first ninety minutes of the heart attack happening,” the doctor says.
I close my eyes and breathe. Arthur is going to be okay, I think with relief. He’s truly going to be okay.
“Once he’s out, His Majesty will be transferred to the coronary care unit while we monitor him. Only immediate family can visit during regular visiting hours,” the doctor explains. “Royalty or not, those are the rules.”
Christian nods. “I would like to stay until the procedure is done.”
“Yes, me, too,” Xander says, nodding firmly. “Thank you for saving his life.”
The doctor smiles. “His Majesty says he owes his life to one observant woman at dinner this evening. He said she recognised the symptoms and wouldn’t relent until he was taken away by ambulance. That’s the woman who saved his life.”
Then he turns and leaves the room.
At this point, Queen Antonia calls James to let him know what has happened and assures him she will keep him updated. Liz calls Arabella with the update and also lets Bella and Victoria know about Arthur.
Soon, courtiers are buzzing, making plans for what information to release and when, but I block out what they are doing. I wish it were just me and Xander and his family right now.
But that’s not how this family works.
I glance around the room, staring at this bizarre machine working around me. Personal protection officers. Media relations experts. Assistants. Ladies-in-waiting. My stomach clenches, thinking how all of these people know incredibly intimate details about every move the royal family makes.
This is my future.
No, I realise, this is my now.
I swallow hard. This will take a lot of getting used to. Perhaps I’ll never get completely used it.
But I will do this if it means being with Xander.
A thousand times over, I would do it.
I study Xander, who has his head in his hands. I don’t know what is going on in his head, but it’s heavy and painful. I hate that we aren’t alone, so we can talk freely. At the end of the night, I plan to tell him I’m here. That he can say anything to me that is weighing on him, and I’m here to listen. To help.
And most of all, I’ll love him with all my heart.
More time passes. Xander remains locked away within himself. I feel so helpless. But I know he’s still in shock. He’s still processing, and he has to try and deal with the emotions in a way that is not human, but royal. Stoic. In control.
I study his profile and vow as soon as we are alone, I’m going to try and break down that wall. To get him to deal with his emotions and let them out.
The Kensington Palace media team arrives, and Xander and Christian are drawn into a conversation about messaging and what they would like said on social media after Buckingham Palace releases information about Arthur’s condition. I bite my lip as both brothers approve messaging on their behalf.
Finally, the doctor comes back and reports the procedure has been a success. Arthur has been moved to the coronary care unit and is resting comfortably.
Christian and Xander go to shake the doctor’s hand and thank him. They each hug their mother, kissing her on each cheek. She is quickly taken up to the coronary care unit. Prince Henry, Christian, and Xander agree to see him tomorrow morning.
Liz, who has been updating her mother the entire night, says she will check on her grandmother back at the palace before going home.
Soon, we are hustled out by security to a loading dock, there the Range Rovers with the blacked-out windows are waiting.
The drive back to Kensington Palace is quiet, with few comments made by Christian and Xander. Finally, we are dropped off in front of Xander’s home, and I’ve never been happier to see it as I am now.
We head up the path, and Xander opens the door. We slip inside, and he heads to the living room, standing in the darkness. I flip on a lamp on the end table and move towards him. But when I try to hug him, he moves away from me.
“Xander?” I ask. “What’s wrong?”
Xander begins pacing in front of me. He stops, turns his back to me, and braces his hands on the mantle above the fireplace, his head hanging down as if he is in despair.
Panic begins to build in my chest. Something is wrong—very, very, wrong.
“I think it’s best we talk about this in the morning,” he says, his voice