make and reaching for the first frumpy, sack-like thing on the rack. She will play right into the family dynamic she believes exists.”
Victoria is silent for a moment. “This hurts my heart,” she says gently.
“I know, darling, but we want her to be confident and shine. I think she needs some completely new people to help her believe that. Not her sisters, who have been telling her this her whole life.”
Jillian comes around with a tray of gin and tonics. I pluck one off the silver tray, the drink ice-cold in my palm. I take a sip, and oh my Lord, what even is this? It takes everything in me not to spit it out. This is horrible. I’m obviously not meant to be a gin drinker, but I’ll have to take a few sips to be polite.
Somehow.
“I can do it,” Amelia says. “I have a connection at this amazing shop in Teddington called Beautiful Days. I was going to offer that anyway, but perhaps I can be the one to ask if she’d like me to go shopping with her. Bella knows I do that with Liz before big events.”
“Jillian should go, too,” Clementine says. “She helped me prepare for Ascot, and I couldn’t have done it without her.”
“I’d love to go if Bella would like me to,” Jillian says.
Liz frowns. “I don’t know if she would go if you both asked her. Neither one of you has a connection with her like we do.”
I force myself to take another sip of my drink. I wince, and then I can hear Xander chiding me for my poker face, and I quickly shove that expression of distaste away.
“Wait,” Victoria says slowly, leaning forward in her chair, “Poppy, you’ll need a dress for the wedding.”
I nearly spit my drink out. “Wh-what?”
“Maybe we can encourage her to go with you, say that Liz and I are both busy on the only date that works for you, and you’re super nervous. That you don’t know Amelia and Jillian and could use the support for your first royal event.”
“But Xander can’t bring me as a guest to the wedding,” I manage to say. “I just started dating him. Attending a royal wedding is a big deal!”
“Yes, which is why you should be there,” Victoria says.
“You’re important to him. You’re important to us,” Liz adds. “You are a part of the squad, so you have to be there.”
“But Xander hasn’t said anything about it,” I insist, taking another sip of my gin and tonic as I grow nervous.
“He will,” Victoria says with certainty.
“But even if he does, I really don’t think Queen Antonia would want me there,” I add.
Silence.
My heart freezes. I know, without a doubt, I just stepped on a landmine with that sentence.
“If you are worried about getting on her bad side,” Helene says slowly, “you will need to get over that, because as soon as Her Majesty knows you exist, you will be in her crosshairs, my dear girl. You’ll receive an invitation to tea, and that is an invitation for her to try and break you.”
I clutch the glass in my hand harder. I take another sip of the cocktail, needing the fortification for the hard truth I’m about to get from those who know her best.
Helene puts her hand on my arm. “I’m only brutally honest for your best interests, Poppy. I’m going to prepare you. You could do everything perfectly, and Antonia will still go after you. And it will be vicious. You need to know that so you can prepare. Because if you love Xander, you will have to face her. And you mustn’t give her the power to destroy you or your future with Xander, if that’s what you want.”
I’m going to be sick. The gin is mixing with Helene’s warning, and my stomach is churning in upset now.
“She’ll hate me because my family owns a chip shop,” I say quietly. “Because I’m a baker. Because I’m not like the last woman he dated.” Lady India Rothschild’s image pops into my head.
“Well, first of all, we’re thankful you’re not like her,” Liz says. “You are what is best for Xander. I saw that Friday night. But I’m going to be honest, too. Antonia will hate those things about you. But she hates anyone who doesn’t tick her very narrow boxes.”