Twenty-Eight: Prince Cadoc
2740 Words
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Prince Cadoc
“She’s hanging out with Fletcher Flemming,” I was in my off-campus apartment, with Eddie.
Drinking at noon because I could.
“Didn’t Gwyneth talk with you about this?” Eddie said.
“Yes,” I said.
“Don’t you have some sort of game plan?” Eddie asked.
“Gwyneth’s game plan involves leaving her alone. I’ve done that, and now she’s going to get swept up by Fletcher Flemming. Fletcher Flemming’s father owns The Welsh Times. He’s perfect for her. They’ll be Gellhorn and Hemingway.”
“They divorced,” Eddie reminded him.
“It doesn’t matter. They’re perfect for each other. He’s got so much more to offer her.”
“Don’t be a broody ass,” said Eddie, “you’re Prince Cadoc of Wales. So, what if he’s got a newspaper? You are going to inherit a whole country. Besides, didn’t she say that she wanted time to be her own person?”
“Something like that,” I said.
“So, you’ve got time to do what it is that you want to do. Old Cadoc wouldn’t have sat around today like a lame arsehole. Old Cadoc would be out having wild, wild fun. Gwyneth and you never had any strings. This girl has made it clear that she doesn’t want any strings connected to you. Let’s go have fun. You’re still friends with Audrey, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I said, “but Audrey’s friends with Penelope.”
“And?”
“Audrey will tell Penelope if I’ve done anything.”
“Oh my god,” Eddie muttered, “this girl has you whipped.”
I took a drink of the scotch that I had. “She’s not some girl. She’s the girl.”
“Well, make her realize what she’s missing.”
“How do I do that?” I asked.
“Go be Prince Cadoc,” Eddie said, “pick up some girls. Have some fun. Show her what she’s missing. By the time you get done having dates with a bunch of models and ballerina’s or whatever she’ll be begging to have you back.”
“I never had her, she never had me,” I said.
“You’re going to find models and ballerina’s and change that,” said Eddie.
“You know I can’t have a girlfriend,” I told him, “every time I have a girlfriend, they think that I’m going to get married.”
“Gwyneth didn’t think that,” Eddie said.
“Gwyneth was different,” I told him, “Gwyneth was one in a million. Gwyneth also won’t touch me again because she thinks that I’ve found my soulmate and she doesn’t want to ruin that.”
“Well, we don’t need Gwyneth,” said Eddie, “because you’re not looking for a girlfriend. You are looking for someone to have fun with.”
“Right,” I said, “someone to have fun with. I’m good at having fun.”
“You’re fantastic at it!” Eddie concurred. “Let’s go have fun.”
“I like the sound of that.” I grabbed my cell phone and dialed every single girl’s number that I knew. Old Cadoc used to have weekends with models and ballerina’s and actresses. He used to have wild parties. He wouldn’t be sitting at home, brooding over a girl who didn’t seem to have any interest.
The beauty of being a Prince was that all you had to do was snap your fingers and you could put together a party. Between Eddie and I, we were able to put together one. One that would make me forget all about Penelope and Fletcher Flemming.
The evening was filled with pulsing music, booze, and girls. Amongst them was Audrey, who came with some of her acting friends. One of them was a beautiful girl named Iris Hayes, who I’d met at a charity function before.
Iris Hayes was seventeen, with brown hair, and blue eyes. She had on a blue, velvet spaghetti strapped dress with a choker. The night was a blur of booze and dancing and Iris pressed up against me.
“God, you smell good,” I whispered as she danced up against me.
“Why, thank you,” said Iris, “you look good.”
“Do I?”
“Don’t be coy,” she said, “you know you’re handsome. Tell me, are you with Gwyneth still? Because last time I was with you, she brought out her claws, and did everything but scratched me to keep me away from you.”
I pressed up against her, wrapping my arms tight around her hips. “Gwyneth dumped me before the holidays. I am free as a bird.”
“He is not,” said a sharp voice.
I froze, knowing that it was Audrey behind me, with her disapproval. It was the last thing that I needed.
“Andrews,” I groaned.
“Girlfriend?” Iris said. “Audrey, you never said. So sorry love.”
“No, not me,” said Audrey, “he’s in love with my roommate, Penelope Peters. If I were you, I would give up now.”
“Audrey, f**k off,” I hissed.
“No,” she said, and grabbed me by my hand, pulling me away from Iris, out onto the back balcony.
“Andrews, this isn’t funny,” I said, “I know that we’re friends, but this goes against protocol. I am the Prince of Wales. The future King. I can do what I want and you have no control over it. That includes girls, because your roommate has made it clear she wants nothing to do with me.”
“You don’t know that,” said Audrey.
“I do know that,” I said with a nod, “she told me on New Years that she wanted nothing to do with me. In under no uncertain terms.”
“That’s because you were dumb enough to command her to kiss you.” She leaned against the balcony railing.
“She’s hanging out with Fletcher Flemming.”
“Because he’s on the newspaper, because she wants to be a writer. Because he has connections, things that he can offer her.”
“I can’t f*****g offer her anything!” I blurted. “Don’t you see, Audrey? She’s never going to be with me because I don’t have anything for her. I’m not good enough for her and I am never going to be.”
Audrey laughed. “God, you’re an idiot.”
“I’m an i***t?”
“You know who suggested she get on the paper, right?” Audrey said.
“I’ve no idea. I guessed it was something she wanted to do from the beginning.”
“Gwyneth. She convinced Fletcher to give her the parliament beat.”
“First year students don’t cover parliament,” I said, “ever.”
Audrey smiled. “They do if there’s a good chance that the woman covering it might become Queen.”
I stared at her. “You two have been plotting.”
