Page 6 of Don’t Look Down

Even if I did, it’d never be my place to say something. “Not at all⁠—”

“Aside from the fact that you were hoping to seduce my brother.”

My mouth gapes and it’s my turn to be insulted. “I wasn’t trying to seduce anyone.”

“Wrong choice of words,” he says simply. “You know what I mean. I’ve heard people talking. The staff think they whisper, but they might as well be yelling into an echo chamber around the palace. I’m aware of conversations between my parents and Lock. That they want him to settle down, and you’re the one he’s to do that with. If it makes you feel any better, he didn’t seem pleased to be sent back out to the naval bases.”

“Why’s he going there?”

“Above my pay grade.” He shrugs. “And yours.”

I don’t question him further on it.

“So is it just that, or is there something else we should discuss?”

I think to all the children here today, Juliette’s speech about how many they’ve been able to help over the years. The hundreds of children who won’t ever get an opportunity for places like this simply because of their circumstances.

“I take this very seriously,” I say. “I meant what I said during the meeting. This would’ve been a resource I would’ve needed if it weren’t for your father’s friendship with mine. I don’t want you to treat this as some sort of… joke, just running around. You don’t see Lock doing that at events…” I trail off, realizing I shouldn’t be chastising him.

But he doesn’t call me out on it. Instead, he cocks his head, narrowing his eyes on me. “You think I won’t take this as seriously as my brother would’ve? That I don’t care like he does? Because in case you didn’t notice, he didn’t even bother to show today. And passed this responsibility off entirely on me.”

He’s right. Damn it, he’s right, and I shouldn’t have said anything. He could’ve just as easily skipped out on today. Told his brother he was busy with something else and left me to do this alone.

But I still can’t help but struggle with what image Beau brings to the charity, in place of Lock.

Lock is serious, well-respected, well-mannered, a future king. He’s never caught out by the press at bars or with women or drinking at football matches.

But Beau…

“You can think what you want,” he says, as if he can read my thoughts. “But unless you want to back out of this commitment, you’re going to have to deal with it.”

There’s no backing out of this for me. Even if I wanted to, my parents would never allow it.

“Well then.” I heave a sigh, squinting at the sun. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

“It’s a few charity appearances, not a death sentence. Lighten up, Princess.”

There he goes with that again. I’m about to scold him for it, when he says, “You didn’t get out and play at all today.”

“It didn’t really seem like my place.”

“Your place?”

I gesture to my wardrobe. “As you stated, I’m not exactly dressed for the occasion. And besides, we’re there to network. Not run around playing games.”

His brow furrows. “That doesn’t sound like the girl I remember.”

I almost stumble back a step. I haven’t seen much of Beau over the years. He does his best to stay away from the larger parties that my family usually scores an invitation to.

He notes my surprise. “What, you think I forgot about the time you broke that gifted vase from the Swedish royal family in the drawing room when we were kicking a football around?”

“I—I—that was your fault! You’re the one who tried to headbutt it when I passed it to you.”

“Which you returned with a swift kick straight toward the pedestal holding that priceless heirloom.”

My cheeks are hot. The memory replays in my head, one I haven’t thought about in quite some time. “Are you still holding that against me since you took the fall for that?”

“Of course not. But if you think I’ve forgotten, you’re mistaken. I was grounded for three months after that.” He grins. “I do wish I could’ve seen that girl out there today playing though. Didn’t you get bored of flitting about, batting your eyes and networking all day?”