Summary: Drake and Elizabeth struggle with the aftermath of her decision to continue with the engagement.
Drake had no idea how long he stayed on the parlour floor. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, he didn’t know and he didn’t care to find out. The only thing that mattered to him was the tiny piece of jewellery on the table in front of him and what it represented.
The family heirloom ring
Her ring.
Not anymore, some sane part of his brain rudely reminded him and his hand reached out of its own accord, turning the circular piece of gold over and over, running a finger over the three diamonds embedded in the metal. The very sensation felt wrong, like the ring had become a being of its own and was rejecting him, burning the skin it touched as if it wanted nothing to do with him.
It would have been so much easier if Elizabeth could have just hated him. He would have preferred it if she had slapped him, hit him, looked him straight in the eyes as she screamed how the hell could he have done this to her, how could he have slept at night with the memories of his betrayal? But she did none of those things, she handled the matter with as much grace and decorum as she could, choosing the high road while he had royal fucked up, left here holding the ring instead of holding her heart.
Could he make it up to her? What could he do to deserve her again? Did he even deserve to try?
He’d do anything, say anything if she would just say the word. He so desperately wanted to, no, he needed to. There was no single thing that he could do that would fix this abominable mess that arisen and he could only hope that she could find it in her heart to forgive him. He would never be worthy of her again, not worthy of having someone who loved him so much she was willing to give up a queenship and a life of luxury and security for him. What could he have offered her anyway? Clearly it had only been heartbreak and betrayal.
Perhaps, he thought bitterly. It would have been better if she had married Liam after all.
It would be a perfect punishment for Drake, to stand by and watch his best friend pledge his life and his love to the woman who so ardently deserved both while he would have to live with the lifelong regret. But he knew Elizabeth and he knew Liam, he knew that they weren’t the type of people to turn around and take advantage of such a shitty situation.
Drake struggled to sit on the couch, suddenly unable to lift his own weight. He couldn’t do this. Not on his own. He needed… he needed her… Elizabeth. The thought went round and round his head, repeating itself like a mantra, a prayer on his lips and by the time he gathered the strength to look up at the grandfather clock, it was long past 4am.
His throat screamed for some moisture and he blindly reached out, grabbing the nearest bottle, dumping the contents into his whiskey glass. The room was dark, the fire having gone out hours ago. There was drink in his hand and a pain in his chest. Drake had a sense of deja vu, finding himself in the same cycle, history was beginning to repeat itself but this time, no one was coming to save him. The liquid burned his throat, different flavours he had mixed together taunted him as he cowered behind their intoxicating effect instead of facing his problems head on like a real man would.
‘Her lips,’ he sighed pouring himself, another shot. ‘God only knows what I would give away just to have her lips on mine again.’ He had barely muttered the words when a switch was flicked and intense fluorescent light flooded his eyes.
‘Jesus Drake! Vodka? Really?’ A voice exclaimed, ripping through his ear drum. The bottle was snatched out of his hand and after his eyes adjusted to see a furious Hana and equally aerated Maxwell glaring at him.
‘What are you two doing here?’ He questioned, groggily, his voice creaking slightly.
Hana’s glare intensified. ‘What does it look like we’re doing Drake? We’re here to make you make things right with Elizabeth!’
‘Yeah!’ Maxwell interjected. ’She called off the engagement, she even used her super scary Duchess voice on me. I didn’t even know she could do that!’
’That’s besides the point,’ Hana interrupted, raising her voice. ’The point is: You and Elizabeth belong together and she’s really hurting right now so you better get your ass up there and apologise!‘
He scoffed in contempt, moving towards the bottle again. ‘I’m sure she made it pretty clear that she never wants to see me again.’
‘Come on Drake!’ Hana snapped almost screaming at him as she snatched the bottle out of his reach. ‘You have to go after her! She needs you!’
