Another message was from her Aunt Sallie, who lived in Nevada and whom she hadn’t seen in five years since Sallie hadn’t been able to attend her mom’s funeral due to a cruise she’d already booked. She was also mad about not being invited. Apparently, the wedding had been all over the news media and now everyone she’d ever met was mad at her.
She was ready to delete the next message unheard, but it turned out to be from The Fountains. Her blood pressure spiked when it began with “I don’t wish to alarm you but…” and went on to explain that her brother had gone missing the previous evening.
Gone missing? Weren’t residents under close observation? It was a facility filled with addicts, whose thoughts habitually revolved around how to score their next fix. She sat up, pulled the covers around her and called back. She realized on the third ring that it was probably about three A.M. in New York right now, but someone answered. “What happened to Jonas?”
She heard an inhale. “I’m afraid that he went missing sometime right after dinner. He said he was heading back to his room to get something, then the nurse noticed he was missing at night check.”
“Did you call the police?”
There was a pause. “Uh, no. If he’s involved in something illegal, he could be arrested and charged.”
“Of course.” How did her brother get tangled up in drugs? Especially when he’d grown up knowing that his dad died of an overdose. Anger flashed through her, followed closely by fear. It was The Fountains job to help him, but once he’d walked off the property they might feel no further responsibility. “Is anyone looking for him?”
“Of course. We have someone who specializes in finding patients who go AWOL, and he quietly interviews them while they’re here to figure out where they would be mostly likely to go at a time like this. We usually find them within twenty-four hours.”
“Great. That’s great to hear. Is there anything I can do to help?” She felt powerless and frustrated that she was thousands of miles away. It was not like she could just get on a plane. She had a job to do here, and she couldn’t have Darias’s family find out that thanks to her there was now a junkie in the extended family.
“Don’t worry too much. We’ll keep you posted.”
She hung up and noticed that Darias was now propped on one elbow watching her.
“Your brother left The Fountains?”
She nodded. “I’m scared. My dad OD’d when I was seven.” She wanted to remind him that Jonas was her last living family member, but Darias might find that odd or rude, since she was now surrounded by his entire large family.
Except that they weren’t really family when it was only for one year.
He stroked her arm. “They’re the best of the best. They’ll take find him.”
“And every girl I ever said hello to is mad that I didn’t invite her to my wedding.” She made quotation marks in the air with her fingers as she said wedding. “It’s weird that I can’t tell them the truth.” She hadn’t really thought about how people she rarely saw would react. It truly hadn’t occurred to her that they’d even find out. Obviously, she just wasn’t that smart. “I guess I didn’t realize how much press the wedding would get. Why are they only finding out about it now?”
“People don’t really care that much about Altaleone. A lot of them have never heard of it. I suppose the media outlets went for a two-for-one combo package.”
“And now I have fifty-three text messages that I’m afraid to read.”
Darias laughed. “You’ll soon learn not to give your number to anyone that you don’t really like.”
“They’ll probably all feel smug when the press announces our breakup a year from now.” She tried to sound chirpy. She realized as she said it that she was hoping Darias would protest and say that—
She didn’t know exactly what she was hoping for, but Darias didn’t say anything. He looked at the sheets. Then at a large oil painting of a brindle greyhound.
“At least the coronation went smoothly. After the firework incident, that is.” She babbled, saying anything to fill the awkward silence she’d created.
“I need to go find out what they’ve learned about the kid who did it.” Darias propelled himself from the bed, probably glad of an excuse to get away from her.
She needed to learn to be happy with what she had—right now. Nothing lasts forever. Even people entering real marriages would probably end up splitting up and shedding tears sooner or later. She should be glad that at least she knew how this romance would end.
Darias was a ladies’ man. Yes, she might be his current “muse,” but she wasn’t the first and she wouldn’t be the last. And she’d better not forget that again.
Darias tugged on some clothes smart enough to encounter whatever dignitaries had stayed overnight and headed downstairs. Emma’s statement—about their impending breakup—had rattled him. He wasn’t even sure why. Wasn’t that exactly how he planned it?
Maybe it was all going too smoothly. He hadn’t expected her to end up in his bed so quickly. Or maybe he had and was disconcerted that he’d been right.
“Good morning, darling!” His mom greeted him at the bottom of the stairs with a kiss.
“You’re glowing.”
“With happiness. Out of the ashes, you know? Now you need to get used to people calling you your majesty. Is Emma sleeping in?”
“No, she’s up. Just responding to phone messages. I’m sure she’ll be down soon. I’ll catch breakfast later. I want to meet with Gibran and get a bead on what happened yesterday.”
“Of course.” He hated the shadow of worry that passed over his mom’s beautiful face. “Do take care.”
“I will.” He dialed Gibran as he walked out to his car and a staffer opened the door for him. “Any news?”
“His lawyers are arguing that it was a youthful prank.”
“He’s not that much of a youth. At least college age. Is he still in custody?”
“Yes, but only because this is a monarchy and he attacked the king. Your lawyers tell me that it would otherwise be a misdemeanor since no one was hurt.”
