Guarded Hearts - Full Series

What if The Royal Romance MC met Bastien the night before she met Liam?

Guarded Hearts Series

The accuracy 😂

Camp Choices: Week 3 - Alice Ayers

This is my submission for Week 3 of @choicesmcmadness​​’s July theme!

Note: This scene takes place during Guarded Hearts, Part 34 and is a continuation of the conversation featured in Week 2. Enjoy!

“You’re not going to have to catch your own dinner, are you?” Frankie asked. “I can’t exactly imagine you hunting or fishing.”

“Oh come on, I’d look kind of cute in a full fishing outfit with gaiters and everything,” Alice said. “But still, I’m relieved there isn’t any fishing on the agenda. Bastien said we’re bringing food with us because I asked the same thing.”

“Any idea what he’s bringing?”

“Not even a little bit,” Alice admitted. “But I feel pretty confident that there will be coffee tomorrow morning.”

“Thank god for small favors,” Frankie said.

“And I hope there’ll be s’mores,” Alice said. “I know I’m not exactly outdoorsy, but s’mores are supposed to be one of the tradeoffs for going out into the woods.”

“If there aren’t, I think that’s grounds to feed him to the bears.”

“But then how will I get back? Let’s be honest, my navigation skills are limited with GPS, let alone out in the woods. I’m going to need Bastien to rejoin civilization because I will not survive out there on my own.”

“Okay, he can live, but then he at least owes you a foot rub or something,” Frankie said.

“Now you almost have me hoping he forgets the s’mores.”

Camp Choices: Week 2 - Alice Ayers

This is my submission for Week 2 of @choicesmcmadness​’s July theme!

Note: This scene takes place during Guarded Hearts, Part 34 and is a continuation of the conversation featured in Week 1. Enjoy!

“What are you even packing?” Frankie asked over FaceTime. “You’re on a train, do you even have that much stuff with you?”

“You’d be surprised,” Alice said as she looked around the room.

“What, are the rooms on the train spectacularly big?” Frankie asked. “God, you really are too fancy for me now.”

“It’s decidedly not, but half of this train is storage for luggage. Not to mention there’s a boutique car on the train.”

“I’m sorry, what the fuck did you just say? There’s a store on the train?” Frankie asked.

“It’s exactly as bougie as it sounds,” Alice said, laughing. “Okay, okay, I have to focus—I need to pack for camping.”

“Did Bastien at least give you a list or something?” Frankie asked.

“He’s taking care of all the gear, so all I have to do is worry about my clothes and toothbrush and stuff.”

“Is he packing bear mace? He should pack bear mace. Are there bears out there?”

“I have no idea but now I’m worried there are,” Alice said as she stuffed jeans and t-shirts  and underwear into her bag.

“How many pairs of underwear are you packing?” Frankie asked.

“Two.”

“How many are you really packing?”

“Six,” Alice admitted.

“Aren’t you just going for a night?” Frankie asked.

“But what if I shit myself five times?”

“Then you have much bigger problems than bears.”

Camp Choices: Week 1 - Alice Ayers

This is my submission for Week 1 of @choicesmcmadness​’s July theme!

Note: This scene takes place during Guarded Hearts, Part 34. Enjoy!

“I still can’t believe you’re actually going camping,” Frankie said over FaceTime as Alice surveyed the tornado that had evidently hit her room on the train as she attempted to pack.

“Oh come on, I’m not that bad,” Alice said as she halfheartedly picked up a t-shirt, executive dysfunction overwhelming her. “I like going outside.”

“If by ‘outside’ you mean walking from your house to your car, then yeah, you love the great outdoors,” Frankie said.

“Okay, so I’m not super outdoorsy. But this is a chance to be alone with Bastien in the middle of this shit show of a social season, so if that means I have to forego indoor plumbing for a night, then so be it.”

“No, no, I get it,” Frankie said. “So are you guys staying in a cabin or what?”

“Nope, a tent,” Alice said.

“And are you excited to put yourselves in a bear’s snack bag?”

“Weirdly enough, I actually am,” Alice said. “Bastien loves camping and he promised to show me a really beautiful spot. Plus, when else am I going to get a chance to go camping in France?”

“Judging by the wild turn your life has taken, I’d say anything is possible,” Frankie said. “Maybe you’ll even love camping.”

“Well…let’s not go that far,” Alice said. “I love the idea of camping with Bastien but I’m not exactly ready to go full Christopher McCandless.”

“Good, because he died. I’d be super bummed out if you died,” Frankie said.

“Me, too."

