Free A Royal Entanglement: The Young Royals Book 2 by Emma Lea Page B

mine.
    “Alex, it’s okay.   Everything is going to be okay, I promise.”
    Her frightened eyes looked at me and I had the desire to wrap her in my arms and hold her close.   I stood up and tugged her up with me and pulled her into a hug.
    “Shh, it’s going to be okay.”
    “It’s not,” she said, “It’s going to be a mess and I’m going to have to clean it up and the Queen will probably want me to resign and I’ll be disgraced and never be able to get another job and I’ll go broke and end up living on the streets and begging for money so I can support my alcoholism.”
    I chuckle softly, “No, sweetheart, none of that is going to happen.   We are going to tell everyone we are dating.   The Queen will be overjoyed because you know I’m her favourite, Bradley will go back to the States with his tail between his legs and eventually the publicity will die down and everything will go back to normal.”
    “Your sister warned me about you, you know,” she said, “She told me not to trust you.”
    “She did, did she?   Well, I’ll just have to prove her wrong.”
    We stood like that for a while and I felt the tension slowly leaking from her body as her anxiety calmed.   Neither of us was in any hurry to break the contact and then the door opened.
    “Would someone like to explain to me how my Personal Assistant and my Chief Advisor happen to be in a relationship and I knew nothing about it?”
    We both turned to find the Queen and Meredith staring at us with a crowd of body guards, maids and footmen behind them.

    Oh God, this was a nightmare.   Here I am, standing in Freddie’s arms, pictures of me in the paper and the Queen walks in.   Oh.   I’m still standing in Freddie’s arms.   I jump back quickly, moving out of his reach and I don’t dare look at him.
    “Alyssa,” Freddie said with a genuine smile, “Isn’t it wonderful news!   I’ve been begging Alex for months to go out with me.”
    I couldn’t look at either of them, although I felt both of their eyes on me.   I would have to lie to the Queen, my boss.
    “I can’t say I’m surprised,” Alyssa said, and I looked up at her.
    “What?” I’m shocked.
    She smiled at me like she was in on some grand secret.   “The way you two peacock around each other, the flirting, the looks.   We’ve all seen it.”
    My face burned and I’m sure I must be flushed bright scarlet.   I snuck a look at Freddie to see him staring at me with a smug smile and a soft look in his eyes.
    “Yes, well,” I said, trying to regain the control I’m so famous for.   “It was meant to be a little less public.”
    Meredith snorted.   “Nothing Freddie does is private for long.”
    “Now, now sister dear.   Those photos were run without my knowledge or consent.   I would never do anything to upset Alexandra.”   His arm was suddenly around me and he was pulling me close into his side.   “But what’s done is done and we will need to make a statement.”
    I looked up at him, my eyes pleading.   “Do we have to?”
    He brushed the back of his hand down my cheek as he looked into my eyes.   “We do,” he said, softly, kindly, “If we don’t, we will be hounded by paparazzi and everything the Queen does this week will be relegated to page three.   We need to come out publicly and then they will leave us alone.”
    “This is a disaster,” I said, pulling away from him again and pacing the room, “We need to find a way to gag my family.   This is exactly the kind of thing they would take great delight in.”
    “Your family are here, in Calanais?” Meredith asked.
    I nodded, “For the coronation.”
    She nodded, “Of course.”
    I looked at Alyssa, who seemed delighted with this turn of events and I felt terrible for lying to her, but what else could I do?
    “Your Highness,” I said looking at her with regret, “I need to apologise for this mess and if you need me to resign—”
    “What?   You’re not resigning, why would