“I’ve never met a countess, much less one who worked for a prince. So, likewise.” We chuckled together before she stood aside to let me into the car.
She got in after me and closed the door. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Water,” I accepted with a nod. I knew it was the only thing I could possibly keep down. And even then…
“Of course,” she said, nodding to her own assistant in the car, who pulled a bottle out of the refrigerator and poured it into a glass for me.
“We’re so honored to have you join us today. The Duke was impressed with your portfolio.”
I nodded again. “Thank you.”
“I’m just going to go over a few of the rules to meet with him. Obviously, he’s rejected a lot of the stiff rules mandated by his royal title, but we have found that certain standards still hold true to protect his best interests.”
“Of course,” I agreed, though I hadn’t technically been asked my opinion on the matter.
“You’ll be meeting in one of our receiving rooms. The rest of the castle is off limits, of course. He doesn’t like to be touched, so there will be no physical contact. He’ll guide the conversation, so it is best to speak when spoken to. Honesty is your friend. Nobody goes into Fifty Oaks without having been investigated thoroughly. If he asks a question, you can be certain he already knows the answer.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, which piqued her interest.
“What’s so funny?”
“That’s how I work too,” I said with a small shrug.
She smiled that picture-perfect smile. “Yes,” she dismissed easily.
Fifty Oaks, The Duke’s Los Angeles home, was located just north of the city up in the mountains heading towards Santa Barbara. I knew the route would take us at least a few hours to get there, and Audra filled that time with all the “rules of engagement” to which The Duke had become accustomed.
To break it down in simple terms, he got to do everything first and everyone’s conduct would follow. If dinner was prepared, he would eat first, he would drink first, he spoke first. And one could not ask him questions beyond what he had already offered. For instance, if he brought up his mother, one could ask questions about her. Otherwise, the interview would end if someone jumped ahead on any topic that he hadn’t yet broached, thus demonstrating he was willing to talk about it.
The more she spoke, the more I wondered if this was how he had approached music labels and producers or any number of people he had to “sell” himself to. He immediately usurped their authority simply by virtue of his title. He ran the conversation therefore he could probably get exactly what he wanted. When I asked Audra as much, she gave that perfect smile again.
“I’m not the one being interviewed.”
She went on to say that the staff was as off limits as his castle. To be in his world, one had to sign NDRs out the wazoo, so nobody could speak freely about anything that went on behind closed doors. Those who served him were generally part of the Aldayne military, officers of the Church of Aldayne or held their own titles of nobility, like herself. Their allegiance was to Aldayne and the Queen, and they were honor-bound to protect it. “It’s a waste of your energy and, frankly, a breach of The Duke’s trust. You’re here to tell his story, not ours.”
I nodded and said nothing. Point, Audra.
Despite not being typically nervous about meeting the rich and powerful, I was a bundle of nerves by the time we reached the gated entrance to Fifty Oaks, so named for the fifty Quinn kings who ruled over Aldayne. (I didn’t have to ask Audra, I just knew.)
Auggie had no interest in being Number Fifty-One, letting the world know regularly he was determined not to follow in their footsteps. Instead he paid homage with a castle he had built after he left Aldayne for the States. Statues of these great previous kings lined the long, wooded road that led to the reproduction of a Gothic 24-room castle The Duke had used for a couple of notable heavy-metal music videos. I was familiar with its façade, but even I was intimidated the closer we got to the curved road that went under the stone archway. This was nothing like any place I’d ever been. It honestly felt like we were going back