London Loves - Book 3 - Love's Great Adventure Series (10 page)

“I reckon it’s possible. We’ll find out Friday night.”

“What do I wear to meet a prince?”

“Wear your jeans and sweatshirt and I’ll get takeaway from McDonalds,” he joked.

Tess playfully slapped his ass. “I’m serious. I don’t want to do the wrong thing.”

“Darling, we’re eating here. We are not going to the palace. I’ll make a nice dinner. It will be relaxed and casual.”

“I’ll be sure to get home on time. My boss will flip when I tell him I’m having dinner with a member of the Royal Family.”

“Don’t get too excited. It’s just Alistair.”

“I think it’s exciting! Aren’t you looking forward to it?”

“I don’t know, Tess. I have too much on my mind lately.”

She looked at him with concern. “Something else is bothering you, isn’t it?”

“Max wants us to go to the engagement party.”

“Well, of course we’ll go. Why does that bother you?”

“Lily.”

Tess' expression fell serious. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Exactly.”

“She can’t hurt us, Bas. We’ve got each other’s backs. She only has the power if we give it to her.”

He smiled at his beautiful, strong girl.
God, how I love her.
“What about Mattie? I want to protect her.”

“You
do
protect her. We’ll keep her away from Lily. We have to go to the party. Penny’s one of your oldest and dearest friends and Max is your brother. Let’s show Lily just how great our lives are without her,” Tess finished with conviction.

“I love you,” he whispered, placing his hand behind her neck and pulling her in for a wonderfully long kiss.

The doorbell of the Irons household rang promptly at seven o’clock. Sebastian opened the door to find Alistair dressed in a bespoke navy suit, crisp white shirt, and red striped tie. He was holding a bottle of wine in his hand. “Good evening,” he greeted.

“Alistair, please come in,” Sebastian said, standing aside to allow his guest entrance to his home.

Tess stood a few feet away, dressed in her Calvin Klein and black heels. Mattie, who was wearing her prettiest pink frock, held her hand. Alistair walked forward and greeted Tess. She curtsied with a blush.

“Tess, you don’t need to curtsy. You’re not English.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve never met a prince before. I don’t know the protocol.”

Alistair laughed. “Please—just call me Alistair. Sebastian never once called me by my title. I don’t expect his wife to, either.” He looked down at Mattie and smiled. “And who do we have here?”

Mattie politely bowed and then offered her hand. “I’m Mattie Irons.”

Alistair took the child’s hand and shook it. “Pleasure to meet you, Mattie Irons.”

“Can I call you Uncle Alistair?”

“Martha, you’ve only just met,” Sebastian admonished.

“Yes, you can call me Uncle Alistair.” He winked at the little girl.

“Come, dinner is ready,” Sebastian announced, escorting the group to the dining room. “No servants tonight, blue blood. Take a seat.”

Alistair sat in one of the four chairs at the round table, which was dressed with the family’s best linens and china. Mattie sat next to him. Sebastian and Tess went into the kitchen to bring out the food. Soon they were eating a meal of veal with roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli, and green beans.

“This is delicious. My compliments to the chief,” Alistair said, nodding toward Tess.

Tess giggled and then said, “You’ll have to thank Sebastian. He’s the cook in the family.”

“Surely, you’re pulling my leg.”

“It’s true,” Sebastian confirmed. “Much has transpired since we said our goodbyes.”

“Where do you work?” Mattie asked.

“Well, Mattie, I have a job in the Royal Navy. I fly helicopters.”

“Cool,” she replied before taking a bite of her veal.

“Yes, it’s very cool,” he agreed. “How did you get to be so adorable?”

“Mummy says I take after my daddy,” she replied in all seriousness.

“Your father always was the charmer.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means he was always very polite and everyone liked him.”

Over the course of the dinner, Alistair went on to tell the group about his travels to Africa, while Sebastian and Tess talked about living in New Jersey and working in New York. When they finished their meal, Tess put Mattie to bed. Sebastian and Alistair sat in the living room, enjoying an after dinner drink.

“I read in the papers that Penny Stanton and your brother are engaged. That was a surprise,” Alistair said, crossing his legs as he sipped his scotch.

“Do you keep in touch with Penny?”

