Courting Royal

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Here's something they don't tell you about Royal Ascot – if you aren't really into horse racing and you're surrounded by people you don't know all that well, it is supremely boring.

Especially when you've been expressly told that you can't really hang out with your boyfriend even though you're occupying the same space due to "optics," and you make the same small talk with basically everyone you're introduced to by your landlady, and you limit yourself to two cocktails because you're terrified that you'll get drunk and embarrass yourself.

That said, having a selfie wearing the coveted purple royal enclosure name tag, ogling your devastatingly handsome boyfriend in his morning suit from across the room, and getting to know his group of friends a bit better, even if the conversations are still superficial due to who might be able to overhear you, is worth the long afternoon of constant smiling and boring chit-chat.

My nerves about being in the same room as the Queen were for naught, which was both a relief and massively disappointing. During the two-minute conversation I was able to have with Emilia before she had to go back to making sure she spoke with everyone in the box, she said that Her Majesty stopped by the box very early that morning and was spending the rest of her time in the stables with one of her horses who seemed to be having an issue with his shoe.

But at the end of the day, when the trophies have been awarded and my cheek muscles were sore and my feet were throbbing and my hair had gone a bit limp and most people had left, Liam finally walked over to me.

"Hi," I say, smiling despite the pain.

"Hello," he says. "You were dazzling today."

"Hyacinth and Georgiana were dazzling. I mostly just nodded along as they did most of the talking."

"Well then why was everyone telling me how pleased they were to meet you?"

"Because it's not like anyone here would've said, 'Oh, actually, I think Maggie's the worst,' to your face."

He rolls his eyes, but concedes with, "I see your point."

I give him a knowing look and he asks, "So what does the rest of your night hold?"

"No plans."

"That is very good information to have."

"What does the rest of your night hold?" I counter.

"Hopefully you," he says, grinning cheekily.

"Think that's possible?" I ask.

We haven't had a proper night to relax together in what feels like ages. Watching a movie with him over a bottle of wine and some takeout sounds like heaven right now.

"I think it's very possible," he says.

"Yours or mine?"

"Yours," he says.

"What are you two up to?" Georgiana asks as she and Freddie walk toward us.

"Discussing plans for later," Liam says breezily. "How'd you enjoy the racing, Georgie?"

Georgiana actually provides a shockingly in-depth answer about the race and the jockey who won, and I stare at her in awe. She barely even watched the races today, let alone let on that she was knowledgeable about the sport.

Freddie catches me and says, "She's a savant at this kind of thing. But I guess with the Queen as your Gran, you don't have much of a choice than to be good at multitasking and well-versed in all things racing."

I look over at Liam and Georgiana and their animated conversation, and say, "No, I guess you don't."

"Anyway," Freddie says loudly. "We were thinking of meeting up with some friends at a new rooftop wine bar."