Sabrina: It’s really nothing. I’ll let you go.
* * *
Elizabeth: It’s the kiss, isn’t it? You’re wondering why he kissed you if he’s wants to get rid of you so badly.
* * *
Sabrina: He’s a womanizer, that’s why. You’ve seen his social media. He never passes up a chance to Tap That Ass.
* * *
Elizabeth: It’s Tap Dat Ass.
* * *
Sabrina: How would you know?
* * *
Elizabeth: I spend more time on the internet than you do. You pick things up.
* * *
Sabrina: Whatever. Either way, that’s why. And it’s gross.
* * *
Elizabeth: Or maybe he actually likes you.
* * *
Sabrina: Likes YOU, you mean. Let’s not make this any more confusing than it has to be.
* * *
Elizabeth: No, it’s you he likes, Bree. You’re the one who’s there. Not me.
* * *
Sabrina: Then I should get out of here! A random kiss is one thing, but I don’t want your husband to start liking the wrong sister. You’ve got to come take my place, Lizzy. Better yet, let’s take the fifty-thousand-dollar exit option, and I’ll jump on the first helicopter back to Rinderland.
* * *
Elizabeth: I can’t do that, Bree. I told you. I’ve made up my mind. I want to enter into this marriage with at least some of my dignity intact.
* * *
Sabrina: You don’t have to enter into it at all, though. Don’t you see? He was serious about the money, I could tell.
* * *
Elizabeth: I don’t care if he was! I can’t accept a bribe to dump my fiancé. That’s tacky and mercenary and just plain awful, Sabrina!
* * *
Sabrina: We could pay him back. Soon! It wouldn’t be a bribe. It would be a loan!
* * *
Elizabeth: No one else would see it that way, and Mama and Papa would never live down the shame of it. It would kill what little pride they have left. And I have my pride, too. I had the chance to take another path years ago, but I chose Andrew, and I’m standing by that choice. I just need you to hang in there, okay? And then I’ll be there, and you’ll never have to worry about Andrew or who he likes again.
* * *
Sabrina: I have a bad feeling about this, Lizzy. I don’t think I should stay.
* * *
Elizabeth: It will be fine! Just have some fun with him. Now that you know what he’s up to, you’ll be better prepared.
* * *
Sabrina: He really is begging to be revenge pranked.
* * *
Elizabeth: He is, and you’re the perfect woman for the job. Well, Zan would be the perfect woman, but you’re a very close second.
* * *
Sabrina: Thanks. I love and miss you.
* * *
Elizabeth: Ditto. And everything will be fine. I promise. I have a good feeling about this. In the end, it’s all going to work out the way it should. You just wait and see.
Chapter Fifteen
Andrew
“That’s insane.” Nick cuts a dubious look Jeffrey’s way and shakes his head. “There’s no way they sent the wrong sister.”
“Think about how much trouble we’ve gotten into in our lives, baby brother.” I brace my arms on my desk, leaning forward as I add, “Now imagine we’re identical twins that no one could tell apart.”
“Shit,” Nick breathes, his bronze skin paling as he leans against the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf behind him.
I haven’t touched a thing in the office since Grandfather died. The shelves are still filled with German philosophers and Greek politicians, and the room smells of old books and a hint of sweet pipe tobacco.
The scent makes it feel like Grandfather is here with us, ready to plot a path forward through this tricky situation.
I know he would still want me to go through with the match—once I made sure I had the right sister—but I don’t want a political alliance with someone I’ll hold at arm’s length for the rest of my life. I want a best friend I can trust to help me lead my country, a woman who chose me because she couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.
And I’ll never have that with Elizabeth.
Or Sabrina.
Or whoever she is.
I’m still not sure which woman I kissed in the maze or who I’ve been chatting and jogging and eating repulsive meals with since then. But with a little help, I should be able to pin down her identity before the official engagement ceremony in a few days.
Before I get in any deeper.
Before I kiss her again.
I still can’t believe I kissed her. Or that I can’t stop thinking about doing it again. I don’t want to make out with Lizzy; I want to get rid of her.
Only I don’t, not completely, not anymore, and that’s part of my problem.
I glance back and forth between Nick’s pale face and Jeffrey’s sober one. “So here’s what I need from you. Nick, scour the internet for any online records you can find on the Rochat royal family. I need information and pictures of Elizabeth and Sabrina—together and apart. If there are any identifying features we can use to verify which twin is sleeping in the east wing, I need them. Jeffrey, I—”
“I’ll leave this afternoon,” he cuts in with a firm nod. “I’ll take one of the SUVs and be in Rinderland by nightfall. I’ll spend tomorrow tracking down the other sister and report back as soon as I have news to share.”
“But be subtle about it,” I say. “There’s no need to disclose who you are. Pretend to be a geneticist studying triplets or a writer doing an article on royal families or something. I don’t want the twin we’ve got here to realize we’re on to her until I know for sure who she is and what I’ve decided to do with her.”
Nick shakes his head again. “Seriously, Drew, this girl has to be Elizabeth. If you say ‘I do’ to the wrong woman, the marriage won’t be legal. You could end it without evening bothering to get a divorce.”
“Which is why I think they’re planning to switch back sometime before the wedding.” I rise, pacing around the desk that dominates this side of the room. My grandfather knew the power of staging and always arranged to be the most powerful presence in any room. If only he’d also arranged for me to marry a girl without an identical twin sister. “Sabrina’s here to keep me on the hook, and Elizabeth will step in and seal the deal.”