“Two will,” the king said. “A member of security will go with you as well.”
The man nodded.
Jordan ran a hand through his hair as he paced near them. He glanced at the water to see the boat used to ferry them back and forth already approaching the shore. “Astrid!” he called. “You need to go.”
She nodded and moved away from Kensington who had been holding her back. Before she started across the sand she stopped, gave Jordan a quick hug, and whispered, “Thank you for getting to her.”
Before Jordan could reply she was gone, walking across the sand with one of the other EMS men supporting her. Two others strapped Sofia in.
She still cried, heart-wrenching sobs.
Jordan could only pray he’d reached her before any permanent damage had been done.
29
Astrid had been in a conference room at Children’s Hospital alone for at least ten minutes before the doors burst open, and her family poured in.
“How is she?” more than one of them asked.
She shook her head. “They took her as soon as we got here. I haven’t seen her since.”
Her mother was first to her side, wrapping her arms around Astrid. “She’s going to be fine.”
“You don’t know that.” Tears began to fall again. “None of you do.”
Her father pulled them into his embrace. “We’re praying. Whatever happens, God will give you the strength you need.”
“Didn’t you tell me that before?”
“A few times.”
None of which were in her top ten memories.
She pushed away from her parents and looked around. “What happened? How was she on the beach unattended?” Was it her fault? “Where’s Gretchen?” Wasn’t the nanny supposed to be watching Sofia?
“Gretchen said she was in the sitting room the whole time,” her father told her. He’d likely been getting updates non-stop. “She’s with security now, looking at the video to see if they can figure it out.”
“The door was propped open with a rock,” Jordan told them. “I thought it wasn’t supposed to be left like that, ever, for security reasons.”
“It’s not.” Father crossed his arms over his chest. “They’re reviewing the tapes from that area, too. Someone is about to lose their job, at best. At worst, they’ll be charged.”
“Charged?” Astrid couldn’t imagine this being anything but a horrible accident.
“Neglect, most likely. Dereliction of duty is possible.” Her father rested his hands on her shoulders. “There’s going to be a police investigation, sweetheart. They’re going to have to ask all of us a whole bunch of questions. We’re going to have to make official, legally binding statements, and we’re going to have to hold at least one press conference before it’s over.”
She tried to soak that in. “They’re going to say it’s because we were neglecting her, aren’t they? That she was unsupervised, and we’re horrible parents. We’re going to be arrested and charged with neglect, too, won’t we?”
“No!” Her father’s stern tone made her head snap up. “Whatever happened, it was a tragic accident that could have been so much worse. Jordan and Dare were on their way to the beach before she made it to the water.” He touched his eye which she could see swelling shut. “How many other people can say they gave the king a black eye with no consequences whatsoever?”
“Sorry about that, sir.” Jordan didn’t sound sorry in the slightest.
“Nonsense. If you’d waited for me to get out of the way, I would have asked for an explanation, and it would have taken far longer to get down there. As long as Sofia is okay, we’ll be laughing about the time you knocked your father-in-law, the king, on his butt for years.”
Betsy stood next to Jordan, her arms around her brother. Astrid wondered why he hung back, why he wasn’t at her side? Did he blame her? She already did, even without knowing what happened. What kind of mother didn’t know where her child was? What kind of mother allowed her child to wander unsupervised around a palace, then slip unnoticed down that huge staircase leading to a beach? It would have taken her at least five minutes to get down the staircase on her own. Were there cameras out there, too?
“Whoever propped the door open, why would they?” Dare asked the question.
“I’m guessing it was to get the beach ready for us to be out there later. We were supposed to have a barbecue for Jordan’s birthday and Canadian Thanksgiving.”
“Then why was that person inside so long that he or she didn’t see a toddler on the way up or down? That had to have taken half of forever,” Betsy chimed in.
“We’re looking into it.” Her father’s hand cupped her shoulder. “We’ll find out exactly what happened, but whatever it was, it was not your fault. I want to make sure you know that.”
“And if the police decide otherwise?”
“They won’t.”
He couldn’t guarantee that. One thing she knew for certain - her father wouldn’t interfere with an investigation or its results.
The door opened again, this time letting a doctor in. “Astrid Cordova?”
Astrid took a step forward. “That’s me.”
The doctor looked up, her eyes widening as she looked around the room. “Oh, my.” She curtsied to the room as a whole. “I had no idea.”
That had to be good news. She wouldn’t be talking about not knowing who they were if Sofia was critical. “How’s my daughter?” Astrid asked, trying to get back on track.
“Well, I had no idea who she was, but that wouldn’t have changed our course of action. A member of security has been with her the entire time, but...” She shrugged and looked at her clipboard. “She’s going to be fine. Probably sore and tired for a few days, but otherwise we don’t see any immediate signs of long-term issues. We’ll keep her here for a day or two and run some more tests to be sure, but I don’t see anything that indicates any long term damage. Whoever got to her, got to her quickly.” She tilted her head as she looked near Astrid, but not at her. “Has anyone looked at your eye, sir? I know we treat kids, but I’m certain we can make sure you’re not looking at something serious.”
