Page 50 of American Royals II: Majesty

“What would you be, if you weren’t the queen?”

If she weren’t queen. Beatrice’s brain could hardly wrap itself around the notion. The only time she’d allowed herself the luxury of imagining it, she had wanted a future with Connor. That felt like very long ago, now. And besides, Beatrice realized, that dream was built around someone else.

It was time she dreamed something forherself.What would she, Beatrice, do if she had the freedom to choose? If she stopped listening to people like Robert Standish and actually did whatshewanted, for once?

“I’d go on a backpacking trip, all over the world.”

Lewis leaned his elbows onto his knees with a puzzled frown. “But haven’t you been all over the world?”

“Sure, inside ballrooms and stuffy conference rooms! I’ve never traveled like anormalperson.” Beatrice’s words were faster now, more urgent. “I want to learn to skydive. And scuba dive. And make a dry-ice bomb!”

The boys laughed at her declaration. “Let me get this straight,” Teddy summarized. “You want to throw yourself out of a moving plane, and learn how to make holes in your wall.”

Beatrice nodded vigorously. “Yes, exactly! That all soundsfun.”

“You’re so much cooler than the magazines make you sound,” Livingston remarked, then immediately winced. But Beatrice knew what he’d meant.

Teddy nodded at his brother’s words. “I know. Isn’t she?”

“You okay?” Teddy started down the stairs next to Beatrice. It was late; Lewis and Livingston had gone back to the main house a few hours ago, leaving the two of them alone.

“I’mfantastic,” Beatrice declared—but at the bottom of the staircase, she halted. A low, whimpering sound came from across the barn, tugging at her heartstrings. Beatrice set out in search of it.

“Bee?” Teddy asked, trotting to keep up.

At the end of a hallway, a yellow Labrador lay surrounded by a squirming, playful pile of puppies. They tumbled over one another in blithe confusion.

Beatrice sank to her knees on the dusty ground, and one of the puppies started toward her. She sighed contentedly as it crawled onto her lap.

“You didn’t tell me that your family has dogs.” Her new friend set its paws on her shoulders and began licking her face, little exploratory kisses as if to figure out who she was. Beatrice couldn’t help it; she laughed. The kind of easy laugh that floats through your body like magic.

Her chest almosthurtfrom it, as if she’d been compressing that laugh inside her since before her father died.

Teddy knelt down next to her. “I didn’t realize that we still did. I mean, I knew Sadie had her puppies a couple months ago, but I thought we’d have given them away by now.”

“Is Sadie your dog?”

“She’s everyone’s dog. She pretty much has the run of this place.”

“I’m in love.” Beatrice turned a pleading face to Teddy. “Can we keep him?”

She’d saidwe,notI.But she meant it. Beatrice wanted to take care of this puppy with Teddy, together.

“Beatrice…”

“We can’t leave Franklin here!”

Teddy sighed, but she saw that he was smiling, and felt something catch within her at the sight of that smile. “You’ve already named him,” he observed.

“A patriotic American name.Anda smart name.” She tightened her arms around Franklin. “Please?”

“All right.” Teddy held out a hand to help her to her feet.

Beatrice had expected him to put up more of a fight. “Really?”

“It’s not easy for me to tell you no.”

Ignoring his hand, Beatrice rose to her feet, still holding Franklin tight to her chest. “Because I’m the queen.”