“And McQueen…”
“I can’t wait.”
“Actually,” she begins and I wonder how many itchy, stuffy things I’m going to have to try on.
My shoulders tightening by the second. The onlygood part is that I’m no longer nervous about seeing my painting.
“That sounds like too much for today when really, I just want to chat with my new sister. How about we dress like normal people and sneak into a library and smell books instead?”
“That really does sound lovely,” I admit sheepishly.
“I figured,” she says. “Now when it’s my day, I’m going to choose McQueen and McCartney.”
“That’s fair,” I tell her. “As long as you know I’m going to want to see a movie after.”
“Deal.”
Another knock sounds at the door. This one is the steady three knocks of Leo, my protection officer.
“Well then,” Maeve says fondly, shooing us toward the door. “Off with you two troublemakers. Do be safe, my darlings, and don’t cause too much trouble for Leo.”
“We won’t,” I assure her, but when I look back at Dahlia, she’s silently blushing like mad. When we’re out of ear shot from Maeve, before I open the door and we’re with Leo, I whisper, “You better get your face under control. You’re beet red.”
“Oh, fuck off,” she snickers, returning to her normal cheeky self. “It’s just a bit of fun, I promise.”
“I want all the details on that when we’re alone,” I tell her.
“Well, I can’t very well tell you when he’s in the car with us, driving us all about town, now can I?”
“No, I don’t suppose you can,” I admit with my hand on the doorknob. “But don’t think that gets you off the hook.”
“I know,” she says and then we’re the picture of professionalism as we walk side by side down the hall toward the family drive where the car waits.
Leo holds open the door for us as the driver waits beside the dark SUV. When he sees us exit the castle, he pulls open the rear passenger door of the SUV. I climb in and slide through, followed by Dahlia, who winks at Leo as he closes the door behind us. He shakes his head as he pulls open the front passenger door and climbs in.
The mood in the car is light and happy as Dahlia chatters while peppering questions about my honeymoon. I laugh when she pulls face after face when she accidentally asks me something and the answer is obviously sex with her brother. Before I know it, the drive across the island is over and butterflies erupt in my belly, though not nearly as much as they would have if Dahlia hadn’t distracted me. And for that, I’m grateful.
Flashes burst in front of my eyes as I step from the SUV. The media is here to see my portrait and to log my reaction, which I’ve been told should be categorized as polite gratitude no matter what it looks like. This is all so surreal. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that this would be my life. I wonder how long it will take me to get used to it, but also, I hopethat I never do. I never want to forget about my childhood and the values that Paul and Fran raised me with. I want to remember that I’m normal, that I was normal, even when I really wasn’t.
Growing up a princess without knowing that I was actually a princess is the best gift that my family ever gave me, even if my uncle, the King, might regret my lack of training now.
Dahlia and I smile and wave as we make our way into the national gallery. She charms everyone we come across. The director greets us with a huge smile and a bow as we shake hands.
“I’m so pleased that you’ve come to see our gallery, your highness,” he gushes as he talks to me.
“Of course,” I reply with a bright smile. “It’s not every day someone gets to see a painting of themselves.”
“There will be many more in the future,” he says and I demure. I’m not sure what else to say. “I’d love to give you a tour of the gallery.”
“We’d appreciate that so much,” I answer, “That is if you’ve got the time.”
“Of course. Shall we?”
“After you,” I reply and he leads us down the hall.
“This hall is the royal hall,” he explains, pointing to the paintings on the wall. “The Alexander House has had their portraits displayed here for as long as these walls have existed.”
“That’s some stretch of time…”