Royal Bastard (14 page)

I squared my shoulders and nodded, figuring there wasn’t going to be much of an option at this point.

The cat was out of the bag, and now we had to put on the show.
Piece of royal wedding cake…
I hoped.

* * *

I
couldn’t survive this
.

A few hours into our day, I became sick and tired of the press constantly documenting our every move. That and my mobile ringing constantly with calls from every person I had known since childhood. It seemed that word had certainly gotten around about our ‘engagement’, and Edward and I had just became a hot topic on every news channel and radio station. There was nowhere to hide. I had gone from a normal person who was just existing in this world to a nationally recognised face in the span of a few hours.

I climbed into the car and shut the door on the shouting crowd that was gathering on the pavement, resting my head against the seat as Edward gunned the engine and pulled quickly into the street. While his meetings had gone as well as we could have expected, this whole media storm had put a damper on anything else. How did one get used to this? I used to think being famous would be glamorous and exciting, but not anymore. It was exhausting, people wanting a piece of you till there was nothing left. How on earth did Edward manage?

“I have a feeling we will end up having to ditch the car and settle for a chauffeured ride,” Edward was saying as he turned the corner. “At least they won’t be able to pinpoint us so quickly.”

“Seriously, how do you do this?” I asked, looking over at him. “How do you put up with this?”

He shrugged as he shifted gears, his eyes on the road. “Maybe I don’t. But I’ve gotten used to it, I guess.”

“Well, you are a saint then,” I muttered as I looked out of the window, noting some familiar scenery. “Where are we going?”

Edward cleared his throat and stopped at the stop light, causing me to look over at him. “I figured you would want to explain this to your parents in person.”

I was touched that he had even considered that fact. Of course I wanted to explain this to my family, but the thought of him coming with me and helping with the explanation was far more than I had expected. “I, thank you,” I said softly as he moved through the light that was now green. “That’s very nice of you.”

“It’s nothing,” he said, his jaw tightening. “Besides, you will likely find out that your conversation will be a hell of a lot easier than mine is going to be.”

I thought about explaining myself to the future king of England and potentially my father-in-law, and I shivered inwardly. Could he still call for my public execution? I already knew he hated my guts and thought I was a low-life from the way he’d insulted me on our first meeting, but I didn’t think he would call for my head.

Edward pulled his car outside of my parents’ home, and I was dismayed to see that the media vans were already camped out on the street, the reporters immediately descending upon the car as soon as Edward cut off the engine. “Oh my god, we really could do with your royal guards right about now,” I breathed, overwhelmed. He nodded. “I’m on it. But in the meantime, we can’t wait here.”

“My parents are going to kill me.”

“Knowing your mum, she will take it all in stride,” Edward said dryly, reaching over to touch my cold hand. “It will be fine, Rose, I swear it. If we have to move your parents for a time, we will. No one will harass or hurt them.”

I swallowed hard as he pushed open his door, forcing me to do the same and step out into the bright lights that awaited me.

“Rose, was it love at first sight?”

“Who will design your wedding dress?”

“Have you met the king yet?”

“There’s rumours going around that you and the prince have made a dirty sex tape. Care to comment?”

Edward hurried around the car and grabbed me, and I hung onto him for dear life, allowing him to pull me close as we walked up to the front door. It immediately opened, and we were ushered inside, the familiar smells of my parents’ home making me feel at ease for the first time today.

“Rose. Victoria. Mathis! How dare you not let us know about… about all this! I just… I can’t believe it.”

I winced as I looked at my mum, her hands on her hips, telling me that she was a bit put out about the hoopla that was going on outside of her house. “I’m sorry, Mum.”

“It’s my fault,” Edward interjected, giving my mum one of his devastating smiles as he wrapped an arm around my waist. “She didn’t tell you because of me. I asked her not to.”

Mum backed down then, patting her hair as she did when she was nervous. “Well now, of course I knew Rose had a reason for doing so. Her father and I are just a bit caught off guard, that’s all, er, Your Highness.”

