with my lizard spawn. I've seen all sorts of reactions when I tell people who I am, the few times I've done that, but never has anyone stared at me with such complete shock. How will her parents react? If Sam can't deal with the truth, I shouldn't expect her parents to be happy about it either. They will probably think I'm delusional. The fact that no one has ever heard of Mithoria doesn't help my case.
I expect to be carted away in a straitjacket any minute now.
"Are you all right?" I ask.
Sam blinks several times, her lids fluttering. "Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. I'm perfectly fine. What did you just say you are?"
"The crown prince of Mithoria."
"Mith-what?"
I reach out to touch her arm, but pull my hand away. "Mithoria. It's a tiny principality on a tiny island that no one has ever heard of."
"But I thought you were British."
And here comes the part where I try to explain my nationality and my heritage. It always confuses people. "I am British. I was born in the UK and went to boarding school there, not to mention university. I've spent more time in England than I have in Mithoria. But I have dual citizenship. So I am both British and Mithorian."
"Oh. Sure. That makes sense." She says that as if it makes no sense at all.
Yeah, that's the usual response.
"I realize this is a big shock," I say, shoving my hands into my trouser pockets. "I should've told you sooner, but I hadn't planned to stay any longer than necessary. Now I want to spend more time with you and your parents. A normal family Christmas sounds like the perfect holiday to me since this time of year can get… Well, let's just say there's far too much pageantry involved in a Mithorian Christmas."
"But don't you want to be with your family? Are they so awful?"
"Not awful." I wince as I try to figure out how to explain. "My father is Prince Leighton of Mithoria, and he rules over the country with the help of the parliament. My mother, Princess Olivia, rules alongside him. My younger sister, Stephanie, has more of an honorary role, but she loves all the royal bollocks." I try not to twist my mouth up, but I can't help it. "As for me, I'm expected to marry a proper aristocratic lady."
"So why are you here instead of at home courting those ladies? I'm anything but proper. I mean, we had sex in a restaurant."
"And I loved that. I love everything we do together." I clasp her hand. "Could we sit down on the sofa? Talking about all this rubbish makes me need to rest my bum."
"Sure." She smiles. "Can't have that fine bum getting sore."
Once we've sat down, I sink back into the sofa and let my head fall onto the cushion. "Until a week ago, I was in Mithoria doing my royal duty. I let my mother parade aristocratic girls in front of me, and I tried to at least tolerate, if not actually like, at least one of them. I couldn't do it. They're a bunch of scheming shrews who lust after my title and the power they'll have once I become prince of Mithoria. Right now, I'm just a crown prince. But when my father dies, I will take over."
"You sound like you're not happy about that."
I did sound rather pathetic, didn't I? Bugger me. "Maybe I'm not happy about marrying a nasty girl and hoping I might grow to tolerate her, eventually. Love is out of the question. But my mother doesn't see it that way. She married my father when they barely knew each other, and love came later." I shake my head. "But I will never grow to care for any of those girls. The last one suggested I shag her so I could see that we're sexually compatible. I'd rather shag a porcupine."
"Ouch. That girl must've been a piece of work."
"They all are. That's why I ran away."
Sam turns toward me and tucks her feet under her. "You ran away to New Hampshire. That's kind of a weird choice for a vacation spot when you're a British Mithorian. Have you ever been to America before?"
"No. My mates helped me escape from England before my mother showed up. Chance Dixon's house seemed like the perfect place to hide while I figure out what to do."
"Can a crown prince decide not to be one? Can you abdicate or whatever?"