to avoid a scandal. I didn’t even tell Philippe. Not until later. But I told Jacki and Angelo found out. He helped me. He slept on my floor for ages because I was afraid to be on my own. He did everything he could. And when Francis—Blackheath—tried to get to me, Angelo saved me again. Although by that time he didn’t need to.” Yuri dropped Angelo’s hand and gave him a withering look. “But Angelo had been there for days with me, and I think his sense of protectiveness carried him away. He acted like any of my brothers might have, in the same position.”
“Except the part about kissing you,” Alex pointed out. Archie made more gagging noises that still didn’t disturb the cat on his lap.
“I should think not,” Angelo’s father snapped.
King Claudius held up a hand. “That’s all water under the bridge at this point. For now, we decide our course going forward. Some separation is in order. You both graduate shortly. Yuri, you’ll come home, Prince Angelo, you will go home. You will be together only for official functions and allow this contretemps to die down. Is that understood?”
“No,” Yuri and Angelo said together.
“Be quiet, the two of you.” King Claudius frowned at both of them. “We’ve had attorneys from both of our countries go over the betrothal document. The language states that the two of you must be married by age thirty. It says nothing about prohibiting an earlier marriage. At this point, there seems little to be gained in putting it off any longer.”
“No. I’ve enrolled into a graduate program at Oxford and been accepted. I am not just coming home to do nothing for a year.” Archie rolled his eyes and snorted, so Yuri added, “Archie’s already fulfilling that role.”
“Be nice, dear,” Queen Eleanor said automatically. “Sweetheart, you must see that we need to know you’re safe. Clearly you were put in harm’s way living on campus and it wasn’t something your bodyguards could save you from.”
“I’ll live out of College, then. With Philippe. He can make sure I’m all right. I can bicycle to lectures easily. We can have one of the bodyguards live with us, too, if you’d like. I don’t care, but I will be going back to Oxford for my graduate work. We can get married when I’m through.”
“That’s not what we decided on,” said Angelo’s mother. “You will be married in a year, degree or no degree. But in the meantime, once term is over, Angelo will come home.”
“No,” Angelo said.
“Yes, you will,” his father protested.
“No, I won’t. I’ve been offered a position in London with a firm that specializes in global finance. I wasn’t certain what I’d be doing after graduation, but I’ve decided to take up their offer. It’ll be good experience that I can use later when I do eventually come home. London is far enough away from Oxford that we won’t accidentally run into each other.”
The two sets of royal parents looked at each other, conferring without words. The one who broke the silence was King Claudius.
“For now, you two may remain abroad, apart, with Yuri at Oxford and Angelo in London.”
Yuri let out a relieved breath and Angelo felt a weight lift from his chest. He wasn’t ready to slink home as a failure. His sister would never let him hear the end of it.
“But,” the king continued, “on one condition: your behavior over the next year must be beyond absolute reproach. This means no public dating of anyone else. No attending wild parties with orgies and drugs and the like.” At that, Yuri covered his eyes in embarrassment, Alex snorted his amusement, and Archie nearly fell over with a fit of giggling. “That is enough, boys. If you can’t behave, you can leave. Now, where was I?”
“No drug-fueled orgies,” Angelo’s father supplied dryly.
“Ah, yes. Thank you. No crazy parties. No being caught with prostitutes. I don’t want either one of you to step one toe out of line. You will be models of absolute propriety. Otherwise, you will be brought home, regardless of studies or position. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Dad,” Yuri said, sounding resigned to his fate.
Angelo looked at his parents. There was no hint of leniency in their faces. “Yes, sir,” he said at last. “I understand.”
Yuri shook his head at him sadly. “I don’t think you do,” he said. “But you will.”
11
Yuri Is in Need of Rescue
Yuri: you need to save me
Angelo: wtf, Yuri? I get radio silence from