Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1

by Carol Moncado

  Kensington wrapped her in his arms. “On their way.”

  Close behind, came Caitlin and her family. They’d been given accommodations away from the hubbub around his family, but with a liason to help with anything they might need.

  “Did they find Gracie yet?” Caitlin asked. “Where’s Jenny?”

  “No word on Gracie,” Kensington answered. “Jenny should be here in a couple of minutes.”

  The rest of his family, Esme, and a security contingent all swarmed in. The door opened and a member of the local police force carried in a little girl.

  “Jenny!” Caitlin and her whole family swarmed the little girl who reached for her mother.

  “Mama!”

  A group of security guards encircled them and whisked them toward the security offices. Kensington left his arm around Anabelle’s shoulders as they followed behind.

  Caitlin and Jenny were taken into an interrogation room, though it had been made more homey. Kensington left Anabelle with his mother and sister then went into the other room to watch through the mirror.

  Jenny sat on Caitlin’s lap, holding her favorite stuffed animal.

  A woman Kensington recognized as a prominent local psychologist who often worked with the authorities in cases involving children sat on the floor with them.

  Over the course of what seemed like an eternity to Kensington, she got some information out of Jenny, though not much of use. There were several men. All of them were nice to her and Gracie. They had sandwiches for dinner and some sort of sweet cake for breakfast. They took her to the park, but Jenny wished Gracie had gone, too. They took her out of her car seat, told her Caitlin was waiting by the swings, so Jenny ran to the swings only to find Caitlin wasn’t there. Another mom helped her and called the police after reading the note Jenny had been given.

  “None of that helps us find Gracie.” Kensington sat in one of the chairs and looked at his father. “Nothing about where they were or whether they could see the ocean from the house or the palace or anything to give us a direction. What did the note say?” He hadn’t heard.

  “That they don’t plan to hurt Gracie, but we’ll never see her again.”

  “No indication if it’s their grandfather or Benjamin behind this?”

  “No, but I did speak with Benjamin earlier. If he’s behind it, his acting skills are better than we give him credit for. He’ll be here in a few weeks for the Games. I told him I wanted to meet with him. He asked what about, but didn’t press. He offered his thoughts and prayers for Gracie’s safe return, but didn’t seem overly interested or concerned. No more so than we would be about his child being abducted.” His father shrugged. “Well, maybe we’d be more concerned, but Benjamin has never been particularly demonstrative or emotional.”

  “No, he hasn’t. Is it possible he’s using his unemotional side to make it look like he doesn’t care very much?”

  “I don’t think so. I think either he doesn’t know she’s his daughter, or she isn’t his daughter, and he has no idea anyone thinks she is. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that he’s faking it, but I doubt it.”

  “So Gregorson it is.”

  “That seems most likely. We’ve talked with some contacts in Eyjania who will keep it under wraps so Benjamin doesn’t find out just yet. If we determine it was Mr. Gregorson, then we may go to Benjamin for help, but not yet.”

  “What’s the next move?” He wanted to be out in the city, looking for Gracie, but they wouldn’t let him.

  “The next move is to let the authorities do their jobs. I know you have a team working for you, and they’re quite competent, but you need to stay in the loop with the Games. We’re just over a month from Opening Day.”

  Kensington nodded. “I know. I’ve been getting updates the whole time.”

  “That’s not enough, and you know it. Today you get a pass, but tomorrow, you need to be back in the office because you have work to do that can’t be passed off to others. Fortunately, the entire country is looking for Gracie. We don’t need you to look, though I understand your desire to.”

  When his phone buzzed in his pocket, Kensington pulled it out. “That’s Anabelle asking for an update.” He nodded toward the room where Jenny still clung to Caitlin. “Will we learn anything else from Jenny?”

  His father turned to the official sitting there. “What do you think?”

  “Unlikely, but we may learn a thing or two. They’re going to stay in guest quarters for a few days. It’s got audio and video monitoring throughout most of it, which they know is in place. That way we can catch anything else she might say in passing that her parents might not pick up on or might not remember word for word when we need them to.”

  Kensington put his phone back in his pocket and started for the door. “When’s the press conference?”

  “An hour.”

  “Do we need to be there?”

  “Yes, and you need to change clothes before then. You can’t be seen in yesterday’s wrinkles.”

  Weary, he gave a single nod. “Yes, sir.” He needed to find his wife, tell her there wasn’t anything to tell, and hold on tight.

  17

  Anabelle clutched Kensington’s hand with both of hers. Despite what Jacqueline Grace’s stylist had tried to do, her red-rimmed eyes and splotchy cheeks couldn’t be hidden for this press conference. At least she wore clean clothes and had been able to take a quick shower. She felt better, physically, even if she was still an emotional basket case.

  “We will take a few questions at this time,” the police chief told the assembled press.

  One of them stood and shouted louder than the others. “Princess Esmeralda of Islas del Sargasso was seen entering the palace grounds yesterday. Why is she here and does it have anything to do with the investigation?”