Alistair laughed. “After she told me to sod off and few other choice words—no.”

“You cheated on her in public. How did you think she’d react?”

“Irons, you were no saint back then either,” Alistair reminded him.

“Yes, I know. Things changed. I met Tess. I have a beautiful daughter. I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.”

Alistair became quiet, lost in thought. Finally, he looked Sebastian in the eye and said, “Penny was the best thing that ever happened to me and I blew it.”

“I won’t disagree. Why didn’t you go after her?”

“I was young and stupid. Hell, we all were back then—all of us except Penny. I was going to the Naval Academy, and it just didn’t seem possible to carry on a relationship.” Alistair looked down at his perfectly manicured fingernails and asked, “Is she well?”

“Yes, she is well. You can’t tell me you never run into her.”

“A few times—here and there. She smiles politely, but we never speak.”

“And now that you see someone else is serious about her, you want her back?”

“No, she’d never have me even if it were possible. I like Maxwell. He’ll be good to her.” He placed his glass down on the coffee table and ran his hand through his blond hair. “Bollocks! I’m just feeling sorry for myself.”

“Poor Prince Alistair.”

“Sod off, Irons,” he said, cracking a grin.

The two old friends looked at one another and began laughing aloud. Just then Tess walked back into the room. “Keep it down you two. Mattie just fell asleep,” she admonished as she sat down next to Sebastian.

“Sorry, darling,” he apologized, kissing her temple.

“So tell me, Tess: what on earth made you fall in love with Sebastian?”

Tess looked up at her husband. Her lips curled up into a smile. “I had never met anyone like him before. He’s the most loyal friend I’ve ever had, the most loving husband, and the best father.”

Sebastian looked at her, his eyes shining bright with happiness. “I love you,” he whispered, forgetting Alistair was still in the room.

Alistair cleared his throat to get the couple’s attention. “I’d best be going. You two lovebirds seem like you need some alone time.”

“Please, you’re welcome to stay a while longer,” Tess offered.

“Thank you for a wonderful dinner.” Alistair stood and kissed Tess on the cheek. Next, he shook Sebastian’s hand. “If you’d like, I’d love to have you by Kensington Palace in a few weeks for dinner. I have an apartment there. You’re welcome to bring Mattie, too.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not sure you want Mattie running around the palace,” Sebastian said.

Tess looked up at her husband with expectant eyes. “She would love it and so would I.”

“It’s settled then. I’ll have my secretary ring you next week with a date.”

“Thank you, Alistair. It was a pleasure to meet you,” Tess said, extending her hand.

Opening the front door, Sebastian said, “Have a good evening.” He watched as Alistair made his way to the Range Rover parked in front of their home. When he had driven off, Sebastian loosened his tie and shook his head in disbelief. “How did you mange to wrangle an invitation to the palace?”

“You’ve known him how many years and you’ve never been there?” Tess asked in disbelief.

“Back then, the palace—any palace—was the last place we wanted to be.” Sebastian took her hand and led her to the bedroom.

“Yes, I suppose wild parties and fine painting and antiques don’t mix. Too many things could get broken.”

“Exactly.”

“He seems nice enough. Do you think he’s tamed his wild ways?”

“Maybe he has. It’s hard to say. He’s regretting letting Penny get away.”

“He told you that?”

“Yes.” Sebastian closed the bedroom door and began to take off his suit.

“Hmm, interesting time for him to pop back into the picture,” Tess mused, stepping out of her dress and then hanging it in the closet.

“I’ll keep an eye on him. I don’t need him stirring up trouble for Max and Pen.”

“I think that’s a wise decision,” Tess agreed. She pulled down the duvet and got into bed. “I still want to go to dinner at the palace.”

“Said the girl who loves McDonald’s.”

Tess giggled. “How many people do you think get invited by a prince to have dinner in the palace?”

“I had a castle—isn’t that enough?” he joked.

“Bas, I want to go and so will Mattie.”

“You want to go because the writer in you wants to observe and jot it down for some grandiose tale.”

“I write fact, not fiction.” She curled up next to her husband as he lay down on the bed. “But maybe someday I might write a novel, and that will be an experience I’ll have tucked in the back of my mind.”

