Royally Not Ready(129)

“Kirkfell is one of our biggest tourist attractions, besides the capital, because of all the brightly colored buildings, trails to hike, and small-town feel. Great food here as well.”

Kirkfell, that’s where Keller planned his fake story about the angler’s wife, and being a romantic at heart, I want to know what would’ve happened to the angler’s wife and who she chose. I know, it was made up, but it’s like your favorite author writing two books in a series, ending it on a cliffhanger, and never writing that third one for you to find out what happened to those characters. Oh, they make promises, they tell you one day, but it never . . . ever . . . happens.

“Are you ready?” Lara asks.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I answer.

Lara steps out of the car first and holds the door open for me as we practiced at Harrogate. I swing my legs out, keeping them shut, because . . . you know, Britney showed us what not to do, and then I stand, the sun beaming down on this warmish day. Either the weather has given me a break, or I’m starting to get used to it. Either way, I’m not a shivering icicle.

Henrik appears from the front of the car. He has come with me today since Keller’s been suspended. I understand why Theo did it. Keller didn’t report to his job as he should have, but I’m still in shock.

And saddened.

I know I walked out on him when I went to his room, but call me a glutton for punishment, I still thought I’d be able to see him. But that’s not the case, and this feels very . . . final. Like our relationship status is over. Done.

So, I’ve been mentally trying to deal with that as well.

“Miss Campbell, right this way,” Henrik says as we move toward the yellow building.

Henrik is friendly, a little stuffy, and doesn’t seem to have a sense of humor like Keller. I attempted to joke around with him earlier, you know, cut the tension since I’m feeling all sorts of emotions, but he didn’t laugh. He didn’t even crack a smile. It made me miss Keller even more, and I hate that because he hurt me.

Gripping my clutch, which has nothing in it besides my lipstick and a mirror, I follow Henrik into the boathouse. It takes my eyes a few moments to adjust from the light outside to the darker interior, but when they do, I’m met with I’d say at least thirty people, all lined up, waiting for my greeting. I thought it would only be five, but then again, it seems they brought their families.

“Princess Lilija,” a man with a gray mustache and bald head says as he walks up to me and bows. “It is my pleasure to meet you.”

“This is Magnus Hearborn,” Henrik says. “The chief angler of Torskethorpe. He oversees the competition throughout the year.”

I hold my hand out to him. “Mr. Hearborn, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He gently takes my hand in his and bows again. “The pleasure is all mine.” When my eyes connect with his weathered ones, he adds, “It means a lot to us, to our country, that you’re here. We’ve felt lost without an heir, and you’ve truly saved us.”

Maybe a month ago, something like that would’ve made me scoff, but after being in Strombly and talking to many, I realize just how significant my decision is.

“I’m so honored to be here and to be welcomed with open arms.”

“And I hope I’m not speaking out of turn when I say you look just like your mother. We loved her dearly.”

“Thank you, that means a lot to me,” I say kindly.

“We appreciate you coming by. I believe I shall introduce you to our anglers now. They’ve had pins and needles waiting to meet you.”

Magnus moves me through the line of anglers and their families. I listen to their stories of how they caught their crown-winning cod, and some of the stories were quite entertaining. I laughed, I shook hands, and I accepted a few wood carvings of fish, one of which was a life-sized replica that came up to my hip. And when we get to the final man, my eyes deceive me, because for a moment, I think he’s Keller from the broadness of his shoulders and the style of his hair.

But that can’t be.

Can it?

My breath is stolen from my lungs when he lifts his head, and his deep blue eyes connect with mine.

Why is he here?

Lara didn’t mention he was going to be here, or did she and I was daydreaming? Either way, he’s here, and he looks . . . God, he’s so handsome. The bruise under his eye has faded, but his expression looks weathered, as though he’s been through the gauntlet and barely was able to crawl out.

But still, the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.

And even though I feel the broken pieces of my heart barely holding together, it still leaps from the sight of him. My body still craves his warm, strong arms. My mouth still desires his. And I desperately want to crawl against his body and let him take care of me, tell me everything’s going to be okay.

“And I believe you know Mr. Keller Fitzwilliam,” Magnus says. “His story is entertaining because he caught the biggest fish by accident.”

As if someone has programmed me to do so, I lift my hand to Keller, who takes it in his long fingers as he bows. But there’s something paper-like between our fingers, and when I have a second to figure it out, I see that he’s slipping me a note.

Before he releases my fingers, he gives them a gentle squeeze . . . three times.

My breath stills in my chest as my pulse roars through my veins.