A Right Royal Mix-up – Uncut!
Well, here goes. The sloppy, romantic chapter. I apologise for this chapter if it doesn't work very well, but I am probably the most tomboyish girl you'll find (I'm planning to join the British army) and therefore am really rather bad at writing romance. Much of the romance has been gleaned from reading Mills and Boon books in my lunch hour at work, and is therefore exceptionally cheesy, so I apologise for that too.
I'm going to have an even longer break than usual between this chapter and the next, as I am going on a concert tour to Majorca with my band. I'll be back at the end of next week, so I'll try to write the chapter as soon as possible after that, but I'm in the middle of exams, so I can't promise anything.
Those who think this story is getting too long, I've finally figured out exactly what's going on in the rest of the chapters, and there are going to be 30 in total in this version (I'm planning another bonus chapter for all my 'uncut' version readers), so – the end is nigh!
You're probably getting sick of my jabbering, so I'll get on with the chapter…
Disclaimer – the characters belong to JK. The plot and some of the cheesy chat up lines belong to Tracy Sinclair (one of the cheesy Mills and Boon authors I was talking about earlier)
Chapter 22
It was a beautiful star-spangled night. The moon was almost full, and a gentle breeze perfumed the air with a dozen different floral scents. Lily and James walked silently down a mossy path, suddenly constrained now that they were alone together.
When they reached a secluded spot ringed by some fragrant jasmine bushes he asked, "Would you like to sit here for a few minutes?"
As they sat on a garden bench, she said, "It was such a nice evening. Almost like the ones ordinary people spend."
"What do you know about ordinary people?" he teased.
"I know we aren't like them," Lily answered soberly.
"People are pretty much alike. We all want the same things out of life."
"But ordinary people are free to do as they like. They don't have any restrictions on them."
James's face was suddenly austere in the moonlight. "I'm sorry you were coerced into coming here. I should never have permitted it."
"That wasn't what I was talking about. You yourself said you couldn't take a job like a normal person. That's the kind of limitation I was referring to," she lied.
"There's no real reason why I can't do the work I was trained for. Father is a very open-minded man in most cases, but he had a blind spot when it comes to the monarchy and my place in it as heir to throne. Perhaps it's because I'm an only child."
"I assume your mother couldn't have any more children."
"That's correct. They wanted a big family. Not merely because there would be no one to succeed if anything happened to me, although I'm sure that's a constant worry. It's one of the reasons they want me to marry and have children. I can understand that."
Lily stared down at her clasped hands. "I guess royalty has its obligations as well as its privileges."
"True, but I thought I was one of the lucky ones. I thought I was marrying for love," he said in a husky voice. "Unfortunately you weren't struck by the same magic."
Couldn't he see how wrong he was? Lily thought in despair. It was lucky he wasn't more perceptive, but she didn't think she could po9ssibly feel any worse.
James's expression was gentle as he glanced at her bowed head. "Don't worry about it. In another hundred years it won't make any difference." He rose and held out his hand to her. "Come on, I'll take you back to the house."
The next day Lily was too rushed to worry about her tangled relationship with James. She was kept busy from morning to night, making appearances with him at state functions and private parties.
Everyone expected them to be ecstatically happy, so they were forced to hold hands, at the very least. Then James began to put his arm around her, sometimes almost without thinking. Gradually it began to seem natural and the reserve between them disappeared.
The king and queen watched silently, not wanting to meddle in their lives any further. But finally Rosamund said one morning, "You don't have to stay at the fair this afternoon, James. After you both say a few words, you and Gabrielle can leave."
"I thought we had to stay until the bitter end to award the prizes."
"I'll explain to them that you had another commitment and you had to leave. Unless you're pining to judge the best sow and heifer."
"No way! I don't know one from the other, except they're both female."
"Why is it that you're never confused about sex?" Lily teased.
"I don't think there's any safe answer to that question." He laughed.
Rosamund nudged them back to the subject. "You'll do your duty just by showing up. All people really want is to see the two of you together. After that you can do as you please. Maybe you'd like to take Gabrielle to see your house in the country," she added casually.
James's eyes brightened. "That's a great idea! Would you like to do that?" he asked Lily.
After a moment's hesitation she said, "I'd love to see your house, and I know Ariadne would, too. Why don't we ask her and Remus to join us?"
"I was going to ask them to award the prizes in your place," Rosamund said swiftly.
"Better them than us." James grinned.
"You're a fine friend," Lily scolded, with mock disapproval.
"Shall I call the staff and have them prepare a late lunch for you?" Rosamund persisted.
"Not for me, thanks," Lily said. "It seems all I've been doing lately is eating."
"Me, too." James patted his flat stomach. "It won't hurt me to miss a meal."
Lily's eyes were drawn to his lean length. James looked especially gorgeous that morning in tight jeans and a black turtleneck that moulded to his broad chest. He was lounging in a chair like a sleek black panther, in complete control of his splendid body.
Lily looked away quickly as memories made her heart beat faster. The feeling of his arms holding her a willing captive, his pulsing loins echoing her own passion.
"Is there any chance we can skip the fair entirely?" James asked his mother, unaware of Lily's fantasies.
"Don't be greedy," Rosamund chided. "I made you a gift of an afternoon."
"It never hurts to ask," he joked. "Okay, we'll settle for whatever time we can get. Right, Gabrielle?"
"Right," she echoed, since she'd decided that for herself.
It was a perfect day for a fly through the country, although they hadn't started out that way. Originally James had planned to drive in a muggle sports car.
