<i>Ah, that would explain it then</i>, Mindy thought, her fingers drumming on her arm. Alistair was a self-proclaimed "playboy prince", and Amelia had never been fond of playboys. Sensible, sweet Amelia had always had the unnerving ability to smell them from a mile away and had always been quick to rebuff any attention from men who weren't worth her time.<i>If only I had that same ability</i>, Melinda thought with an inner laugh, but she quickly squashed the thought. Now was not the time to be evaluating her own love life.<br/><br/>When Alistair finally demurred on just how long he'd known about his brother and her sister, Melinda couldn't stop a wave of disappointment. She supposed it made sense that Alistair would know first, especially if his brother had been bringing her sister<i>here</i>. But why, when things had gotten serious enough between Ryan and Amelia had Melinda not been called? Her parents had never given away any indication that they had known about her sister's romance either. So why had it been such a tightly guarded secret? Mindy let out a heavy sigh, head dropping back on the couch. "Figures. It just... it seems so fast. She's only been studying abroad for a little over a year. That's not much time for an affair of... well, of this magnitude." She looked across the couch at Alistair. "I mean, you're freaking royalty. I know enough about European royalty to know this isn't going to be a quick, simple church wedding. So if you factor in all the time it takes to plan and put on a wedding of this size, time for the engagement,<i>and</i>the initial relationship... what, did they meet each other as she stepped of the plane?" The question was clearly rhetorical, her tone indicating she was not actually seeking an answer.<br/><br/>She threw her arms up in exasperation, sagging into the couch. "A has never been secretive before. This just is so... out of character." She fixed her green eyes on him. "Are you sure he really, really loves her?"