Page 90 of Tabloid Princess

His questions drew too much information from me.

Another one fired straight away. “What was it like?”

“Which bit?”

I squirmed at his intense expression. “Being responsible for something even when you didn’t know what it meant.”

“Hard. Very hard.” My words got lodged in my throat.

“My brother, sister, and I. We are expected to be responsible, to set an example, but I don’t think any of us even have the foggiest idea of what true responsibility is.”

“One day you will be king. Won’t you know then?”

“Won’t that be too late?”

I shrugged. “I guess it’s just something you learn. I would never have guessed what it would be like to be a mother, until I did it. It wouldn’t have mattered if I was sixteen or thirty-six.”

He nodded, distracted. I wanted to see him smile again.

“Which brings me to something I’ve been thinking about.” I flashed him a grin, wanting to lift the oppressive atmosphere. First dates weren’t supposed to feel like this I was sure.

“Yes?” He picked up his glass and took a sip.

“I’ve been thinking about your birthday.”

“My present?” His flashing smile nearly distracted me.

“No. The fact you were thirty. I’m twenty-two. That’s a bit of an age gap.”

That quirk of his lips made my heart soar. I distracted myself with a sip of the smooth champagne. “So are you are saying I’m a dirty old man?”

The bubbles hit the back of my throat and I coughed, somehow making the liquid sting my nostrils.

“Jesus.” I coughed again and grabbed at a napkin off the table holding it to my face. Once I’d calmed down, I lowered it to find him watching me, one side of his lips quirked at the corner. “How dirty?” My cheeks warmed, hotter than they already were.

“Very.”

We watched one another, my gaze drifting to his fingers, wondering just what they would do to fulfil the ‘dirty’ promise.

Breaking the moment, he turned for a small cabinet which he opened, pulling out two plates. They both had beautifully carved and arranged smoked salmon, the layers so thin the pale pink was almost translucent. “I hope you don’t mind cold food. I didn’t want any staff in here.”

I nodded, almost dumb.

“And I took a gamble on the salmon.”

“It’s fine, thank you.” He placed a plate in front of me. “Honestly, I’ve only managed biscuits the last few days.”

“You too?”

“Nana thinks I’m lovesick.” I met his eyes.

“Are you?”

“I’m waiting for the doctor’s official diagnosis.”

He rewarded my lame joke with a beautiful smile, a slow stretch from the quirk I loved into brilliant whiteness.

I speared a piece of salmon and popped it into my mouth, my stomach grumbling a little as I did. “Why here?” I asked pointing to the painting with my fork. “It’s very macabre.”