Chapter 16
Under Control
I slip into my shell as we make our way through the lobby. There’s friends and family and the bloody paparazzi everywhere. Keeping Clara’s hand tightly clasped in mine, I weave through them. I don’t bother pausing for photo ops. No one wants those pictures of us. They’ll publish whatever they take that looks scandalous, not some poised photograph of a happy couple.
Why the hell did I bring her here?
There’s some relief when we reach the ballroom, but it’s short-lived. I survey the people gathered there. It’s the usual crowd—dignitaries and four-times removed cousins and politicians and celebrities. All here to pretend my father isn’t a giant bastard for one night. I can’t help wondering who picked the safari theme or how much it cost. Jungle ferns and birds flying overhead? It’s beyond ridiculous.
“Are you okay?” Clara murmurs in a low voice.
“I’m fine, Clara,” I say, spotting Norris. “Excuse me one moment.”
My goal this evening is to keep Clara at a distance from my family. She’ll have to meet them, of course. I can’t get around that, and it was the point of bringing her here. I chose a public event on purpose—there’s less chance of a scene.
“Alexander,” Norris greets me coolly. He stands casually, but I have no doubt he’s sweeping the room for security concerns. The man never rests.
“Keep an eye on my family and I’ll keep an eye on her,” I say. “It’s best we control all interactions.”
“And do you know where she is?” he asks, each word as sharp as a knife’s tip.
I turn to my side, my stomach flipping over when I realize she’s not there. I turn and stare at the crowded room, searching for her. I left her. I remember now. What am I doing? How am I fucking this up already? I can’t think clearly when she’s near me—that point’s been proven again and again—but this is a new low. “I told her I’d be right back,” I say wildly.
“She’s not a dog, Alexander. You can’t expect her to stay put,” he advises me quietly. His chin tilts to the corner. “She’s with her friend.”
I follow his gaze to find Clara laughing with Belle and another woman I don’t recognize. Clara obviously knows her though. The sickening pit in my stomach shrinks. I know it won’t be gone entirely until I have her within reach again.
“I won’t let her out of my sight again,” I mutter.
“Is that wise? There are a few warnings you should deliver yourself,” Norris says. “You can’t expect everyone here to behave without a little incentive.”
“I shouldn’t leave her alone.”
“She’s not alone, and she’s perfectly safe here. No one will touch her inside.” His certainty is reassuring.
Clara is safe—physically. But she’s not in physical danger here. The wounds those closest to me will inflict are more of the mind-fuck variety. It’s how my entire family communicates. Sticks and stones might break bones, but the old nursery rhyme fails to realize that words can be poison.
“I’m going to check on her first,” I say. I owe her an apology at the very least.
I’m halfway to her when Pepper accosts me. Tonight, she’s motherless and not playing the demure lady. She’s on the prowl and I’ve inadvertently stumbled into her trap.
“I’ve been looking for you.” She makes a show of brushing some invisible speck of dust off my shoulder.
“I can’t imagine why?” I bite out, still managing a smile. I brought Clara here to avoid a scene, but that means I must play by the same rules as well.
“Why are you acting this way?” She pauses and brings her gaze up to mine. “We’re practically family. I was your sister’s best friend.”
“And you’re fucking my father. Don’t forget that,” I say pleasantly, nodding to an old school acquaintance as he passes.
Her false smile shatters. “Don’t be vulgar.”
I know Pepper would like to remove the practically from this sentiment—it’s why she’s shagging my father. What I can’t figure out is where I play into it? Why bother with me when she’s got his attention? I know she wants to secure a place in the royal family. I don’t know why she thinks either of us are a viable option. I’ve made my feelings on marriage clear: I’m not about to continue this charade of a family any further, and I won’t be adding to its number by marriage or otherwise.
“I’m sorry I need to see to my date.” I move away but she follows at my heels.
“I want to be introduced,” she says hastily.
“Why?” I stop in my tracks. No good can come of that.
“Alexander, no matter what you think, we are friends. We’ve been through so much together. We both lost Sarah.” She blinks, and I swear she’s near tears. “I don’t want to lose you, too.”
It’s a ruse. It has to be. Pepper has two settings as far as I can tell: simpering sycophant and raging bitch. But they will eventually meet, and, at least, I can control the encounter here. Another time and place I may not be so lucky.
“Behave,” I order.
“I just want to meet the woman who finally captured your heart.”
I cast a warning glare at her. “Don’t try so hard to sell your act. It makes it easier to see through.”
Clara’s toasting with her black-haired friend—the one I don’t know—as we approach. She hesitates, glass at her lips, body going still. Can she feel that too? The invisible thread linking us. She’s tugging on her end now, calling me to her. I can’t resist the pull—I don’t want to.
“Clara,” I say in a low voice as I step behind her. “I see you found a drink.”
She spins around, startled, champagne spilling from her flute onto Pepper’s dress. I fight the urge to laugh and win—but only barely.
“I’m so sorry!” She looks horrified, nearly dropping the glass as she tries to find a way to help Pepper mop it up.
Pepper shakes her head, plastering a smile on her face, but her eyes stay on the ruined fabric. “Don’t worry about it.”
