The Royal Treatment: A Crown Jewels Romantic Comedy, Book 1 by Melanie Summers & MJ Summers

Author:Melanie Summers & MJ Summers [Summers, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indigo Group
Published: 2017-08-14T18:30:00+00:00

The next hour of the party hums along without a hitch. I stand around in the kitchen with Tessa’s brothers and father while we drink beer and try to stay out of the way of sugared-up children. The ladies of the family, other than Isa—who can hold a grudge with the best of them— giggle and grin at me, offering me mini sausage rolls and asking me question after question about life in the palace (it’s busy, but at times it can be very quiet), who does my sister’s hair (a hairdresser), do I really have my own crown (yes, but I take it off when shower or go to bed).

Tessa smiles at me from across the room, and every once in a while, mouths an apology to me. God, she’s pretty.

When we sit down to dinner, her brother Bram pipes up. “So, Tess, are you and His Highness an item now or what?”

“Not at all. He was just kind enough to join us for the party.”

“Really? Because it wouldn’t be the first time Tessa’s overshot the mark with who she thinks will fancy her.”

“Shut up, Bram,” she says quietly, her eyes firing daggers at him.

He has a sip of beer. “Yeah, she once fell for her—”

“Bram! That’s enough!” Evi’s voice puts the sharp in Sharpe. I sit up straight in my chair in response.

“Arthur, I have to say I’m shocked that you’re here.” This comes from the tall, skinny one called Lars. “After everything Tessa’s written about you, I’d think you would hate her.”

“Far from it. If a man can’t handle a little criticism, he’s not much of a man, is he?” I say, slicing into the turkey with my knife and popping a forkful in my mouth.

“I wouldn’t expect you’d pay much attention to anything she’d have to say, anyway. Am I right?” Bram asks.

What a little prick. “Why not?”

“She’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the Sharpe family.” They all start snickering.

My head snaps back, and I set my fork and knife down. “On the contrary, Tessa’s one of the most brilliant people I’ve met. And I’ve met most of the top engineers at NASA.”

“You must be talking about some other Tessa.” Finn laughs. “This one’s a disgraced journalist who got fired and ended up reviewing camera equipment and taking the piss out of the King for a living. Doesn’t take a Lars over here to do that.”

I stare him down for a moment, trying to regain my composure before I jump across the table and punch him in his smug face. “If you really don’t know how intelligent and insightful she is, it would seem to me that you’ve never bothered to listen to a word she’s said, or read a sentence of her writing. Quite frankly, that says a lot more about your own intellect than hers. Tessa’s brilliant. And she’s self-made, unlike me. I have nothing but the highest regard for her.”

I glance over at her and see that Tessa is blinking back tears. She gets up and excuses herself quietly.

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