The Princess Affair (33 page)

“But Kerry’s gentle lesson in honesty has extended far past the closet of my sexual orientation. She has also taught me not to be ashamed of my learning disability.” A low murmur rose up from the throng, and she waited for it to die down before carrying on. “When I was seven, doctors diagnosed me with moderate dyslexia. I have tried to keep it hidden for years, because I was ashamed that a task as basic as reading was so difficult for me. But Kerry has helped me understand that I have nothing to be ashamed of. My brain simply works differently. By covering up my dyslexia, I have only helped to reinforce its stigma, and I won’t be party to that any longer. Instead, you will see me ardently campaigning on behalf of the British Dyslexia Association in an effort to help children manage their condition within traditional education environments.”

Sasha brought Kerry’s hand to her lips and pressed a lingering kiss to her fingertips. “Speaking of education, Kerry is a Rhodes scholar. She is here to study and learn from one of the greatest institutions of higher education in this country. In the days to come, allow her to do her work. Respect her. Respect us. And please continue to pray for Arthur as he recovers.” With a gentle tug at Kerry’s hand, Sasha turned and walked toward the door. As soon as she found herself inside the greenroom, she slumped in exhaustion. Kerry shepherded her around a corner until they were out of the line of sight of the front door, then pulled her into an embrace.

“That was a very brave thing you just did,” she said quietly. “Are you all right?”

Sasha allowed herself to be held. She rested her cheek on the lapel of Kerry’s suit jacket and breathed her in, taking comfort in that knowledge that she would never have to hide their embrace again.

“I’m fine. Just a few nerves.”

“You were so poised. So eloquent. Every word was perfect.” Kerry’s grip tightened momentarily. “I just fell in love with you all over again.”

Sasha looked up to find Kerry’s eyes bright with unshed tears. “Do you know what I enjoyed the most? Holding your hand in public.”

Kerry laced their fingers together again. “Believe me when I say you can do that anytime you like.”

“Why don’t you plan to hold my hand as we walk back to the car, then?”

“Oh? We’re not staying here?”

Sasha shook her head and began to move toward the door. “Now that you’ve been introduced to my father, I want you to meet the rest of my family.”

*

Less than an hour later, Sasha led Kerry down the pristine corridor toward her brother’s room, eager to show each off to the other. Arthur had improved in leaps and bounds since regaining consciousness, and there was even talk that he would be discharged within a matter of days.

“May I see him, Robert?” she asked the nurse before he could so much as greet her.

“Certainly, Your Highness. Ms. Dunning is in with him at the moment.”

“Oh, perfect.” Aside from her siblings, there was no other person to whom she wanted to introduce Kerry more.

Despite her excitement, she opened the door to Arthur’s room slowly, not wanting to startle him. She entered to the sight of him sitting up in bed, Ashleigh holding his hand. A broad smile lit up his face as soon as he saw her, and she felt relief at his ability to recognize her instantly.

“Hello, Artie,” she said, unable to keep herself from mirroring his expression. “You’re looking well today.”

“I thought I told you—”

“Never to call you that. I know.” She winked at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you yesterday, but I had to run a quick errand to retrieve something I had very foolishly allowed to go missing.” Looking over her shoulder, she beckoned Kerry into the room. “Arthur and Ashleigh, this is Kerry Donovan. My girlfriend.”

As Ashleigh crossed the room, Kerry put out her hand, but Ashleigh ignored it and embraced her instead. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” she said.

“Likewise, Ashleigh. Sasha’s told me so much about what a wonderful friend you’ve been to her.”

Ashleigh released her and reached for Sasha’s hands. “We just want her to be happy.”

“I am,” Sasha said, her voice suddenly quavering with emotion. “So happy.”

Meanwhile, Kerry was regarding her brother. “You’re looking very well, Your Royal Highness. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” he said, his voice still hoarse from so many days on the ventilator. “And thank you for putting that smile on my sister’s face.”

Sasha began to move toward him, intending to give him a very careful hug, but he immediately waved her aside.

“Just a moment.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kerry. “Come closer, please.”

Clearly puzzled by the request, Kerry moved a few feet nearer to the bed and stopped, but he continued to beckon.

“Closer still.”

“Arthur—” Sasha began, but he shushed her.

“I’m trying to see it. Give me a moment.”

She and Ashleigh shared a suddenly concerned glance. What was he referring to? Was he having some sort of relapse?

Only when Kerry was standing just a few feet away did he finally allow her to stop. After scrutinizing her carefully from head to foot and back, he squinted again. “I just don’t see it.”

“Arthur?” Sasha asked, trying not to betray her growing alarm. “See what?”