Their eyes meet and I wonder what they see. The two couldn’t be more different. Pepper is tall and blonde and spends so much time at the gym it’s practically her career. She wears her sexuality like a beacon. It’s a siren song she howls at all times, and God help the poor bastards that fall victim to its lure. Clara, on the other hand, with her curvy body and dark hair has no idea how sexy she is. She knows she’s pretty. She’s not exactly confident, though. She doesn’t need every eye to turn when she walks in the room. I suspect she doesn’t want that kind of attention. But any man who catches sight of her wants her. I know that. I’ve caught their stares this evening.
“Clara, may I introduce you to an old family friend, Pepper Lockwood?” I say stiffly, placing as much emphasis on friend as possible—and hoping they both get the message.
She smiles, obviously a little lost as to what to say, and before she can think of it, Pepper leans forward to kiss her cheek.
“It’s nice to meet you, and I am so sorry.” Clara is flustered, and I can’t blame her. Surely, she senses the venom behind Pepper’s greeting.
“It’s just a dress,” Pepper whispers like they’re old friends. I don’t catch what she says next.
Clara laughs, her body relaxing. Whatever Pepper said has lowered her guard. I shoot a pointed glare at my old friend.
This sham introduction is over and she needs to move on. Pepper’s eyes widen, but she collects herself quickly. “I should be going. I brought a date and I’ve lost him.”
Clara looks like she understands this a bit too well. She’s in good hands, though, and no one will protect her as fiercely as her best friend.
Which is good, because it’s time for Pepper and I to have a little chat. I brush a kiss over Clara’s cheek and murmur a reassurance before steering Pepper away from her.
“I behaved myself,” Pepper hisses when we’re a safe distance from Clara and her friends.
“I wasn’t going to stick around to see how long that would last,” I say, dropping my hold on her elbow.
I start to turn, eager to be rid of her, when she blurts out, “So, how long have you known about me and Albert?”
“I’m not sure this is the place to discuss this,” I say through clenched teeth.
“We could meet up. For coffee? Dinner?” she suggests.
“I’m fully booked,” I say coldly. But there are things I want to say—need to say to her. Now is my best opportunity to do that without winding up with photos splashed all over the tabloids again. “And we both know that you’re just hoping to make the front page again.”
“We’re new. I can’t help that,” she says, blinking as though she disdains the spotlight.
I’m news. I always have been. Looking back I can’t remember how Pepper became so close to my sister. Did she crave the attention even as a child? Was she groomed to seek famous friends? Knowing her mother that seems a possibility. There’s really not much I know about her, at all. She’s like a heat-seeking missile that’s been tuned into my family’s frequency. Or, at least, the frequency of money.
“Let’s have a drink now,” I say, nodding toward the bar.
Her chest puffs out, her chin tilts, nose sticking up in the air. She thinks she’s won this round. Maybe she has, but losing one round might make all the difference in figuring out what she’s really after.
“Two martinis,” she says to the bartender.
I frown. “One martini—and a Scotch for me.”
“I thought you liked martinis,” she says and I see her tuck away this encounter. For what? Further study?
“Not particularly.” She’s not getting more out of me than that. Our drinks arrive with the customary speed I expect. Being served first is one of the few perks of being born a sodding Royal.
“How did you find out about us?” Pepper asks quietly.
I’m almost surprised that she’s been so discreet. An affair with the King? The scandal would be headline fodder for weeks. “You aren’t as careful as you think you are. My father’s weekend trips have doubled in the last few months.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with me.”
“You’ve already confessed. There’s no need to play innocent now,” I advise her. Finding out was an accident really. I’d sent Norris to dig up dirt on her, convinced she was the one who leaked the photo of me kissing Clara, and he’d stumbled on more. She doesn’t need to know why or how I know—but that I know. That’s what is important.
“No one can know,” she says swiftly, dropping her hand on mine. “If Albert found out that you knew…”
“What?” I demand. “He’d call it off? Then I’m going to tell him, because the thought of you two makes me want to vomit.”
“You can’t! You don’t understand what’s at stake,” she pleads.
“Enlighten me.” I frown. She’s actually…scared.
Pepper pauses and draws a deep breath. For a moment, I think she’s going to tell me what I want to know. But she’s too calculating for that. She always has been. Whatever frightened her, she’s got it under control now. “I know things, too. Let’s not forget that. I’d hate to break sweet Clara’s heart.”
“She’s smart. She doesn’t get her news from tabloids.” I abandon my drink and stand, disgust flooding through me. “You can’t touch her.”
“Would you care to wager on that?” A wicked smile carves over her red lips. “I like my odds.”
“So do I.” We glare at one another for a moment. It’s a stalemate. We both have winning hands. We both know it. But who’s cards are stronger? “I need to find Clara.”
“That’s a good idea.” Pepper’s eyes sparkle. There’s not a single trace of panic in them now. “You wouldn’t want her to fall into the wrong hands.”
I don’t bother responding. I simply make my way through the crowd. I need Clara in my sights. I need to touch her. Norris was wrong about her being safe here. I’d been foolish to think I could control this room—a symptom of how out of practice I am at being a royal. How many assassinations were carried out at court? I let my guard down.
My anxiety ratchets up another notch every minute that ticks by without spotting her. There are two many people in the crowd. I begin to look for Norris. Surely, he knows where she is. Then I see it: a flash of red tucked against her dark hair.
Clara scans the ballroom before continuing in the opposite direction. She’s alone again. How could Belle let her wander off? Where is she going? I force my way towards her, ignoring the calls of friends, not caring that I’m practically shoving people out of my way.
I can see her. She’s within reach, and nothing will stop me from getting to her.
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