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“She ruled from 1558 for 44 years. She was a strong female ruler and she never married or produced children despite pressure to do so. I mean, it was a different time. But, I really wish I could do similar.”
“Surely you can do as you please? You are Princess Alexandra?” It sounded so simple when Erin said it.
Alexandra laughed.
“Why don’t you want to marry?” Erin asked.
Alexandra smiled again, marvelling at this woman who just asked the questions that everyone else avoided.
“Ah, I just wish I had more freedom to choose. Perhaps, if it was the right person. Perhaps, if I was in love, it might feel different. Feel like less of a business arrangement.”
“Have you ever been in love?” asked Erin.
“Oh, not really. Once, a long time ago, I kind of thought I was. But it wasn’t real. It had no future. These days, perhaps I would have handled things differently.” Alexandra looked wistful and there was a sadness in her eyes. “Have you ever been in love Erin?”
; Erin blushed, taken aback. “Well, I mean yes. I thought I was. But it turned out she maybe didn’t love me so much in return. She turned out to not be that great of a person.”
“Maybe we aren’t so different after all.” Alexandra fixed Erin with her eyes, the blue so intense Erin had to look away first.
“I’d better go get a shower,” Erin said. A cold shower, she thought to herself, heat rising between her legs. Heat rising to her face.
Alexandra smiled and nodded and Erin dashed into the safety of her room.
Erin headed straight to the bathroom and turned on the shower while stripping her clothes off. She stepped under the warm water letting it run over her face and down over her body, it felt sensual on her skin. She prayed for the water to wash away her inappropriate thoughts about Alexandra. Alexandra in fine silk, her nipples prominent. Tearing Alexandra out of the fine silk, her nipples in Erin’s mouth….. Erin shook her head under the stream of water. This was crazy. This was absolutely crazy.
6
Erin waited in the drawing room and Alexandra emerged at 7pm, exquisite in a long dark red dress with long sleeves that hinted at her body beneath, but remained classy and fitting of her royal stature. Her shimmering hair was pinned up, Alicia had been hard at work. Her face was somehow more beautiful with her hair back from it, the lines of her perfect bone structure catching the light as she moved with effortless grace. Diamonds glinted at her ears and neck. Erin gasped when she saw her.
“You look incredible,” the words spilled out of Erin’s mouth before she had time to consider them. She broke the rule that you never speak to the Princess unless she speaks to you first.
Alexandra chose to overlook Erin’s mistake and responded.
“Thank you,” she replied, genuinely grateful for the compliment. “I wasn’t sure if the dress was too much. I’ve lost a couple of pounds recently after some unflattering photos, so Natalie got this dress in a smaller size than usual. I wasn’t sure if I look too, you know, thin?”
Erin looked carefully at her body, a body she had caught herself looking at so many times since starting this job. This was the issue with someone of Alexandra’s celebrity. They have to be thinner than the average person. The camera sometimes lies. The cameras of the world cannot be allowed to take a photo where Alexandra looks fat. Fat is something Alexandra cannot afford to be. So Alexandra is thin. Mostly thin. She has a gym, she has a personal trainer, she has a nutritionist and chef. Just thin enough to look perfect in clothes. Just thin enough so her breasts are still full and her ass is still round; she cannot afford to look unfeminine either. Erin could see that if she were naked, Alexandra’s ribs and hips would be prominent. Right now, her collarbone was prominent, but her breasts were still full and her waist was still tiny. It was how she needed to be for her job. It was what the people wanted to see.
“You look perfect.” Erin responded. “So, so beautiful,” she said genuinely.
Alexandra shone in response.
“I won’t need you tonight, Erin. The dinner is in the palace. Feel free to take the night off. And please let the other girls and the drivers know to do the same. I won’t need anything else tonight.”
“Er… thanks,” said Erin. “I’ll probably be around. I’m not going anywhere, so if you need anything later…”
Alexandra thanked her and glided out of the room towards the grand hall for dinner with her potential husband, Prince Nicolas.
Erin went back to her room alone.
She couldn’t get the image of Alexandra in the red dress out of her mind.
Alexandra smiled and welcomed everyone to the palace as she sat at the head of the table. She made a special welcome to Prince Nicolas of Sweden, their guest of honour for the evening. He was lean and tall and very gentlemanly with sandy blonde hair. Alexandra contemplated him for a second. Could she imagine him by her side for the rest of her life? Her face screwed up slightly at the thought.
The other nobles, Alexandra knew well. She had known them all for years. Lord Hugo was sitting on one side of her and Prince Nicolas on the other side at the top of the huge table. She still hadn’t ended things properly with Hugo. She had kept meaning to, but it just hadn’t happened yet. She knew she could never marry him. As she spoke and welcomed everyone, Hugo swilled the dark red wine boldly. This was one of the reasons; every time she saw Hugo lately he was drinking. Not just socially having a wine, but downing glass after glass, the rich red liquid to his lips as though it was Alexandra’s blood he was draining. She felt like that when she was around him lately, uneasy, as though he was going to be angry when she ended things. That was probably why she kept delaying the inevitable. He was always drinking, always seemed volatile. His dark eyes that she had once found charming, she now found accusatory and loose from the alcohol.
“You look very beautiful tonight, Your Royal Highness.” Prince Nicolas was charismatic as he took her hand to kiss it and addressed her.