“My humble apologies. And please, call me Edward. I insist.” Edward grinned as my father joined our small group, his eyes narrowing at Edward. I knew what he was thinking. He was traditional in the sense that he believed a man should come to the father first and ask permission before putting a ring on it. Harriet’s poor husband, Jacob, had sat through two hours of a lecture when he had asked for her hand. “Dad, I…”

The look on my father’s face shut me down in mid-sentence, and I felt Edward stiffen slightly beside me as he realised that my father was not a happy camper. He might be able to charm my mum with a dazzling smile, but my dad, well he was a totally different beast to vanquish.

“Is this really happening?” he finally asked, his expression not giving away anything he was thinking. “Did you propose to my girl?”

“I did,” Edward said. “And I am sorry I did not ask for her hand first. I couldn’t run the risk of anyone finding out until I made it official.”

“Do you love her?”

I stiffened then, my heart pounding in my ears. That was not something I wanted to discuss or even lie to my parents about. This was not a love match by any means, and I didn’t want to pretend that it was.

“If you are asking if I cherish her, respect her, and want to protect her with my life, then yes, I do love your daughter, sir,” Edward replied, his words taking my breath away. I couldn’t help but think how lucky some girl was going to be one day to have a man like Edward really saying those words about her. It made me feel cherished, special even, that he would put that kind of spin on love. The way he made it sound, love was a much deeper emotion than just a word or a feeling.

My father eyed him for one more minute before sticking his hand out, some of the tension in the air dissipating. “Then I say welcome to the family, son.” Edward shook his hand and then pointed to the mess out front. “I’m sorry about all of that. They tend to follow me around quite a bit.”

“Oh it’s fine,” my mum replied, giving a little laugh. “We will just have to get used to it. Rose, help me in the kitchen? Now.”

I gave Edward a grateful smile as I stepped away from him and followed my mum into the kitchen, the swinging door not even closing behind me before she rounded on me, her eyes wide. “Rose Mathis, you are going to be royalty! Oh my god, my daughter, a princess! I just knew it when he came to tea that first night that you captivated him! This is like one of those fairy tales I used to read to you when you were little. And you know, I told your father that we were looking at a perfect match in the making right there!”

“Mum,” I groaned as she grabbed me by the shoulders and wrapped me in a hug. “I don’t even know if his family will approve.” I didn’t know what else to say. I couldn’t very well tell her that all of this was fake to save her and my dad from being embarrassed by their daughter’s topless photos. She would definitely flip out then.

She pulled back then, a critical eye directed toward me. “They don’t know?”

“Well, I’m sure they do now,” I sighed, thinking about all the media, “but we haven’t told them directly, no.”

“Oh dear, well,” she replied, releasing me and smoothing her top down nervously. “I am sure once they meet you, they will love you like we do. I am so happy for you, honey. I was a little taken aback at the announcement, but your Edward, well, he’s just wonderful, and he loves you a great deal. I can see it in his eyes. And all those antics and naughtiness he used to get up to, well it’s in the past of course, ancient history… he seems to have grown up from what I can tell.”

My eyes started to water as I thought of what he had said to my dad. Sure I knew that I loved him, his kindness, the way he was totally misunderstood by everyone except me right now. I loved the fact that he thought of others and had a quiet nature about him when it was just the two of us. Oh, I was in deep! I rubbed a hand over my face, and my mum let out a squeal, reaching for it. “Is that your ring? Oh, it’s just simply gorgeous!”

I looked down at the ring I had grown quite used to on my hand and smiled tenderly. “It was his mum’s.”

“You’ve got a good one here,” she said, patting my hand. “I’m so proud of you, Rose.”

“Thanks, Mum,” I sniffed as she let go of my hand. I just hoped that she thought the same a few months down the road when this was all going to be a distant memory, a fond memory… and a heart-breaking one at that.

S
he was
silent on our way back to town, tension evident on her face. Luckily I could concentrate on her fully as we sat in the quiet back seat of the car.

