Sabrina: I spent hours yesterday shaking the hands of five hundred members of court, former members of court, and every person in Gallantia remotely related to the royal family. At one point, I met Andrew’s twentysomething cousin. I wanted to joke that I was probably more related to Andrew than he was, considering my great-great-whatever-grandmother married a Gallantian royal in the 1700s. But I thought that would horrify you, so I didn’t.
* * *
Elizabeth: Yeah, incest jokes aren’t my favorite. Especially when I’m part of the punch line.
* * *
Sabrina: But you’re not! You and Andrew aren’t related. That was the point. Neither was this twenty-whatever cousin. Anything further than fourth or fifth cousins doesn’t count, and I really shouldn’t have to stand around in heels for an extra hour to shake their hands.
* * *
Elizabeth: Still, I’m glad you retrained yourself. I would have stuttered through the delivery anyway. You’re remembering that, right? To talk like a basket case with social anxiety?
* * *
Sabrina: You’re not a basket case. It’s a medical condition. You wouldn’t be so hard on yourself if you had diabetes, would you?
* * *
Elizabeth: Well… Maybe. If I only had diabetes around some people and not others because my brain refused to get its act together and handle sugar the same way no matter who happened to be in the room.
* * *
Sabrina: Stop it.
* * *
Elizabeth: All right. Just promise me you’re not setting me up to fail.
* * *
Sabrina: Well, I have been going running with Andrew.
* * *
Elizabeth: What?! But I HATE running!
* * *
Sabrina: But running is good for you, and I had to do something to work off the stress. This is very stressful, Elizabeth, and you made it worse by refusing to respond to my texts. If you had, maybe I could have stopped the running, but now it’s too late.
* * *
Elizabeth: *eye-rolling emoji* Fine. I’ll fake a sprained ankle or something. But you’re remembering to stutter, right?
* * *
Sabrina: I’m speaking as little as possible to strangers and struggling with the extended family.
* * *
Elizabeth: Good.
* * *
Sabrina: But I’m letting myself speak easily with Andrew. Like we decided. I think you’re going to feel comfortable with him, Lizzy.
* * *
Elizabeth: And if I don’t, I can blame the return of the stutter on newlywed nerves. He knows it comes and goes. A few years ago, I barely struggled at all when we spoke on the phone, but as the big day drew closer, the anxiety got worse and worse.
* * *
Sabrina: Understandable, but I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. Assuming…
* * *
Elizabeth: Assuming what?
* * *
Sabrina: Assuming you don’t decide to hate me forever.
* * *
Elizabeth: What? Why would I hate you forever?
* * *
Sabrina: Because I’m a horrible person who’s irreparably damaged our twin bond? I’m so sorry, Lizzy. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to get out of the way. And then once it was happening, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t put an end to it as soon as I should have.
* * *
Elizabeth: What on earth are you talking about? LOL!
* * *
Sabrina: You won’t be laughing out loud when you know what I’ve done. You’re going to think I’m terrible. I think I’m terrible. Since it happened, I can barely look at myself in the mirror.
* * *
Elizabeth: Since WHAT happened?! Now you’re making me nervous!
* * *
Sabrina: I kissed him. Andrew. Well, HE kissed me, but then I kissed him back. For at least a minute. It might have been a little less, but it was still far too long to kiss my sister’s fiancé. I’m so ashamed and embarrassed. Can you ever forgive me?
* * *
Elizabeth: Oh my goodness, you had me worried there for a second.
* * *
Sabrina: Hello, did you miss that last text? We KISSED, Lizzy. A real kiss. Not a sweet, just-friends kind of kiss.
* * *
Elizabeth: So? I don’t care about that kind of stuff, Bree. It’s not a big deal.
* * *
Sabrina: But he’s YOUR husband.
* * *
Elizabeth: Not yet. I’ve never even touched the man. I mean, he kissed my hand at his parents’ anniversary party when I was thirteen, but it obviously made him physically ill. Not that I could blame him. He was a tall, gorgeous seventeen-year-old almost man, and I was still a scrawny little kid. I should have been up in the nursery with the other children, not being presented to my fiancé at a ball.
* * *
Sabrina: Agreed. It’s creepy that Mama and Papa did that.
* * *
Elizabeth: But they didn’t mean to be creepy. Stuff like that happened all the time when they were kids. Mama was only sixteen when she married Papa. And reading between the lines during some of our conversations, I don’t think they slept together until they’d been married for a while. Like…several years.