Page 14 of How to Date a Prince (Being Royal #1)

Chapter Eleven

T homas Golden doesn’t leave quite yet, and we stand awkwardly by the table and its abandoned vintage floral china and pastry crumbs from the impromptu tea party.

We look at each other for a long, strange moment.

Habit kicks in then, and I start putting dishes and teapots onto the silver-plated trays.

A moment later, he helps too, even going so far as to wipe down the table with napkins.

“It feels weird to leave this here.” He studies the tray in front of him. “We could at least take them into the kitchen. It would be polite.”

“Agreed. It’s the least we can do.” I’m not going to be out mannered by Thomas Golden.

And on the way to the kitchen, I surreptitiously peek at Thomas Golden. He’s carefully not looking at me. Till his gaze flickers over and away again so quickly I could have imagined it.

We walk into the kitchen, currently empty of people, with the back door open, which lets in a warm breeze and a peek at the welcoming gardens beyond in the golden haze of the late-afternoon sun.

I follow Thomas Golden to the sinks, where bakery trays and colorful ceramic bowls are haphazardly stacked, with more spatulas than you could shake a whisk at.

Thomas Golden sets down his tray, leaving space for me on the crowded countertop by the sink to place my tray. “They must all be on a break.” He shrugs. “Or the crew’s run away.”

“Well, they’ve forgotten Colin behind if they’ve left. I spoke to him not long ago,” I say lightly after I slide my tray beside his. I run a hand through my hair, letting it fall back into place. “You didn’t even leave him an éclair, the poor arsehole.”

Thomas laughs, looking like he’s surprised himself with his own laughter. He peers at me as if he’s seeing me for the first time. “Shit. I should have?—”

“Don’t worry, I saw him eat at least one,” I confess, an unexpected smile tugging at the corners of my mouth against all odds. éclair-related banter is much safer than, say, bringing down the monarchy. A real conversation killer, that.

He looks relieved, his smile leaving just as quickly when there’s a blur of motion low to the ground. A badger rounds the corner of the large central kitchen island, looking all black and white and, well, badgery.

“Oh my God, what’s that?” Thomas Golden whirls, backing into the counter and bumping into a stack of baking trays, which rattle loudly, and also startle the badger as well as us.

“It’s only a badger,” I tell him helpfully, matter-of-fact. “Definitely not a deer. Or a fox.”

He ignores my attempt at a joke, looking increasingly alarmed. “What do we do? Do they bite?”

“Only sometimes.”

Thomas Golden gawps at me. “Have you heard what a honey badger can do?”

“Just sit on the island,” I advise calmly. I gesture broadly at the large wooden butcher-block-style island running down the middle of the kitchen. He doesn’t need to be told twice. I hop up to sit on the island beside Thomas Golden, with our legs dangling over the edge.

I glance at him. “I thought you were someone who was all about the outdoors and nature?”

“I keep my wilderness outside, thanks.” He pulls up his legs entirely, the heels of his shoes on the edge of the island, his arms wrapped around his knees. “What do we do?” Thomas Golden asks again, giving me a meaningful look that clearly says: your country, your badger, your problem.

I didn’t expect to hear anxiety in his voice.

He’s so near I can see faint freckles on his nose, the crinkle of his eyes.

For a moment, I can’t breathe to look at him so close, transfixed like I had been at the club.

And he’s staring back at me. I swallow hard and wait for oxygen to return to my brain before I attempt to speak again.

“You’ll have to wait for me to reveal my latent badger-whispering skills for which all royals are famous.”

“Yes, please.”

It’s my turn to laugh. We watch the badger continue to sniff its way along the base of the cupboards, eating any fallen bits of baking it finds.

When the badger comes closer to us, Thomas lets out an undignified squeak.

I also lift my legs to mirror Thomas’ position.

I’m not really up for an experimental nibble from the badger.

However, a secret part of me wouldn’t be sorry for an experimental nibble from Thomas Golden.

I peek over my toes as the badger continues to explore over the terra-cotta tiles.