“Property was damaged. I’m sure the carriage has some scrapes. And my wife was scared.” Protective rage filled him at the thought that Emma could have been hurt.
“Can you charge him with treason?” Gibran’s voice was grim. “That may be the best way to hold him.”
“And scare the truth out of him. Treason carries the death penalty. Of course it hasn’t been used in recent centuries. If the lawyers say it will work, then do it. I want to talk to him now.”
“He’s in the old cells at the armory. We thought it best to keep him away from the general jail population.”
“Good. I’ll be right there.” It was probably quicker to walk, but he was already in the car, so he drove and parked on the street outside the monolithic stone armory that dated back to the late middle ages.
The prisoner was in a simple stone cell with a built-in bench, and he sat on the bench as if waiting for his coffee at Starbucks, glancing up with seeming disinterest as Darias approached.
“I know you. I know your father is president of the Lesset Bank Group and that your sister, Lana, just graduated from Harvard. I’ve skied with your brother, Werner. Our fathers hunted together. What were you doing?” He didn’t really expect an answer. Gibran told them he hadn’t spoken except to his lawyers.
“Delivering a message.”
“Oh?” Darias tried not to look too interested.
“You’ve been invited to join the Cross of Blood.”
“I have no interest in joining some ancient society with bizarre rituals.” That might be behind the murders of my father and grandmother.
“I think you’ll find that you can’t not join.”
“I think you’ll find that you will soon be charged with high treason.” Darias stared at him, unblinking. Why would the son of a wealthy noble risk imprisonment and death? Usually, the reasons for crime could be traced back to either money,
or power.
“What is the main objective of the Cross of Blood?”
“Join it and you will find out.” The young man looked relaxed and confident, as if he’d just been challenged to a game of backgammon, not threatened with execution.
“What’s in it for me?” Apart from possible death.
“Your destiny.”
Darias sneered and decided he’d heard enough. He turned and walked back past the armed guards. Unfortunately, it appeared he would indeed have to join the Cross of Blood.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Emma headed downstairs tentatively, not sure what would be expected of her this morning. There were still many guests at the palace so she wore a dress and spent time on makeup, hoping to look appropriately royal.
She still hadn’t even read all her fifty-three text messages. She had read enough to glean that the National Enquirer had put her and Darias on the cover with the garish headline “Jersey Girl Nabs Euro King.” So all her former coworkers, her best friend from elementary school and her mom’s neighbors had all learned of her whereabouts at the supermarket checkout counter.
She hadn’t dared try to find the article.
Of course Darias was nowhere to be found, and she had to negotiate her way through a crowd at the buffet breakfast. “Thank you! The ceremony was very moving, wasn’t it?” The small talk exhausted her. She’d never really needed it in her life before and didn’t have practice.
She finally managed to gather herself a plate of sautéed ham and eggs and little brioche things, and make her way to an empty table—there were at least twenty small tables set up for guests near the usual big one—when she heard Liesel’s voice behind her. “Good morning, Queen Emma.”
“Good morning,” she replied evenly, barely looking up. She was starving, and the ham smelled amazing.
To her dismay, Liesel sat down opposite her. “A Jersey girl—what does this mean?” She lifted a penciled brow. Great. She’d read the article.
“I think it’s a type of tomato. My mom grew them.” She attempted a smile.
Liesel frowned. “Your father died of a drug overdose. How tragic.”
Uh-oh. Just how much information was in the article? Her stomach shriveled with worry at the reminder that Jonas was still missing on the streets of New York. “Yes. I was very young. I missed him a lot.” No need to mention that he’d never actually lived with them.
“And this brother of yours? Tell me about him.” Liesel tented her hands and rested her chin on them.
Emma’s heart sank. Now she did wish she’d read the article. She didn’t really want to reveal any more than Liesel already knew. “He’s young. What have you heard about him?”
Liesel pursed her peach colored lips. “That he was swept into some kind of drug rehab place the moment Darias proposed to you. He’s a drug user like his father.”
Emma listened. Wondering how to respond. Did she know Jonas had left The Fountains? “He’s been under a lot of pressure lately. Our mom died of cancer.”
“So I read. The Leone family has never previously found itself the subject of the National Enquirer.”
Emma’s heart sank at the thought of how happy Liesel would be on the day that the end of her marriage to Darias was announced. She could already hear that pinched mouth uttering the immortal words “I told you so.”
“I haven’t read the article.” She hated how reedy her voice sounded. “I’ll have to look it up later.”
“I’d recommend that.” Liesel fixed a pale, steely gaze on her for the longest second ever. “The article did also mention that you were a school teacher like the much-loved Princess Diana.” Her voice rose to a mocking tone at the princess’s name. “And I think we all know what happened to her. Her husband didn’t really love her. He was in love with someone else all along.” The last words were whispered so low they sounded almost like a hiss. Liesel rose to her feet and walked away.
Emma resisted the urge to breathe an audible sigh of relief, then glanced around her to gauge how many other people might have heard their exchange. Luckily, everyone around her was eating and talking. She glanced down at her plate, dismayed that her ravenous appetite had completely vanished.
