Page 49 of Tabloid Princess

If I could have died on the spot I would have.

This hurt.

My gaze skittered to Daisy. “Well that’s not going to happen, Miss Evans, is it?” I rubbed at my face, regretting my meagre attempt at make-up. “What am I going to say to her?”

“The truth I think is always best.”

My gaze met hers, while in my chest my heart plummeted. She wasn’t talking about the prince.

Miss Evans patted my arm. “I always think honesty is best to come from home.”

I watched my daughter hang upside down on the monkey bars, and I resisted my gut instinct to rush over and pull her down and place her feet firmly on the floor where they should be.

I huffed out a breath. This was going to be painful. To make this week just slightly worse I now needed to crush a little girl’s dream.

“Daisy, come on, I’ve got a taxi waiting.”

She ran over and I linked my fingers with hers. Considering we were late leaving there were still a lot of mothers hanging by the gate.

They were waiting to see me leave, to see who I was with… Were they expecting Prince Oliver to be waiting in a Rolls-Royce for me?

People needed to get a life.

ASAP.

When we got home, it took me a moment to work out why it seemed different. I thanked the taxi driver with more gratitude than I knew how to express. Daisy and I walked up the small path, her chattering about school. This was the bit of the day Nana always got and I revelled in the moment.

I put the key in the door and then realised the difference.

The press had gone. In the time it had taken me to get to school and back, they’d evaporated like they’d never existed.

“Nana?” I pushed through the door. “Are you okay?” For a wild moment, I had a vision of her barging out there with a broom and shooing them all away.

“Ooh, Leia. This poor little street will never recover from the amount of excitement you’ve given them.”

I found her in the kitchen where she was making a snack for Daisy who elbowed through and grabbed the plate of grapes and cheese.

“What happened?” I stared at the grapes wondering if they’d stay down if I ate one. It wasn’t a risk I wanted to take. I’d consumed nothing other than coffee and the odd biscuit since this nightmare had started.

“The police came and moved them all on.”

I stared at her, trying to make sense of what she was saying. “The police?” I questioned. “They can’t move reporters on. What happened to freedom of expression?”

“That’s what they asked.”

Without thinking, I pulled out on the kitchen chairs and slumped into it. My head whirled; maybe I should eat some of those grapes.

“Apparently they are breaking the law. A restraining order is in place and they are in breach of it.”

“WHAT?”

Nana shrugged. “I’m guessing you got your wish and the prince has taken action.”

Her words should have made me happy, but they rattled inside my head like the hollow ring of a bell.

He hadn’t done what I’d asked and made a statement. He’d gone one step further and got a court injunction protecting my space.

I should be happy.