Royal Pain in the Ass (2 page)

“Angelica,”
came a stern voice behind me.

“Daddy!”
she cooed.
 
Her entire demeanor changed.
 
Her scowl became a cheerful smile and her eyes brightened.
  “
I think this girl is lost.
”

The man turned to me and I was taken aback.
 
It was too weird, he looked like . . . me almost. The main difference was the eyes.
 
I had my mother
’
s eyes. 
It was the only feature of hers that I had inherited
. 
We both had the same almond shaped, storm grey eyes.
 
This man had the same black hair as me, only his was peppered with grey.
 
He looked at least twenty years older than me.
 

“
You must be Juliet,
”
he smiled.

I nodded.
  “
Yes, and you are?
”

“
My name is James, but we may be closer than you realize.
 
I have a favor to ask of you.
”

“
You want a favor?
”

“
Would you be willing to do a simple test?
”

“
What kind of test?
”

“A
DNA test,
”

“
What the fuck?
”

“
You do not talk that way to Daddy!
”
Angelica hissed.
  “
You will respect him!
”

“
That
’
s quite enough Angelica.
” 
James scolded.
 
She gaped at him and then glared at me.
 
She crossed her arms and stomped her foot as she turned away from me.

“
Perhaps a private word?
 
Come, let me escort you to my study.
”

“
Whoa there hoss, I don
’
t know about all that.
”

“
I wish to ask about your mother.
”
A strange look crossed his face.
 
I didn
’
t know what to say, so I didn
’
t say anything.
  “
Give me the chance to explain these circumstances.
 
I know it’s strange. It’s strange for me too. Let’s explain everything and if you do not like it, you are welcome to leave at any time, but please accept my hospitality for at least one night.
 
You just flew for nine hours.
  I
’
m sure you
’
re tired.
”

“
Actually, I slept on the plane.
”

He sighed.
  “
I know this seems strange, but this is not something I can discuss in public.
”

I sighed.
  “
Okay, but I
’
m warning you, if things get weird
I
’
m getting back on that plane and getting the hell out of here.
”

He smiled.
  “
Fair enough.
” 
He led me through a maze of hallways and rooms and it didn
’
t take me long to be completely disoriented and lost.
 
He led me into a room lined with books.
 
I marveled at it.
  “
Please, take a seat.
”
He offered indicating a few leather seats as he took the chair behind a large mahogany desk that looked at least two hundred years old.

I sat stiffly in the chair, it was more comfortable that it looked and I tried settling in.
 

“
How old are you?
”

“
Twenty-one.
”

He smiled at me.
  “
I had a feeling.
 
I knew your mother many years ago.
” 
He was staring in my direction but not looking at me.
 
He was somewhere else entirely.
  “
I loved her.
 
Never question that.
” 
I had a feeling I knew where this story was going.
  “
She was studying at Cambridge for a term, and she was visiting the Louvre on the same day I was.
 
It didn
’
t take me ten minutes to realize the kind of woman she was.
 
She didn
’
t realize who I was, and when she did, it didn
’
t matter. 
She was unlike any woman I had ever met.
 
Life was simpler back then.
 
I didn
’
t have responsibilities, or cares, or any idea what the real world was like.
 
I can safely say the time I spent with your mother was the happiest of my life.
  Don
’
t get me wrong, I love my wife, Millie, but things were different with us.
 
We were betrothed.
 
I had no idea your mother was pregnant when she left.
”

I felt the color drain from my face.
 
The blood in my veins felt like ice.
  “
Are you saying?
”

“
Yes, I believe I am.
”

“
Who are you to me?
”

“
I believe you may be my daughter.
” 
I felt the room start spinning and my breathing was faster than it should have been.
 
I felt the sides of my vision start to fade to blackness.

Chapter III

I woke up staring at a strange ceiling. I had to think hard.
 
I looked around the room I was in.
 
Well Toto, I definitely wasn
’
t in Kansas anymore.
 
I woke up alone in a strange bed.
 
Alone, alone is good.
 
I sat up and started taking everything in.
 
Was I in a ritzy hotel?
 
Think Jules, how did I get here.
 
Then it started coming back.
 

A Duke of something . . . . England . . . . oh my god.
 
Twenty-one years of accepting that my father was some sort of abstract idea, and I might have found him.
 
What the fuck?
 
I realized my luggage was in the room with me.
 

My phone was on the bedside table.
 
I looked at it, and in Florida it would be nine o
’
clock at night which made it about one am here.
 
I was a night owl and nine o
’
clock at night I would still be at work.
 

I threw the covers off tried to orient myself. How did I get into this?
 
I looked around the darkened room again.
 
It was mostly done in golds and reds.
 
It screamed Gryffindor tower to me.
 
I found a lamp and turned it on.
 
The room was positively gorgeous.
 
The bed I was in was a canopy four poster that had to be at least king sized.
 
It was huge.
 
I had to admit the burgundy bedspread was pretty.
 
I was more of a purple kind of girl, but I could appreciate a nice thing when I saw it.
 
The walls were painted gold with an oriental border.
 
The carpet was a deep red and plush and I scrunched my toes in it.
 
I smiled.
 
I loved the way it felt under my feet.
 

I took a deep breath and the room smelled almost stale, like it wasn
’
t lived in.
 
There was no doubt of that.
 
There was a fragrance to the room like someone tried to cover up the staleness.
 
For some reason I felt suddenly lonely.
 
I opened up my suitcase and pulled out a pair of my pajamas and changed quickly.
 
I was wide awake in a foreign house in a foreign country.
 

Now, I wouldn
’
t exactly call myself stupid, but I
’
m not exactly known for making the best decisions when I
’
m bored.
 
Actually, that
’
s what led to two of my tattoos.
 
So, being the bright person I am, I decide it
’
s a good idea to go exploring.
  Don
’
t ask me why, even I don
’
t know.

I found my black converse and put them on.
 
I opened the door and it was pitch black outside.
 
I grabbed my phone and put on the flashlight app and started off down a hallway.
 
The place was huge.
 
I started wondering in whichever direction seemed a good idea.
 
I didn
’
t bother remembering, I doubted I
’
d ever find my way back anyway
. 
Somehow, that just didn
’
t seem important.
 

I found three secret passageways and it wasn
’
t long until I ran into someone.

“Hi,”
I smiled.

“
Hello there.
 
Who, may I ask, are you?
” 
asked a girl with blonde hair pulled up in a loose bun.
 
She was wearing a black skirt that fell just below her knees over black stockings and a long sleeved black tunic shirt.
 

“I
’
m Juliet.
”

“
Oh, so you
’
re the one everyone is talking about.
” 
She had a coy smile playing across her lips, her brown eyes glinting.

“Me?”

“Yes,”

I pondered this.
  “
Why?
”

“
Well, it
’
s not my place to say, but what are you doing up at this hour?
” 
she asked as she glanced at her watch.

“I
’
m not used to this time zone.
  I
’
m wide awake.
”

“
That would explain it.
”

“
What
’
s your name?
”

“I
’
m Gwen.
”

“
What are you doing up at this hour?
”

“I
’
m preparing the bedding for the morning.
 
Why are you in the servant
’
s corridors?
”

“
Is that where I am?
”

“
Are you lost?
”

“Yes,”

Gwen burst out laughing.
  “
Would you like help getting back?
”

“
Actually, could you just show me around?
”

“I can
’
t right now, but I can later.
”

“
Why not right now?
”

“
Because I
’
m working.
”
Gwen laughed.