When they pulled apart, she dabbed at her eyes. “I didn’t know you were coming to meet my plane.”
“She insisted on it,” another voice cut in. Sam looked over to see Beatrice’s chamberlain, Anju, who shot her a level stare. “Welcome back, Samantha. We’re all glad you finally decided to rejoin the land of the living.”
Sam followed Anju and Nina into the car. As they headed out into the city, she kept staring in shock at the skyline, so different from the golden seclusion of Hawaii. It seemed impossible that the world looked so normal—people streaming in and out of the metro, office buildings honeycombed with light from employees working late, cars honking as if nothing was wrong. As if the entire world hadn’t been brutally, viciously upended with Beatrice’s accident.
“Thanks for coming to get me,” Sam told Anju, who was perched in the front seat. “We’re going straight to the hospital, right?”
“Visiting hours are over for the day.” Anju sounded genuinely sorry as she added, “I promise you can go first thing in the morning. Her Majesty’s condition is still unchanged, so a few hours won’t make a difference.”
But they’ll make a difference to me, Sam thought, her heart aching. Aloud she said, “Can’t they make an exception, just this once?”
Anju hesitated in a way that made Sam suspect the hospital had already made a lot of exceptions, perhaps for their mom, or Teddy.
“I’m supposed to take you straight to Loughlin House,” the chamberlain told her.
“To Grandma Billie’s?” Sam asked, confused. Then comprehension settled in. “You don’t want anyone to know I’m in town, do you?”
Anju sighed. “Samantha, do you have any idea what people are saying about you? That you’re suicidal, or on drugs; that you and Marshall eloped, or that you’re pregnant. You’re not pregnant, are you?” she added. “Because I really can’t deal with another pregnancy right now.”
Sam blinked. “Another pregnancy?”
“Never mind,” Anju said quickly. “But please, come to your grandmother’s house for a little while, just until we figure out how we’re handling everything.”
Nina, who had been watching their conversation, wrapped an arm around Sam’s shoulder. “Anju, what if Sam stayed the night at my place?”
“Yes,” Sam said automatically. Much as she loved her grandmother, she would rather be with Nina right now.
Anju twisted her torso so that she was staring back at both of them, and narrowed her eyes. “You want Samantha to stay with you at King’s College?”
“She’s done it before—”
“Oh, fantastic,” Anju muttered, which Nina ignored.
“And both of my roommates have signed NDAs. We’ll be very careful, I promise.”
* * *
Half an hour later, Sam was in Nina’s common room, watching her friend bustle around making powdered hot cocoa.
She glanced around the room: at the desks scattered with laptops and photos, the calendar tacked to the far wall with notes written in colored marker. A shelf in the corner served as a makeshift pantry, stocked with granola bars and cans of diet soda. On the wall behind her hung a poster of the new Mr. Darcy, from the most recent Pride and Prejudice remake.
“I met him, you know. At Aunt Margaret’s film premiere,” Sam remarked, gesturing to Darcy.
She knew she was stalling, but to her relief, Nina let her stall.
“What was he like?”
“Sadly, he was a pretentious jerk.”
“Sounds like he was well cast, then.” Nina handed Sam a hot chocolate, in a mug that was printed with tiny cartoon cheetahs, and Sam took a grateful sip.
It wasn’t until they were both seated on the L-shaped couch that Nina cleared her throat. “Sam…are you going to tell me where you’ve been?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. Marshall is still there,” Sam added quickly. “He wanted to come with me, but I told him not to. Once he’s in America, his family will take over his life again.”
“You really love him, don’t you?”
When Sam nodded, Nina let out a breath. “Makes sense. You’re only ever this protective of the people you really love.”
Sam struggled to explain. “Being away, off the grid…it’s been good for Marshall. He’s become so confident there, and so happy; I can’t let him walk away from that. Once he does, there’s no going back.”
“What about your family? Have you talked to them?”
“Not yet. You were the only person I called from the plane.” Sam stared into her hot chocolate as she added, “Everything I need to say to Jeff and Mom is better said in person.”
“You’ll see them tomorrow,” Nina assured her. Her phone pinged, and Nina glanced down at the screen, distracted.
Sam had a sudden thought. “Has Jeff said anything to you about it?”
“To me?”
“I thought you two were friends again, right?”
“We were,” Nina said slowly. Her eyes were still fixed on her phone, making Sam wonder if she was texting a guy. “But…um…”
“You hooked up again, didn’t you?” Sam guessed.
Nina looked up sharply. “No! I mean, we kissed one time, the night of the League of Kings banquet, but that was it. We’re done now.”
“I don’t think you and Jeff are ever done.” Sam’s mouth lifted in a hint of a smile. It was just so comfortingly familiar, being back with Nina, teasing her about Jeff. It made the world feel temporarily right, just for a moment.
“This time I think we really are done.” There was a funny note in Nina’s voice as she held her phone toward Sam. “Look.”
Sam blinked at the headline on the news website: Prince Jefferson and Daphne Deighton Engaged at Last!
“This is just another clickbait rumor.”
“Look at the press announcement,” Nina insisted. Sam followed the link, and swallowed when she saw the announcement on the palace’s official website, stamped with the royal coat of arms. This wasn’t a joke.
“Oh my god. Are you okay?” she asked Nina.
Her friend made a strangled, almost amused noise. “You’re the one whose sister is in the hospital, remember? That’s a way bigger problem than my ex-boyfriend getting engaged to someone else.” She seemed to pause over that word, engaged, as if she couldn’t quite believe it.