“Africa?”
“A long overdue goodwill tour. Eight countries, eight weeks. You’ll return with plenty of time to get prepared for the Christmas gala.”
There was something unspoken in his decree.
Ele tilted her head to the side and had a fleeting thought of Tristan. Have I already adopted his mannerisms?
She shook it off, resolute in her desire to stay focused on the problem in front of her rather than the one she knew she must leave behind. “What aren’t you saying? What are you hoping will happen in the eight weeks I’m gone?”
His ice-blue eyes clashed with hers, an inferno igniting in the midst. If they were superheroes, sparks and angry flares would have been dancing between them, exploding like fireworks.
“I’m a big girl. I can take it.”
“Like you did last night?”
That stung. It wasn’t like Jamie to be deliberately mean. But instead of hangry, he had a tendency to get scangry. When he was scared, he lashed out, like a fire-breathing dragon, scalding everyone in his path. She suddenly remembered that, and even though she was pissed at him, it assuaged some of the hurt. Ele had terrified him the night before. She didn’t need anyone to tell her that or relay the events. Searching his face, she could see the grooves of exhaustion and helplessness painted there like foundation and blush.
She reached forward and grabbed his hand, holding on lightly. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“The press.” He wrapped his fingers around her hand, squeezing, releasing some of his fear. “The queen and I think it would be better if you weren’t around to be in the spotlight for a while.”
For the queen, Ele’s exile was about protecting the public image, but she knew it was something else entirely for her brother. He wanted her safe, away from the prying eyes of the staff, the public, the government.
He stepped to the bed and sat on the side of it. He drew his knees together and stuffed his hands between them.
“I didn’t see it.” He was talking to her but from memory, so he pulled in on himself, like if he were smaller, the recitation wouldn’t hurt as much. “I was working the room, speaking to people. Then, I ended up talking to Sir Nico, and then, there was commotion. I didn’t know it was you. When Robert came flying through the ballroom, Noah appeared and tried to get me out of the way. But I watched as Robert exited out the west side. I’d seen you duck out, but I was certain you were back. But it was Robert, which meant it was you, so I followed. When I exited, you were surrounded by the paps. You looked wild and scared. Then, you clutched your neck, and my whole world stopped.”
He stopped talking, and Ele could hardly move. She wanted to reach out to him but sensed he didn’t want any contact. Yet.
“I’m not even sure what happened after that. Robert got you out of there, and even when you weren’t in the situation, you couldn’t seem to calm down. You passed out. But when you came to, you were still hysterical. It was … unsettling.”
The perfect description of the shitshow of the night before. She was sure she was better, more confident, not afraid. But she definitely wasn’t, and she needed to do something to try to fix it.
“Right now”—he finally looked at her again—“it’s best if you do the tour.”
She pretended to consider it. It wasn’t difficult. She was weighing her options, but doing anything for the crown wasn’t at play. For the first time, she had different priorities than Jamie’s. Or maybe not different priorities, but a decidedly different idea of how she wanted to handle them.
“One more thing, Ele.”
“What’s that?”
Jamie paused, and Ele realized she was going to hate whatever he had to say.
“No more Tristan Davenport.”
Yep, she hated it.
But he hadn’t had to tell her that. She’d already known. Ele had realized the night before that she wasn’t ready for Tristan Davenport. He was a blinding, powerful sun, and she was a tiny nebula, swirling gas and dust trying to form into something. His pull was too great, and if she entered his orbit, she would never quite become who she was supposed to. For the first time, she didn’t want to share something with Jamie.
She nodded at her brother. “You look like you didn’t sleep last night. You should go.”
He eyed her, his indecision apparent. His exhaustion must have won out because he stood. Leaning down, he dropped a kiss on her forehead.
When he stood up, he looked at Millie. “Please make arrangements with Will regarding your travel plans.”
Millie nodded, but Ele could almost feel the frostiness of the glare her assistant leveled at Jamie.
“I’ll check in tomorrow.”