“My physician will later,” her father told the doc. “It’s annoying, but not unbearable.”
“Still, make sure you get it checked out and there’s not damage to the eye socket.”
“I will.”
The doctor turned back to Astrid. “Princess Astrid, would you like to see her?”
Astrid started for the door. “Of course.” She expected Jordan to follow her, but he hung back. Why? Because he wasn’t Sofia’s father?
“Jordan, why don’t you go with her?” Her father took charge of the situation. He was good at that. Would she be when it was her turn to be monarch? If this was her grandchild?
“If we both can, and Astrid wouldn’t rather one of you go with her.” Did he not want to see Sofia?
“You both can,” the doctor answered.
Astrid looked at him, pleading with her eyes that he come. She needed him.
By the time she exited the room, he was on her heels, then held her hand as they followed the doctor.
The little voice in the back of her head had been buzzing since she first saw Jordan and Dare fly through the room. As soon as she’d seen them, she’d known something was seriously wrong, but it finally registered what the buzz had been.
She’d been praying.
Without realizing it, without ceasing, she’d been praying for her little girl.
Now to see if the prayers had been answered.
Jordan hung back as they reached the room where Sofia was being watched over. Astrid should be the one here, not him. He wasn’t her father, not really. What right did he have to be there?
But his heart broke just the same when he saw her laying there, so little in the big hospital bed, reaching for Astrid.
“Can I?” she asked the nurse, who nodded. Astrid picked Sofia up, then sat on the bed, maneuvering around the oxygen tu
bes and IV until she laid with her daughter snuggled close.
He took a seat in the chair near the wall, his mind a jumble of thoughts he couldn’t sort out. The nurse left, and the three of them sat there in silence.
“Thank you,” Astrid finally whispered.
He didn’t deserve it. “For what? I didn’t know where she was until it was too late.”
“But you got to her.”
He didn’t reply. The feeling that he’d let them both down settled over him like a thick blanket on a warm day.
The door opened, and a man walked in, the emblem on his collared shirt and badge on his belt identifying him as a member of the San Minorian Police Department.
“We know why you’re here,” Astrid said before he could even introduce himself. “We’ll cooperate fully.”
“I know you will, ma’am. I’ve already spoken briefly with your father, who assured me the whole family would.” He turned to Jordan. “Sir, if you could step outside, there’s another officer here to speak with you.”
Jordan nodded and fought his instinct to kiss his wife and daughter. He stepped outside where an investigator stood, along with another member of palace security. He followed them to an office.
The investigator set a recorder on the table and turned it on. “This is Inspector Stewart with Prince Jordan, Duke of Bevingdale discussing the incident at the San Minorian Palace earlier this afternoon. Sir, if you could acknowledge that you are aware this conversation is being recorded?”
Jordan stifled a sigh. It was necessary. “My name is Jordan Haines, well, formerly Jordan Haines. I’m now Prince Jordan, Duke of Bevingdale. I’m not sure what my legal last name is. Probably still Haines, though no one uses it anymore.” That was relevant. “I am aware this conversation is being recorded.”
“In your own words, sir, could you tell me what happened this afternoon?”
“It’s my birthday. My family and my in-laws threw a surprise party for me at the palace on San Minoria. We had lunch. When it was time to open presents, Gretchen - our nanny - took Sofia to put her down for a nap. An hour or so later, I was on the balcony outside the Red Drawing Room talking to Dare - my best friend and brother-in-law, Darren Weaver. I saw Sofia on the beach. I yelled at her and hoped she’d turn around. She waved and kept going toward the water. I couldn’t see any adults out there, so I turned and ran. Dare followed me. I think I gave the king a black eye when I knocked him over because he didn’t get out of my way fast enough. By the time we got to the beach, she was unconscious. I carried her up near the palace onto solid ground and checked her vital signs. She had a heartbeat but wasn’t breathing. Dare did rescue breathing until she coughed up the water. The helicopter landed a few seconds later.”
“Where was Princess Astrid during all of this?”
“We were together with the rest of our families until Dare and I went out to the balcony to talk. They were all in the Red Drawing Room. I saw her in there as we went back through to get downstairs.”
The man scribbled some notes. “How did Princess Sofia get outside?”
“I have no idea how she got out of her crib or downstairs without being seen, but someone propped the door open with a rock. It’s not supposed to be left open or unlocked for security reasons. I’m told it’s a water tight door, too, in case of some sort of huge storm surge, though I can’t imagine one that high, but maybe hurricane winds and rains too, I suppose. It’s a heavy door.”
“Who else would have been near the nursery who could have let her out of her crib?”
“I haven’t spoken with her, but I’ve been told Gretchen was in the sitting room the whole time. She would have seen anyone else entering or leaving. There’s another entrance to the nursery room, but it’s locked from the inside. You can’t get into it without being given access.”
“It’s a palace. Are there any secret passages? Or is that all a fictional construct?”
How was Jordan supposed to know? “I have no idea. If there are, I haven’t been told about them. As for others who could have gone up there without anyone really thinking twice about it... probably any member of the royal family or security. I don’t think my family could have, just because they’re not known to the rest of the staff yet. But, if Gretchen was in the sitting room, she still would have noticed one of them entering the room.”
