Royal Pain in the Ass, page 3
“How do you like it?”
“I love it. It’s one of my favorite things in the world.”
“Then why the hesitation?”
“I pay cello because I want to, because I love it. If I take this position, it becomes an obligation. I don’t want my passion to become an obligation.”
James nodded. “You are remarkable. I truly wish I’d had the chance to see you grow up.”
I felt my face flush. I didn’t know how to react to that. I wasn’t sure how I felt about James yet. I didn’t trust him, and I couldn’t understand him. I couldn’t understand someone leaving someone you were so in love with as it seemed. I couldn’t help but wonder if things just weren’t as they seemed. Above all else, I didn’t understand his sudden desire to know me. I didn’t understand why he would go to the trouble to bring me out here on a whim. I mean, yes, I might be his daughter, but he didn’t know that for sure. Especially when I was still in the states. His wife and daughter obviously hated me, so me being here was clearly was causing friction between them if nothing else.
“Juliet?”
I snapped out of my daze. I hadn’t realized I’d drifted off into la la land just staring out at the water. “Yes?”
“We should probably start heading back, lunch will be served soon.” James turned his horse around and we headed back through the grounds, taking a different direction than we had come and he showed me more of the grounds.
We returned to the main house and the same lab tech as before handed James an envelope and left. James took a deep breath. “Are you ready?” He asked, as he held up the envelope. I nodded. He tore it open and confirmed what we both already knew. I was, in fact James Eastgate’s daughter.
Chapter V
James looked at me for a long moment then a wide grin spread across his face and he let out a relieved sigh. “Well, it’s true then. You are my daughter. Welcome to the family, Juliet.”
I took a deep breath and everything felt like it was spinning. I sat down on the steps and put my head between my knees, overwhelmed. I was not going to pass out again. I took a few soothing breaths.
“Are you okay, love?”
I nodded. “Yeah, this is just . . . unexpected.” I managed after a few more breaths. After the world stopped spinning I looked up at him, at my father.
That was a weird idea to wrap my mind around.
My father? I actually had a father, not just the abstract idea of one. A real living, breathing corporeal person that was my father. I rubbed my temples with one hand, thumb on one, middle finger on the other, covering my face the process. After a moment my hand rested over my mouth. I didn’t know what to say.
I’d kind of known since the moment I saw him who we was to me. There was no denying the resemblance, but at the same time part of me expected the results to say he was no one to me.
I couldn’t explain it, part of me was relieved, part of me was disappointed. I rubbed my neck and stood slowly. James was beaming at me.
“You may be my father, but I’m not calling you Dad.” I warned. James gave me a curious look. “If you want that title, it’s one you have to earn. Any man can be a father, if you want to be my Dad, you’ll have to earn it. That probably makes me sound like a brat,” I shrugged. “but it’s how I feel. You haven’t been in my life for the past two decades, yes I understand you didn’t know I existed, but I can’t just accept you into my life. I hope that makes sense.”
James’s smile lilted but he nodded. “I can understand that. I hope you are willing to give me a chance.”
“I am, that’s why I said what I said. I don’t want to play games with you. I hate games, and the type I hate most are the ones with people’s emotions on the line. I don’t want to tell you something that isn’t true, and I don’t want to do something to hurt you. You seem like a really decent guy, and I’d like to get to know you. You are my father, someone every little girl wonders about. I can’t just say, hey great, you’re my daddy, the past twenty years mean nothing! But I’m willing to try one day at a time if you are.”
James smiled and nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.” I offered my hand and he shook it. “Let’s introduce you properly to Millie and Angelica.”
“I don’t think they’re going to like this.”
“Don’t be silly.”
James led me back to the dining room where Millie and Angelica were both seated enjoying their lunch.
“You’re late, James.” Millie teased then she looked up and saw me and her smile turned to a scowl.
“I have some news for two of my favorite ladies.” James beamed. “Juliet is, in fact, my daughter.”
Millie’s eyes went wide and Angelica choked on her beverage. “Excuse me?” Millie asked, fighting to maintain her composure.
“Daddy, are you not feeling well?” Angelica cooed, looking a little green herself.
“James, we need to be sure of something like this,”
“I am certain. I’ve already had the test completed. Besdies, just look at her Millie, she looks just like me.”
I looked around them and shifted uneasy under their gazes. “James, a word please.” Millie stood and hurried out of the room, throwing her napkin down on the table as she went. James followed her out.
I looked at Angelica and she was looking to me with a look of pure hatred.
“So . . .” I started. “I guess that makes us sisters.”
“I am not your sister!” Angelica hissed. “Don’t even think about calling me that.”
I snorted a laugh. “Whatever you say, sis.”
“Don’t call me that!” Angelica practically screamed as she stood up, forcing the chair back. “I am not your sister! I am not like you.”
“You’re damn skippy about that.” I retorted, rolling my eyes.
