Page 37 of Cross Me

“He has a right to be concerned,” I said. But even I could hear the excuses I was making for him. I’d had the same argument with Alexander. Now I was defending him.

“Honestly, I don’t know how to be a queen. That’s the problem.”

“I think it’s more likely that my brother doesn’t know how to be a king,” Edward said quietly.

It surprised me to hear him say it. Alexander gave off a firm, unyielding confidence that most people responded to. I thought I had been the only one to see the struggle underneath the bravado he wore for the world. Maybe I wasn’t.

“He doesn’t lock himself up,” Belle pointed out, “and there has to be at least as much of a chance of something happening to him.”

I’d used this argument with Alexander before. It sounded even more reasonable coming from her.

“I’m going to Silverstone without him.” It was something—a life raft. Had they forgotten that?

“Are you?” Edward asked.

“What does that mean?” I asked darkly.

He released a heavy sigh that sounded like pent-up frustration. “Have you been online today?”

“No.” I didn’t wait for him to deliver the bad news. He’d come here for a reason. My heart sped up as I went to my bedside table and lifted my phone from the charger. There had been a lot to do. Preparing myself and Elizabeth to be gone for a week had taken my full attention.

“What’s going on?” Belle asked. She’d arrived early this morning and we’d been at it all day.

“Maybe I should just tell you,” Edward said, but I’d already opened my YouGram discovery feed. If the royal family was in the news, it would be there. I didn’t even have to scroll down before I found exactly what he was talking about.

Another room in the castle is set to be filled later this year. Buckingham Palace announced earlier this morning that the King and Queen are expecting their second child. The Queen, who has been suffering from unusually difficult morning sickness, plans to host the Sovereign Games, which begin later this month. The palace said it was unclear whether Clara’s condition would prevent her from fulfilling her duties as host.

I looked up and found Belle gawking at her own phone. At least I didn’t have to fill her in on the news.

“You’re right,” I said to both of them, my voice deadly calm, “my marriage is in trouble.”

Alexander was in trouble.

I read through a dozen more stories before I interrogated Edward about everything he knew, which wasn’t much. He’d come over expecting to celebrate, not deliver bad news. It was no wonder he’d looked so guilty when he’d first shown up. He’d had to decide whether or not to tell me himself.

Norris stood from his seat outside Alexander’s office when I flew around the corner. Folding his newspaper, he dropped it and smiled. “Clara, he’s in with the Minister of—”

“I don’t care,” I said, walking straight past him and into my husband’s office.

Alexander was mid-sentence but the words died on his lips, the moment I blew into the room. “Clara.”

“Don’t Clara me,” I warned him.

“Would you excuse us for a moment?” he asked the man sitting opposite him. The gentleman, who’d been watching us both with wary eyes, stood, offered me a small bow, and hurried out of the office like his life depended on it. My husband needed to develop a similar sense of self-preservation.

“You announced my pregnancy,” I accused him.

“It was a decision based on increasing media speculation. We needed to get ahead of the story. I had—”

“Don’t give me that. Don’t tell me you were trying to stop it from leaking to the press. Don’t lie to me.” I couldn’t believe he would try this tactic. Even if it were true, even if the tabloids had somehow found out, there was no way he could justify this.

“I made a decision.” He spread his hands on the desk. My eyes darted to a small paperweight, and I saw his throat slide. He picked it up and stuck it in a drawer.

“I’m leaving.” It was a low blow—forgetting to add that I would be coming back. But it was worth the panic on his face, even if my satisfaction was only temporary.

“Clara, I—”

“I’m going to Silverstone today,” I reminded him. “While you may not think what I’m doing is important, it’s important to me, X. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go finish packing. It seems I no longer have to worry about hiding my bump.”