“I haven’t been plotting,” said Audrey, “Gwyneth’s been plotting. You know she wants to become Prime Minister. She can’t do that if she doesn’t have someone in her court. She’s friends with Penelope. Of course, she’s going to be rooting for the two of you two get together. But you know parliament has to like her to. By getting her involved with them now, you’ll have a better shot of them supporting your marriage.”
“Whose she working with?” I asked. “As her adviser?”
“Basil Crowe.”
I shuddered at the name. “No.”
“No what?” Audrey said.
“Crowe’s a loose cannon, with ties to the Macdonald family. He’s already made threats against Arwen. I can’t imagine what he would do if he found out that Penelope were working for him.”
“She’s already accepted the position,” Audrey said, “you can’t interfere with this, Cadoc. That’s a sure way to make her hate you.”
“I don’t like this,” I said, “there’s something off about it.”
“She’s a big girl. She’ll be fine. Besides, Gwyneth’s on the paper too and you know as well as I do that she’s not going to let anything happen to her.”
“She’s going to get used,” I told her.
Audrey shook her head. “She’s not some damsel in distress, Cadoc. Let her hold her own. That’s the entire reason why she won’t be with you right now. Because you treat her like a child.”
“She doesn’t know this world,” I said, “and she’s going to get eaten alive. You know what people in this world are like. I don’t want her getting destroyed by it before I even get a chance to be with her.”
“She won’t be able to make up her own mind about it if she first doesn’t know it.”
I sighed. “I want to lock her up in a tower and keep the key for myself.”
“You can’t protect her forever,” Audrey told me, “especially because that’s what pissed her off in the first place.”
“So, what I should do instead? Let her get thrown to the wolves and become a priest?”
“No, I’m not saying that.” Audrey sighed. “What I am saying is that Iris Hayes is a fame w***e who will eat you alive.”
“Well, good thing I’m not looking for my true love or anything,” I told her. “Tell me one thing.”
“What?” she said.
“Has she opened the gift I got her?”
Audrey’s face fell, and that was all the answer that I needed. “Christ. She’s never going to forgive me.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Give it time. Look, if you have to date someone, don’t make it be Iris. She might look innocent, but she’ll break your heart. I’ve seen her do it a million times.”
“How about you?” I joked.
She shook her head. “You know as well as I do I’m too fabulous for you, darling. But look, if you must keep yourself busy with someone how about ringing Bexley Adams? She asked about you over the holidays, you know.”
Bexley Adams had been Audrey’s co-star on The Magic Manor film franchise. She had played the oldest sister. She was eighteen and was an ambassador for the UN. Unlike most of young Hollywood, she spent her time using her name to try to help people.
“Bexley, huh?” I said.
“Yes,” said Audrey.
“Doesn’t she have a purity ring?” I smirked as I said it.
Audrey smiled. “Yes. That shouldn’t be a challenge for you, Cadoc.”
“I never said anything about it being a challenge.”
“You have that look in your eyes.” She gestured with his hand. “Give me your cell phone.”
I gave her my cell phone and watched as Audrey entered in the phone number for Bexley Adams. “What makes you so sure that Bexley won’t break my heart?”
Audrey smirked. “Because Bexley is the sweetest person alive. She’s also in love with someone else.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Wren Rexton,” she answered.
“The guy that played Charlie James in the movies?”
She nodded. “Charlies older, and he refuses to date her because of the age difference. But it doesn’t stop them from having the worlds most desperate love affair. Anyway, it’s perfect, because Charlie will come to his senses. Penelope will come to hers. You’ll both be the perfect rebound for each other.”
“Are we terrible people?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m plotting Penelope’s life.”
“You’ve done no plotting,” said Audrey, “we’re trying to be sensible about this whole thing. Look, it seems crazy right now---”
“It’s insane,” I said.
“But you’re going to appreciate this. If she doesn’t get to be young and stupid now, she’ll get bitter. Do you want her to be bitter?”
“No. I don’t want her bitter, but I also want her.”
“Call Bexley,” said Audrey, “you can both be lonely together.”
“Romantic,” I joked.
Audrey smiled. “It seems crazy right now, but I swear that it’s all going to make sense in the end.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, “I’ll call Bexley. You’re still team Cadoc aren’t you?”
“Always,” Audrey answered
“So, you’ll bad talk Flemming every chance that you get?”
“Of course,” Audrey said with a nod, “now call Bexley. Don’t do anything destructive. Promise me?”
“Keep Penelope from falling in love with that bastard Fletcher Flemming, and I will do what I can.”
“Good,” she said, “now, go have fun. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t.”
She left me alone, and I found myself on the balcony staring at my phone. I dialed Bexley’s number.
“Hello?” a cool, posh British voice said into the phone.
“Bexley?” I said.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“It’s Cadoc,” I answered, “Prince Cadoc. Audrey gave me your number. Hope that’s alright.”
“It’s perfect,” Bexley said, “I was just thinking about you. How’s your girlfriend?”
“I’m not dating anyone,” I said.
“Really? Not even that girl The Welsh Weekly has been posting pictures of you with?”
“I’m as free as a bird. That’s Penelope Peters. She was dating Jasper, people thought that we were dating. But we’re friends.” It was the biggest lie that I had ever told anyone, but it was better than the truth.
“Well, I’m going to be in Owain soon working on a play,” said Bexley, “would you like to have dinner then? Are you available?”
“Yeah,” I answered, “of course.”
“Good, how about next Friday?”
“Friday would be wonderful,” I said.
“Good. You have no idea how happy I am that you called,” said Bexley.
“Oh, I’ve got an inkling. I’ll see you soon, Bexley.”
“See you.”
- Writer
