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“Only this month,” I mutter under my breath.
“What’s that?”
“Pardon, Madame. Eva changes her hair color frequently. It was pink in August.”
“I don’t care what color it is.” The Grand Duchess’s tone is sharp. “I don’t think she is appropriate company for Eduard.”
Anger stirs in my chest. How dare she speak about Eva like that without even knowing her? “Eva is intelligent, kind, and beautiful.” The words come out in a challenging tone I’ve never taken with the Grand Duchess in my life, and my heart shifts into high gear. This woman is family, but she’s also the head of state. Angering her is probably not a smart move.
Her eyelids droop, and she considers me. “She’s not royal material.”
The anger burns a little brighter, but I rein it in. “I don’t think you need to worry about her marrying your son. She’s not interested in him.”
The Grand Duchess’s eyes pop wide at that. “Not interested? That’s ridiculous. Of course she’s interested. Every American girl wants to be Meghan Markle.”
I wrinkle my nose. Lots of American girls might have a princess fixation, but Eduard isn’t exactly Harry Windsor. And Eva isn’t a typical American girl. “She hasn’t spent any time with Eduard since then.” Of course, as far as I know, he hasn’t attempted to contact her. According to her account of the incident, she shut him down pretty hard that night.
“Not for lack of trying, I’m sure.” She sniffs again. “What about the Belgian girl?”
How does she know so much? Did she have her secretary review security tapes? Probably. Then she definitely knows I was there, too, but I’m not going to bring it up. “Lina is dating my friend Hans.”
“Pity, she’d be a much better match. Still not excellent, but better than an American.” She lifts the teacup again, then sets it down with pursed lips and picks up the bell beside it on the table. A quick ring brings a uniformed maid, and the offending cup is whisked away with promises of a fresh one immediately. “Not that any of this matters in the long run—as long as he hasn’t formed a true attachment.”
She rises, and I leap to my feet, but she waves me down. “Sit.” She crosses to a small, ornate desk and picks up a photograph which she hands to me when she resumes her seat. “This girl. She’s the one I want for Eduard.”
I look at the photo. A pair of beautiful women with bored expressions stare up at me. One is blonde and the other a redhead, but their features are similar enough that they must be related. They look familiar, but I can’t place them. “Who are they?”
“Lady Elizabeta Distler-Herbst of Brendenburg and her sister Lady Selina. Lady Elizabeta is a suitable wife for the Hereditary Grand Duke.”
I hand the photo back to her. “I’m sure she’s lovely. I’m not sure what you want me to do about it.”
She frowns at me. “Keep that American girl away from Eduard. Take her back to the States when you go.”
I raise my brows. One is not supposed to argue with the monarch, but it’s not like I can pack Eva in my suitcase and take her back. “She’s here for the term. She’ll leave in mid-December. But I don’t think you need to worry about her.”
“Lady Elizabeta will be here with her family for the Freiberg Gala. Make sure your American girl doesn’t attend.”
“I’m pretty sure her fairy godmother isn’t available, so that’s not likely to happen.” The words pop out before I can censor them.
“Excuse me?” She turns an icy glare on me. “Your behavior has degraded considerably since you started working in the States. You can see why I deplore any American influence.”
“I apologize for my flippant remark.” I bow as well as I can while seated. “Eva has made it very clear she’s not interested in Eduard, and he has not made any attempt to contact her since the pizza night.”
“As far as you know. Maybe she isn’t telling you. Girls don’t generally share their romantic adventures with other men.”
I choke back another snarky remark. I’m pretty certain I would have heard of any overtures “His Dukiness” might have made, but I lift both hands in surrender. “You would know better than I, Your Highness.”
“Just see to it that she doesn’t get her hooks into my son.” She frowns at the door the server disappeared through. “Go see what’s keeping my tea.”
I rise swiftly, bow, and hurry out of the room before she changes her mind.
Chapter Nineteen
EVA
Lina’s broken arm doesn’t slow her down. For the campus Halloween party, she dresses as a sexy mummy. “I’ve already got one body part wrapped.” She waves her cast—now adorned with many colorful signatures—and flips a long, gauzy white scarf around her neck.
“I didn’t know ‘sexy mummy’ was a thing.” I lean closer to the mirror to paint whiskers on my cheeks.
