Her Royal Highness (Royals #2) - Rachel Hawkins Page 0,82

“See?” he says. “You’re exactly what she needs. You say you’re not cut out for the royal life, but look at you. Not scared of me, survived an entire weekend in a castle, looks good in tartan, and, from what Flora has said, smart as a bloody whip.”

“She said that about me?” I ask in a small voice, and Seb leans forward again, putting a hand on my knee.

“She’s a bit of a screwup. We all are. Well, all of us except for Alex. But she cares about you. She let you in. She trusted you.” His hand squeezes just a bit. “Now return the favor.”

With that, he stands up, idly scratching at his chest with a muttered “Now I’m going to go find a drink.”

And then he’s gone, leaving me sitting there, his words running through my head.

Crossing the room, I go over to the dresser and pick up the rose quartz, feeling its cool weight in my palm. I remember Flora’s face when she looked at it as we stood so close. I remember the way her hand felt in mine when we danced on Skye. I remember . . . everything.

And then I’m putting the quartz down and heading to the door.

I don’t walk down the hall so much as march, and taking a deep breath, I steel myself and rap my knuckles on Perry’s door, knowing I’ll find Saks there.

Sure enough, she opens the door, her black hair pulled off her face in a high ponytail. “Millie!” she exclaims, her eyes bright. “Is it true Seb came to see you? What did he say? What did you say? Was it awkward? Did you tell him I’ve moved on? Did he—”

“Saks,” I say, holding up one hand. “We can get into all of that later. For now, I need your help.”

She blinks, leaning against the door frame. “With what?”

Saying it is going to make it real, which is vaguely terrifying, but I know now it’s the only thing I can do.

“I screwed up,” I say on a long breath. “Like, monumentally. With Flora.”

Saks nods. “Yes, we know.”

Scowling, I put one hand on my hip. “Okay, great, glad everyone’s in agreement that I blew it.”

Another nod, this time with a sort of exaggerated sad face. “You really did.”

I roll my eyes. “Noted. But that’s not what I need help with.”

Straightening my shoulders, I look up into Sakshi’s face. “I’m going to get her back.”

CHAPTER 39

I have never skipped school in my life. I’ve also never sneaked out, or “borrowed” a car, or lied to an adult, but this morning, I’m doing all of those things in one fell swoop.

I mention all of this to Saks, who twists in the passenger seat of the car Perry is driving, her brow creasing into a frown. “But you’re doing it for a good reason!” she says, then reaches over and takes Perry’s hand, a smile lighting up her beautiful face. “True love.”

True love. Right.

But that thought just makes my stomach twist, too. Flora. I’m going to see Flora again, and I’m going to tell her how I feel.

Yeah, way scarier than the idea of getting caught with the groundskeeper’s car.

When Perry said he had a way for us to get to Edinburgh, I expected an elaborate train and bus schedule, so him pulling the ancient Land Rover around to the back of the school where Saks and I were waiting was something of a shock. Perry swears Mr. McGregor had said he was free to use it whenever he wanted, but I’m not sure if something said after four pints counts.

So now here I am, in the back seat of a borrowed-but- also-possibly-stolen car, and oh my god, this is insane.

“Should we maybe talk about how exactly I’m going to get to see Flora?” I ask. There’s a tear in the fabric seat, and the metal floorboards are rusted. Are we even going to make it to Edinburgh in one piece?

Saks waves an elegantly manicured hand. “All under control, darling. You forget, I’m the daughter of a duke, and that counts for something. I’ll present myself at the palace, with you and Perry as my guests,” she goes on, scrolling through her phone, “and I’ll say . . . Oh, bollocks!”

“Okay, pretty sure mentioning testicles is not going to get us very far in the palace,” I say, but Saks shakes her head, a stricken expression on her face.

“No, bollocks because the royal family isn’t at the palace today. There’s some