  King Edward stepped forward. “She came to extend her family’s support and her country’s resources, as well as access to any information they may have to help in the search, should it lead us outside the borders.”

  The truth, but not all of it.

  “Duchess Anabelle, is there any truth to the rumor that Gracie is your daughter?”

  With great effort, Anabelle managed to control her reaction as she leaned toward a microphone. “No. I didn’t even know my parents were adopting her until they showed up at home with her one day. I’m not sure of the circumstances of her birth, but I believe her biological mother passed when she was a few days old. I’m not sure how my parents knew she needed a home, but they offered it to her, no strings attached. She’s not my biological daughter or sister, but, since the death of our parents, I love her as both.”

  Kensington squeezed her hand as she held tight.

  “Why haven’t you adopted her?” another reporter asked.

  Before Anabelle could answer, the king stepped forward. “I am certain my daughter-in-law will be happy to answer some of those questions at a later date. For now, our focus is on finding Lady Grace and her safe return. Thank you for your time.”

  He turned to leave, with Anabelle and Kensington falling in behind him and the assorted officials following in their wake. When they reached a safe place, out of the way of prying eyes, Kensington pulled her close, his arms enveloping her. Only exhaustion prevented her from dissolving into sobs again.

  “I hate to do this to you, love, but something’s come up with the Games and needs my attention. I can’t let anyone else do it, unfortunately.” His whisper against her hair cut through to her heart.

  Swallowing deeply, she took a step back. “I understand.”

  “I should be able to come find you in an hour or so.” His head dropped. “But tomorrow, unless something changes, I need to be at work all day. The Games are in less than a month, and there’s a lot I can’t leave to others.”

  She nodded. “I understand.” She hated it, but she understood. Some things didn’t wait for personal trauma. Her grandfather had taught her that.

  The irony wasn’t lost on Anabelle.
r />   His hand wrapped around the back of her neck as his other arm held her close again for a moment. With a kiss to her forehead, Kensington stepped away. “Be sure you tell someone what you need. My mother or sisters, or anyone. They’ll take care of you until I get back.”

  “I know.”

  He gave her a kiss then turned to walk away, pulling his phone from his pocket as he did. It wasn’t his fault, Anabelle knew that, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit abandoned at the same time.

  Someone else took her elbow and led her to a sitting room where some snacks waited. She wouldn’t be able to eat much, but Anabelle knew she needed to keep her strength up.

  Nibbling on a sandwich took most of her energy as conversation went on around her, though she didn’t pay any attention to any of it.

  Motions.

  She had to go through them.

  Eating. Drinking. Sleeping. Showering.

  For two days that’s what she did at the palace.

  Then Amma and Rachel went home, and she spent most of two more at the Lowery House while overseeing the packing up of her things along with Kensington’s and Gracie’s. Until she was found, they would use the palace as their home base.

  Kensington had thrown himself into his work with the Games. Anabelle needed to do the same. At home, even if it was a palace, all she did was stew. Despite the circumstances around her being outed as Kensington’s wife, she’d been receiving requests for appearances and support and everything else. She’d been assigned an assistant from the palace pool who was responding to everything with a kind, but firm, thank you but not at this time.

  Six days after Gracie disappeared, Anabelle decided it was time to change things up. After speaking with the assistant, whose name she couldn’t quite remember, Anabelle decided it was time to visit an assisted living and nursing home facility. Part of her wanted to choose an early childhood venue, but she feared it would be too difficult.

  The invitation had come four days earlier, with apologies for the timing, the belief Gracie would be found long before the event took place, and the promise of good food and warm companionship to take her mind off whatever it needed taking off of.

  A car drove her to the facility ten miles from the palace. Anabelle was certain it took longer than it should have. When she’d looked it up on her phone, the route should have taken them right by the Turtle Sanctuary, but she hadn’t seen so much as a sign for it. That couldn’t be an accident.

  No one but the director of the facility had been told she would be in attendance, so there were no hordes of photographers waiting as she emerged from the car.

  Instead, a middle-aged woman greeted her and then ushered her inside. Inside the building, several elderly men and women waited. Each seemed torn as they bowed or curtsied, which she thought was completely unnecessary.

  Finally, she had to ask. “What is it? Do I have something in my hair? Something in my teeth?”

  One of them, a man about her grandfather’s age and bearing a slight resemblance to him, stepped forward. “Nothing like that, Your Royal Highness.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Without another word, the man wrapped her in a bear hug, the kind she’d always imagined little girls would get from their grandfathers. “We all really want to do this,” he told her. “Hug away as much of the hurt as we can. We’re all grandparents. Some of us are great-grandparents, and we wish we could treat you like we would if you were our granddaughter, and it was our great-granddaughter who was still missing after all these days.”

  The tears that flowed weren’t the sobs Anabelle had experienced so often over the last several days, but cleansing tears. They hadn’t found Gracie yet, but the soul-deep belief that somehow it would all work out enveloped her, like the hug the man gave her did.