Drake laughed humourlessly, allowing bitterness to seep into his voice. ‘This isn’t some stupid fairytale Hana, where everything magically gets resolved at the end. This is real life and it hurts like a bitch.’
’That’s the way it is huh?’ A new voice broke through the room as another figure stood in the doorway. ‘You’re willing to throw away everything just because the going got a little bit tough.’
Drake gulped in spite of himself. ‘Liam I-‘
’Save it,’ his best friend growled, towering over him. ‘You’re going to shut up and listen to me. Outside that door somewhere, there is a woman that you have done unimaginable hurt to. She has every right to pack her bags and turn her back on us and our country in fact I don’t see how she hasn’t already. Do you know what she has decided to do instead?’
Liam barely paused before continuing. ‘She has just agreed to go ahead with the wedding.’
Drake was stunned and before he could form a cohesive thought, his instincts kicked in.
‘Hah! He spat venomously. ‘Don’t bullshit me Liam. I’m pretty sure she hates my guts right now. I highly doubt she’d be agreeing to still marry me.’
Liam narrowed his eyes. ‘Yes you heard me right. After all that you’ve put her through, she is still agreeing to marry you for reasons I myself cannot understand. I asked her multiple times if that’s what she wanted and each time she said yes.’
Drake didn’t reply, he couldn’t, his tongue refused to cooperate as he thought of Elizabeth and what she was willing to go through. She was more resilient than most people credited her for and this gesture alone proved how much she loved Cordonia, a country she had barely heard of less than a year ago. This alone proved how well suited she was to be a Duchess and he’d gladly fight anyone who thought otherwise.
‘You don’t deserve her, you know that right?’ Hana put in and Drake caught a hint of disgust on her face. He sighed, feeling like he’d aged ten years. Of course he knew it. The very fact resonated deep within his soul and from that moment on, he vowed to spend every waking moment working to be even half the man she deserved. He still couldn’t fully believe that she was doing this.
‘Well thats where you’re wrong,’ Liam replied and Drake realised that he had spoken that last thought out loud. ‘Pull yourself together, we’ve got a Unity Tour to get back to.’
A week later, Drake found himself in a limo sitting across from Elizabeth, Liam, Madeline and Mara as they travelled to Neville’s family estate on the Cormery Isle. The thunderstorm had flooded the road surrounding Kiara’s home, delaying their arrival at the Vancoeur earldom by a couple of days. In that time, he’d been hoping for a moment to talk to his fiancée, hoping to steal her attention at meal times when the whole group ate together but she seemed to disappear as soon as her plate was empty. He’d heard nothing from Kiara either and the two of them avoided each other like the plague, though he suspected that she’d convinced her parents to attend their wedding and joined the tour with little hesitation as a way to make up to Elizabeth.
He risked a look at his fiancée who stared stoically out the window at the passing scenery. On the few occasions that they had talked, she regarded him with a cold indifference, limiting her responses to as few words as possible. He was at a loss on how to approach her, knowing that she would not make his path to redemption easy so for now the best course of action he could think of was to give her the space she needed until she was ready. This knowledge did nothing to ease his heart ache and on many occasions in the past few days he’d caught himself unconsciously reaching for her hand or leaning towards her, every cell in him aching for her touch again. He was still trying to formulate an opening to a conversation when Mara beat him to it.
‘The Vancoeur estate is just up ahead. Your Majesty, Duchess, Mr Walker you should prepare yourselves for the welcome.’
He watched Elizabeth snap out of her thoughts, her expression changing as she smoothened her skirt, her posture immediately changing to become every bit the Duchess of Atlantea. Drake straightened his own tie and blazer, knowing full well that Neville would inevitably find something wrong with his appearance and wouldn’t hesitate to exploit any weakness while he held the home court advantage. The limo was just rolling up to the opulent driveway when Madeline spoke up.
‘I hate to remind you Elizabeth but there will be cameras there so it is important to maintain the image…’ She trailed off, looking pointedly at Elizabeth’s left hand.