If the MC doesn’t stop gasping every three seconds in The Duchess Affair, she’s going to hyperventilate.

MC Mixer #3--Alice x Bastien

Here is my submission for week 3 of @choicesmcmadness​ ‘s MC Mixer!

Hello, Trend readers! Check out this online exclusive sneak peek from our intrepid arts and lifestyle reporter, Aisha Levins, and her interview with Lord Maxwell Beaumont about his upcoming book, The Royal Romance.

—Ana de Luca

Aisha: Lord Beaumont, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me to talk about your upcoming book.

Maxwell: Please, call me Maxwell, and thank you for having me.

Aisha: Your book, The Royal Romance, is one of the most hotly anticipated books in the last few years and from what I understand, preorders are through the roof. What inspired you to write this book?

Maxwell: In a word—Alice. She’s one of my favorite people and she’s really become a sister to me. And her story is a literal fairytale, starting as an American bartender only to rise to become the Champion of the Realm and a duchess, married to the love of her life.

Aisha: The Cordonian public has been fascinated by her from the beginning, and then the tumultuous stories in the press…can we expect to hear the truth behind the tabloids?

Maxwell: Absolutely. And trust me, the real story is even more exciting than what the public knows.

Aisha: How does Duchess Alice feel about you writing this book?

Maxwell: I think she was a little surprised at first because no one knew I was working on a book. (laughs) But she’s been incredibly supportive and at her request, a portion of the proceeds are going to Voices Unsilenced.

Aisha: That’s Duchess Rashida Masih’s organization for victims of sexual violence, correct?

Maxwell: Yes, and if you remember the tabloids, you’ll know why it’s so important to Alice, too. She, Rashida, and Olivia have been doing a lot for that foundation and I’m glad to help in my own way.

Aisha: That’s wonderful to hear. If I can, I’d like to switch gears a bit. Now I know you can’t reveal too much about the book—

Maxwell: Hey, I’ve gotta have a few surprises for you!

Aisha: Of course, of course. But despite being in the tabloids so often, Duchess Alice and Duke Bastien remain a bit of a mystery to the general public as they don’t often give a lot of personal interviews outside of the standard press conferences.

[Editor’s Note: Check back in next month’s issue when Ana de Luca sits down for a rare, exclusive interview with the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria!]

Maxwell: It’s true, I’m really the party face of the family. And I have the best dance moves!

Aisha: That’s certainly uncontested. Speaking of parties, I was hoping to ask a few questions about the duke and duchess and their party habits since the press is not often invited into many of the court events.

Maxwell: Sure, fire away!

Aisha: Tell me—do the duke and duchess arrive on time or fashionably late?

Maxwell: Bastien’s as punctual as all get out, probably from his time as the head of the Royal Guard. Alice is…well, not, but Bertrand would kill all of us if we weren’t on time so between Bertrand and Bastien, they’re usually on time.

Aisha: And what are their drinks of choice?

Maxwell: Bastien…well, he doesn’t usually drink much at court functions. Sometimes a glass of champagne or wine with dinner, but otherwise not much. Now, at private parties…oh, the stories I could tell about Bertrand’s bachelor party…

Aisha: I know our readers would love to hear them!

Maxwell: (awkwardly clearing his throat) I’d better not, I don’t know how happy Bertrand would be with me sharing those. Let’s just say there was beer and a bear and we all survived.

Aisha: As always, no one parties like the Beaumonts. Maybe in the sequel?

Maxwell: Most definitely.

Aisha: And what about Alice’s drink of choice?

Maxwell: Well since she’s pregnant, these days she just sticks to water. But as everyone knows, she was a bartender before we all came crashing into her life, so she has a refined whiskey palate. Red Spot was always one of her favorites.

Aisha: I imagine her bartending skills aren’t often needed at parties anymore.

Maxwell: Not at court functions, but I love having dinner at her and Bastien’s place because he’s an amazing cook and Alice always whips up the most incredible cocktails.

Aisha: Any chance for a recipe or two to end up in the book?

Maxwell: I could probably convince her to let me add a couple to the appendix. The one she made for my last birthday was amazing. I have no idea what was in it, but it was delicious. I had four.

Aisha: What are they like at court functions—are they wallflowers or social butterflies?

Maxwell: Bastien is definitely the more reserved of the two—he’s the strong, silent type, you know—but Alice is definitely the one befriending everyone. I mean, she managed to befriend most of her competitors during the social season, she won over Cordonia after she was unfairly maligned by the press after the social season, she’s raising a ton of funds and positive press for Voices Unsilenced, and she inspired the book I wrote that you’re interviewing me about today. Like I said before, she’s the best.

