“Hell of a way to end this trip,” Nick said. “And I don’t mind saying that I feel extremely smug about it.”

I laced my arm through his and squeezed it. “You should,” I said. “You win. Future king of the Commonwealth, current king of the Grand Romantic Gesture.”

“What a blunder. I’ve gone too big,” he teased. “How can I possibly top this?”

“By getting me one more hot dog,” I said. “And then by taking me home.”

CHAPTER SIX

BEX AND NICK (FINALLY) PLAY BALL

But Was It Enough? asks XANDRA DEANE.

Palace sources say Queen Eleanor herself blessed the Duke and Duchess of Clarence’s surprise stop at Wrigley Field, but those same insiders confirm there are factions inside The Firm who are unhappy about it.

The Duchess strung together two triumphant days in New York City after the release of invasive topless photos. Critics of the royal couple warn that allowing the sum of the tour’s parts to negate the scandal might be shortsighted.

“Yes, the drone was illegal, but they were not on private property,” an insider points out. “Their immaturity is a concern, and shouldn’t be rewarded.”

The Queen reportedly accepted the explanation that the Duke and Duchess—who otherwise made no public errors—believed they were safely alone, and encouraged them to make the Chicago detour that even detractors admit got solid reviews. Comments on royal social media pages praised the pair for demanding no special favors, and one analyst suggested it was a stroke of genius to frame them as regular people who, ergo, make regular mistakes.

“The more relatable and human they look, the more people think, ‘Well, we’ve all done silly, risky things in our lives,’” said the source. “Whoever is pulling the strings over there knows what they’re doing.”

“I think this is the first good review I’ve ever gotten from Xandra Deane,” I said, folding the Mail in half and setting it down next to the toast rack on our antique dining table. “Although, really, it’s a good review of you, Puppetmaster Nick.”

“I swear to you, I didn’t think about anything when I bought those tickets except that it would make us both happy,” he said. “But Xandra may have nailed the reason it did not give Bea an aneurysm.”

“I just thought she was too busy back here to fight you,” I said.

“Bea,” said Nick, “is never too busy to fight anything.”