“What we do is wait.” I glance at Thomas, lifting my eyebrows at him.

“What, that’s it? Don’t you chase them out or hunt them or something?”

“Badgers are a protected species here.”

“What is this, Wind in the Willows ?” Thomas protests. “Come on.”

“Yes.” I give a solemn nod.

“So the badger gets the full run of the kitchen?”

“It’ll go out again. After all, it found its way in,” I reason.

“How long does that take?” He frowns, thoroughly aggrieved.

I shrug expansively, nodding at the badger, who shows no sign of leaving yet. “Till it’s had enough. They’re meant to be nocturnal, so if it’s out in the day, it’s got to be very hungry.”

“I should have just left when the others did.” Thomas groans, shaking his head.

“You’re stuck with a badger and a prince for company now, I’m afraid.”

“God.”

“Church and state are another matter, I hate to tell you.”

His eyes, I discover with great fascination, are green. We lock gazes, and time suspends as the warm afternoon sun falls through the tall pane windows. For a moment, it’s just him and me and the distinct snuffling and scratching of a badger.

Thomas clears his throat at last. He speaks slowly, considering me, bemused. “Dave, you acted like a complete, utter jerk at the club.”

“I’m really very sorry. And I’m horribly embarrassed. It was rotten of me. You didn’t deserve that.” My face instantly burns. “I, err, didn’t want to be recognized.”

Or outed, but I keep my mouth shut. Though he has an Instagram girlfriend.

“See how that worked out for you? Prince Auggie in Tabloid Shock with Girlfriend .” He recites a headline from memory. Which tells me he must have seen the headlines too, and not only on Travis’ phone.

I bite my lip, thinking of how terribly I treated and used Katie.

I must call her again on my way back to London.

I’ve been trying every day. She has to answer sometime.

And yet, I can’t bring myself to tell him Katie’s not my girlfriend as far as he’s concerned.

“I was a complete arse in the club,” I confirm, drooping slightly, my arms relaxed around my bent legs. “And for the record, I’m very sorry.”

We fall back to looking at each other uncertainly, our poses mirrored. At least he seems a little calmer now. Thomas nods slowly. I’m so close I feel his warmth, see the fullness of his lips, the way the sunlight shines on his dark hair. He opens his mouth to say something, stops, and tries again.

“There’s definitely something wrong with you, for the record. Even if you do have incredible badger skills.”

“It’s true. I’m exceptionally good with badgers. But humans?—”

Then, there’s the sound of laughter as the crew comes parading in through the back door from their break. And then reality comes back.

“Did you see the badger that just ran out of the kitchen?” Rose, one of the crew, marvels. “Oh, Prince Auggie, we didn’t realize?—”

Thomas sighs with relief at the acknowledgment the badger’s gone. He glances around to be certain. I hop down.

“I guess you were right after all. About the badger finding its way out.” Thomas gazes at me.

I can’t tear my eyes away from him in that moment if I wanted to. Which I don’t. Not really. Even if his politics are dreadful. “There weren’t any éclairs left for it to stay long, remember?”

His mouth twitches, and he glances away.

Then I smile at the crew. “Please, no formalities here. We just watched a badger roll through, after all.”

“Must have been hungry,” Rose marvels. “At least it came to the right place.”

“I need to get back to London,” Thomas says abruptly, running his hands through his hair. He looks uncertainly at me again. “Why are you here still here? Do you live on the estate now?”

I laugh. “No. Waiting for my ride. Which should be here by now.” I check my phone, on silent, and sure enough, there’s a message from Nick letting me know they’re ready.

“Okay. Well, thanks for the badger help? I didn’t expect you to be levelheaded about that.” He’s uncharacteristically flustered. “Badgers, I admit, are not my strong suit.”

“Any time you have badger problems, you know who to call.” Beside me, the crew laughs. When Thomas gives another surprised laugh too, I can’t help the smile that comes as we go our separate ways for the weekend. Which makes the idea of coming back next week a lot more bearable.