When Lily suggested brooms, he said "Your hair will get all windblown."
"I don't care," she assured him. "I don't want to miss anything. And the weather's perfect for flying."
She was enchanted by the little wizarding villages they passed through. The diamond-paned windows of the shops sparkle din the sunshine and the streets were lined with shady trees.
"Everything is so old-world," she remarked. "Like something out of the past."
"If you think this is old, wait until we get to Chandoreaux." James laughed.
"Is that your country estate?"
He nodded. "It's the ultimate fixer-upper. Once I have one thing repaired, something else needs doing. Of course, it's hundreds of years old, so I guess I shouldn't complain. If I was that old I'd need a lot of work done to me, too," he joked.
"Do you go there often?"
"Not as often as I'd like."
"But you keep the place fully staffed?" Lily still couldn't get used to the idea of having unlimited money.
James shrugged. "The house and gardens need to be kept up all year-round." He glanced at her. "Are you sure you don't mind the wind? Your hair is getting blown pretty badly."
"Is that your way of saying I look a mess?" she teased.
"Not at all." He swooped over and brushed a silky strand of hair off her cheek. "I like you more this way. You look just as beautiful, yet more approachable." He frowned slightly. "You remind me of someone, but I can't quite decide who."
Could James possibly be thinking of their meeting in the bistro on the night before his engagement? It seemed unlikely, even though there had been a certain chemistry between them even then. To be on the safe side, Lily changed the subject.
"How long does it take to get to Chandoreaux?"
"Half an hour when I'm with my mother. Less if I'm by myself." He grinned.
"I wonder why going fast is such a macho thing?" Lily wondered.
"Perhaps because we have control of all this amazingly advanced equipment, but a woman can leave us completely clueless. It's compensation."
"You're rich, handsome and royal. I can't feel sorry for you," she said lightly.
"Thanks for the 'handsome' part, but pity wasn't the emotion I was hoping to inspire."
Lily couldn't imagine anyone pitying him. James was everything a woman dreamed of and a man wished he could be. Unconsciously, her yearning showed on her face.
He drew in his breath sharply. "Do you think we could start over, Gabrielle?"
There was that name again, jerking her back to reality. "I honestly don't know, James. But we have today and the rest of this week together. Let's enjoy it and not worry about what will happen next week."
"Fair enough." He gripped her hand. "If all the days are like today, I can't complain. I'm really eager to know what you think of Chandoreaux."
"I'm sure I'll be impressed."
"I don't want you to be impressed, I want you to like it. I've modernised the house to a certain extent – put in central heating and updated the bathrooms, that sort of thing. But it's still a fourteenth century manor house."
"Does it have ornamental turrets and those huge fireplaces?"
"Tremendous. The one in the dining room was used for cooking. It's big enough to roast a whole ox."
"I want the entire grand tour."
James gazed dubiously at her high-heeled pumps. They matched the white linen suit she wore with a silk blouse printed in jewel tones.
"I'm afraid we'll have to save the more rugged parts for another time," he said. "Those shoes weren't made for climbing down stone steps to the dungeon, or up them to the sentry towers."
"You have a dungeon?" she asked delightedly.
"Actually I've converted it into a wine cellar, but there are still some iron cuffs bolted to the walls and a couple of pairs of leg-irons."
"I definitely have to see it," Lily declared.
"The stairs will be tricky in those heels, but I suppose it will be all right. I wish now that we'd changed into something more casual, but I didn't want to waste time going back home after the fair."
"We'll improvise. For starters, take off your tie," she said, steering with one hand as she removed her jacket. He took both hands of the broom and took off the tie, before performing a few dives and acrobatics, still with both hands off the handle of his broom.
"Show off," she muttered as she swooped down and helped him out of his jacket.
He glanced over at her and smiled. "I always hoped you'd undress me one day, but I had someplace more private in mind."
"I'm beginning to think there's no place private in all of Grandalia," she observed lightly.
"With enough incentive I'll find one," he murmured.
Lily inhaled the heady scent of his sun-warmed skin and tangy after-shave lotion. It was like an aphrodisiac. She wanted to kiss the hollow in his throat and open his shirt deeper so her lips could trail down his tanned chest to his flat nipples.
"Gabrielle?" he asked softly when she remained silent.
Lily sat back on her broom, fighting his powerful appeal. "How can you get amorous in mid-air?" she asked in as light a tone as she could manage.
James chuckled, unaware of the effect he was having on her. "I don't have any inhibitions when I'm around you. Too bad I can't convince you to lose a few of yours."
"One of us has act royal."
"You never used to worry about your image." He turned his head to look at her speculatively. "You've changed so much you almost seem a different person."
Lily gave a nervous little laugh. "Father was furious over my last escapade. He threatened to cut off my charge accounts if I didn't clean up my act."
"It wouldn't be an escapade if we made love. We're legal."
"Not yet."
"Does that mean you've decided not to marry me?" he asked soberly.
"We agreed to enjoy the here and now. Don't spoil things, James."
"You're right. If it isn't the answer I'm hoping for, I don't want to hear it just yet. Maybe that's living in a fool's paradise, but I have a feeling you'll realise we were meant to be together."
"Anything is possible," she murmured, wishing it was true.
Awww! After all that fluff, I had to end it on a melancholy note…
Anyhoo, next chapter – Lily has an accident, we have a declaration of love and James has justice from the press! Things get moving at last!
Dance like a llama would!
fire-bird
