mother rang back not fifteen minutes later. The woman was ruthless.
Victoria struggled to sound anything but exasperated by her repeated calls. “I’m afraid he’s in a meeting,” she said, just as he had instructed her. In a meeting, on another line. He never took personal calls at work. “But I would be happy to take a message.”
“I don’t mean to bother,” she said, which is how she began all of her phone conversations, whether it was the first or tenth call of the day. “I’m just calling about the party, to extend a formal invitation.”
Again? Hadn’t Victoria already sent an RSVP for him? How many times did she have to invite her own son? “I’ll let Charles know,” she said automatically.
“Oh, no, not for Charles,” she said. “For you.”
For her? But…
Oh, no, he didn’t. He wouldn’t. “For me, ma’am?”
“He told us you’ll be joining him for the weekend,” she gushed excitedly. And the weird thing was, she actually sounded happy. “I just wanted you to know how eager we are to meet you. Charles rarely brings his lady friends home.”
Lady friends? Did she think…? “Ma’am, I work for Charles.”
“Oh, I know. But he values your friendship. And any friend of Charles is a friend of ours. His father and I just wanted you to know that you’re welcome.”
Friendship? Since when were she and Charles friends?
“So, we’ll see you then?” his mother asked.
Did Victoria really have the heart to tell her the truth? She sounded so genuinely eager to meet her. How could she tell her it was nothing more than a cruel trick?
So she said the only thing she could. “Yes, of course. I’ll see you then.”
Victoria was out of her chair before she hung up the phone. Not bothering to knock, she barged into Charles’s office. And got the distinct feeling he’d been waiting for her to do just that. He was sitting back in his chair, elbows on the armrests, hands folded across his chest. But it was too late to turn around now.
“You call me evil?” she said.
He smiled. “I take it my mother phoned you.”
“That was low, even for you.”
He looked pleased with himself. “An eye for an eye. Isn’t that what they say?”
“I do not what to spend a weekend at your parents’s estate.”
“Neither do I. But I guess neither of us has a choice now.”
“They’re not my parents. I have no obligation to be there.”
He shrugged. “So, ring her back and tell her you don’t want to come. I’m sure they won’t be too offended.”
She glared at him.
“Or, you could come with me and you might actually have fun.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
“Why?”
“Why? You don’t even want to go!”
“My parents are good people. They mean well. But when it’s just the three of us it can get…stifling. I get there Friday night, and by Saturday afternoon we’ve run out of things to talk about. With you there it might take a little bit of the pressure off.”
“I wouldn’t have a clue what to say to your parents. They’re completely out of my league.”
His brow edged into a frown. “How do you figure?”
“I’m an employee of the royal family.”
“So what? You’re still a person. We’re all just people.”
Was he really so naive? Did he truly not understand the way the world worked? They were royalty, and she was, and always would be, a nobody in their eyes. Or was this just part of the game he was playing? Lure her to his parent’s estate so he could humiliate her in front of his entire family?
His intentions weren’t even the issue. The real problem was that she simply didn’t trust him.
“You know, you don’t give yourself nearly enough credit.” He rose from his chair and she tensed, thinking he might come toward her, but he walked around to sit on the edge of his desk instead. Since he’d last been in her office he’d taken off his jacket, loosened his tie, and rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt to his elbows. He seemed to do that every day, after his last meeting.
Casual as he looked, though, he still radiated an air of authority. He was always in control.
Well, almost always.
“Tell me,” he said. “How could a woman so accomplished have such a low self-esteem?”
“It has nothing to do with self-esteem. Which I have my fair share of, thank you very much. It’s just the way the world works.”
“When you met my cousins, did they look down their noses at you?”
“Of course not.”
“I think my parents might surprise you. It can’t hurt to come with me and find out. Besides, the party should be a blast. Good food and company. And if at any time you feel uncomfortable, I’ll take you home.”
If she went at all, she would be driving herself. If she went?
She couldn’t believe she was actually contemplating this. If nothing else, out of curiosity. At least, that’s what she preferred to tell herself. There were other possible motivations that were far too disturbing to consider. Like wanting to see the kind of man Charles was around his family. What he was really like.
“Fine. I’ll go.” she said. Then added, “It’s not as though I have much choice.”
“Smashing,” he said, looking truly pleased, which had her seriously doubting her decision.
What was he up to?
“We leave in the afternoon, two weeks from this Friday and return Sunday afternoon.”
“I’ll meet you there,” she said. She wanted her car, in case she needed a quick getaway. And surprisingly, he didn’t argue.
“Pack casual,” he said. “But the party Saturday night is formal.”
Formal? She was expecting an intimate family gathering. Not a social event. “How many people will be there?”
He shrugged. “No more than a hundred or so.”
One hundred? Her heart seized in her chest. All more wealthy and influential than her.
Smashing.
