Playing the Royal Game

‘I am changed.’ Allegra swallowed.

‘You’re wearing jeans!’

‘And boots,’ Allegra said. ‘Aren’t they divine?’ They were, the leather as soft as butter; they were so perfect, so wonderful, that she wanted to name them.

‘Your father...’ A maid handed her the telephone and Allegra grabbed at it like a lifeline. He’d hardly called in weeks, and whenever she did he was invariably out, but it was such a relief to hear his voice.

‘How are you?’

‘Great!’ Allegra said. ‘I haven’t heard from you. Why are you ringing me on this phone?’ She knew Alex had arrived, but it had been ages since she had spoken to her father so she moved to another room to continue the conversation.

‘I thought that was what I was supposed to do,’ Bobby said. ‘Cheaper than a mobile...’ He tried to make a joke except Allegra didn’t smile. ‘Anyway, you’d have lots to be getting on with, I don’t want to get in your way.’

‘You don’t.’

‘Have you seen Izzy?’

‘I’m seeing her tonight!’ She was so looking forward to it, even if she would only get a bit of time with her at the after party, but she couldn’t wait to talk to her.

‘I just wanted to check something with you, Allegra. I’ve been offered a job—it’s a regular spot, on a sports quiz show. The money’s good and it keeps my face out there....’

‘Sounds great, Dad.’ Allegra grinned. It was the perfect job for her father; he loved the spotlight and attention. ‘So what did you want to check?’ Occasionally he asked her to look through a contract before he signed it, but she frowned as her father answered.

‘Well, will it make things awkward for you?’

‘How could it make things awkward?’

‘I just....’ She could hear her father’s discomfort. ‘I don’t want to do anything that might embarrass you, like I did with the speech.’

‘Dad!’

‘And I won’t talk about you on the television or anything or in the press.’

‘I know that.’

‘Well, I just want to make sure I’m doing the right thing.’ He said goodbye, but somehow it was awkward.

Alex got to the foyer in time to hear his father scolding the maid for giving Allegra the phone.

‘It’s her father calling,’ Alex pointed out.

‘And she’s about to go out on an official function—he’s been told not to ring for a chat.’ The king bristled. ‘I’m going to have Antonio have another word with him—and you need to speak with her,’ the king said. ‘Properly this time. She’s not to drop everything when one of her blasted family calls—she needs to be away from their influence. Is it any wonder she’s going out dressed like a delinquent teenager, with their poor influence?’

Allegra walked in then and Alex saw she looked hardly like a delinquent teenager, just more like the woman he had first met. London had not been as he’d expected, in fact. All too often he had found himself sitting in the bar where they had met, or walking near her small flat, trying to fathom how he could make up for so drastically changing someone’s life—for despite trying to deny it, despite perhaps not understanding it, he knew she had been happy then.

‘Allegra.’ He gave her a kiss as she walked in, but it was a tired kiss, a weary kiss, and for a moment he held her because he was not looking forward to what he had to say—to tell her in no uncertain terms that she needed to remove herself further from her family. He needed to think, needed some time to work out a better solution, except time seemed to be running away. The date for the wedding would be announced tomorrow and sooner than she knew it the day would be here.

Allegra blinked in surprise when she saw him. He was dressed in his suit, just as he so often did, but he must have missed shaving this morning, for he was the most unkempt she had ever seen him—his black hair tousled, looking so drained, so tired—and she almost felt sorry for him, for the last thing it looked like he needed was a rock concert.

‘Allegra’s wearing jeans,’ Zoe said, waiting for some sort of reaction. ‘Alessandro, are you going to get changed?’ He completely ignored her.