‘Oh.’ His fiancee’s eyes widened, shifting to him for the first time in three days as she realised what her bodyguard was alluding to.
Throughout the entire care ride, Drake had been wondering how to bring up the subject and he now produced the little black box from his pocket, offering it to her, unsure if she would allow him to place the ring on her finger as he’d done not so long ago. Without meeting his gaze and taking care not to let their skin touch, she slipped the gold band on her finger just in time for the doors to open.
Neville Vancoeur, Earl of the Cormery Isle stood at the end of the long entranceway before a palatial mansion, garbed in his ever present khaki checked blazer, wearing a smug smile on his face. As Liam, Elizabeth and the rest of their party approached, he executed a deep bow which Drake could bet was precisely planned so that the photographers lining the fringes of the walkway could snap the perfect picture.
‘Your Majesty, Your Grace,’ Neville began in a pompous tone, gesturing to the building behind him so grandiosely that Drake would have rolled his eyes if not for the flashes of the cameras surrounding them. ‘I welcome you to the Cormery Isle and our humble abode. And I am honoured to present my father Marquess Rupert Vancoeur.’
Drake took in the older man beside Neville whose expression seemed to resemble someone who’d had month old fish shoved under his nose. His beady eyes surveyed the group until they came to rest on Drake where they narrowed and his look of distaste seemed to intensify. When Rupert spoke, his magisterial tone seemed to surpass his son’s display of imperiousness.
‘I echo my son’s sentiments King Liam, Duchess Elizabeth. It is an honour to have you and your companions in our humble abode. I trust you will find the Cormery Isle quite a luxury as compared to its more mediocre neighbours. I do hope that the journey wasn’t too perilous and if you would kindly accompany me, we can begin the tour of our estate.’
As Rupert showcased his expansive grounds, Drake could not avoid Neville’s shrewd gaze as he immediately singled him out, sidling up next to him.
‘Drake, you must be impressed by the Cormery estate. It is not so often that commoners get the grand tour.’
Drake bit back a sharp reply, knowing it was best not to antagonise Neville especially when so much hung upon their entire visit. ‘It is lovely. You should be very proud.’
The other man quickly hid a look of surprise. ‘Its about time you learned to appreciate the finer things in life. On that subject.’
He gestured towards Elizabeth who was admiring a painting with Liam and Hana. ‘I confess to have observed that you don’t seem to be as devoted to your fiancee as you normally are. Could there be trouble in paradise?’
Drake knew that Neville was purposely pushing his buttons and deliberately kept his voice even. ‘We were just stuck in a limo together for three hours. I’m sure we can survive one tour without acting like we’re conjoined at the hip.’
Neville seemed to deflect his reply, regarding him cooly. ’That may be the case but I must say my father and I require a little more persuasion if we are going to play into this scheme of yours.’
Neville sauntered off and Drake turned his attention back to the tour.
‘Now we come to the heritage section of the house,’ Rupert was saying as he lead them down a medieval-looking hallway. ‘These walls have stood for over 300 years and require a great deal in terms of preservation but I must say one view in particular holds a special place in my heart.’
Their group was lead to a spacious parlour decorated tastefully with antique furniture. Light flooded in through the floor to ceiling windows that opened onto a generous sandstone balcony cordoned off by a metal railing looked out onto spectacular view of the ocean. The entire structure was artfully hewn from the sandstone cliffs atop which the mansion perched. It was easy to see why the Marquess favoured this place Drake mused as they admired the seascape.
‘Its breathtaking,’ Hana mused, taking a step closer, making to venture out onto the balcony itself.
‘Careful my dear,’ Rupert cautioned. ‘The foundations aren’t as solid as they used to be and with the high sea winds this time of year, it would be very unfortunate if someone were to hurt themselves.’
With that, he retreated further into the centre of the room to address the group as they gathered around, his face morphing into a seemingly apologetic smile.
