over my face, cursing myself for being so careless. I just wanted one last moment of feeling like a normal couple. But we’re not even on the ground yet and are already in the thick of it.
“I can arrange for your flight to be diverted to a different airfield.”
I vehemently shake my head. “That will look like I’m trying to hide something. We’re already on the defensive. No sense in giving them even more fodder to speculate on.”
“Agreed. So we’ll keep to our original plan, but there will be additional security present. Your private secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Bridge, will meet the plane to go over a game plan for your arrival.”
I inhale a deep breath I hope will calm me. All it does is increase my anxiety.
“What’s wrong?”
I snap my head up, my gaze settling on Nora standing in the doorway of the back cabin. She’s dressed in a knee-length, floral wrap dress, her hair in loose waves, makeup freshly applied.
How do I tell her our secret’s out? That the European media already seems to loathe her before we’ve even landed in Belmont?
“I’ll give you two some privacy.” Creed looks at Nora. “Ma’am.” Then he turns to me and bows his head. “Sir.” Spinning, he stalks toward the front of the plane, disappearing from view.
“Anders, what’s going on?”
I refocus my gaze on her. What I wouldn’t give to rewind the clocks to that moment in our New York apartment before we left. When I pinned her against the wall and kissed her like it was the last time I would. Now I fear it was. At least the last time she kissed Anderson North, the alter ego I travel under when I don’t want people to know who I am.
And the man Nora first met on Route 66 before I told her the truth.
I gesture to a nearby table. “Let’s sit.”
“I’m not sure I want to.” She pushes out a nervous laugh. “In my experience, nothing good follows a request to sit. Especially considering your morose expression. You look like you just learned someone died.”
“No one died,” I assure her, although it feels like something has.
It’s not our engagement being public knowledge that has me on edge. It’s the fact it was leaked before I had a chance to speak to my father. Before I had an opportunity to go through the typical procedure required of all members of the royal family. Or at least the first five people in the line of succession.
I help her into a chair, then skirt around to the other side of the table and sit. Taking her hand in mine once more, I toy with her empty ring finger. If there’s one positive thing to come from this, she can now wear her ring all the time. At least I think she can. I’ll need to talk to my private secretary before confirming anything.
“I messed up, Nora,” I admit softly.
She blinks. “What are you talking about?”
Pulling my phone out of the inside pocket of my suit jacket, I navigate to the website Creed had shown me. Then I hand it to Nora, allowing her to see the headline and the photo of us in an intimate kiss, her ring prominent. Below that are more photos taken after she pulled out of the kiss, her face visible.
“‘An American Princess’?” Nora reads, snapping up her head to meet my gaze, confusion etched in her brow. “How? I thought—”
“It’s my fault,” I assure her, not wanting her to burden herself with even a hint of the blame. “I’d grown complacent. Didn’t think anyone would recognize me. It’s not like I’m a member of the British Royal Family or anything.”
“But some people still know who you are.”
“All the more reason I should have been more careful, shouldn’t have insisted it was okay for you to wear your ring. It was selfish of me. I hate looking at your finger and not seeing a ring.” I glance at her still vacant hand. “Once we boarded this plane, I knew you wouldn’t be able to wear it, even at home, until we went through the proper channels. When I put the ring back on your finger the other night, your face lit up, Nora. I hated depriving you of that again. Now my carelessness may cost us. This story is making headlines everywhere. Not only in my home country, but also all over Europe. And America.”
Nora sits with her spine straight, not reacting as she processes this news. I wish