Page 64 of Scandal Queen

I swallowed hard. My throat tingled with the wine like I chugged down vinegar and not a fine Shiraz.

“People don’t understand, so they fill in the blanks. We kind of knew that was going to happen.”

On the screen, images of us coming out of Harrods with the damn Lego box filled the screen. The fact it was the main news item on the evening news actually astounded me.

“What you have here,” a woman sat on a curved leather sofa, “is a real issue with the idea that you can buy a child’s affection.”

“It’s just a toy.” The presenter queried. I’m glad someone spoke some sense.

“But you have to remember that Miss Lawrence has come from nothing. What is it telling this child to now be able to walk into Harrods and buy the biggest and most expensive toy you can find?”

“It wasn’t the most expensive,” Oliver grumbled and for a moment I thought he’d launch his glass of wine at the wall. Instead he clutched it tighter.

“You should not buy a child’s affection. I mean where is this girl’s real father? What does he think of all this? How confusing must this be for a six-year-old to suddenly have the future king pretending to be your dad.”

I reached over and grabbed the buttons. Slipping from the sofa, I knelt in between his knees. “You aren’t pretending, Oliver. Daisy loves you; you must remember that.”

“That’s not what everyone else sees, is it though?”

“Does it matter? If we know.”

His hand briefly brushed along my jaw before he slumped back on the sofa. “None of this is to do with you. It’s to do with me and my family. I’ve spent so long hiding myself, all of us, that now everything people know is distorted from the truth. Do you know how much it bites my arse that people don’t know the real reason why I didn’t get married?”

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. The royals were exceptional at brushing things under a carpet.

“And next time I decide I truly do want to tie the knot, what do you think everyone will be talking about?” His gaze burned. “It sure as hell won’t be the intense and ridiculous love I feel for someone, or the way my life has transformed from pitiful to plentiful because it’s been enriched beyond measure. No. It will be the royal player tries again.”

My heart ached so hard. Tentatively I reached for his face. “What are you going to do? If you carry on this path, you are going to divide the family. I don’t want to be the one to make you do that.”

He swept forward, his lips catching mine. “It won’t be you, Leia. The division has always been here.”

The conversation ended as his lips searched mine deeper and harder and much like I did in my life before. I went to bed at the same time as Daisy—only this time I was no longer alone.

* * *

The next few weeks had carried on in the same way, full of speculation about the royals. We’d kept to ourselves, enjoying out time in our new home; living together, school runs, me trying to cook—and failing… A normality for us that no one knew about.

It was late December, the year running away from us, when I slipped down the stairs at the knock on the front door and pulled my cardigan around me tight. “Oh, hello.”

Isabella stood on the doorstep. “Hi, I came to get Gizmo. I wanted to stretch my legs.” Her eyes were rimmed with red, but not like she’d been crying. Her skin had a slight yellow sheen, but then she didn’t seem to have any make-up on. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who looked rough au natural.

“Oh sure.” I turned for the house. The dog was definitely somewhere, he hadn’t stopped yapping all morning.

“Can I come in and see the cottage? Oliver is keeping things very secret out here.”

I cringed a little. “Sure, I was just folding some washing. It looks like Wishy Washy’s Laundry in here.”

She stared at me blankly.

“I’m guessing you’ve never been to the pantomime?”

“Uh no.”

I scrunched my face. “You haven’t missed out.” I led her in and then called for the dog who seemed to have evaporated.

“It’s nice.” Isabella glanced around. “I’m surprised he’s allowed the Ikea in though.”

“I’m surprised you know what Ikea is.” Well that came out ruder than I meant. “Uh, I mean. There isn’t much flat pack up at the palace.”