‘Your Majesty, Duchess Elizabeth I must apologise for the unfortunate timing, but there is a press conference awaiting you in the media room a few doors away. I thought I had arranged it for tomorrow but I hope you can forgive an old man for a slight mishap in the dates…’
A slight tremor rippled through the group and Drake’s eyes flew to Elizabeth, watching as her body stiffened in surprise. She met his gaze properly for the first time that afternoon, communicating the discomfort they both felt through the look, being careful not to let that show on their faces. They had barely spoken two words to each other in the last few days and now they were expected to face an army of reporters who with no doubt would have pressing questions about their engagement. One look at Neville’s smug face told him that this had not been a mere mistake but a cold, calculated move.
‘Lord Rupert we couldn’t possibly begrudge you for such a small mishap when you are so generously hosting our entire party,’ Elizabeth answered politely, having recovered first. ‘My fiancé and I would gladly entertain a few questions about the tour thus far right Drake?’
‘Of course,’ he answered, coming to stand by her, forcing a smile. ‘It would be our pleasure.’
Surprisingly Madeline entered the conversation then. ‘My lord, as the duchess’ press secretary I would ask you for a brief moment, say twenty minutes or so in which we can prepare. I’m sure you understand given the timing..’ She trailed off, fixing Rupert with a pointed look.
The Marquess agreed and soon they were escorted to room a few doors down and Drake was alone with Elizabeth, Madeline and Liam.
‘That sly dog,’ Liam grunted after the door clicked shut. ‘He knew exactly what he was doing scheduling that press conference today. ’
‘Whatever his intentions were,’ Madeline interrupted. ‘We’ve got to face this I know we might not like Neville and his father, but the Marquess is one of the most influential people in western Cordonia, his approval would be very beneficial in swaying the opinions the nobles loyal to him. Not to mention this is the first formal press conference to be held during the tour. If you two nail this, it would be a powerful play in your favour.’
‘Right,’ Drake enunciated. ‘Basically don’t stuff this up or everything we’ve worked for will be for nothing.’
‘I’d tell you otherwise but I’d be lying,’ Liam answered, looking tentatively between the two of them. ‘Are you sure you can handle this?’
‘We’ll be fine,’ Elizabeth grunted through gritted teeth.
‘I’ll be on standby to deflect any curveballs,’ Madeline promised.
They ran over a few more details before a soft knock on the door indicated it was time. Risking a glance at her, Drake offered Elizabeth his arm.
‘For appearances sake?’
She nodded once and laced her hand on the crook of his elbow, the pressure where she touched him causing his skin to tremble. Their practices smiles seamlessly appeared on their faces as the doors opened and they were immediately bombarded with questions.
‘Duchess Elizabeth, Mr Walker, you are halfway through the tour, what can you tell us about your relationship so far?,’ a reporter called out.
‘What preparations have you done for the wedding?’ Another cried.
They took their seats before Elizabeth reached for the microphone. ‘In answer to the first question, I can say that Drake and I are very happy together, this tour has only brought us closer as we have journeyed all over this beautiful country, getting a taste of all the wonderful things Cordonia has to offer.’
‘I agree with my fiancee,’ Drake added, impressed at how easily the lies came to both of them. ‘Our bond has only grown stronger as we travel this beautiful country together. As for the wedding preparations, King Liam has generously offered to host the wedding at the royal palace and I can confirm that Elizabeth and I will both be fitted for our wedding attire next week when the tour makes its way towards Cordonia’s fashion capital.’
A chorus of ‘awws’ broke out from behind the cameras before the next question was pitched at them.
‘Your engagement is an event that is meant to bring the country together. How do you feel that your relationship has done that so far?’
Elizabeth nodded, indicating for him to answer as she took a sip of water.
They alternated in answering more questions until a familiar paparazzo Donnie Brine stepped up.