“You don’t look like a bloke to me, Kerry.”

At the jest, Sasha’s trepidation faded and she exchanged an exasperated glance with Ashleigh. Even from his sickbed, Arthur was determined to keep them on their toes. When Kerry laughed, Sasha froze the moment in her head. Her brother and her lover, sharing a joke. Had she even dared to dream of such a moment?

“I don’t think you were really expecting one, were you?” Kerry said, smiling as she looked between them.

“No, indeed.” Arthur stretched out his hand toward her and grinned. “It’s a pleasure and an honor. Welcome to the family.”

Sasha reclined on the lawn chair next to Ashleigh’s, sipping a vodka tonic and enjoying the warm July afternoon from beneath the umbrella that sheltered them from the sun. It simply wouldn’t do to get too much color on the day before her brother’s wedding.

A family football match had sprung up on the adjacent lawn, which they were watching with quite a bit of interest seeing as Arthur and Kerry had found themselves on opposing sides. Various cousins rounded out the teams, and the King himself had seen fit to officiate the match. Sometimes, when Sasha reflected on how much had changed since the previous year, she could hardly believe she was living in the same reality.

It hadn’t taken nearly as long for her father to warm to Kerry as Sasha had feared. After a few rather strained meetings, he had happened to overhear her chatting with Raymond Fletcher about some obscure architectural movement during the Victorian era. And just like that, the ice had thawed. “I like her intellectual rigor,” he had later told Sasha gruffly.

The sound of Arthur calling for the ball turned her attention back to the lawn. When he received it, he moved quickly down the left flank of the makeshift pitch, toward the opposition’s empty goal. It looked as though he might be unopposed until Sasha saw Kerry on a mad tear across the field, determined to intercept him. At the last moment, she slid for the ball and knocked it cleanly out of bounds. Arthur somersaulted dramatically forward onto the ground and lay there, clutching his ankle.

Ashleigh sat up with a start and pulled down her sunglasses to glare at Sasha. “If your girlfriend has injured him on the day before his wedding—”

“Are you mad? That was a clean tackle!” Sasha cut her off. “He’s a dirty diver!”

“Well.” Ashleigh crossed her arms. “Your father will sort it out properly. Look.”

King Andrew had joined both players as Kerry offered her hand to Arthur. He made a big show of limping as she helped him to his feet and Sasha stood too, rolling her eyes.

“Quit those theatrics, you cheat!” she hollered, hands cupped around her mouth.

“What happened?” the King asked them.

“I’ll tell him what happened,” Sasha muttered beneath her breath.

“She took me out,” Arthur panted.

“Kerry?”

“You saw it, Your Majesty.” No matter how many times he had told her to call him Andrew at private gatherings, she had never managed to do so. “You be the judge.”

He looked between them, then smiled and shook his head at Arthur. “Your sister is right, son. That was a flop if ever I saw one. Free kick to Kerry.”

Sasha turned to regard Ashleigh with a triumphant grin. “See?”

As Ashleigh huffed out a sigh and settled back into her chair, Kerry beckoned her teammates down the field. Her kick was beautiful—a long, arcing ball that was easy pickings for one of the cousins, who headed it down between the cones.

“Nicely played,” her father called as the team huddled in congratulations. “Now, we’d best get cleaned up. It’s nearly time for tea.”

As Kerry and Arthur approached them, Sasha pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head.

“Admit it, Arthur. You dove.”

Arthur grinned and clapped Kerry on the back. “All right. I confess. I tried to get one past the old man, but apparently, he’s still too sharp.”

Kerry perched on the edge of Sasha’s chair, smiling broadly. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Even after many months, Sasha’s heart fluttered whenever they were close. “You were brilliant.”

Kerry shrugged. “I was all right.”

Suddenly, Ashleigh squealed. “Arthur! You’re dripping sweat on me!”

Sasha reached up to pull Kerry close, lips caressing the shell of her ear. “They must not have very good sex,” she whispered. “I never mind when you drip sweat on me.”

Kerry’s shoulders shook as she tried not to betray her laughter. “Hush! That’s your brother you’re talking about—the future King of England!”

“I’m just saying.”

“Just saying what?” Ashleigh looked over at them suspiciously.

“She was just saying how much she loves me,” Kerry said impishly. “Right, Sash?”

“I do.” Arching one eyebrow, she looked up into the bright blue eyes of her beloved. “How do you like the sound of that?”

Nell Stark
is the Chair of English, Philosophy, and Religious Studies at a college in the SUNY system. She and her partner live, write, and parent a rambunctious toddler just a stone’s throw from the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City. For more information, visit www.nellstark.com.

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