My personal bodyguards had swooped in and cleared the reporters from the path to the waiting car that had arrived and ushered us away to safety. But I could tell Rose was still anxious about the whole thing. The media was worse than even I had imagined, someone shouting a question or shoving a camera in our faces at every turn. Some had even had the gall to knock repeatedly on her parents’ front door. I was worried that maybe I had done it all wrong by alerting the media, but even if the ex asshole decided to come out with the pictures, I doubted anyone would give him much thought now. I had successfully created my own shit storm and put us both in the middle of it. Well, no, not just us. Her parents, her sister and her husband, as well as my own family.

With an inward sigh I saw that we were pulling into her flat’s private car parking area. By some miracle there were no reporters waiting, which told me they had yet to find out where she lived. That wouldn’t last long, though, and I needed to get her somewhere safe.

“I, thanks for the lift,” she was saying as her hand reached for the handle. “I guess I will see you tomorrow?”

“Rose, wait,” I said gently. “We need to talk.”

“Okay,” she replied, her voice soft. “What about?”

I blew out a breath and laid my hands on my knees. “I think you should move in with me for a while.”

“I, what?” she responded, shaking her head. “No, I am fine here. See? The media hasn’t found me yet.”

“
Yet
being the operative word. Trust me, it won’t take them long,” I told her, catching her eye. “Please. I don’t want you to have to deal with this without me or someone we trust at your side. I’ll be forced to have my guards at my place… so you might as well.” She would have a target on her back just because of her association with the royal family. Illegitimate or not, I was still in line to succeed and that made me a target as well as her. “I promise I will make whatever sleeping arrangements you want, but just come stay with me for a little while. It’ll put my mind at ease… When it dies down, then you can come back, I swear it.”

I was starting to sweat now; the thought of Rose being alone without my protection caused a sickening feeling to spread throughout my body. The instant I slipped that ring on her finger it had become my job to protect her. Her father was counting on the fact that I was now the man in his little girl’s life. I wasn’t going to let him or Rose down.

“Fine,” she said, though her voice didn’t sound very excited about the prospect. Something inside me eased a bit, and I threw open my door. “Come on, let’s go get some of your stuff then, before the buzzards descend.”

Together we walked up the stairs to her apartment, flanked by two silent guards. She opened the door and we stepped inside, leaving our protectors in the hallway. She set her camera on the nearby table and twirled a finger through the tips of her hair, looking a bit confused. “I won’t be a minute.”

“Make sure you pack for a week or two,” I called out behind her, looking around her apartment. Her entire life’s existence could probably fit in my fucking suitcase. I knew she was proud that she had moved out of her parents’ house, but the sparsely furnished apartment had me wondering how much this place was eating into her account. My phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket, swearing as I saw my brother’s number on the display screen. That could mean only one thing.

“Hello?”

“So you finally went and fucking did it,” he said into my ear, catching me off guard. Andrew never swore unless he was really pissed off. “Father nearly had a heart attack when he was notified. Grandfather is none too pleased, either. I can’t believe you actually went through with it. You’re a braver man than I, but I really think this is not going to win you any favours with Father.”

“Maybe he’ll finally realise that I’m my own man, and not his royal puppet. I’m sure this will get me taken off the line of succession for sure now,” I joked. Then I would be free to do whatever the hell I wanted to without the constant scrutiny.

“Mother is trying her damnedest,” Andrew sighed. “Christ, Edward, why didn’t you come and tell father first instead of letting the media be the ones to inform him?”

“It was easier this way,” I replied darkly, thinking at least he had a chance to mull it over before he saw me. “Am I being summoned?”

“You know that’s why I am calling,” Andrew replied. “He wants you over here now, Edward, and I hope to God you prep Rose for what she might be walking into.”

I looked down the tiny hall with a grim smile on my face, hearing her move around her bedroom. “I think you should give her more credit in that department. She will probably do better than I will, Andrew.”

He sighed into the phone again, causing me to feel sorry for my brother. He was always caught in the middle of this family feud I had going on with my father. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Get over here
tout suite
.”

“I’ll be there in a little bit,” I said, ending the call and placing the phone into my pocket before walking down the hall. Rose was in her bedroom, clothes strewn all over the bed. She was folding a shirt when I walked in. “Hey, need any help?”