‘In the light of the recent burning of Applewood orchard, what are you two personally doing to unify Cordonia? Do you feel that your efforts thus far have been successful?’
There was the curveball they had been expecting and Drake silently thanked Madeline for preparing them as he and Elizabeth delivered their pre-approved response to which the reporter nodded approvingly as he scribbled furiously on his notepad.
‘And looking into the future now…’ Ana De Luca chimed in. ‘Has the subject of children come up? How many are you expecting to have?’
This time it was Drake who froze, caught off guard entirely. The topic had come up before between the two of them but he was sure that such a question couldn’t have been further from either of their minds as their main focus, especially in the last week, had been the tour and protecting the facade. The click of a camera shutter broke the spell and Elizabeth cleared her throat, adjusting the microphone before she spoke.
‘Yes we’ve talked about it before and while we are open to having a family, we believe that, at least for the near future, Cordonia requires our services and she will be our priority for now.’
With that Madeline swiftly closed the press conference with a parting remark and the press members began to pack up their equipment. Drake was finally breathing a sigh of relief when an unfamiliar reporter stood up, his question ringing clear above the noise.
‘There were rumours of a falling out between the two of you earlier in the tour. Can you comment on these Your Grace? Mr Walker?’
His loud voice attracted the attention of his peers around him and several of them paused in their task, turning their attention to the pair of them. This time the astonishment written all over Drake and Elizabeth’s faces was not so easily hidden and the expectant silence only drew the attention of the remainder of the journalists, some began clicking their cameras.
‘Thank you for your question but the press conference is over,’ Madeline intervened swiftly.
Another press member lobbed a question, ignoring her. ‘I heard that you two had a fight whilst at Lady Kiara’s family estate. Did she have anything to do with it?’ ‘Was there conflict between you two about the cheating rumours?’
A gasp rippled through the crowd of journalists as they turned their full attention to the pair of them. Red hot anger flowed through Drake’s body as question after question was hurled at them. Madeline tried desperately to regain order in the room but even her authoritative voice was lost amid the clamour as cameras flashed wildly and waves of reporters pressed insistently against them on all sides. By this time, Mara and her team had grabbed Elizabeth and Drake, making towards the exit but their path was blocked by a flock of microphones being shoved in their faces.
Elizabeth’s breathing quickened, her chest expanding and contracting irregularly as she stood next to him, frozen to the spot, her eyes growing more and more unfocused as the din spiralled out of control. He could feel her heart rate escalate from where the crowd pressed her against him and it hit him that she was showing signs of a panic attack. Wrapping one arm around his fiancee, Drake used the other one to shove the bodies of the reporters aside, ignoring their grunts of protest as his only priority now was to get her out of the room. After a few moments of struggle, his hand found purchase on the door handle and he gave it an almighty wrench before he stumbled through it, bringing her with him out into the empty hallway while Mara and her team restrained the paparazzi members.
Drake whirled on his fiancee, catching her shoulders, steadying her as she hyperventilated.
‘Elizabeth talk to me. What do you need?’
Her breath came out in uneven gasps as she struggled to form words around it. ‘I need… Drake I can’t… I need air… Can’t… breathe.’
He loped an arm under her legs, her hands coming around his neck as she clung to him with all her might. His mind scrambled trying to remember the directions and soon enough they entered a familiar room. He threw open the balcony doors and set her down, rubbing her back gently as the cool wind immediately rushed in, whipping her hair around her face.
Eventually her breathing return to a normal rhythm and his hand on her back slowed its movements.
‘Are you ok?’ He asked carefully and Elizabeth nodded lethargically, the colour gradually returning to her face.
She leaned her weight on his side and they remained like that for a long moment. It felt good to hold her again and the warmth radiating off her form reminded Drake how much he had missed her touch in the past few days.
‘We could have avoided this if you hadn’t insisted on going through with the engagement.’ His words were intended to soothe her but instead they had the opposite effect and her.
