Just Like Her

Chapter 67

Tom

"Gag Rule?" Emma breathed as the door shut firmly in place.

I strode over toward it and set the lock.

"You don't need to worry about it," I muttered as I rested my forehead on the wood of the door.

"Clearly I do!" She exclaimed.

I jumped slightly at the sudden rise of her voice. I turned and caught her staring indignantly at me.

"Your parents storm into our flat ranting about some breach in protocol—about this rule that you've never told me—"

I grimaced as I felt my intestines twist in guilt. "Emma, I only—"

"The Internet is bloody blowing up and people are angry at me and I have no idea why!" She continued, her ranting only getting stronger and louder as her body seemed to vibrate. "And the only gag rule I can surmise is your not letting me speak in front of your parents!"

I gruffly raked my fingers through my hair. "That gag rule is archaic—"

"But what the bloody hell is it!" She practically bellowed.

"It's a rule—an unwritten rule—that members of the royal family have to abstain from engaging in politics."

"So? You're not planning on bloody running for Parliament, are you?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. But engaging in—it encompasses more than just being a politician."

Emma angled her chin in less-than-patient waiting for my elaboration.

I deflated. "Endorsing parties or positions, giving speeches, voting—"

"Voting?" Emma repeated.

I hesitated before nodding.

She narrowed her eyes and pointed an accusatory finger in my direction. "You mean to tell me, you've never voted?"

Again, I hesitated before shaking my head.

Her eyes doubled in size. "Are you even bloody registered?"

"No? Why would I register if I can't—"

"Un-bloody-believable," she muttered. "I'm dating a non-voter."

I stared at her a moment. "That's what you're upset about?"

"Would you like me to pick something else to be upset about, Thomas?" She rounded on me through gritted teeth. "It wouldn't be difficult seeing you've given me quite the buffet of things to choose from."

I swallowed. "As I said, the rule's unwritten. Constitutionally, it only extends to the reigning monarch, but by custom, it extends to the rest of us as well."

Emma shook her head in confusion. "The rest of us?"

"The rest of the family," I explained. "But it doesn't extend to your contract."

She laughed darkly and then nodded, her tone surprisingly sharp. "You made damn sure of that, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." I said slowly, unable to read the thoughts clearly whirling in her mind. "I did."

"But that would be part of it—a part of being married to a member of the royal family."

I nodded as I watched Emma's visage slowly change from indignation to hurt.

"So why would you leave it out?" She asked quietly. "Were you trying to hide it from me?"

"No, of course not!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly feeling the need to be close to her, I strode over to where she stood by the counter. Emma lifted her hands in warning for me not to touch her, and I obeyed.

"Then why?" She demanded.

"I was trying to protect you!"

"From my future?"

I opened my mouth but closed it unsure of what to say. Unsure of how best to defuse this argument, to make her see my good intentions.

"You had to have known that'd be the hardest part, and so you purposefully hid it from me," she accused.

I shook my head. "That's not fair—"

"But it's true!" She exclaimed, taking a step backward. "Isn't it! You wanted me to agree to marry you, and you were scared I'd walk."

"No," I shook my head again adamant she understand me. "I just—I never intentionally lied to you, Emma."

She scoffed. "Unlike I intentionally lied to you about Rufus, right?"

I closed my eyes in frustration. "That's not what I meant!"

"Of course it is!"

"I was just trying to protect you!"

"I don't need you to protect me!" She yelled. "What I need is for you to respect me enough to trust me to be able to handle the truth!"

I stared at her with my mouth gaping open.

Respect her? Of course I bloody respected her! How could she ever accuse me of not respecting her?

Emma must have interpreted my silence as an admission of guilt because she laughed darkly as she strode past me and grabbed her keys off the hook. "And I thought I  had trust issues."

A wave of panic immobilized me as the possibility of her leaving suddenly struck me. "Emma, wait—"

"I told Alice I'd sit with her during her chemo this afternoon," she stated simply before grabbing her wallet and her coat.

"I-I'll see you at tonight's dinner?"

The door slammed shut in answer. 

[A/N: Tom & Emma have already been through so much--have they finally reached their breaking point? 

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Gratitude shoutouts to @2user38, @tashkeen24, & @DaisyMae19 ]