“I don’t know what you did to Daddy, but Mum and I are going to fix him and you.” Angelica stormed out of the dining room fuming.
I ran my hand through my hair. Was I ready for this? This was going to be an uphill battle with these two against me. I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I was sure that this was going to be messy and these two were going to be out for blood. I flopped myself into a seat and pulled my legs up to my chest in the chair. I wrapped my arms around them and rested my head on my knees.
Mom, give me the strength to do this, I prayed.
I sat at the dining table alone and realized that this was really how it had always been. It was always an uphill battle I chose. I always managed to put myself behind the eight ball and sometimes I lost, but usually I found a way. I decided if I was going to do this, I needed all the help I could get. I got up and left. I wandered around until I found an exit and went back down to the stables.
Something about horses just calmed me and made me happy. When I was younger, Mom, being a single Mom couldn’t afford everything, but I found a way. I used to volunteer at a horse ranch, and in exchange for my work, they would let me ride for free. I did that until I got thrown and got hurt. Mom and the ranch came to an understanding, and I wasn’t allowed to go back. I snuck into the barn and the horses started prancing in place. They didn’t recognize my smell, they just knew I wasn’t supposed to be here.
“Easy there,” I soothed. I made my way to the first stall and a painted mare was in with her colt. The colt was jet black and he was going to be a feisty one when he grew up. He pranced up to the window where I was and let me pet him. He was an affectionate little one. I felt myself smile. I made my way through the stables watching all of the horses and trying to get a feel for them.
“You’re not supposed to be in here.” I froze, then spun around to see Ben leaning against to door frame, a smirk across his lips.
“I got lost?” I shrugged waltzing over to him.
“Lost are we? You looked right at home.”
“I’ve always loved horses. They’ve always made me feel calmer.” I admitted.
“Is something the matter?”
I looked at Ben and shook my head. “Just a lot to take in.”
“Word on the grounds is that you are Eastgate’s daughter.”
“Is that what they’re saying?”
“Are you?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
Ben was looking into my eyes, searching my face for something. “Other than your eyes, I’d say you’re a spitting image.”
I looked down. “I don’t know what I’m doing here.” I admitted and looked him in the eye.
He shrugged. “The only one who can tell you that is you.” I nodded. I already knew that. “But I can show you a little bit of what’s around here if you like.”
I looked up at Ben and smiled. “That would be lovely.”
Ben led me through his chores and he was surprisingly easy to talk to. He told me a lot about James, and Millie, and Angelica. He showed me a little more of the grounds, and when he was finished with his daily chores, he offered to take me around the grounds on horseback. I happily accepted. Somehow we ended up at the lake and were sitting on the little dock.
“So, you’ve lived on these grounds your whole life?” I asked him.
“Yeah, except for the time when I was in school.”
“Boarding school?”
“Yes,”
“I can’t really imagine it. I mean, the shenanigans that went on in Harry Potter seemed cool, but I would have missed my mom being away months at a time.”
Ben shrugged. “Of course you miss home, but you just deal with it. Besides we sent letters and there’s this new invention called a telephone. We rang each other all the time.” Ben teased.
“I don’t get most of this lifestyle.” I admitted.
“I don’t know how to explain it.” Ben laughed. “It’s just the way we are.”
“Well, what else is there to you, other than just a stable boy?”
Ben laughed at that. “I’m stable boy to you then?” he chortled.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty sure you know what I meant.”
“What do you want to know?”
“This is going to sound really weird, but what can you tell me about James?”
Ben shrugged.
“What kind of a person is he?”
“I don’t know if I’m the best person to talk to about this.”
“Why not?”
“Juliet, he’s my employer. He employs most of my family.”
“I didn’t even think about that. Sorry, I understand. How about you tell me a little about you instead?”
Ben smiled. “What would you like to know, love?”
I thought for a moment and shrugged. “Can you swim?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, why?”
I smirked and pushed him in. I was looking down at the water waiting for him to surface. All I saw were bubbles. “Ben?” I looked around frantically. “Shit,” I jumped in and started searching, when I felt like my lungs were about to burst I surfaced and looked around and heard howling laughter. Ben had been hiding under the dock. I shot him a glare. “I take it you didn’t drown then,” I sounded disappointed as I swam for the edge of the lake.
“Sorry,” he shrugged and swam over to me. “Give a guy a little warning next time.”
I shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“You aren’t like them, that’s for sure.” Ben said after a moment.
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s not a bad thing. I don’t know if they’d agree, but I think so.”
I shrugged. How could I be like them? I’d hate myself if I was like Angelica. I had to work for everything I had. I had earned all of it myself. I couldn’t imagine something just being handed to me. “No, I don’t think I am.”
Ben stood up and offered me a hand. I accepted and he pulled me to my feet. “It’s getting late. They’ll be serving dinner soon. Millie is strict about meal times.”
I smiled and nodded. “Are you going to walk me back?”