Was Darias in love with someone else? Someone he couldn’t marry because of royal protocol? She hadn’t seen any obvious candidates in her quick Internet tour through his past, but that could be because there were pictures of him with so many different women.
Insecurity reared its ugly head. Of course she didn’t expect him to actually love her. She was just a Jersey girl, after all. The term made her want to shake her head. What was wrong with being from New Jersey, for crying out loud? Nothing. That’s what.
She stabbed her ham with her fork and cut it, then tried to eat it, but it tasted like paper now that she wasn’t hungry. Maybe she could find some way to keep busy, preferably away from the prying eyes of all these people trying to find fault with her. She could feel their gaze on her and she’d never felt more self-conscious in her life. Not even during the wedding when she knew everyone was staring at her.
She glimpsed Darias on the far side of the room. Her heart leapt for a second, then she realized he was probably busy and wouldn’t relish being interrupted. Things were way more awkward now that she’d slept with him. At least before she knew where she stood. Now she had blissful moments where she felt like his real wife, followed by grim reminders that she was essentially a paid companion.
He looked up and their eyes met. For a second she was embarrassed at being caught staring, but he started to walk toward her, so she made another attempt at eating her breakfast.
He pulled up a chair and leaned in. “I’m going to join the Cross of Blood.” He spoke so low she barely heard him over the hum of conversations around them.
“Why?”
“It’s the only way I’ll find out whose in it and what they’re really up to. The attacker from yesterday said that his goal was to make me join.”
“Then aren’t you playing into his hands?” The idea horrified her. What if they just wanted to get him alone in some remote country house so they could.… Her mind boggled with hideous images.
“I don’t see another route. It’s a closed group. Influential people, aristocrats, very exclusive. They’ve been around for hundreds of years but there so cloaked in secrecy that no one outside of it seems to know what its all about. I need to find out what their purpose is. If they killed my father and grandmother—which right now I firmly believe they did—I need to find out why and bring the killer or killers to justice.”
She swallowed. “I certainly understand your motivation, but it’s too dangerous. Are you going to be armed?”
“I’m sure that if the Cross of Blood wanted me dead they’d figure out a way to do it right here, right now, in the palace dining room.” He glanced up from their hushed conversation. “So I can only assume that they have other intentions for me. I’d be a coward if I didn’t try to find out what they are.” His dark eyes flashed with determination.
“How do you join?”
“Good question. I think I’ll have a chat with Lorenzo Aldobrando.”
“You should ask Beatriz if she learned anything from him.”
“I did. She was infuriatingly mysterious. But that’s not so unusual for her. I hardly imagine she’d let herself be seduced by the scion of one of our oldest rivals.”
“Isn’t that how they used to settle disputes in the old days?”
Darias’s eyes narrowed. “Perish the thought.”
By the next day most of the guests had left and the palace started to sink back into its quieter rhythms. Darias approached his mom about his intention of moving to the castle, and to his surprise she was warmly enthusiastic.
“It is the ancient seat of our kings.” Carolina looked up from signing thank you notes for the lavish gifts she’d been given at the coronation. “I think it’s only appropriate that you follow your grandmother’s lead and take up residence there. I’d
imagine you’ll want some renovations. She could be very old fashioned about some things.”
“It’s fine for now. And Emma and I will enjoy the privacy afforded by a smaller household. Of course, we’ll come visit you all the time and you’re always welcome to come over.” Emma loved how he always worried about his mom’s feelings.
“I do appreciate that, my love. And I especially look forward to helping out when you have a new baby.” She smiled in happy anticipation.
Darias’s face fell fast, as did Emma’s stomach. It had never crossed her mind that anyone would start hinting they should have a baby. And Darias looked appalled by the idea.
“Uh, Emma and I want to enjoy marriage and settle into our new lives for quite some time before we—”
“We’re not quite ready yet.” She joined in, hoping to make him sound more authentic. She hated the idea that his mom was dreaming of cute baby outfits and first words and had no prospect of getting them. One more thing to feel bad about when their one-year term ended.
She’d miss Carolina, too. It was still kind of weird calling her Mama on the rare occasions when it was totally unavoidable, but in some ways Carolina had already come to feel like a second mom, especially now that her own was gone. She was such a warm and kind woman, and still very beautiful, that Emma couldn’t help hoping she’d find a new man and fall in love again, rather than trying to live vicariously through her children—which was usually a recipe for disappointment.
Speaking of which, she wondered if they’d found Jonas yet. Probably not. They’d have called if they had, wouldn’t they? She walked to the side of the room, picked up her phone and scrolled through her messages, then cursed herself for having missed several new ones, partly because she had so many unread ones still sitting on her phone that she couldn’t bring herself to read and respond to.
“Jonas found. Undergoing detox. Please call.”
“Please excuse me.” She walked outside the palace drawing room and called back. “It’s Emma…Leone.” Okay, that was weird. “Jonas Ricci is my brother. Is he okay?”
The King's Bought Bride (Royal House of Leone Book 1) Page 15