Page 26 of How to Date a Prince (Being Royal #1)

“Perfect,” says Colin, delighted as ever to see us as a collective.

“What a busy bunch of eager beavers you’ve been all week.

And dare say, as I’ve visited all of you this week, you’ve been not only a highly productive group but also very talented.

Though we had a clue about the latter when we brought you on the show.

It’s something to see you all in action, however.

It’s our sheer delight to present tonight the array of talents under the umbrella of the Arts. ”

Jax shows us a rainbow of hand-sewn bow ties in the color of the pride flag, beautifully made with contrast stitching. He models one for the crowd, and we’re all dead impressed.

“I brought along my fabric stash,” Jax admits. “I thought it might come in useful on the show. I love to sew and make things for my friends. And I’m planning on launching my own accessories shop after the show.”

“Sign us up,” Colin says, pleased, after we’ve all had a chance to look at Jax’s creations and have returned to our marks.

Connor demonstrates his skills at Irish dancing, which earns him cheers and hollers from the men, along with some whistles. They do a second take with more camera angles, and the good cheer continues.

The focus turns to Martin, who pulls his lengthy dreads back and produces a beautifully knit hat.

“Knitting takes a lot of maths,” he explains, pulling out a matching set of gloves.

“It’s all about precision. And this design is all maths too.

” He explains how he used a certain theorem, which is admittedly over my head, but we all agree that his work is really beautiful, using locally sourced wool that he wove and dyed this week as well.

“I’ve done sheep to shawl competitions,” he says. “It’s a lot of fun. Good training too.”

Next up is David, whose talents as a woodworker are shown in a beautiful chair he’s made. “It’s truly exquisite,” Colin marvels. “It’s one thing to read your proposal, it’s quite another to see it come to life from your drawings.”

Sandeep shows us a large watercolor painting of the landscape setting we’re in, which is perfectly fine, but it’s missing that spark of something special to move it to the exceptional.

Wilson sings a strong cover song by Justin Bieber. I shouldn’t be so surprised that he’s a talented singer since he’s on the show. And yet, it bothers me. It’s a great performance, but he didn’t push himself to do something original like the others.

And finally, it’s down to Thomas and me, under Gisele’s watchful eyes.

She nods at Thomas, who takes the stage after Wilson.

My stomach knots. But he doesn’t appear rattled, checking the tune of his semi-acoustic guitar.

He gives his fab grin, leans into the mic as if he does this all the time.

“I wrote this song about a friend of mine. It’s called ‘Masquerade.’”

He doesn’t look at me or, as far as I can tell, at anyone in particular. Thomas plays a haunting intro and sings with such feeling I’ve got goose bumps after the first two lines.

And as we all listen, the goose bumps continue because I’m fairly certain he sings about me, about a man who’s trapped in a world of his own creation, hiding behind masks and theatre, and maybe one day, he’ll break free.

He catches my eye at one point, ever so fleetingly.

When he finishes, he has thunderous applause.

Colin finally gestures for me to come back as the camera crew moves with us over to the last covered piece. “Auggie, I understand there was a disaster with your original project for this week.”

“Sabotage, actually,” I say. “I went with plan B for a shot at a redemption arc.”

I pray that my piece has made it over from the studio intact. And when I carefully remove the soft cloth and plastic covering the work, I sigh with relief.

And Colin, for once, is speechless at the sight of my mother, the Queen, immortalized in clay. It’s dead quiet in the room. I look at the figure of my mum, her expression soft, like she’s about to smile or she has just been smiling.

“Your Royal Highness—Auggie—I had no idea you were such a gifted sculptor. I understood you’re a potter, but I didn’t realize you made figurative work too.”

“I love working with clay. It’s when I feel the freest,” I admit. “And, well, I wanted to make up for last week.”

“You’ve certainly done that, lad, you’ve certainly done that.” Colin claps my shoulder, which goes against the usual royal etiquette guide, but I’m not bothered. And Colin’s rapt on the work. After we finished filming, the others come over to look.

“That’s really beautiful,” Jax tells me.

“Yeah, man. Brilliant.” Travis nods.

“Gentlemen,” Colin calls a couple of minutes later, “please return to your marks. It’s time for the judging segment.”

We gather, and Colin nods as the cameras record once more. “It’s my sheer delight to present the top two finishers according to our judges this week. Thomas, Auggie, please step forward.”

I can’t keep the grin from my face. I’m so relieved I could weep, which Gisele would probably be all over. I barely hear Colin continue discussing Thomas’ brilliant performance and my sculpture.

He has to call my name twice. Thomas flashes a grin at me. “That’s you.”

“Sorry?” Exhaustion leaves me reeling.

“Auggie,” Colin chuckles. “You’ve won the week’s challenge. The judges are terribly impressed with the skill and sensitivity of your work, as well as your fortitude to come back after a devastating incident earlier this week to your project. They were unanimous.”

“Thomas, you’re the runner-up.”

We all shake hands and step to the side.

“Now it’s that terrible time of the show where we must send someone home. I do hate this part and wish you could all stay. However, I don’t write the rules, unfortunately. Regretfully, I’m calling up both Sandeep and Wilson.”

The dead silence returns as they take up their places. Wilson’s jaw is set. Sandeep looks resigned.

“Sandeep, while we enjoyed your painting, we expected more work or depth with the piece that you chose to submit, given that you had a week to work on the project. The judges were intrigued but wanted more work, or for you to go further, or both.”

Sandeep nods acknowledgment. “Thank you.”

“Wilson,” Colin says, turning to him. “You have a terrific singing voice and stage presence. However, you didn’t write an original piece or adapt the song to be truly your own, which the judges hoped for, which is why you’re also in the bottom two, given the work we’ve seen from everyone.”

His mouth sours, still standing like he owns the place, even so.

“This was a difficult decision. Unfortunately, Sandeep, you’re going home this week.”

“It’s alright,” he tells everyone. “That means I get to go home sooner to my family and little daughter. It’s been a great experience.” There’s another round of handshakes and farewell before Sandeep leaves.

The rest of the group gathers to examine everyone’s work.

Wilson gives me a dark look, which Thomas notices, and frowns ever so slightly.

Connor’s also still giving me the cold shoulder.

The room’s practically reeling as everyone talks about wrapping up their week and heading home.

I’m practically delirious by the time I climb upstairs, telling Alyse I need an emergency nap before we can leave. Even an hour will help.

When I wake, however, Thomas is gone before I can speak to him. But Alyse hands me a piece of paper with a phone number and his initials, which I slip into my pocket as we at last head out for home.