Tell Me You're Mine (The British Billionaires #1) - J. S. Scott Page 0,36
to enter the Lancaster empire. She even cultivated a British accent, so nobody was reminded of her origins. My father thought it was ridiculous that she worried so much about appearances. But I think she was traumatized after her first meeting with the Queen.”
I gaped at him. “She met the Queen?”
“Of course,” he said nonchalantly. “Technically, my father was the Duke of Hollingsworth. It isn’t a royal dukedom, but we’re well acquainted with the peerage.”
I moved to my desk and sat down in my chair, trying not to hyperventilate. Dear God! No wonder Damian’s mother had felt like his father had married beneath himself. I could only imagine what her struggles had been in trying to find a place in such a powerful family.
I looked up at him as I said breathlessly, “So doesn’t that make you the Duke of Hollingsworth now?”
He looked disgusted as he answered tersely, “Yes. But I rarely use the title unless I’m at a royal event. My father didn’t put much importance on something he’d simply inherited, and I don’t, either. I’d rather be known for my business acumen than for an aristocratic position I never earned. I was born to privilege, and I inherited a fortune. I’d like to work hard to prove that I’m worthy of that, not some antiquated title.”
I nearly smiled because he was starting to sound like an American. While I didn’t believe in advanced status just by a happy accident of birth, I also couldn’t deny that the Lancaster family must carry a lot of weight in England’s social circles. “I thought the British loved their titles.”
He shrugged. “Some love their traditions.”
I’d read enough English history to have a basic understanding of the peerage. “So nobody refers to you as Your Grace?”
He actually looked embarrassed as he admitted, “Occasionally. I don’t encourage it.”
It was strange that Damian seemed to be a lot more comfortable as the billionaire CEO of Lancaster International than he did with his position as the Duke of Hollingsworth.
“So your mother actually became a duchess when she married your father, and the wife of a billionaire, too. I get why she was intimidated. I’m American, and I’d find meeting the royals pretty daunting.”
“She put more importance on our title than our father ever did,” Damian scoffed.
Maybe so, but I could still empathize with her. I’d nearly buckled under the stress of having a conference room full of Lancaster executives staring at me. I could only imagine how his mother had felt when she’d been under the critical eye of England’s aristocratic crowd. “I can totally understand why this entire situation upsets her.”
He studied my face until it grew almost uncomfortable. “Can you, Nicole?”
I nodded. “Give me some time, Damian. I’d like to help, but please understand that I don’t trust you. I doubt I ever will.” I saw no reason to dance around the truth.
“I’m sorrier about that than you’ll ever know,” he answered in a low, regretful tone.
I let out a shaky breath as I answered. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Where are you staying?”
“Here in Newport Beach,” he informed me. “I took some time to drive around the city. It’s beautiful here. A friend of mine has a place here that he’s not using at the moment, so he offered it to me for as long as I wanted to stay here. The press found me at my residence in Beverly Hills early this morning. So I’ll be hiding out here in Newport Beach for a while. I doubt the press will find me since this place isn’t affiliated with Lancaster.”
If the US media had picked up on the story, the social media storm must be crazy right now. “Where exactly are you staying in Newport Beach?”
His brow furrowed. “The exact address is in the car, but it’s on Seashore Drive. Do you know it?”
I let out a long sigh. Know it? I lusted after those multi-million dollar homes right on the sandy beach. But they’d always be way out of my price range. “Most of them are breathtaking,” I informed him. “And directly on the beach.”
“I’m on the way there to check out the house. Care to come with me?” His tone was casual, but persuasive.
I shook my head regretfully. “No. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
He smiled at me as he sauntered toward the door. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Damian departed without another word, and I sagged back into my chair, relieved that I could finally take a deep breath.