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Back What Happens At Christmas Save as PDF
Chapters (32)
  1. Also by
  2. Title Page
  3. One
  4. December 21st
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. December 22nd
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. December 23rd
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-one
  27. December 24th
  28. Twenty-two
  29. Twenty-three
  30. December 25th
  31. Twenty-four
  32. Copyright Page

Not that it mattered now. Not that it had mattered for a very long time. Not that it had ever mattered.

Still, a voice in the back of her head whispered, But it did.

Eight

Eight

Observing the group at the dinner table, an uninformed spectator would think there was little out of the ordinary in the gathering. Certainly, the older lady had a tendency to make comments that made no sense whatsoever. The older gentleman monopolized much of the conversation with endless tales of travel and military service in Africa and India, peppered generously with quotes from Shakespeare. Whether his stories were true or not, Gray had no idea, but they were entertaining enough. The youngest lady, with the fiery red hair, said far more with her eyes and the inclination of her body than she actually put into words, but there was no doubt as to the flirtatious message she delivered. As for those members of the family who were not pretending to be someone they weren’t, it was all Beryl could do to hide her amusement while Camille adopted a pleasant manner, although tension lingered in the set of her shoulders and the look in her eye. Still, Camille might well be the best actress in the room.

“. . . and I should love to hear more about your travels in the Alps,” Mrs. Montgomery-Wells said to the prince. “I have never seen an Alp, but I understand they are quite scenic.”

Camille had provided the real names of the actors, as Gray claimed it was awkward for him otherwise. After all, if one knew the real Lady Briston, calling the actress “Lady Briston” simply did not ring true if one was not a professional actor. And if Gray was to be part of the cast, he did want to play his role as well as possible.

“If you would be so kind, Your Highness,” the older woman continued.

Henderson cleared his throat. “Among family, remember, Constance?”

“Regina,” Beryl said sotto voce.

“Yes, of course.” Mrs. Montgomery-Wells heaved an exasperated sigh and returned her attention to the prince. “If you would be so kind, Your Highness, dear.”

Camille winced. Gray bit back a grin. The prince, however, with his overly perfect face and his overly perfect manner—Camille’s perfect prince—did exactly what a charming, perfect prince would do and acted as if it was not at all uncommon for him to be addressed as “Your Highness, dear.”

One might have attributed his response to a lack of understanding of the English language; and, indeed, he did spend much of the meal smiling and nodding, as if he were perpetually confused. Yet, there was a gleam of intelligence in his eyes; and Gray wagered he understood far more than he let on. Which did lead one to wonder why he would act otherwise. One more reason to mistrust the royal.