The full interview with Lord Maxwell Beaumont will be available in our next print issue.

Absolutely!

Natalie Scott was born and raised in the suburbs of Ohio before moving to LA for college when she attended the University of Southern California. Her childhood wasn't unhappy, but she her life felt stifling in a boring, Stepford Wives sort of way. She picked USC partly because it's a great school with a reputable accounting program (Natalie likes math because there's always an answer and numbers make sense), and partly because she hoped something exciting would happen for her in LA.

She had fun in college, partied a little, but she took her studies seriously so LA didn't yet feel like the excitement she'd hoped it would be when she spent so much time studying. At the start of her junior year, she met a business major named Luke and they started dating. Natalie liked Luke a lot, loved him even, but he was solid. Safe. Predictable. She knew she could always rely on him, but he was a lot like the life she'd left behind in Ohio. But because he was a good guy and a nice person, she didn't feel like she had a good enough reason to break up with him so they kept dating. He proposed the night of their graduation at a party with both of their families present and with everyone watching, Natalie felt a ton of pressure to say yes--so she did.

The engagement lasted for a year, during which time Luke kept trying to set a date and Natalie kept inventing reasons not to. They were starting new jobs, Natalie wanted to be more established before taking off time for a honeymoon, she didn't have time to plan anything. Luke tried to be patient and he tried to come up with solutions to each of Natalie's excuses, but finally he accepted that a wedding wasn't going to happen. They split amicably but sadly, and Natalie felt relieved when she moved out and found her own apartment.

After she and Luke split, Natalie fell into a routine. She worked hard, moved to a higher powered accounting firm, and made friends with some of the women with whom she worked. Drinks on Friday, kickboxing classes, farmers markets...Natalie enjoyed it, but she still felt like something was missing. She dated, but nothing ever lasted for more than a few months.

And then she met Teppei.

From The Dragon and the Phoenix:

When Natalie left the grocery store, the Santa Anas were in rare form as they blew through LA. The air whipped at her red hair as she hurried through the parking lot, anxious for things to be still, even just for a moment. She quickly unloaded her bags into the trunk of her car and shut the lid before guiding her cart to the nearby corral. No sooner had she let go when another cart shot by she, chaotically propelled by the wind through the crowded parking lot. Without thinking twice, Natalie jogged after it, picking up the pace when she realized it was headed straight for an older, vintage car at the end of the row. As the cart neared the car, the driver’s door opened and a tall man stepped out just as Natalie grabbed the cart, inches from the gleaming bumper. She sighed with relief and tightened her grip on the handle.

“Cart get away from you?” the man asked.

“No, mine’s back there, this one was just feral in the parking lot,” Natalie said as she attempted fruitlessly to push the hair out of her face.

“You chased down a cart that wasn’t yours?” he asked curiously.

“Well, yeah,” she said defensively. “I didn’t want it to hit anyone’s car.”

He regarded her quietly for a moment and despite the blustery winds around them, Natalie felt still when she met his gaze. 

“What’s your name?” he finally asked.

“Natalie. Natalie Scott,” she said.

“Thank you for saving my car, Natalie Scott,” he said. She watched him watching her for a moment and he looked like he wanted to say more, but didn’t. He started to walk away towards the grocery store and for reasons she couldn’t explain, she couldn’t just let him walk away.

“What’s your name?” she asked, still holding onto the cart. He stopped and turned back to look at her. Natalie noticed the sleeves of his long sleeved black shirt were pushed up, revealing an intricate network of tattoos. Near his collar, ink bloomed across his skin, hinting at more beneath the fabric.

“Teppei Kaneko,” he said. Natalie assumed he probably wanted to leave and get away from the weirdo in the parking lot, but there was something about him that drew her like a magnet and she just couldn’t let him walk away.

“Do you want to get coffee or something?” she asked, cheeks burning as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Of course he doesn’t want to get coffee with you, stupid, she scolded herself.

“Yes.”

“Wait, what?” Natalie asked, surprised and unsure if she’d heard him correctly. 

“Yes, I’ll get coffee with you.”

“I’m sorry, is it totally weird that I just asked you that?”

Teppei shrugged. “Maybe. But I want to go anyway.”

Thanks for the ask! It was fun to delve into Natalie's background.

Every time the MC in The Duchess Affair “shakes off” her indecent thoughts about Nat, all I can picture is

She does it a lot.

Sure, here you go, and thanks for the request! This was a fun one.

NS*W Alphabet: Teppei Kaneko