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“So, tell me,” I stepped away from his embrace and crossed my arms around my waist, “what are my duties as your royal wingman? What have I gotten myself into?”
Fitz drew in a slow breath and released it twice as slowly. “It started last year. I told you in my letters that my father had fallen ill. His condition has stumped doctors all over the world and only worsens by the day. Because of the way the laws are written and because he’s a traditionalist, if the time comes that I’m supposed to rule in his place,” Fitz sighed again, “I will forfeit my birthright because I’m not married.”
That felt insane to me. In this day and age, there was no point in having a clause like that. Marriage needed to be entered into with forethought and planning, not because it was a requirement of the law.
“If I don’t take the crown, it passes to my uncle who has no intention of ruling. From there, the options get worse. A cousin who is more playboy than prince and so forth down the line. The legacy my family has constructed over the years will be lost and I fear the country will fall to ruin, people forgotten, and heritage abandoned.” He curved a palm around the back of his neck. “So, you see my predicament and my concern that my desperation will lead to bad decisions.” His arm dropped to his side before he brushed his palm over his vest. “I’m still the hopeless romantic I always was.”
We had a standing movie night on Fridays. Since my single mom never dated, she was always home and the three of us watched countless rom-coms during his year on exchange. Without fail, Fitz always teared up when the guy got the girl. I was happy to see that hadn’t changed.
Fitz met my eyes, conviction strong. “Many have urged me to pick anyone and make the best of it. If it ends in divorce, then so be it, but my heart refuses to accept that fate. I want love, Coco. I hope you can help me find it.”
I thought of the women I’d briefly met. Were any of them worthy of someone as priceless as Fitz? I doubted it, but if that’s what he wanted, then I would do my best.
“I met some of them.” I walked through the doorway into the adjacent room. Large windows let in streams of light that bathed the sitting area in sunshine. “Lady Esmerey is something else. A bit snooty, though I guess when you’re that pretty, you probably learn to get away with it. “
“Esme is my father’s choice. She’s the best political move in his eyes. The only problem is, I can’t stand to be in the same room as her for more than five minutes.” Fitz crossed the room and slumped onto the couch. “I hear that makes marriage more difficult.”
I shrugged. “Depends on how much time you have to put between those five-minute increments.”
Fitz leveled his glare like he was sending it to the raven-haired snob. “A week at minimum.” He shook his head. “Who else did you meet?”
“Esmerey had a friend, though they acted like it was a secret. She’s tall, with sandy-blonde hair and—“
“Lilith Seagrave,” Fitz filled in for me. “Noble blood way back. One of my mother’s choices on her pedigree alone. I think she feels like it would quell some of the fighting in parliament if I married her. I’ll admit she’s less toxic than Esme, but when I look into her eyes, I don’t feel like there’s anything there.” He frowned. “She’s an empty vessel.”
“Is that the royally polite way of calling her an airhead?” I couldn’t help but tease him a little to lighten the mood.
“I think airhead would be nicer.” He drew in a breath and met my stare. “Tell me there were others or I might call this whole thing off.”
“I didn’t meet them all. Though I met Reginald. Nice guy. Hates me. But nice guy.” When Fitz’s brow furrowed with concern, I explained. “You said to go through the gate, but I was at the wrong one and it was closed, but I thought you meant—“
“The Detwellers’ pool.” He made the connection right away. “You tried to squeeze through one of the gates?”
“And good ol’ Reg caught me. Great first impression.” I waved off any attempts to make me feel better. “I was late, so I missed a lot of introductions.” I held up a finger. “I do know Dagny took off into the garden, and Blair went after her.”
Fitz nodded slowly. “Blair was one of my choices. Daughter of our chauffeur. And Dagny is a… friend of the family.“ He sounded less than impressed with both of them. “Anyone else?”
I thought of the saucy supermodel Gwendolyn had mentioned and the romantic history she shared with Fitz. Bracing myself, I breached the subject. “There was a really hot chick.”
Fitz perked up. “I like the sound of that.”
“Kinda sassy. She likes making jokes.”
“A woman who appreciates humor. That’s a plus.”
Instead of preparing him for the truth, I was gearing him up for something amazing. Thus far, I made a terrible wingman.
“One of the other girls said she was possibly,” I couldn’t beat around the bush any longer, “an ex of yours.”
The smile on his face sank like an anvil. “Perfect face? Amazing body?” His features tightened. “Responds to ‘Heartless Witch’?”
“Sounds like her,” I agreed. “I swear, I thought her face was a filter. I didn’t know people could look that flawless in person.”
“If you could see her soul, you’d have a different opinion.” He shifted on the couch and draped his arm across the back. “Her name is Chantal Libelle. We dated for a year. Everyone thought she would be the next queen, but the second I started playing with the idea of abdication, she no longer found me interesting.“ His jaw tensed at the memory. “However, she found a few others within the crowd absolutely irresistible.”
“You thought about abdicating the crown?” I probably should have stayed on the part about Chantal, since he’d never mentioned her in his letters, but I couldn’t ignore what he’d said.
“It was before my father fell ill. That was still a reality I could entertain because none of this was real yet. I thought I wouldn’t have to take the throne until I turned fifty. It felt liberating to consider a life where I wasn’t ruled by my obligations.”
