Maybe Tomorrow

Chapter 29 - Charlotte

"That doesn't count, darling. You cheated!" Nicholas accuses me when my ball slides into the first hole before his.

"No, I didn't. It was a perfectly clean hit," I retort, grinning up at him.

That might have been an innocent lie. Maybe I did give it a small push when I knew the ball wouldn't make it. Just a little nudge when it was barely two inches away. But I didn't do it with malicious intent. It was only because there was a one percent chance it could still somehow make it in if I gave it a helping hand.

"Do not deny it now." My husband points his golf club at me, popping his hip out and then he places his palm on it while his eyebrows furrow in what is supposed to be anger.

Yes. The bunch we have now is playing golf together.

I have asked the gardeners who take care of this place when we are not here to prepare a golf course. They did have some comments about hurting the ground but I promised I will give them a free hand to choose whatever the ground needs to return to its natural state. They seemed pleased afterwards.

Not to say any of my workers would say no to any of my wishes. I know they are only doing what is best for my grounds.

And so here we are at hole six out of eighteen. We could have been further if we didn't chat over everything one of us says. Especially the older ladies who are a chatty duo when together. If it wasn't for the two of them giggling whenever Andrew does something adorable in either of their, his parents' or maid's arms.

Alexandra has told me all about how they gossiped whether we have already rooted a child inside of me or how my hips were called very bearable.

I bursted out laughing like a pig when I heard what other topics they had gushed about during their ride. If it were me in Alexandra's spot I would be rolling on the floor of the carriage knowing I am the only one who the queen has ever been with in that sense. No child rooted anywhere in our bodies.

"Admit it. You are simply upset with me because you lost."

He doesn't answer. He gives me a short glare before he focuses back on the game, ignoring what I said just now.

"Bickering this early into your marriage?" Alexandra teases, stopping to stand beside me as we wait for everyone to finish their turn after her ball fell in behind mine.

"You have known him longer than I do but I can already see he is a very competitive person. After all the card games we have done together these past few days and I won most of them, he seemed slightly angry," I tell her, watching as Nicholas finally hits it right, an excited cheer escaping him at his achievement.

"Was he rude to you?" She immediately questions, her face turning serious in the matter of a second.

"He apologised right after realising he was mumbling curses under his breath. He seemed angry at himself and not me," I point out.

Being married to him gives me an opportunity to get to know everything he might be hiding under all of his layers. I have come to find he has quite a few of them, even if he doesn't show it too much. He likes to keep the same mask day after day.

Of course he is the charming gentleman I have got to know during our courting time. He doesn't pretend to be that and I truly believe that is a part of his true self but I also think he doesn't show the world his truth. Lie by omission is still a lie but like with his sister, I do not want to push him to say anything he doesn't want to tell me.

It has come to my attention Alexandra doesn't realise he isn't himself either. Having to manage a household at quite a young age must be one of his burdens. Perhaps the years he has had in this world have made him good at hiding. Only my eyes are great at spying anything that could be wrong. Not to an extent where I can detect each item someone is hiding behind the fence of their eyes but to a level where I just know something isn't completely right.