Tangled Games (Dating Games #5) - T.K. Leigh Page 0,23
the help she needed and took her own life, a detail you’ve all conveniently kept out of the media.”
“Nevertheless, all that matters right now is that the monarchy is in jeopardy. The referendum didn’t have much support until you broke protocol and granted an interview to some American magazine. Now, all the people of this country see are the king approaching retirement age and an heir who may not be able to fulfill his obligations. So you need to do everything possible to re-instill their confidence in you. Based on early polling, this leaked engagement…to an American, no less…certainly isn’t doing that.”
“But a royal wedding may just distract them,” my father interjects softly.
Dalton whips his head toward him. “Excuse me?”
My father smiles slyly. “You said it yourself when you shared your plan regarding Ms. DeVries. You claimed people love a wedding, especially a royal wedding. That it gives them something to be a part of. We saw how wrapped up the people of this country were during the latest British royal wedding. They filled stadiums to celebrate it. And he married an American, too. If you’re so concerned about this referendum, perhaps that’s an alternative to your…proposal.”
“What is?” I ask.
My father faces me. “That you marry Nora before people go to the polls this November. Preferably before she starts to show.”
“Before she starts to show?”
“She’s six weeks now. I’d suggest marrying her within the next eight weeks at most. We must consider the public perception. The longer you wait to marry her, the more obvious the reason you are marrying her will become.”
“I’m marrying her because I love her. Her pregnancy is just an unexpected blessing. Nothing else.”
“That’s not the way people will see it. If they learn she’s pregnant before you’re married, they’ll think that’s the reason.”
“Won’t people get suspicious anyway?” I argue. “Particularly if we announce we’re getting married in a matter of weeks? When the baby is born, they’re bound to do the math.”
“But by that point, the vote will have already passed and they’ll be too excited about the birth of a royal baby.”
I blink repeatedly, looking into the distance. Heavy drapes frame the tall windows, portraits of important figures in Belmont history hanging on the walls, as if a reminder of my place in this world.
But what about Nora? This is a completely new world for her. We’ve discussed taking the next year to adjust to our new life together and being new parents. Now we don’t have a choice but to rush into marriage just to be together.
“Listen, Anderson,” my father says, turning from the king into my father. “I can give you my approval, and I do so happily. But the second your child is born, I can no longer grant you that approval. If you wait to marry until she’s given birth, you’ll be doing so in direct violation of a royal act. Which will—”
“Automatically remove me from the line of succession.”
“Precisely.”
A year ago, I had every intention of giving up my place in the line of succession just to prevent my father from forcing me out, as I’d assumed he did to my mother after she was diagnosed with MS.
Now I know that wasn’t the case, that the depression she experienced after her diagnosis made her push everyone away. I tried to do the same thing, but Esme wouldn’t let me.
More so, my father wouldn’t, either.
Now I’m actually looking forward to the day I’ll lead this country. Can bring it and the monarchy into the twenty-first century. Can give it the breath of fresh air it needs.
But at what cost to Nora?
“I can’t make this decision without talking to her,” I tell him. “This life is all new to her. The media circus. The spotlight.”
He nods, standing. I do the same. “I can hold off on making a statement to the press for a day or two. That should give you enough time to discuss this with her.”
“In the meantime,” Dalton begins, rising to his feet, as well, “if anyone asks about your status, you tell them—”
“I know. I know. No comment.” I force a smile.
“Precisely.”
I turn my attention toward my grandmother. She’s remained unusually quiet throughout most of this conversation. As I learned from playing chess with her, her being silent is never a good thing. Those long stretches of time when she simply stared at the chess board, mentally playing out all her moves, usually led to her declaring a rather embarrassing victory.