Page 48 of Scandal Queen

I smiled at the crowd and gave an embarrassed wave, while at the same time throwing a wild prayer upwards to the sky that my make-up was good enough to contain my random hot flushes.

If ever there was a day to wear three inches of foundation this was it.

I squeezed Daisy’s hand and caught her gaze, shooting her a smile that I didn’t feel on the inside. Then something happened. Unexpected and unfounded. A group of girls around Daisy’s age called her name. We both turned; me almost expecting for them to be holding hate placards telling us to get back in our place. But they weren’t. They were just girls, waving and calling.

Daisy and I moved together and stepped up to the barrier holding the press and crowd back. “Hi.” My knees folded automatically as they would if I were just talking to Daisy. “Thanks for coming. Who are you hoping to see?”

One of the little girls, with beautiful brown curls looked at me with utter seriousness. “We wanted to see Daisy.”

“You did?” I smiled, the crowd behind us fading into insignificance.

“We wanted to meet a princess.”

“Well she’s not technically a princess you know.” I laughed and pulled Daisy into my side so she could say hi better.

“What’s it like to live in a castle?” The girl asked her wide-eyed.

Daisy thought about this. “It’s the same as living at my old house but just tidier.”

Oliver who stood behind us laughed loudly and ruffled her hair. “Of course it’s tidier, I’m in charge of the housework.”

Straightening my legs, I grinned and shook my head. “Your cleaner is in charge of the housework and you know it.”

“You’ve got me.”

He kissed me then, right on the lips, for the world to see. His fingers against my jaw, his other hand clutching onto Daisy’s hand. When he broke the kiss, he stared me straight in the eyes and I could read his intention on his face.

Some rules were meant to be broken, and we were the ones to do it.

Laughing, I pecked him on the cheek; the cameras clicked and the journalists all gave an “Oooh.”

Oliver laughed, looking for once just a little dazed. He bent down to pick up Daisy, hooking her onto his hip while his free hand slid around my back. “Come on, they will be waiting inside.”

I nodded and we walked together, the three of us tight together, into the foyer. We were greeted by the theatre manager who told us the rest of the royal party were waiting for us in their seats. We were holding up the show, in not so many words.

“Are there spare seats?” I asked.

The man, who was starched and groomed to within an inch of his life looked confused for a moment. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, what do you mean?”

Oliver’s gaze settled on me and his lips twitched at the edges.

“Do you have any spare seats for tonight’s show?” I repeated, my tone tightening. It was like he didn’t expect me to talk.

I talked. A lot.

“Yes, I believe we have seven of the seats reserved for wheelchair users still available.” Sweat broke out along the man’s smooth forehead. Botox, it had to be.

“Excellent. You don’t mind if I fill them, do you?”

“Uh.”

I didn’t give him time to say anything else. Turning and sweeping the skirt of my dress behind me I made my way back out to where the small group of friends stood. I could feel the presence of a man in a suit behind me and guessed Oliver had sent someone with me. The shadow stopped a respectful distance while I leant down to the group of girls. “Would you like to come and watch the show?”

A woman in her thirties stared at me for a moment. “Really?”

“Sure. We might as well fill the seats.” I motioned for a suited and booted bodyguard to come and help me with the barrier. Once it had moved enough I gestured them all through. “We’d better hurry though, the King and Queen are waiting.”

The girls giggled and ran ahead while the woman fell into step at my side. “Thank you. I was working out a way to get them to leave.”