‘Really Drake?’ Elizabeth snapped, tugging herself out of his grip and his body seemed to ached at the loss of contact. ’Are you actually blaming this on me? At a time like this?’
‘I didn’t mean it that way Richmond, come on. You know that,’ He fumbled, trying and failing to backpedal.
‘Sure.. Please elaborate then.’ She retorted and everything about her body language continued to warn him to stay away. Her lips were drawn into a scowl, arms crossed over her chest, and gaze fixated fiercely on him but Drake knew he had to try, try something, anything to gain back her trust. He’d hurt her in an unimaginable way by hiding the truth and he’d be damned if he didn’t exhaust every option he had to get her back.
‘What I meant was,’ he began uncertainly, not wanting to antagonise her any further. ‘Maybe we handled this too fast, maybe getting back together right away wasn’t the best idea…’
‘Well if you thought this was a bad idea why didn’t you say something?!’ She exclaimed with a loud sigh. ‘I’m going to look like a total idiot when the press finds out. They’ll have a field day with it. I can just see the headlines now “New Duchess Turns Down Yet Another Proposal. Are Cordonian Men Too Tame For the Wild Foreigner?”’
Her shrill voice carried over the heavy wind as she paced along the far border of the balcony, not caring if the strong wind ruined her perfectly coiffed updo.
‘Richmond,’ Drake warned, caution heavy in his voice as he took a few steps towards her, reaching an arm. ‘Maybe you should come away from the railing.’
‘No, don’t touch me!’ she yelled, jerking out of his reach.’I don’t need to you to coddle me.’
‘Ok I won’t!’ He shouted back, strain from the last few days emerging in his tone, causing him to raise his voice. ‘I’m sorry for worrying about your safety Elizabeth.’ His use of her first name caused her to breathe in sharply and she opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off.
‘Do you think this has been easy for me? These last couple of days have been utter hell for me, watching the woman I’m supposed to be marrying want nothing to do with me.’
Her eyes blazed at his words. ‘Way to make it me seem like the bad guy! Don’t turn this when you’re the one that cheated. You’re just bitter that you got caught.’
‘You know damn well thats a fucking lie. Now get away from that edge before you do something stupid.’
‘Ugh nothing is going to happen Drake!’ Elizabeth barked. ‘Stop treating me like a damn child. I am FINE!’
As if to illustrate her point, she stamped forcefully in anger against the worn surface of the balcony. Large cracks immediately spiralled outwards from where her foot had made contact with the floor and they both gasped, belatedly remembering the Marquess’ warning.
‘Don’t make any sudden moves Richmond. I’ll come to you,’ Drake instructed carefully, looking around for a rope or any thing she could grab onto but came up empty.
‘Gee you think?’ She quipped but her voice wavered as the fractures began to grow. ‘Any day now Walker.’
He inched his way towards the edge of the cracking, crouching down to lower his centre of gravity as he stuck a hand out at her.
’Now you’re going to do what I just did and get nice and low.’ Drake had no idea if what he was doing was correct. He’d seen a few videos about saving people who had fallen through ice and frantically applied some of the technique to this situation while trying to maintain a calm facade. This should work, he thought to himself.
Right?
He had no time to doubt himself as Elizabeth had done as he instructed and was now reaching towards him. As she shifted, the expanding cracks widened even more and her lower lip began to wobble.
‘It’s going to be alright,’ he soothed, fighting to keep his voice even. ‘Just focus on me baby. Now you’re gonna reach out and grab my hand okay?’ Drake watched her swallow hard, blinking back tears as she reached towards him.
Just before their fingers could touch however, the gaps between the cracks widened even more and chunks of the floor began to give way. Elizabeth’s eyes met his, blown wide with in pure terror.
‘Drake I-’
She never got to finish her sentence as Drake watched in horror, her name ripping through his throat as the brittle flooring of the balcony crumbled, plunging the only woman he’d ever loved down the cliff face to the rocks below.