“Of course,” Ben gave me a leg up onto my horse and we continued laughing and joking all the way back up to the main house dripping wet.
“Where have you been?” came a shrill scold. I looked up to see Millie glaring at me, arms crossed and her anger surrounded her like a cape.
“I was looking around my father’s grounds.” I smiled back up at her. I had a funny feeling we would never get along.
“Benjamin, take these horses back to the stables immediately.”
“Madame Eastgate,” Ben bowed and smiled. I looked back at him, and his smile turned to an impish grin. “Lady Juliet,”
“Now, Benjamin.”
“As my lady commands.” Ben took both horses by the reins and led them back towards the stables, I watched him until Millie cleared her throat. I turned back to her.
“We need to have a very serious talk.” Millie started.
“Do we now?”
“I don’t know who you think you are, but I am willing to pay you whatever it takes to get you back on a plane today.”
I took a step back. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. How much money will it take to get you to go back to wherever you came from?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I am not one for kidding.”
“Then you disgust me.”
“Pardon?”
“You disgust me. That’s insulting. You think you can buy me?”
“Everyone has a price.”
“No, you’re wrong.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Oh, yes, you are. Everyone like you has a price, but I’m not like you.”
“I’m sure there’s something.”
“I’m not in this for money. I never was.”
“Then what are you in it for?”
“I’m curious.”
“About?”
“About who my father is. About this life I never knew. About the man my mother fell in love with.” I shot back. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go change.”
“There’s something we agree upon.”
I flipped Millie the bird as I walked past her into the main house. I was fuming and didn’t realize until I’d wondered down several corridors that I still had no idea how to get to my room. I looked around and realized not only was I lost, but I was also still wet and tracking mud throughout the house. I pulled off my dripping socks and shoes and started shivering.
“Ah, Juliet there you - ” James started, but stopped as he caught sight of me. “What in the world have you been doing?”
I shrugged. “I slipped.”
“You’ll catch your death. Where were you going?”
“Trying to find my room.”
“Ah, you still haven’t been given the tour of the main house have you? Let me show you to your room. It looks as though there is a story behind all of this.” James started navigating the manor. “Millie seems rather put out by our discovery.” He started after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Does she now? I hadn’t noticed.” I muttered rolling my eyes.
“It’s a new idea to her. Give her time to adjust.” James consoled. He’d caught my sarcasm.
I sighed. “James, I don’t think she’s going to adjust to me. I’m not like her. I’m not part of your world. It’s cool that I’m your daughter and everything, but I’m illegitimate. Isn’t that kind of a big deal in this world? Everything is all about who belongs to who and so on and so forth.”
“Juliet . . .” James sighed. “This is your room.”
“James, it’s cool we found each other, but I don’t know if anyone else needs to know.” I offered. If he wanted out, he had this chance. I wouldn’t hold it against him.
“Juliet, you’re my daughter. I’ve only just found you and I have no intention to get rid of you.” James smiled.
“It would make your life easier.”
“I have rarely chosen the easy way. That is part of why you are here today.”
I smiled at that. “You’re making your life a lot more complicated than it has to be.”
“I understand the risks I am taking. You are taking risks here too, do you understand them?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea what this world is that I’ve just stepped into, but I know I won’t be welcomed in with open arms.”
James nodded sadly. “I won’t ask you to decide something of this gravity in such a short span of time. If anyone asks you are a relative visiting from America. Tell no one who you really are until you are sure this is what you want. If we announce you, there will be no turning back.”
I nodded trying to understand. I really didn’t know what it would mean to be a Duke’s daughter. “What would be the first step?”
“I will call my advisor in the morning and have her send someone over for you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”
“Do you enjoy shopping?”
I shrugged. “I’m not very partial to parting with my money.”
“On my pound?”
“I can’t accept that.”
“I insist. Consider this twenty-one years worth of birthday presents.” James smiled. “I won’t take no for an answer. Now hurry, go change. I’ll send one of the servants to take you to the dining room. It’s nearly time for supper. Hurry up.” James hurried off leaving me alone to take in what he had just said.
I sighed and went into my room and locked the door.
Chapter VI
I decided I’d give Millie and Angelica more time to ‘adjust’ to the idea that I was her stepdaughter and half-sister. Laurel came and knocked on my door about fifteen minutes after James left me there and I invited her in.
“Laurel, it’s okay if I call you that right?”
“Of course, Miss Juliet,”
“Hey, you don’t have to call me miss every time we talk. You can just call me Juliet if you want. Most of my friends call me Jules back home.” I offered. “It sounds weird and too official.”
Laurel let out a small laugh. “You are a strange one, that’s for sure.”
“Good strange, like how peanut butter and Oreos can be so amazing together, or bad strange like Lady Gaga fashion sense?”
Laurel started laughing again. “I’m not quite sure to be honest. You are going to change this place though. That is for sure.”
