Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 141385 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141385 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
“The optics are irrelevant,” Beatrix says, reaching over and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “This is not a frivolous decision by a silly little girl. This is a meticulously thought-out plan by a young woman with every reason to distance herself from her blood family. Whatever the ‘optics’ are, we will handle them. Together. As a family.”
Oh.
There’s a lump in my throat.
Rowan inclines his head towards her before turning back to me. “It is possible, and while the process can be drawn-out and sometimes complicated, I do not foresee you having any problems given your circumstances.”
“Thank you,” I say softly. “All of you. You don’t have to do this for me.”
“We want to.” Louis smiles over at me in the kind of fatherly way I haven’t seen in years. “For you. And for Francesca. Both of you deserve so much more than William is giving you.”
Finn slips his fingers between mine and raises our hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
“I’ll start looking into the estrangement process,” Rowan says, collecting his plate of orange segments from the table. “Let us file for control of your trust fund and settle that matter first, and once that’s done, we can move on to other things. If I may make a suggestion…”
“Of course.”
“Wait and see how your father reacts to the situation. If he handles it badly, I daresay many people will support you in estranging yourself. In the unlikely event he backs you over Rosalyn and Jasmine, you will have a harder time of it.”
“I understand. Thank you, Rowan.” I focus my gaze on mine and Finn’s interlocked fingers as he leaves, and he squeezes my hand.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Finn asks, his eyes clouded with worry. “I should have told you last night. I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine.” I smile, even if it is a little weaker than I’d like. “I had a feeling Rosalyn might try something like this, and that’s why I took the DNA test results with me before I moved out. It’s poetic that the test she insisted upon when I returned is what’s going to be her downfall.”
“She’s a fool,” Beatrix says with a bite in her tone. “She’s a fool for underestimating you, and a fool for thinking she can attack my family without any repercussions. I know you’ve always wanted to handle this by yourself, but I’m sorry, Hattie. I cannot sit by and allow this to go unchecked.”
“She’s attacking more than me. She’s attacking the institution of the Royal Family by insinuating I can trick you all, so please. Handle her however you must.”
A cold smile stretches across her face as she stands from the bed, one that even makes Louis do a double take at his wife. “Oh, I will. Rest assured, this is the last time she’ll make this mistake.”
With those final words, she leaves, and Louis stares after her for a moment before quickly rushing out of the room.
Finn snorts into his fist, turning away from me for a moment. “Well, Rosalyn will never show her face in public again.”
“Is it okay if I say I’m a little scared?” I ask, slowly bringing my gaze from the door over to him. “Like, I’m going to blow their lives apart, so what is she going to do?”
“Some questions are best left unanswered,” he replies vaguely. “Have you considered your next move? We do have to release a statement sooner rather than later, and we can’t make any response to this seem like we’re outright attacking your family.”
“Politics is hard.” I sigh, sitting back against the headboard and closing my eyes for a moment.
“It is.” He smiles sympathetically. “But they’ve made a grave mistake in having a ‘source’ say that Rosalyn and Jasmine were wary of your identity from the start. People are already questioning why it’s taken two years for them to raise their so-called suspicions, and some are pointing out it’s only after our engagement where you ‘took’ Jasmine’s place.”
“Are people really buying that I took her place?”
“Some are. But, uh…” He scratches behind his neck.
“Finn. What did you do?”
He clears his throat. “Technically speaking, I didn’t do anything. Oscar did.”
“Fine. Finn, what did you make Oscar do?”
“Um… He might have leaked something to the lunatics at the gossip rags.”
I raise my eyebrows. “And? What was that?”
“He pretended to be someone who works in his household and said that any rumours of my engagement to Jasmine were greatly exaggerated, and nothing was ever confirmed between the two households. He implied it was all in Rosalyn and Jasmine’s head, and that they were driving the media speculation in an effort to pressure the royal household into agreeing.”
I pause. “Okay, so the only part of that that isn’t true is that he isn’t a member of his own household staff… And that you didn’t tell me. Didn’t you scold me for doing things without telling you about them?”