“He could ruin everything,” I told Auggie our last night together in London.
“He only has the power you give him,” he replied.
“What if he contacts the queen? What if she insists on a blood test?”
He sighed. “That’s not what you need to worry about.”
“What do you mean?”
He weighed his words carefully. “Queen Maeve has more to gain out of the situation if I have a son than if I don’t. She wants an heir. Our lineage depends on it.” His eyes met mine. “There may be a time when you will want to tell her the truth in order to spare Jack from the Quinn legacy.”
That he called her Queen Maeve instead of Old Mother concerned me. It meant he wasn’t just talking about his grandmother anymore. He was talking about a powerful political figure, one who could literally decide the fate of my child.
“Everything is decided for a male Quinn,” he said. “His schools. His training. His job,” he added, twirling the ring he wore on his finger. “Royal babies aren’t just babies. They’re issue.”
Dread gnawed at the pit of my stomach. “Are you saying she’s going to want my son?”
It was a slip of the tongue, but I could tell Auggie had registered the possessive way I talked about Jack.
“If I don’t take the throne,” he finally admitted.
“What about her daughter?” I asked, bringing up Princess Giselle, though we never talked about her.
“She has no husband,” he shrugged. “It’s against Aldaynean rule.”
“Then, take the throne and change the rule.”
He laughed. “You can’t just rewrite centuries of tradition and culture, Pea.”
“You’d be king. You could do whatever you want.”
He sighed. “If that was the case, my dad would have done it a long time ago. He lost the woman he loved and his only child because of that throne. Because of the Queen.” He gathered me close. “Let’s face it. The fact our son has no blood line to the throne is a blessing. He’ll be safe. I promise.”
“What about that houseful of kids you wanted?” I reminded.
“I’ll give you nothing but girls,” he said with a kiss. It was an irrational promise meant to pacify me in the moment.
“Sounds good to me,” I joked in return, though none of our conversation had made me feel any better.
The next day we flew to Dublin. It was our last concert before the trip to Aldayne. The closer it loomed, the more anxious I got. Turns out I wasn’t the only one. Poor Fernie was starting to freak about meeting her future in-laws. Audra and Gav were great, but we already knew from all these months with Audra that nobility came with certain rules. We didn’t know what to expect from the rest of the Tremwells. They were one of the most powerful family dynasties in Aldayne. This had been the case ever since Riannon and Marion all those centuries ago. It made little difference that they didn’t rule. They had always been at the seat of power, united forever with the Quinns. Trusted partners. Steadfast allies. Truest friends. As close as family, just like Auntie Edwinna had said.
We came to learn that the Aldaynean historians had already uncovered the true nature of Riannon’s relationship with Marion. They were referred to as the Great Lesbian Queens. The fact that King Keane had allowed them to be buried together at King’s Keep indicated that he had accepted the spousal relationship between them. Many suggested that the relationship between King Keane and Queen Riannon was more of a partnership for the good of the country, so he wouldn’t have taken any romantic relationship she had on the side as a betrayal.
The fact that he made the Tremwells pseudo-royalty was a testament to that.
Tremwells were closer to the Quinns than their actual blood kin, which was why there had always been a rivalry between the House of Quinn and the House of Byrne. As far as Auggie was concerned, the Byrnes could have the throne and all the restrictions that came with it.
Audra didn’t feel the same way. The closer we got to Aldayne, the more she began to open up to us. It was in Dublin where she leveled with us about the true stakes of Auggie’s refusal to reign.
“Auggie wears rose-colored glasses when it comes to the Motherland,” Audra told us. “But there’s more to the throne than what it costs. Aldayne works because of the way the Quinns rule, with fairness and honor… in servitude to