Page 34 of Scandal Queen

“You should have seen your face. Oh my god, that was so funny.”

I stared at him while Isabella kicked her legs, very un-princess like, into the cushions of the sofa.

“Sorry.” Oliver’s breath skimmed my skin, his hands slipping around my waist. He lifted his face to glare at his brother. “That’s not funny, guys. Marcus has already been a twat enough for the whole palace today.”

I shuddered at the thought of Marcus and his grey frowning brows.

John straightened his face. Now I could see the humour in the depths of his expression I could see the similarity with Oliver. I tried to hide my surprise with how easy Oliver seemed with his adulterous sibling. I guess I’d assumed there would be animosity there.

“How many points we down?” John asked, arching a fair eyebrow.

“At least three million.” Oliver rubbed my arm. “Thereabouts.”

Isabella righted herself. She didn’t seem that drunk now, definitely acting earlier, but I knew enough about abuse to see a buzz in her eyes that didn’t come from playacting. “Don’t worry, Mum will have it all sorted soon. Leia will be regally gliding in Chanel in no time and the world will ever forget she came from a slum.”

“Bella,” Ollie warned.

It seemed odd to hear the princess, usually featured on the front cover of Vogue or Cosmo to be referred to in such intimate terms. She was simply Princess Isabella, but then wasn’t Ollie once Prince Oliver to me too.

“Come on, let’s get back to Daisy and Nana.” Oliver tugged on my elbow.

“I should apologise to your parents for leaving so rudely. It was unacceptable.” I tried to think how these people would act, how they would behave, what they would say.

Oliver turned me in his arms, his lips curved into my favourite quirk. “Don’t you worry about that, let’s go home.”

“Ah, Johnny, look it’s so cute,” Isabella singsonged. Definitely buzzed. Definitely.

Oliver rolled his eyes at them both and led me out of the library back into the silent hallways. If staff were about, they seemed to discreetly disappear when a member of the royal family walked along. Apart from the butler at the front door, I hadn’t seen anyone. I looked up and down the corridor, this time taking in more of the furnishings. Decadent, but tasteful. Lots of cream and then shades of green with the odd flash of red in places. Along one corridor was a giant fireplace which seemed very out of place. I turned my attention to it and Oliver paused.

“Sorry, I forget you haven’t seen this all before. It’s just normal to me.”

I nodded and waved my hand. The universal sign for ‘give me more’.

“I told you this land was reclaimed during the reformation.”

“You did. The gardens and the secret garden were part of the original grounds.”

“Some of the insides too. The chapel for example.” For some reason my heart rate spiked at the mention of the chapel. No member of the public had ever seen it—ever. Well none that had then spoken about it or leaked it to those damn story hounds

“This part of the palace is original and what isn’t was built soon after the reformation.”

“So we are standing in a Tudor building?”

“I didn’t know you were a history buff.” His lips quirked. “But then I’m guessing there are lots of things I’ve still got to learn.”

“Before we get married you mean?”

His eyes held mine, but if I expected him to explain or quantify the plans his family seemed to have, he didn’t.

“So, this large fireplace here would have been in the great gallery. It would have kept visitors and courtiers warm while they waited for an audience with the King in the great hall.”

“A great gallery and a great hall; there are a lot of greats around here.”

His lips lifted into a smirk. “Anyway, that’s enough of that. What do you think about ordering pizza for dinner?”

“Pizza?” I raised an eyebrow. “The prince likes to order pizza?”

“Honestly,” his smile grew dangerous, “there is only one thing the prince loves more.”