Jordan hated that Astrid was going through the same thing in another room, with her daughter in her arms.
“Do you know anyone who would wish to harm Princess Sofia? Who might have helped her down to the beach in the hopes that something would happen to her?”
“She’s a member of the royal family,” Jordan reminded the man. “I’m sure they have at least some enemies or some crazies out to get them. But I’ve only been a part of the family for a couple of months. No one’s mentioned any specific threats to me. I don’t know if that’s because there aren’t any, because they’re not relevant to me personally or because it’s not standard operating procedure for me personally, to be notified if the threat isn’t an immediate danger.”
“I see.” The man made some more notes.
Was this almost over? What else could he want to know?
“What about you? What’s your relationship like with your step-daughter?”
30
“I would never hurt my daughter.” Astrid forced herself not to yell, not while Sofia slept against her chest. “I would never knowingly leave her somewhere she could get hurt.”
“Then how do you explain her wandering unattended around a palace full of people and no one noticing? If someone carried or led her to the door, wouldn’t that have been far less noticeable than a toddler princess on her own?”
“Anything is possible. All I know is that I had nothing to do with it. I don’t believe my husband, our nanny, or either of our families had anything to do with it either.”
“How long have you lived at this location?”
“A couple of weeks.” What was the relevance? That Sofia couldn’t have known how to get to the beach access door?
“Do you personally know all of the staff members?”
“No, but I doubt my father personally knows each staff member either. All of them have been vetted by the Palace Personnel Office. Every member of the staff at all of the residences have been.”
“What about your husband?”
“What about him?”
“Princess Sofia isn’t his daughter.”
She bristled at the implication. “He adores her, and she adores him. He knocked my father over and gave him a black eye - on accident - while trying to get to Sofia. She calls Jordan ‘Papa’, he’s teaching her to ice skate and play hockey. If it were legal for him to do so, we would have started adoption procedures the minute he’d met whatever other legal qualifications there are.”
“Why can’t he?”
Astrid managed not to roll her eyes. “Because of Sofia’s spot in the line of succession. The way the law is currently written, it assumes the heir presumptive is male. Therefore, if the heir presumptive dies, there is a widow who could remarry. Her new husband, the stepfather of the new heir presumptive, cannot adopt the child. The law makes no concession if the father wasn’t the member of the royal family. A direct descendant within a certain number of spots of the throne - I think it’s twenty or twenty-five - cannot be adopted by a step-father without giving up their place in the line of succession.”
“I see.” He made a few notes. “And you don’t think he’d prefer his own child take the throne someday?”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. Then another one. She looked him straight in the eye. “I know you’re just doing your job, but that accusation is completely baseless. I’m not sure if you can be brought up on grounds of slander of the royal family during an interview as part of your investigation, but you can bet I’ll be finding out.”
“And how is your marriage?”
“Our marriage is fine. All m
arriages have a few snags, and we’ve had a few minor disagreements.” Sure, that’s what it was, but in the grander scheme of life, her statement held. “But we’re fine. I love my husband, and he loves me.” At least they’d patched things up before this happened. Though she didn’t doubt for a second he would have reacted the exact same way, at least she could honestly say they were in a good place.
The rest of his questions were as invasive and annoying. She managed to remain civil, but reiterated that she’d be looking into the slander charges, after he implied pretty much everyone in her family could have some motive. From Kensington hoping to become the heir to Esther’s alleged jealousy and who knew what else.
But he didn’t threaten to take Sofia away from her. She took that as a good sign.
Finally, he left, though a member of the local police stayed outside with palace security. Jordan came in a minute later.
“How are you?” he asked. “How is she?”
“She slept through the whole interrogation. I would imagine you’ve been given the same instruction I was, though, and that’s not to discuss the interview with anyone.”
“Basically.” Jordan sat in the same chair he had earlier, but this time he pulled it closer to the bed. He reached out and rested a hand on Sofia’s back. “Have the doctors been back in yet?”
“No, but none of the monitors have gone off.”
“She’s going to be fine,” he told her with conviction Astrid wished she shared.
A knock on the wall drew their attention. They both turned to see her parents walk in.
“They said we could come two at a time.” Her mother came immediately to her side. “How is she?”
“Sleeping. She slept through the whole thing.”
“They’ve already talked to us,” her father told them. “They’ve got at least four investigators here. They want this to be closed as quickly as possible, too.”
“Any word on what the video showed?” Astrid needed to know how to prevent something like this from happening again.
Her father shook his head. “They’re not allowed to talk to me about it for the time being, unless there’s a serious security breach I need to be aware of. If, like we suspect, it’s a tragic combination of little factors, there’s no reason for them to discuss it with me at this point. If someone managed to sneak inside unobserved and removed her from her crib, that kind of thing, it would be different.” He rested a hand on Astrid’s calf. “But once one of your siblings is done with their interview, we need one of them to come in here with her, because the four of us need to have a frank discussion about how this is going to play out.”
Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1 Page 22