Page 21 of The Wrong Royal

I rushed off the dance floor. I made it to the powder room and was a little disappointed to see it wasn’t a private bathroom. Two other women were standing in front of an ornate oval mirror and touching up their makeup.

I didn’t mind their presence, however. In fact, it gave me an opportunity to gather my thoughts and calm down. My heart was racing, and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself.

As I checked my own makeup, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I didn’t think I was the prettiest woman in the room, but Theo made me believe he thought I was.

“You’re matched to Theo Ashford,” one of the women said. “Lucky you.”

I smiled politely at her, not wanting to give away the fierce desire I now felt for Theo. “Yes, he’s a wonderful dancer.”

“He’s more than that,” the other woman chimed in. “The Ashford family is one of the wealthiest in the society. You could do a lot worse than him.”

I felt a sudden pang of guilt. Was I really just using Theo for his family’s money? Yes. I was a shallow woman.

“Aren’t you the Norwegian princess?” the other woman asked.

“I am one of them,” I said, nodding.

“Your sister’s the one that ran off in the middle of the night!”

“She followed her heart,” I said calmly.

“Wasn’t she matched with Theo?”

I knew this was going to happen. Gossip was what made our small world go round. They loved it. The members of the Golden Society thrived on it.

I sighed, feeling the weight of their judgment. “Yes, she was. But wouldn’t we all be lucky to get to run off with a man we were crazy in love with?”

The women nodded in unison, their eyes full of curiosity. I knew they were waiting for me to spill the details of my sister’s scandalous love affair with a commoner. But I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction.

Instead, I changed the subject. “How do you know Theo?”

The women exchanged a knowing look. “Everyone knows the Ashfords. Did you hear about his brother last year?”

“Vaguely.”

“My sister was in last year’s season. She said Roman and Anabella were so hot for each other.”

“I heard they got caught making out in the hall once,” the girl said.

I knew better than to believe every bit of gossip that I heard. “I should get back,” I said, smiling. “Have a nice evening.”

I left the powder room and took a second to collect myself. I did not want to become part of this year’s scandal.

I walked back to our table. Theo had a fresh drink and there was one for me as well.

“I thought you might be thirsty,” he said as I sat down.

It was a little strange to actually be seeing all of him. I’d gotten used to just looking at his eyes. Now, I could see all of him and it was a little distracting.

“Thank you.”

“Did you want something to eat?” he asked. “There are some hors d’oeuvres coming around.”

I nodded, feeling a little self-conscious. “Sure, that sounds good.”

“Anything special you would like or not like?”

“No. I mean, whatever. Anything is fine.”