Even Eleanor, who gave football as much thought as she gave the mucking of the stables, was suitably impressed to be able to meet Sir Nicolas Ramsey. He’d been knighted when he led their national team to victory sixteen years ago.
“Have you not met him?”
Jamie crossed his left leg over his knee, relaxing now that he had piqued her interest. “Not since I was a tyke. Shame, that.”
“Indeed.”
“Eleanor, you know I wouldn’t miss this if I didn’t have to. And it’s not like I’m asking you to attend the annual meeting of the philatelic society. It’s our national football team.”
“Philatelic?”
Jamie shook his head. “Stamp collectors.”
Ele grinned. “I’d probably enjoy that more.”
Someone in the room snickered but disguised it as a hacking cough.
“Now, you’re just being cruel.”
“When have I ever said no
to you, James?”
The question went unanswered. Everyone present knew Jamie was Eleanor’s Achilles heel. Their bond had been cemented by birth, circumstance, and Jamie’s fight against Leukemia as an adolescent. She would refuse him nothing. This meeting today, this request—the answer was a foregone conclusion. Ele appreciated the ask, but even if James were merely her twin, it wasn’t as if she could refuse the crown prince.
Ele shifted her attention from her brother to Robert. “I assume you have worked out a plan?”
“Yes, Your Highness. You’ll have to leave early. The session is scheduled for ten o’clock. But you should be able to be back here the same night. Millie rearranged your appearances, so everything is handled.”
Jamie had known these details, the small technicalities, would alleviate the stress of the schedule change.
“How much time will we be at the training grounds?”
Ele and Robert exchanged a quick glance.
He cleared his throat. “It’s covered, Your Highness.”
“Can we have the room?” Jamie asked.
Charlotte and Will moved first. Although Jamie had requested time with his sister, Millie and Robert deferred to Ele. She nodded her agreement, and they followed Jamie’s people from the room.
When the door shut behind the entourage, Jamie stood, making his way to the mullioned windows. Rain beat down, obscuring the view and providing a lazy melody in the background. From her chair, Ele could see the worry on her brother’s face but knew there was little she could do to assuage it. The weight of the kingdom was a heavy load to haul.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” he began.
“Of course not. I asked in front of you. I knew, given a moment, you would know exactly what I was asking.”
“I thought …” Jamie’s voice trailed off.
He didn’t need to utter the words for Ele to know what he would have said. He thought the time of their parents’ assassination didn’t matter to her anymore. He turned toward her and leaned against the sill, crossing his arms in front of him. His stern big-brother—by two minutes—look. Ele saw it enough but rarely did he suit up like this for her.
“You hadn’t mentioned it in so long. I thought perhaps you didn’t notice anymore.”
Ele would have preferred to hold his gaze, but like the coward she was, she looked away from him. “You’ve been so busy over the last year; you just haven’t noticed. I know the exact time is insignificant. Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place. But nothing has changed. Not really.” The statement lingered. “Have things changed for you? Significant things?”
Jamie moved closer, perching on the edge of her desk, as if proximity could make the conversation easier. She didn’t want to think about her brother experiencing things without her. But it was hard for their paths to cross consistently even though they shared the same residence.
“No, no changes. Are you sure you are okay with this”—he waved his hand toward her calendar—“trip?”