She bit her lip and shook her head, placing the shirt in the bag before her. “I’m just struggling to pack on the fly.”

I almost told her to leave it all, that I would buy her new clothes, but I refrained, knowing that Rose would take that worse than anything else. I remembered how she was the day I tried to buy her a damn dress. I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole again. “I hate to rush you, but we have been summoned.”

She dropped the pair of pants she had been holding, her eyes wide as she looked at me. “S-summoned? You mean to the palace? Are we in trouble?”

I nodded and her face went white, her hand reaching for her neck. I reached out and took her into my arms, my own heart hammering against my chest. “It’s going to be okay,” I said gruffly, running my hands over her back lightly. “We’re a team, remember?”

She shuddered, and I prayed to anyone who would listen that she wouldn’t cry. Hell, I would throw myself down the flight of stairs to not have her cry a single tear or be hurting or terrified right now. After a heart-stopping moment, she pulled away, her chin set as she looked at me. Though there was a glimmer of tears in her eyes, I didn’t see any trace of wetness on her cheeks. “Should I change?”

I looked down at her long, flowered skirt and the top that hugged her curves and drove me wild. I shook my head. “Nah, you are damn near perfect, Rose.”

“Just damn near?” she teased, some of the colour coming back to her face. I grinned and leaned over, giving her a hard kiss on the lips and bringing a blush to her cheeks. “Now you are perfect.”

She laughed and pushed at my chest, causing me to take a few steps back. “There are no cameras here, there’s no need for that. Go on so I can finish this, will you?”

I held up my hands and walked out of the bedroom, my grin fading as I thought about what we had before us now. This was going to be a major test for the both of us.

* * *

T
he palace gates
were swarming with media as we pulled up. I nodded to the guard posted there before they swung open and let us into the compound. Rose took a deep breath beside me as the private entrance for the royal family came into view, one that was far removed from the prying eyes of the media. Two palace employees were waiting to open the car doors, and I stepped out, waiting until Rose came around to grab her hand and press a kiss on top of the ring. “Remember to breathe, and don’t take any shit from any of them,” I mumbled as we walked through the entrance.

“You do the same,” she whispered back. I smiled and squeezed her hand, grateful that she was by my side for this. I was doing this for her more so than me. I was about to show my family that they did not run a single damn part of my life, and if they chose to try, I was going to walk out on them and never look back. Let the chips fall where they may. I was tired of trying to appease them. I had my charitable work now, my calling that I was enjoying immensely, and for the time being, I had Rose and her wonderful family.

I led her to the deadly silent family room, where my father normally enjoyed his evening catch-up, responding to letters and reading. Sure enough, he was there, as well as my stepmother, and Andrew, who was standing by the window. “Good evening, father. You rang?”

“How dare you waltz in here like nothing is wrong? Do you not even comprehend what you have done to your father? To your grandfather?”

I heard Rose gasp at my stepmother’s tirade, forgetting this was her first time experiencing such a hateful and spiteful woman. I squeezed her hand to let her know it was okay, turning my attention to my father. “I apologise. Andrew said you would like to see me,
Father
?”

“Is this her?” he asked, his eyes on Rose. I nodded and fought the urge to throw my arms around her to protect her from the hate that was in this room. She didn’t deserve this. “This is Rose Mathis, my fiancée.”

To my surprise, my father walked over and stretched out his hand toward Rose. “Good evening, Rose. Welcome to my home. I am Richard York, but I believe we have met before?”

“Yes, Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to properly meet you, too,” Rose stammered, shaking my father’s hand. He smiled at her, looking over at me with a hooded expression. “Let’s take a walk, son.” It was a command, not a request.

I looked over at Rose, not wanting to leave her but knowing it would be best to talk to my father alone, without Agatha poisoning every word we exchanged. “Are you going to be okay here?”

“Of course,” she shot back, giving me an encouraging smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Go on.”

I leaned down and brushed her lips with mine, mainly because I needed to feel her strength. “I will be right back.”

Her smile softened and I gave her a wink, following my father out of the room.