“Why don’t you just ask him for an interview—help him clean up that wild boy image of his?”

“Not a bad idea, Bas. I’ll think about it.”

“Goodnight, darling.”

“Love you.”

Two weeks later, they were escorted through the gates of Kensington Palace to have dinner with Alistair. He had a small block of apartments at the back of the property, tucked away from the prying eyes of the public.

“I know this is just another day for you, but I think it’s exciting,” Tess said in a low tone as they walked down the carpeted hall to meet Alistair. She had worn her Chanel and bought a new pale yellow dress for Mattie, pulling her hair back with a satin ribbon.

Alistair greeted them with a smile. “Welcome to Kensington Palace.”

Tess and Mattie both curtsied. Sebastian extended his hand, but Alistair refused the handshake and gave his old friend a manly hug.

“Uncle Alistair, can we see the gardens after dinner?” Mattie asked.

“Of course we can. For now, follow me.” They continued down the long, red-carpeted hallway, passing priceless works of art and antiquities. Alistair played tour guide, pointing out various pieces as they walked along.

They sat down to a dinner served by a footman in livery. The food was perfection and no detail was spared. Tess was so proud of Mattie, who behaved like a perfect lady.

“Tess, tell me more about your work with the Associated Press,” Alistair asked, placing the linen napkin over his lap.

“It is fast-paced and wonderful. We tend to scour news outlets for stories, rewrite them, and get them out over the wire. On occasion I get sent out on an interview.”

“Is there a specific field you work in?”

“I’ve covered everything from local to global news, political and special interest stories.”

“What does a prince do?” Mattie asked.

Sebastian began to chuckle and Alistair gave him a smirk. “I work for the firm.”

“What do you do?”

“He’s very good and shaking people’s hands, cutting ribbons, and smiling for photos,” Sebastian jumped in just to give Alistair a good ribbing.

“It’s an art I dare say you’d fail at, Irons.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“I know about the Prince’s Trust. Do you have an organization that you patron?” Tess asked.

“Yes, there are a few.”

“I didn’t know that,” Sebastian quipped.

“You haven’t been around lately.”

“Well, maybe you should focus on the good things you do instead of being fodder for the gossip rags.”

“I would love to interview you and talk about those organizations. I’m sure they would love the publicity. We could shine the light on their cause,” Tess offered.

Alistair pondered the request for a moment, then said, “I’ll give you my private secretary’s card. I’m sure we can set something up.”

“Thank you.”

“Now if everyone is finished with their meal, let’s take a walk in the gardens, shall we?”

They trooped out to the private back garden and walked around the grounds as the sun began to set, turning the sky a beautiful palette of blue, pink, and orange. Tess and Mattie walked ahead, leaving Alistair and Sebastian time for a private talk.

“I still can’t believe it. You have a family,” Alistair remarked, shaking his head in disbelief. “Whatever happened to the Libertines? We were young and foolish and it was grand!”

“We grew up—at least Penny and I did. Not so sure about you, from what I still read in the tabloids.” Sebastian stopped to inspect one of the many rose bushes along the garden’s path. “Don’t you grow weary of the parties and paparazzi?”

“Yes.”

“So do something about it. Put the spotlight on the people and organizations that need help. Stop being the playboy,” Sebastian urged his friend.

“Like you?”

“I love the life I have with Tess and Mattie. I wouldn’t give it up for the world.”

“Maybe I just need to find someone to settle down with.”

“Someone like Penny?”

“I’m afraid that ship sailed a long time ago,” Alistair sighed. “She was mine and I fucked it up. Now it’s too late to get her back.”

“She’s very happy with Maxwell, if that’s any consolation,” Sebastian chimed in.

“It’s no consolation at all.”

The engagement party for Maxwell and Penelope was held at Max’s Mayfair home, just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. The house was elegant and imposing—four stories tall, with an ornate facade and slate roof. Sebastian walked his family up the stone steps and rang the doorbell. A butler opened the door to greet them, and they were escorted to the ballroom, where the festivities were already under way.

“Mattie, stay close. There are many people here this evening and I don’t want you to get lost,” Sebastian warned, still holding the child’s hand.

“Where’s Uncle Max and Aunt Penny? I want to give them their present.”