“Hello, everyone,” Bella says, and while I’m eager to open his note, I make sure to greet Bella first.
“Hello,” I say, smiling at her. “How are you this morning?”
“Good,” she replies, her eyes shining at me. “Are you ready for this?”
I exhale. “Yes and no. But I’m so glad to have you here by my side. I’m so nervous. Having someone here who has attended royal events means so much to me.”
Which is the truth.
“I feel the same about dress shopping,” she says as Amelia begins to pull out of the drive. “But more so because I know everyone is looking at me.”
Boy, I do relate to this on a brand-new level.
“Don’t worry, Poppy. We’ll get the perfect dress for you,” Amelia says, shifting the attention to me as we had planned. “Or dresses. Because you’ll need a smashing evening dress for Frogmore House.”
“I love shopping,” Jillian says. She turns around in her seat and smiles at both of us. “Bella, you know I work as Clementine’s stylist, don’t you?”
I begin to open the note as Jillian engages Bella in conversation. I withdraw the card and read:
Poppy,
I want you to have whatever your heart desires today. This is from my private account. No price limit. I have set up billing at the dress boutique, and Jillian has cash for the other shops. I told her if you refuse to spend it, she is to spend it on things for you. You deserve this day, sweetheart. Have fun shopping.
P.S. This is just one of the many ways I intend to spoil you in the way you deserve.
Xander
I get emotional as I stare at the words penned from his hand. I truly know that Xander would give me the moon if he could. Love for him swells within me, nearly brimming over the top of my heart, it’s so full.
I slip the note inside my handbag and retrieve my phone. While everyone is talking about the wedding and who is coming and what Liz and Victoria are wearing, I text a brief message to Xander:
You insanely special, romantic, lovely man, what did I do to deserve you? Thank you for my shopping spree today.
I know Xander is en route to Staffordshire to open new facilities for a cheese manufacturing plant, but if he’s not reading notes, he’ll reply. I smile to myself. Xander finds these royal activities painfully dull, but he knows how important they are to the people involved. I watched last night as he once again heavily edited his remarks for today, growing more confident in interjecting his real self into what is provided to him by the palace. He also knows that this company has been making cheese in Staffordshire for more than one hundred years and is now selling globally, so it’s an important business for the local economy. And that is why he is going to cut a ceremonial ribbon at the opening today. Because it matters.
Xander is typing …
Go crazy. I have a feeling you’ve never gone crazy when clothes shopping in your life. You deserve this.
Warmth floods me. I text him back:
Thank you. I feel as if I’m living in a fairy tale.
Xander begins typing as soon as I hit send. Then his reply drops in:
Well, I do believe Cinderella did get a smart dress for the ball. But unlike Cinderella, no clock will strike on you, where it will all disappear. Our story—and your dress—will remain intact.
I turn my phone down in my lap. Our story. Oh, how I love the sound of that.
Now I get to write the next page by picking out the dress that I will wear to Clementine and Christian’s wedding. Which will turn a page in royal history by me merely attending it. By the time the reception is over, the world will know that the Prince of Wales is dating a Welsh biscuit artist.
The idea of how my life will change after that day is still terrifying. I still don’t know—if things progress the way my heart wants them to—how I’ll keep the parts of me that I hold so dear alive in this royal world. But the past few weeks have opened my eyes to the man Xander is. If he gives me his word he’ll work out a solution, he will. Being with him has also given me the courage to take on this new life and whatever comes with it, the good and the bad, because I want to be with him.