American Royals

Nina has been hiding in her dorm room and avoiding the paparazzi since the news broke about her and Jeff. Sam makes an unexpected visit after Nina ignores her phone calls and texts for days and asks Nina why she never told her best friend about her and Jeff. Nina says that her life has been “falling to pieces around [her]” (253) since the articles about her and Jeff came out. The girls argue about their long-standing friendship, and Nina admits that it has been hard growing up in Samantha’s shadow and being friends with a royal. Nina starts to realize how much Sam has dominated their friendship over the years and how “Sam [is] an unreliable and thoughtless friend” (255). Nina accuses Sam of being selfish and treating Nina like an assistant instead of a friend. Sam is hurt and retorts that she always thought of Nina as a sister, but Nina points out that Sam treats her own sister terribly. Sam leaves, and Nina is left alone once again.

Sam plays video games with Jeff, but neither of their hearts is in it. Sam tells Jeff about her fight with Nina, and together the siblings realize how they “inadvertently shuffled [Nina] aside” year after year and “treated her like an afterthought” (258). Queen Adelaide tells Sam that her presence is needed for wedding preparations, and she leads Sam into the Crown Jewels vault, where Teddy has been invited to pick out Beatrice’s engagement ring. The queen leaves them alone to take a phone call, and Teddy and Sam awkwardly search for the perfect ring for Beatrice among the Washingtons’ treasured jewels. Although Sam is still angry with Teddy, she reluctantly tells him about her fight with Nina. Teddy asks which ring Sam would pick, and although she finds one she loves, she points out that Teddy “[isn’t] picking for [her]” (265) but for Beatrice. Still, he slides Sam’s chosen ring onto her finger as a gesture of affection for her. They find a ring for Beatrice, which is simple but beautiful, and as the queen returns and expresses her excitement, Sam “[slips] the pink diamond off her finger” (265) and puts it back.

On the day of the big press announcement, Beatrice and Teddy prepare for their live interview. Beatrice chose a Thursday because it was Connor’s day off, and she didn’t want him around when the news broke. However, as the broadcast begins, Beatrice notices Connor at the back of the room. He notices the “enormous diamond” Beatrice is wearing on her ring finger, and his expression shifts from “bewilderment to comprehension to the devastating pain” (268) Beatrice tried to spare him from. Beatrice and Teddy get through the interview and formally announce their engagement to the American people, and afterward, Beatrice finds Connor alone outside. Beatrice apologizes for not telling Connor about her engagement to Teddy, and she explains that her father encouraged her to do this. Connor gets down on one knee and pledges his love to Beatrice, and he uses a Sharpie to “[trace] a thin loop around the skin of Beatrice’s finger” (272). Though it pains her, she refuses his offer of marriage and insists that she must marry Teddy. Connor is devastated and announces that he to formally resign as her Guard. Beatrice is heartbroken but accepts his resignation, and as Connor walks away, she covers the Sharpie mark on her hand with her diamond engagement ring.

One week after her fight with Sam, Nina is invited to a frat party and reluctantly agrees to go. After hiding for so long, Nina decides it’s “time to stop hiding” (276) from judgmental people. At the party, Nina’s arrival immediately elicits gossip and whispering. Rachel asks Nina when she’s going to answer Jeff’s calls because “he at least deserve[s] the chance to tell [her] he’s sorry” (279). Right on cue, Jeff calls Nina and announces that he is on campus with a Wawa milkshake to deliver to her. Nina agrees to meet with him, and Jeff apologizes for making Nina feel inferior to the Washingtons throughout the years. He realizes how badly the media has been treating Nina, and he feels somewhat responsible, but he promises that he never told anyone they were dating. They try to puzzle out who could have tipped off the paparazzi, and Nina admits that if they continue to date, “it won’t ever be just [Jeff] and [Nina]” but also the palace and the world, “which makes things a bit crowded” (284). Jeff insists that Nina belongs with the Washingtons, and they kiss and share the Wawa milkshake.

Daphne and her mother spend a Saturday in one of the most prestigious salons in Washington and try to gather tidbits of gossip from the salon assistant. As the official palace hairstylist, the salon’s owner is privy to the details about the inner workings of the palace, and Mrs. Deighton has learned to “[drop] hints” and give “overly generous tips” (288) to access these details. When the Deightons learn that invitations will soon go out for Teddy and Beatrice’s engagement party, Mrs. Deighton urges Daphne to go as Jefferson’s date. Daphne is nervous because although she has “schemed and blackmailed and knocked out her competition” (291), Jefferson still hasn’t reached out to her or asked to get back with her. Mrs. Deighton reluctantly congratulates her daughter for getting rid of Nina Gonzalez, but as she scrolls through gossip blogs on her phone, Mrs. Deighton discovers photos of Nina and Jefferson together at a frat party the night before. Daphne’s mother scolds her and tells her she has “completely lost control of this situation” (291). Her mother urges her to switch tactics and go after Nina directly instead of trying to influence Jefferson.

Since announcing her engagement, Beatrice’s life has been a whirlwind of activity. She misses Connor, who has been replaced with a new guard, and “Beatrice [has] never felt so alone” (294). Late one night, Beatrice sneaks down to the kitchens for a midnight snack. She is surprised when Samantha joins her, and together they make mac and cheese. When Sam notices that Beatrice isn’t wearing her engagement ring, she asks her sister if she loves Teddy because she seems so miserable. Beatrice realizes how much Sam likes Teddy, and she tells Sam about their father’s terminal illness and why she has to get married quickly. The sisters embrace, and Sam is amazed that Beatrice has been carrying this secret alone. The girls admit they have always been jealous of one another and have felt lonely and forgotten for years. They agree to be more open and honest with one another and have each other’s backs. Beatrice is comforted to know that no matter what happens, “at least now she [has] her sister on her side” (302).

The day after her conversation with Beatrice, Sam visits her father in his office, and she realizes that he doesn’t look good: She notices “how thin his skin had become, the purple shadows beneath his eyes,” and “an alarming fatigue” (303) underlying his movements. Her father says that he’s been meaning to talk to Samantha about her role in the family and how he makes an effort to connect to the people of America personally and meaningfully as king. He tells Sam that one day Beatrice will rely on her sister to support her and keep her accountable when she is queen. He praises Sam for her “lack of pretension” and her ability to “make someone feel heard” (309), which makes her a valuable asset to the monarchy. Finally, he apologizes if he ever made Sam feel like he undervalued her. Sam is overwhelmed with love and appreciation, and she asks her father if she can help him answer a few of his letters from the American people.