the one at the bar had bitten into her thighs as Christian thrust into her…
“If we’re all to be focusing on our roles, Your Highness,” and yes, perhaps a bit of attitude came through as Mallory snarked out the title with far too much emphasis, “then you should be up for another round of flash cards.”
Kelsey pressed her palms to her eyes. “I thought prepping for the ball meant discussing hair and jewelry options. Not pop quizzes on random facts about half the kingdom.”
“Only a mere third of the nobility in the kingdom,” Sir Evan said in a jovial tone. “And the hair and jewelry deliberation will occur this afternoon. I believe Duchess Mathilde will be bringing a few pieces for consideration that belonged to your mother.”
Kelsey’s hand shot to her throat and the peridot necklace hanging there she wore as often as possible. It, too, had belonged to Queen Serena, intended as an heirloom to pass on to her daughter. “That’s so thoughtful of her. She’s always doing little things like that to make me feel like family, instead of a visitor, in the palace. What does she like?”
He circled his hand in the air. “In regards to…”
“I should do something nice for Aunt Mathilde in return. But I barely know anything about her. Does she like a particular kind of dessert I could make? Flowers?” After letting out a long sigh, Kelsey tipped her head back, staring up at the white molding along the pale-green walls. “I know, I know. The palace chef can make her better cookies than me. And the palace gardeners probably put her favorite flowers in her room every day.”
Mallory hated to see Kelsey look so defeated. Her giving, joy-filled personality was her hallmark.
It was Mallory’s province to be the protocol buffer. To ensure that Kelsey’s spontaneous vivaciousness was reined in just enough, as princess. To indeed remind her, most of the time, to walk the royal walk.
But she didn’t like this subdued, rule-following version at all. And this job she’d been so dismissive of all morning was no longer a mere chore. The weight of shoring up, supporting a princess, the third in line to rule the kingdom, almost bowed Mallory’s shoulders.
Nobody else was better suited than her for that responsibility. Nobody knew Kelsey better. Or cared more about her. About Kelsey-the-person, not just the title.
Shifting sideways, Mallory picked up a heavy letter opener topped with the shape of a golden peacock and tapped it against the blotter. “If they do put her favorite flowers in every day, then I’ll bet the duchess would enjoy a change of pace with something different. I’ll snoop around. Gather all sorts of personal trivia about her.”
The smile of gratitude Kelsey shot her was blinding. “Thanks.”
Sir Evan added, “Being immensely wealthy and privileged doesn’t mean one appreciates the gesture of a surprise gift any less. I imagine the duchess will treasure whatever you give, because it will come from her beloved niece.”
And there went Mallory’s thoughts again. Triggered into a comparison. Because the crown prince hadn’t required eight-hundred-thread-count sheets and a pillowy bed to ravish her. He’d been…satisfied, in every possible way, in an unassuming room without any fancy frills. No pricey booze, just beer. A bleeding arm. Talk about no-frills.
Yet that night would be a memory Mallory would, yes, treasure for the rest of her life.
OMG, what was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she go more than three minutes without flashing back to Christian?
Kelsey popped out of the chair and moved to the built-in bookcase with a sleek TV screen flanked by ornate music boxes. “Pep talk received and appreciated. I’m ready to buckle down. Mostly because I’ve run out of coffee and any other possible distractions.”
Um. Well. That was, technically, untrue.
Mallory had a distraction for her. A big one.
Because she had yet to tell Kelsey what had happened with Christian. Which was eight kinds of weird.
They told each other everything. And after dates, they spilled the juicy details in a matter of hours. It was as if an encounter didn’t, well, count until the other sister had weighed in.
A tryst with Christian, though, was complicated. And forbidden.
Complicated, because if any word leaked about it, the ensuing press would be horrible. Not to mention pointless to suffer through, what with the zero chance of a future together.
Forbidden, since she 1) wasn’t blood nobility, and thus not eligible to be queen and 2) the thing she was trying so hard not to think about on a daily