“Excuse me?” I stood up. “What do you mean we?”

“The duchess has sent a detail to stay with you. She’s worried you will run into problems with the way your media has attacked this story.” Duvall folded his hands in front of him. “I have a team of six if you include me and three cars.”

“What story? There is no story!” Three cars? Just for me to go to school? I put my hands on my h*ps and saw Bert trying to edge out of the room. “Bert! You’re a psych major. Don’t you agree that if I act like there is nothing going on, other people will behave that way too?”

“Well,” he said. His face looked a bit panicked. “I’m not sure this is the same thing as pretending like you’re fine after a breakup. This could have repercussions for your safety.”

“What are you talking about? I work with birds. They don’t give a crap if I’m royalty!” Too much change, happening too fast. I hadn’t even talked to my dad yet. Oh God—Dad.

“That’s not true, Sam. You teach a lecture hall full of people who will know their teaching assistant is in the headlines. Not to mention the people who make the drops at the center.” Bert frowned and shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t blame you for wanting it all to just fade away, but right now it isn’t going to.”

“Samantha, we will be as unobtrusive as possible.” Duvall’s calm voice did not make me feel any less frustrated.

“I don’t like this.” The thought was so loud in my head it escaped my mouth. I pointed at Duvall and frowned. “You do as I say. Stay out of the way and try to not be conspicuous.”

“Of course.” Duvall spoke into his shirt sleeve again and I fought the urge to laugh. There was no way Duvall could be inconspicuous. “I have a car waiting at the curb, but you should be prepared that the number of reporters and journalist outside has grown since I arrived.”

“How many?” I could hear voices from outside and felt my heart rate pick up.

“They’re still coming.”

I groaned and looked around the room for my coat before shoving the files into my bag. “Then let’s get this over with now, before even more arrive. I guess I don’t need that ride after all, Bert.”

“Call me if you need me.” He saluted me with his spoon and I smiled at him.

“Samantha, they may shout questions at you. It’s up to you if you want to answer them, but I would suggest that you not. If you do, they will push for more and more.” Duvall looked at me seriously.

“Keep your head down and smile. Nothing too big, just a small smile,” Bert said from his seat. “You don’t want to frown, because you’re probably going to be photographed.”

“Oh, God.” I tightened my hand on the strap to my bag.

“Ready?” Duvall put his hand on the door knob.

I nodded my head and forced a smile. Cold air blew into the house and I followed Duvall out into the craziness.

Chapter Six

Press Denied Access to Campus

—WXCV Dale Gordon

The lights from video equipment and the flashing of cameras blinded me. Duvall put his hand on my elbow as we walked down the stairs. People hollered my name, screamed questions, and waved their hands to try to draw my attention. I kept my gaze down, not wanting to make eye contact, and forced myself to continue smiling.

As soon as I saw the car come into my line of downturned vision, I was relieved. The trek from the front of my house to the car had been the longest walk of my life. Duvall opened the back door for me, letting me slide into the car before he took the front passenger seat.

“They are likely to follow us, my lady. I wouldn’t do anything you wouldn’t want them to see until we are ahead of them.” Duvall looked back at me with serious eyes. He had put on sunglasses and for some reason it made me want to giggle.

“Okay.” I pulled on my seat belt and slid my bag next to me. “I thought you were going to call me Sam.”

“In private. In public we must maintain courtesy.” He turned back to the front and nodded at the driver. “This is Parker. If I’m not with you, Parker will be.”

“Hi.” I smiled at the face in the rearview mirror.

“Nice to meet you, Duchess Rousseau.” He nodded his head at me. He was close in age to Duvall, with gray streaks in the hair at his temples.

“Technically, I haven’t gone through any ceremonies. I’m just Samantha.”

“Ceremonies are only a formality. You were born a duchess.”

I took a deep breath and looked out the window. I tried to not look behind us, not wanting pictures of me staring out a rear window to end up on the news. A car similar to the one we were in had taken the lead and I was pretty sure another had followed us.

“Do you think they’ll follow us to the school?”

“It’s likely, though the dean was notified and promised they would not be welcome on campus.”

“The dean?” My heart stopped. Who had called the dean?

“It’s a common courtesy to let the staff know when there may be an issue with media. Plus the duchess is visiting a couple of the programs while in town.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t a long ride to my school. We had rented a house nearby. As if he could read my mind, Parker pulled into the parking lot for the Natural Sciences building.

Parker pulled the car up to the curb and Duvall hopped out immediately. He opened my door and I slid out. A man exited the car in front and a woman from the car behind us. They each took up a place behind me as I walked to the office. Duvall didn’t take the time to introduce us as we hurried out of the cold. The people in the news vans and cars were all scurrying to try to follow us. We entered the building quickly and I flashed my student ID to the security guard. He waved us through and I took everyone up a flight of stairs to the floor with the offices.