  It would.

  It would work out.

  It wouldn’t be easy, but in the end, it would all be okay.

  It had to be.

  “What exactly is the issue?” Kensington pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke into the phone.

  “The plumbing in one of the dorms isn’t working right. Something about the sewer. I don’t have the details yet, but I’ll let you know more when I do.”

  “So no estimate on when it’ll be fixed then, is there?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  “You’ll be my first call when I know more.”

  Kensington hung up his phone. Great. Focus was already difficult when all he wanted to do was a house-by-house search for Gracie, but at least when it was all normal things, he could do it somewhat on autopilot. Problems required more mental energy than he had.

  “You’ll want to see this, sir.” Bertrand held out a tablet.

  “What is it?”

  He smiled. “Just look.”

  Kensington saw a photo of Anabelle.

  Smiling.

  With a small group of grandparent-looking men and women around her.

  “Where is this?”

  “She was invited to attend a small garden party at a local assisted living community. They didn’t decide until this morning that she was going to go.”

  “So no camera crews?”

  “Not until the end. Word got out during the event. There were half a dozen or so waiting as she left. One of them snapped this picture as she was walking toward the exit.”

  He flipped through several others and could tell when she realized her trip was being documented. Her smile dimmed a bit and didn’t quite reach her eyes anymore.

  There was a video where she stopped and said a few words about how lovely the garden party was, but as soon as the shouted questions about Gracie became too loud, she waved and left.

  “Good. I’m glad she’s getting out. Sitting around just gives her too much time to stew and mope and dwell. Being with people is good for her. I’ve got my work with the Games to keep me occupied. Anabelle needs something, too.”

  “Speaking of the Games, you have another call on line three.”

  Kensington nodded to dismiss Bertrand and reached for the phone. “Kensington.” The manager of the track and field facility was having an issue with the employee management companies who were supposed to work at her venue and several others. She’d done everything she could, but the vendor refused to cooperate with the terms of their signed contract. At the late date, it would be nearly impossible to get another one. “I don’t have the paperwork in front of me, but am I correct in remembering the products have been purchased by the venues, and this company simply manages the employees who sell the merchandise?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Who actually employs them?”

  “Their paychecks come from my office, but we don’t actually hire or fire them. It’s a bit of an odd arrangement, but that’s the way it is.”

  “So, what we really need is someone to manage the employees, and the souvenir stores in general?” An idea began to form in his mind. “Do you have anyone who can do that?”

  “Not that I can spare, but yes. We need someone in charge, but it’s at least a four-person job, minimum. Some of the interviews have already taken place, but no hiring has that we’re aware of.”

  “I’ll take care of it. I’ve got an idea. Once I know if it’s going to work and I’ve got the particulars sorted, I’ll give you a call back. Terminate the contract, on my authority if needed.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  After hanging up, Kensington called for Bertrand. “When is Anabelle available? I need to talk with her as soon as possible.”

  “Her car is pulling in now.”

  “Send her in here as soon as she has a minute, please.”

  He pulled up the contract for the employee management company and started reviewing it while he waited.

  “What is it?” Anabelle sounded weary, and when he looked up, she looked even more so.

  Kensington stood and went to stand in front of her. “How are you? Did you enjoy your outing?”
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br />   Anabelle leaned against him, letting Kensington hold her up. “I did, until the end when the reporters showed up.”

  “You did an excellent job. I watched a replay of the live feed.” He rubbed a hand up and down her back. “I have a proposition for you.”

  She tensed in his arms.

  It made him smile sadly. “Not that kind of proposition. We’ve had an issue with a company not fulfilling a contract for the Games. I could really use someone to step in and take over the employee management at several venues. You’d work with probably three or four others to hire employees to run the souvenir stands and supervise them during the Games.”

  “I don’t know. That seems like a lot of work and extremely important. I don’t know anything about running a business or hiring employees.”

  “Maybe not, but you know people, and you know how to organize and get things done.”

  “Who would I be working with?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I just found out about it five minutes ago. If you have any suggestions, I’m open to them.”

  Anabelle shifted her weight until she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Just Rachel, but she can’t spare the time away from her shop. Mrs. T went back already, too.”

  Kensington knew Anabelle missed her newfound grandmother, but the woman had other people counting on her, and they didn’t want Gregorson to get suspicious about their knowledge of his activities.

  “What if Bertrand worked with you?” It amazed Kensington that he was willing to allow it for two reasons - he actually trusted the man, and Bertrand had become his right-hand man. “I have several other people here who can help with his jobs, but he could be an invaluable asset in helping you figure out what you need to do and how.”

  Anabelle nodded her head against his chest. “It’ll be good to have something productive to do. Has there been any word about anything?”

  “No. As soon as I hear anything, as soon as anyone hears anything, we’ll let you know.”

  “When do you need me to start?”

  “As soon as possible.”