Page 81 of Duke, Actually
“Honestly, I felt like I’d been transported into a soap opera.They were horrible.” She didn’t know if Leo knew about Max’s childhood. The only reason he would was if Max had told Marie, and Marie had told Leo. It was strange, having a topic she had to tread carefully around with Leo. She used to tell Leo everything.
“It really is a whole different world,” Leo said, “and not just in the obvious ways. The trappings of extreme wealth, you expect. What trips you up are the subtle machinations.”
She laughed, but only because the phrasesubtle machinationswas so spot on and so not something she’d expect Leo to say. “I’m not sure they were so subtle in this case, but I know what you mean. They’re trying to marry him off to someone, and I think they viewed my presence as a threat.”
“Was it?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Of course not.”
Why, then, did that feel like a lie?
But that was ridiculous. In what universe was Dani’s presence in Max’s life a threat to his future? Honestly, she needed to get over herself.
“Unlike Max’s parents, the king doesn’t seem so bad anymore,” she said in an attempt to shift the subject. Leo had told her stories of his first visit to Eldovia, and when she’d met the king herself on her first visit, he had definitely been snooty. But he seemed to have mellowed.
“It’s Gabby, I think. He’s crazy about Gabby.”
“Don’t you think you should take some of the credit? You know, for raising the kid he’s crazy about? Not to mention making his daughter happy?”
“Nope. We coexist. As long as he’s decent to Marie, which he is, we’re all good.”
“So he’s fond of Gabby?”
“He treats her like a granddaughter. Spoils her rotten. She cracked his stone-cold heart. They write each other letters about books even though they live under the same—giant—roof. Benz loves her, too. I think that’s half the reason he and I have become friendly.” He snorted and rolled his eyes.
“Gabby lost her parents, and now she has all these new people who love her. I think it’s great.”
He grumbled. “Yeah, okay, it’s great.”
“You know what else is great?” She bumped her shoulder against his. “You’re getting married! I hope you don’t lose sight of that elemental fact among all this pomp.”
He was trying—and failing—not to grin.
“What are we talking about?” Imogen, the owner of the pub and a friend of Leo’s, asked as she came over to check on them.
“We’re talking about how Leo’s in looove.” Dani drew out the syllable and made a face at Leo.
“Oh my god, don’t we all know it.” Imogen rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “God help us all until this wedding is over.”
“Are there lots of people in town for it?”
“They’re expecting a few hundred guests. And I’m full up.” Imogen pointed at the ceiling—she had guest rooms above the pub. “But if you mean tourism, or media, I don’t think there will be a lot of attention. Eldovia doesn’t really do tourism, other than of the skiing variety, and that’s not based out of here.”
“And there won’t be tabloids trying to get information?” Dani asked.
“No. The royal family doesn’t command that much attention.It’s not like the Brits, or even Monaco. The only one the tabloids seem to care about is Max von Hansburg.”
Right. “Leave it to you to choose the lowest-key monarchy to marry into,” Dani teased Leo.
“And thank god for it,” he said, raising his glass.
Imogen produced menus. “Are you staying for dinner?”
They did, and they lured Max and Marie down to join them. Marie wasn’t a celebrity in the way that Meghan Markle appearing at the local pub would be, but she did cause murmurs when she showed up. Imogen relocated them to what she called a snug, which seemed to be a huge wooden booth that had a door that closed.
The food was great, and the conversation was easy. After their plates were cleared, Leo scooted closer to Marie, and they started whispering, their heads together looking at something on a phone.
Which left Max, who was sitting across from Dani. They didn’t speak, just looked at each other and smiled. Like they had an inside joke. Like they both had a few screws loose. She didn’t even know, except that it felt impossible to stop smiling.