Page 12 of Tabloid Princess

“Hey.” I cringed with my fake singsong answer. Then I decided the plaster approach would be best; no point making this longer and more painful than necessary. “I’m sorry, Janine. I didn’t mean to be rude to him, I promise. It’s just you know how I feel about rich idiots with more money than sense, and he kept asking me all these stupid questions that just made me crosser and crosser.”

I stopped to heave in a breath while I thought of what I could say next.

“Leia, what are you talking about?”

For a second, I didn’t listen to her as she started to talk. All I could hear was his melodic voice saying, “Leia.” My tummy tightened just like it had at the time.

“Sorry, Janine, what are you saying?”

“I’m trying to tell you that I don’t know what you’re apologising for. He’s sending his team over and he’s going to announce us as one of his first private fundraising charities.”

My tongue stuck to the top of my mouth. “Sorry, what? What does that mean?”

“It means that Prince Oliver will be our chief guest at various fundraising events where he can bring awareness to his chosen cause.”

“Oh.” I stumbled for the sofa and fell back onto the soft cushions, my heart banging in my rib cage. “But we don’t have any fundraising events planned.”

“Now we do. He is sending a woman called Freya over tomorrow to discuss a ball at St Mark’s Palace. A ball, Leia! A bloody ball!”

“Wow.” I had nothing else to give.

“I don’t know what you said to him, but he came out looking visibly moved.”

“He did?”

“I’ve got to go. Rich wants his dinner and for me to tell him all about it.”

As distracted as I was, my mind flickered to Richard, Janine’s husband. That man always wanted his dinner, and his pudding. “Say hi for me.”

“I will.” She squealed; a sound I’d never heard her make before. “Don’t be late tomorrow. We want to show this Freya woman we are a professional outfit.”

We were officially doomed.

“Maybe he just liked us for who we were?” There was something territorial about my tone which I couldn’t quite hide.

“Oh, he won’t be back. He explained that it all gets handed over to his teams now until the events themselves. I mean, he’s a prince, Leia; he doesn’t have time to come and hang around us all day every day.” Janine snorted like this was perfectly obvious.

“Sure,” I said, but that little dart of something uncomfortable I’d experienced when I said goodbye to him flickered to life again in my chest. “That makes sense.”

And it did. It made complete and perfect sense.

“I’ve got to go. Daisy is waiting for me to put her to bed.”

Janine gave a soft laugh. “Sweet dreams, Leia.”

I didn’t even bother to argue—everyone knew I usually went to bed the same time as Daisy. I just said goodbye and hung up and then turned for the stairs.

“Where is my little monster?” I shouted once I’d crept my way up the top as silently as I could manage.

“AAAGH! I’m not a monster.” Daisy jumped as I leapt around the doorway of the bathroom and then with a high-pitched squeal ran to her bedroom. I chased after her, my fingers poised for a serious level of tickling.

“Don’t, Mummy; don’t, Mummy!” She laughed uncontrollably while screaming at the same time.

“The tickle monster needs to check your teeth.” I aimed for her ribs but kept my fingers soft.

“I can’t do it if you’re tickling me.”

“Okay.” Grinning I held them behind my back. “Show me, otherwise the tickle monster is coming back.”