“Now that you mention it, he has been gone a lot, lately… I swear, he avoids this castle like the plague. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s got a girlfriend.”
I go still.
She snorts as if the idea is ludicrous. “That’llbe the day. There’s a better chance of Octavia voluntarily relinquishing her crown than Carter actually settling down. That man and monogamy do not mix.”
I attempt a smile, but it feels faint.
“I mean, I’m no prude. But once, at our cousin Imogen’s wedding, I caught Carter in the coat room with not one, not two, butthreebridesmaids. At the same time. The man ensnared an entire bridal party with minimal effort.” She shakes her head. “And that’s nothing compared to—”
“Enough! I get it.”
Her mouth snaps closed and her eyes widen as she takes in my expression. “Dude. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” My nostrils flare as I try to regulate my breathing. “I’ve just heard enough about Carter’s sexual exploits to last a lifetime. Okay?”
She holds her hands up defensively. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it would bother you so much.”
“It doesn’t,” I retort a bit too emphatically.
“Clearly.”
Avoiding her curious stare, I rack my brain for a new topic. “Weren’t we discussing Octavia? And her further plans for my so-calledcourtship?You never finished telling me the specifics of what you overheard.”
“It wasn’t much, honestly. Just something about lords and dukes and tea. I would’ve gotten more detail but my eyes have a tendency to glaze over when the conversation turns to finger sandwiches.”
“Then you’re useless to me.”
“Not entirely. I did hear one pertinent name before I fell into an Octavia-induced coma.”
My brows lift. “Well, are you going to make me shake it out of you?”
“Westgate.”
“Is that a person?”
“A place. Ahouse, actually. Which you should know — you’ve been there.”
I blink slowly. “I have?”
“Yes. It’s where we picked up Alden and Ava last month, on our way to the funeral. The Sterling’s country manor.”
I remember the mansion, poised on the edge of a lake in a beautiful region just outside the city limits. I didn’t leave the limousine, but from what I could tell through my tinted window, it was a stunning estate.
Not that a pretty vista will make my visit there any more tolerable. Being manipulated into dating Germania’s most eligible bachelors isn’t exactly high up on my list of favorite activities. Even if said bachelors look like Alden Sterling.
“First you, now Octavia… Is there some kind of Thorne family conspiracy to get me to date Alden?”
“Trust me, the day I plotwithmy mother instead of against her is the day you’ll be able to catch hypothermia in Hell.” Chloe shrugs her slim shoulders. “Our motives don’t overlap. For instance, I actually want you to be happy.”
“And Octavia’s motive?”
“The Sterlings are one of the wealthiest aristocratic households in the country. For that fact alone, the royal family was thrilled when Henry proposed to Ava. But now that he’s in the hospital… it’s only a matter of time before Ava calls off the engagement. She’s not the candlelight vigil type.”
“But she can’t dump him,” I insist, aghast at the thought. “He’s in a coma, for god’s sake.”
“Yes. And I’m sure she’s unbelievably pissed he’s had the nerve to hang on this long, ruining her chances at a prosperous match. If he’d died right away, she wouldn’t be in this rather sticky predicament.”
“That’s terrible.”