Page 32 of His Royal Request

Ronan scoffed. “Knucklehead, that’s your problem.”

Isla looked uncomfortable. “Maybe we can pull it off?”

Her lack of confidence wasn’t lost on me. “And risk her figuring it all out? No, I have to go tell her.”

“You can’t, you have to go see them.” Ronan pushed.

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Okay. I’ll go talk to them then change for dinner. I’ll meet Charlie at her room afterward and tell her.”

Isla nodded. “Hurry.”

I took off to my parent’s drawing room hoping the conversation would be brief.

9

Charlie

I changed into the dove gray dress I fell in love with at the store. I’d been hoping to save this for a special event, but Isla had assured me this was appropriate. I turned on my curling iron and sat on the stool in front of the vanity. I began adding in a few curls when there was a quick knock on the door. Before I could turn, the door swung open and Isla stepped in. She was smiling, but I could see a bit of nervousness in her eyes.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

She blinked and her expression relaxed. “Of course.”

She was wearing a beautiful, turquoise dress with a high, square neckline and a pleated skirt. Now I was grateful I’d changed. Dinner would probably be more formal around here.

“Here, let me help.” She took the iron from me and expertly wrapped my hair.

Her blonde curls were twisted up in a loose chignon with thick strands floating around her face.

I gazed at her in wonder. “How did you do your hair so quickly?”

She met my eyes in the mirror as she twisted a new section of hair. “Lots of practice.”

Faster than I’d ever done in my life, my hair was curled and she’d brushed it into soft waves. My hair had never looked so good and she made curling hair look effortless.

“Thank you.” I carefully touched a section wishing I could freeze it like this forever.

She smiled and handed me a small velvet box. “I thought these would go well with your dress.”

I opened the box and gasped. Sparkling diamonds held up oblong pearls. They were so unusual, so different from the little spheres I’d always seen. “These are beautiful. I can’t possibly wear them.”

“Nonsense. They’ll be lovely.” She took the box out of my hands and set it on the vanity before slipping one out and handing it to me. “Just try.”

I slid on the earring that was absolutely worth more than my education cost. Once I had both on, I looked in the mirror and admired them. “I feel like a princess.”

Isla’s smile grew. “You look like one.”

She held out her hand and helped me stand. “Now, I have two options for shoes. Do you prefer nude or gray? I didn’t know how matchy you like to be.”

I pretended like this was something I thought about regularly. At home, I avoided heels in general, and when I thought about shoes, I just wanted to make sure they didn’t clash. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d worried about matching too closely. Prom maybe?

I slipped a foot into each style and walked around. The gray pair was much more comfortable. I stuck out that foot and posed for her. “How do these look?”

She nodded her approval. “Perfect.”

I sucked in a breath. “Thanks for all your help.” I looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you the truth from the beginning. I feel like you’re wasting your time on me.”

She stepped forward and lifted my chin. “You’re worth it, Charlie. My brother sees something special in you and so do I.” She stepped back and squared her shoulders. “Now, chin up and straighten those shoulders.” I followed her instructions and she smiled. “Much better.”