I held the phone to my ear and sighed.

“Are you okay? Should I come to D’Lynsal?” she asked. “Those pictures were everywhere.”

“No, Mother. I’m fine.” I tried to keep the frustration out of my voice.

“I don’t expect you to not date, dear, but please be more careful.” The disapproval in her voice hurt.

“Yes, Mother.” I frowned. “You know, we were in what we thought was a private area. But from now on I will check the broom closet first.”

Her chuckle surprised me. “The air vents too.”

“God, what about the drains in the bathroom?” I laughed.

“That might be stepping over the line and into the realm of paranoia.” She tsked again, but I could sense the humor under her words.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ve tried so hard to keep myself clean the last couple of years. I just—”

“I know. You needed to live a little.” She sighed. “We live under a microscope, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t live at all.”

“I love you, Mother.” I whispered the words in Lilarian.

“And I love you.” I could hear her smile through the phone. It was in the way the words came out of her mouth. “When are you bringing this young man to meet me formally? Not just a rushed hello during your brother’s wedding.”

“I’m not sure. He’s working at Victory Hall, Sam’s newest project. When he has time I’ll drag him along with me for a weekend.” I switched the phone to my other ear. “We should keep it informal. He’s a lot like Sam and hates to dress up.”

“My children.” She chuckled. “You certainly managed to find your opposites, didn’t you?”

“I think so.” I said the words with pride. I loved the fact that we were opposites but that we complemented each other.

“Don’t worry about the photos.” Mother’s voice turned to business. “Once I can prove that Tabitha leaked the photographs, we’ll take legal action against her. I’m tired of people trying to use my family to further their careers or to fatten their pockets.”

“Have you heard from Alex or Sam?”

Sam had contacted Chadwick when she saw the images of David and me on the television. She said Alex was livid and that he was ready to come home and help if I needed it, but I had called and told them to stay their asses on the beach. Not only did I not want Alex glaring at David the way Max was right this minute, but I didn’t want them to think I couldn’t handle myself. Max had shown up right behind Chadwick and hadn’t stopped glaring at David the entire time.

“Yes, he called.” She sighed again. Not that I could blame her. Alex was a handful. “But they are not coming home early.”

“Good.”

“He’s just worried about you.” I could hear someone in the background whispering to her.

“Yeah, I get it. Could you tell Max to stop giving David the evil eye? He’s been giving him the third degree since he got home.”

“Oh no, dear. That’s a brother’s right. Besides, I have it on good authority that David warned Alex about Sam when they first met.”

That didn’t surprise me in the least. “I bet he did.”

“Yes. So I wouldn’t be surprised if your oldest brother isn’t prodding Max along.”

“Aha.” That made entirely too much sense. I could see Alex finding it all very humorous. Not that I could blame him. Who would have guessed that David would end up falling in love with Alex’s sister when he was defending Sam?

“I have to go, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon?”

“Yes. I have to get back to deal with the art charity.”

“Have you come up with a name for it yet?” The noise in the background meant she was on the move.

“A name for my art charity?” I had been toying with the thought for a while. “I have.” I paused, unable to keep the smile from coming to my lips. “The Liberty Anne Foundation.” It was my way of honoring David’s sister after the trouble she had been put through by the media.

“That sounds lovely. It will be easy to remember for people too.”

“I think so.” I blew a kiss into the phone. “Go do queenly stuff. I’ll see you soon.”

“Love you.” The phone clicked and I looked out across the field behind D’Lynsal Manor.

Knowing that Mother wasn’t upset with me eased a lot of my tension. I was worried she was going to freak out over the photos. Especially since we had all been instructed to be careful after what happened with Alex. I also thought she might pull a normal mom moment and be upset about seeing how David was holding me. I could only guess that I was old enough now that she accepted the fact that I was a grown woman.

“How’d it go?” David opened the rear door facing the patio and watched my face with careful eyes.

“It went well.” I laughed at his look of relief. “The queen is not going to order you be thrown in the dungeon.”

“That’s a relief.” He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “You don’t really have a dungeon, do you?”

“Our palace was originally built in the fifteen hundreds. Of course we have a dungeon.”

“Yeah, but you don’t really use it as a dungeon?” He raised an eyebrow, a half grin lighting his face.