Page 12 of Royally Matched
“If you will excuse me, sir, I need to find my seat.”
“Yes, it would be best,” Max stated, with narrowed eyes.
Once the other man was gone, Max pulled out Lily’s seat for her. As she slid into it, Max asked, “Who was that imbecile, anyway?”
“You don’t remember him?”
Max shook his head. “Should I?”
“His father is the Earl of Shundry. We all grew up together.” Then remembering who she was speaking to, she said mockingly, “But it makes sense you wouldn’t remember him. Lord Rogers doesn’t wear a skirt.”
Max pressed his lips together, a gesture she knew meant he was holding back his temper. After a moment, he said, “I’m surprised that man is the son of an earl. His father should have taught him to behave better than that, especially at a royal function.”
“In his defense, he didn’t know anyone besides me was listening,” Lily explained.
“And why would he think it appropriate to joke with a lady in that way? More specifically with you?” Max asked, almost as if he cared what her connection to Joseph was.
“We’re old friends.”
“Just friends?” Max probed further, taking the seat next to her.
“Yes,justfriends. We have worked on several goodwill projects together. He was just with me at the orphanage in China.”
“Well, from the way he was looking at you since the moment he got here, I think he wants to be more than just friends,” Max observed.
“You were watching me?” Lily asked in confusion. “Why would you do that?”
“I want to know what I’m getting into with our arrangement. I don’t want to take on a jealous boyfriend on top of everything else.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Lily said, crossing her arms. “I haven’t had a boyfriend since boarding school.”
“Really?” Max asked with surprise. “That long? Why?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve been busy helping other people. It doesn’t really leave room for anything romantic. Of course, you wouldn’t know what that’s like,” Lily stated with sarcasm.
“Liliana Lockhart, that is not how I raised you to speak to your future king,” she heard her mother say from behind her.
Immediately, Lily felt heat flash across her body, embarrassed that she had let Max goad her into speaking out of turn.
Lily’s eyes fell to the table as she said, “I’m sorry, Mother.”
“It isn’t me you should be apologizing to,” her mother chastised.
Forcing herself to raise her eyes to meet Max’s gaze, Lily whispered, “I’m sorry, your Royal Highness. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s all right. Let’s just let it go and move on,” Max stated dismissively. “Itwill be a long night.”
The rest of the evening passed by with cordial conversation between her and Max, but it remained superficial and polite. By the end of the evening, she was exhausted from monitoring her every word, and felt no better about her situation with Max than she did before the night began.
